Arthur Maynart Pereira Oliveira

The Puzzling Olfactory Groove Schwannoma: A Systematic Review

We systematically reviewed the literature concerning the anterior cranial fossa schwannomas to understand their pathogenesis, determine their origin, and standardize the terminology. We performed a MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Science Citation Index Expanded search of the literature; age, gender, clinical presentation, presence or absence of hyposmia, radiological features, and apparent origin were analyzed and tabulated. Cases in a context of neurofibromatosis and nasal schwannomas with intracranial extension were not included. Age varied between 14 and 63 years (mean = 30.9). There were 22 male and 11 female patients. The clinical presentation included seizures (n = 15), headache (n = 16), visual deficits (n = 7), cognitive disturbances (n = 3), and rhinorrhea (n = 1). Hyposmia was present in 14 cases, absent in 13 cases (39.3%), and unreported in five. Homogeneous and heterogeneous contrast enhancement was observed in 14 and 15 cases, respectively. The region of the olfactory groove was the probable site in 96.5%. Olfactory tract could be identified in 39.3%. The most probable origin is the meningeal branches of trigeminal nerve or anterior ethmoidal nerves. Thus, olfactory groove schwannoma would better describe its origin and pathogenesis and should be the term preferentially used to name it.

Comprehensive cognitive and cerebral hemodynamic evaluation after cranioplasty

Decompressive craniectomy is an established procedure to lower intracranial pressure and can save patients’ lives. However, this procedure is associated with delayed cognitive decline and cerebral hemodynamics complications. Studies show the benefits of cranioplasty beyond cosmetic aspects, including brain protection, and functional and cerebrovascular aspects, but a detailed description of the concrete changes following this procedure are lacking. In this paper, the authors report a patient with trephine syndrome who underwent cranioplasty; comprehensive cognitive and cerebral hemodynamic evaluations were performed prior to and following the cranioplasty. The discussion was based on a critical literature review.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage and hydrocephalus causing neurogenic pulmonary edema.

. We describe a case of a patient sustain -ing subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and hydrocephalus that developed NPE.CASEA 52 years-old female without pre-ex-isting cardiopulmonary disease present-ed at the emergency room with a histo-ry of sudden headache followed by loss of conscience. At physical examination, she was alert, but confuse, with no abnormal-ities on the neurological exam. CT scan displayed a Fischer grade III SAH. Four hours after, she became lethargic, with tachycardia and dyspnea. Chest radio-graph revealed bilateral alveolar infiltrates (Fig 1). The electrocardiogram (ECG) was unchanged. Mild hemoptysis was also ob-served and patient underwent orotraque-al intubation and diuretics were adminis-tered. Repeat CT scan revealed increase in the size of the ventricles (Fig 2) and a ven-triculostomy was emergentially performed.Soon after, patient recovered complete -ly and presented significant improvement

Cognitive rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury

Annually, some 500,000 people are hospitalized with brain lesions acquired after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Brazil. Between 75,000 and 100,000 individuals die within hours of the event and 70,000 to 90,000 evolve to irreversible loss of some neurological function. The principal causes of TBI include motor vehicle accidents (50%), falls (21%), assaults and robberies (12%) and accidents during leisure activities (10%). Within this context, cognitive rehabilitation, a clinical area encompassing interdisciplinary action aimed at recovery as well as compensation of cognitive functions altered as a result of cerebral injury, is extremely important for these individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the basic concepts related to TBI, including mechanisms of injury, severity levels of TBI, the most common findings in moderate and severe TBI survivors, and the most frequent cognitive impairments following TBI, and also to discuss the strategies used to handle patients post-TBI. The study results yielded relevant information on a structured cognitive rehabilitation service, representing an alternative for patients and families afflicted by TBI, enabling the generation of multiple research protocols.

Fisher revised scale for assessment of prognosis in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage

UNLABELLED The Fisher revised scale (FRS) presents an alternative for evaluating patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In this study, we compared the prognosis of patients with SAH and vasospasms (VSP). METHOD This was a prospective study on patients with a diagnosis of aneurysmal SAH, 72 hours after the initial event. Sequential neurological examinations and Hunt and Hess (HaH) score were performed on the 1(st), 7(th) and 14(th) days. Transcranial Doppler was used to assess vasospasms. RESULTS Out of the 24 patients studied, ten (41.66%) presented a delayed neurological deficit, such as diminished consciousness, decreased HaH score or death. The single patient classified as FS-1 did not have any delayed neurological deficit, while such deficits evolved in one patient out of five with FS-2 (20%); two out of seven with FS-3 (28.57%) and seven out of 11 with FS-4 (63.63%). CONCLUSION Level three of the FS and FRS seemed to be compatible with regard to predicting the likelihood of progression to severe VSP.

Remote Postoperative Epidural Hematoma after Subdural Hygroma Drainage

Objective. Subdural hygroma is reported to occur in 5%–20% of all patients with closed head trauma, the treatment is controversial and in symptomatic cases surgical drainage is need. We report on a new case with remote acute epidural hematoma (AEH) after subdural hygroma drainage. Case Presentation. A 38-year-old man suffered blunt head trauma and had diffuse axonal injury grade III in CT scan. A CT scan that was late performed showed an increasing subdural fluid collection with mild mass effect and some effacement of the left lateral ventricle. We perform a trepanation with drainage of a hypertensive subdural collection with citrine aspect. Postoperative tomography demonstrated a large left AEH. Craniotomy and evacuation of the hematoma were performed. Conclusion. The mechanism of remote postoperative AEH formation is unclear. Complete reliance on neurologic monitoring, trust in an early CT scan, and a relative complacency after an apparently successful initial surgery for hygroma drainage may delay the diagnosis of this postoperative AEH.

Suspected tumor-to-meningioma metastasis: A case report

Tumor-to-meningioma metastasis (TMM) is a fairly uncommon phenomenon. Only 7 cases of prostate cancer with TMM have previously been described in the literature. The present study aimed to report a case of prostate cancer TMM, and to discuss the relevant clinical and neuroimaging aspects of this condition. A 68-year-old patient presented with headaches, poor visual acuity in the left eye and ipsilateral eyelid droop 3 years after a Simpson II resection of a left sphenoid wing meningioma. Computed tomography revealed a hyperdense area suggestive of a recurrent left sphenoid wing meningioma. During microsurgical resection of tumor, the tumor presented a fibrous aspect and bled profusely. In the histological examination, a metastatic adenocarcinoma was identified inside the transitional meningioma. The immunohistochemical exam favored a prostatic primary site. The patient died two months later of septic shock from pneumonia. This is a rare metastatic presentation. The pre-operative diagnosis of TMM remains challenging in the majority of cases.