Antonio Aversa do Souto

Optic pathways tuberculoma mimicking glioma: case report.

BACKGROUND Optochiasmatic tuberculomas are very rare lesions. They can occur with concomitant tuberculous meningitis, and pulmonary tuberculosis or as the only manifestation of the disease. The authors present a case of optic pathways tuberculoma with radiologic appearance simulating an optic pathways glioma. CASE DESCRIPTION We report a case of a 20-year-old man with mental retardation due to anoxic encephalopathy who developed a sudden bilateral amaurosis. He also presented with diabetes insipidus, panhypopituitarism, right proptosis, and chemosis. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an enhancing lesion in the optochiasmatic region extending to both optic nerves, with a mass in the right orbit, mimicking an optic pathways glioma. There was no other evidence of systemic involvement of the tuberculosis. The lesion was explored through a right pterional transylvian approach with opening of the optic canal and orbital roof, and a biopsy and an internal decompression were performed. Histopathological studies demonstrated a granulomatous lesion with central caseous necrosis with acid-fast bacilli. The patient improved after treatment with tuberculostatic drugs, but vision recovery could not be achieved. CONCLUSIONS Visual compromise in tuberculosis is associated with hydrocephalus, optical neuritis or tuberculomas involving the optic pathways. Reviewing the literature on tuberculomas of the optochiasmatic area, we could not find any other case with such extensive involvement of the optic pathways that was radiologically suggestive of an infiltrating glioma. Histopathological studies remain crucial in the diagnosis of intrinsic expansive processes of the optochiasmatic region.

Cerebral biopsy: comparison between frame-based stereotaxy and neuronavigation in an oncology center

Treatment of intracranial tumoral lesions is related to its correct histological diagnostic. We present a retrospective analysis of 32 patients submitted to 36 cerebral biopsies using neuronavigation and 44 patients using frame-based stereotaxy. Mean age was 46.6 and 49.3 years old respectively. Sex distribution in both groups was 50% for each. Most of lesions were lobar in both groups. Diagnostic yielding was 91.7% and 83.4%, respectively (p=0.26). We found in the postoperative CT scans intracranial hemorrhages in 13.8% cases of the first group and 9.8% cases in the second. Most of them were mild post-operative hemorrages in the biopsy site. There was one death related to the procedure in each group. Astrocytomas and metastatic adenocarcinomas were the most frequent diagnosis. Diagnostic yielding and the number of postoperative hemorrhage and death were similar on both groups and the same found in the literature.

Lumbosacral angiolipoma. Case report

We present a case of a 46-year old woman with a ventral epidural angiolipoma at the lumbosacral level with erosion of the sacrum. About ninety cases of spinal angiolipomas have been previously described in the literature, most of them situated on the thoracic region, dorsal to the dural sac. Angiolipomas can be radically excised with a good prognosis even in the presence of bone erosion. We did not find any other angiolipoma at the sacral level surgically explored in the review of the literature.

Isolated pathetick nerve paresis by compression from a dolichoectatic basilar artery: case report

The article describes a woman with 53 year-old that has presented diplopia when looking down and adopted a tilted head position in order to read for the last six months. The neuro-ophthalmic examination shows isolated right superior oblique muscle paresis. The magnetic resonance and the angioresonance show the dolicoectatic basilar artery compressing the right ventral lateral brainstem.

Complex paraclinoidal and giant cavernous aneurysms: importance of preoperative evaluation with temporary balloon occlusion test and SPECT

In the treatment of complex paraclinoidal and giant cavernous aneurysms, preservation of the patency of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is not always possible, and therapeutic occlusion of the carotid is still an important option for their management. A complete preoperative evaluation of the carotid reserve circulation, including the use of temporary balloon occlusion test and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) should be included in the current paradigms of paraclinoidal and intracavernous aneurysms management. We present a series of fifteen patients with sixteen giant or complex carotid cavernous or ophthalmic aneurysms that were treated following a protocol for our preoperative decision-making analysis. Extracranial to intracranial saphenous vein bypass was reserved to the cases where carotid occlusion would be associated with high risk of ischemic complications and was performed in three patients. Besides the difficulties in dealing with those complex aneurysms, good clinical outcome was possible in our experience with the designed paradigm.

Giant clival chordoma causing pathological laughter.

Background: Chordomas are rare slowly growing tumors that originate from remnants of the notochord. They have a malignant local behavior, causing symptoms due to bone infiltration and compression of neurovascular structures. Only a few cases of brain tumors associated with pathological laughter have been reported in the literature. Case Description: We report a case of a 42-year-old male patient with this atypical clinical presentation treated at our institution, and discuss the concerning literature. Conclusion: Although being a very rare presentation of chordomas, pathological laughter is usually expected to improve after brain stem decompression.

Cranio-orbital approach for the paraclinoidal and anterior communicating aneurysms

Aneurysms arising at the proximal intracranial carotid artery (between cavernous sinus and posterior communicating artery) and at the anterior communicating complex may present with technical difficulties regarding appropriate access without excessive brain retraction. In a series of 15 patients the authors show the use of the cranio-orbital approach, formerly designed in the access of skull base tumors, for these subgroups of aneurysms. They discuss the advantages of a basal avenue in minimizing brain retraction, better anatomical orientation, obviation of tissue ressection and easier extra-dural bone removal. It was not identified any complication due to the described approach.

Acute Intratumoral Bleeding in a Cystic Vestibular Schwannoma: Case Report

Introduction: Vestibular schwannomas are slow-growing tumors with progressive hearing and vestibular symptoms as the usual presentation. Cystic degeneration in schwannomas are found not so rarely, and it is probably secondary to microhemorrhages inside the tumor. We report a very unusual case of vestibular schwannoma with a massive hemorrhage inside the tumor and abrupt clinical presentation. Methods: We reviewed the cases of vestibular schwannomas treated by the authors with particular attention to their presentation symptoms and the occurrence of associated cysts. Results: We report a case of a 52-year-old female with acute presentation symptoms of intracranial hypertension and compression of the brain stem due to a large cystic vestibular schwannoma with massive bleeding inside the cyst. Total removal of the tumor was obtained through a suboccipital retrosigmoidal approach after the drainage of the hemorrhagic collection inside the tumor. Pathological studies confirmed hemosiderin deposition in the walls of the cyst. Conclusions: We report the CT and MR imaging appearance and the operative findings of a very rare case of massive intratumoral bleeding in a vestibular schwanoma. This unusual and unpredictable occurrence would be considered as an additional risk in the cases treated conservatively or with gamma-knife.