Organ Donation and Primary Central Nervous System Tumors

Primary central nervous system tumors can be the cause of brain death. Not all of them contraindicate the donation of organs and tissues for transplant. A survey of cases was carried out in our country in which it was observed that the number of brain deaths caused by primary tumors was low, of the order of 2%, with an ẋ (media) of 3 by year, which would increase the potential for donation. Medical records, an anatomopathologic study, and a detailed physical examination will be fundamental when applying the donor selection criteria. Nuclear magnetic resonance in expert hands has a sensitivity of 96% to catalog the benignity or malignancy of this type of tumors.

[Giant cerebral cavernous malformation in a child less than 1 year old: case report]

Cerebral cavernous malformations are rarely described in children. Giant cavernous malformations are exceptional in this group of patients. The authors reports a case of an eleven months boy, who begins at the sixth month of life with epilepsy. Medical therapy was advised and imagenological studies were carried out. An IRM was performed, and shows a giant cavernous malformation in the right parietal lobe. Surgery was carried out, with complete resection of the lesion. In the postoperative period and at more than a year of follow up, he was free of crisis. We report the case because of the rarity of a giant cavernous angioma in a patient less than a year old.

[Topographic anatomy of the asterion]

BACKGROUND

In the surgical approaches to the posterior fossa, the accurate location of the transverse-sigmoid sinus (TS-SS) complex is of great importance. The asterion is a referral landmark to the transverse sinus location.

METHOD

Twenty-five skulls of adult cadavers were studied. We seek for the relationships of the asterion with: TS location, mastoid emissary vein, suprametal crest and inion.

RESULTS

The asterion was found in 49 cases. In the great majority of cases (87.8%) the asterion was over the TS (72.2% over the sinus proper, 27.8% over the TS-SS transition). The mastoid emissary vein was present in 46 cases, and in 36% we found two veins.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The burr hole for posterolateral approaches to the posterior fossa must be located below and behind the asterion.

Variaciones del sector anterior del polígono de Willis. Correlación anatomo-angiográfica y su implicancia en la cirugía de aneurismas intracraneanos (Arterias: ácigos cerebral anterior, mediana del cuerpo calloso y cerebral media accesoria)

It is worlwide accepted that in almost 60% of cases, anatomical variants in the Circle of Willis can be found. Some of them are associated with vascular malformations such as aneurysms. The knowledge of these anatomical variants is of vital importance when facing surgery, being the aims to preserve arteries in unusual localisations, which when injured can determine invalidating sequelae. The authors have reviewed 192 cerebral hemispheres, finding three variants in the anterior Circle of Willis: Azigos anterior cerebral artery; Median artery of the corpus callosum and accessory middle cerebral artery. The authors make an anatomical description of the findings, their angiographical correlation, and describe the influence of these changes during surgery of aneurysms in the involved regions.