Bekir Akgun

Hepatic Pseudocyst as a Result of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Hepatic pseudocyst formation is a rare intra-abdominal complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunts. The presence of an intracranial tumor and a history of central nervous system infection are major risk factors for the development of this complication. Hepatic pseudocysts secondary to ventriculoperitoneal shunts can be classified as intra- and extra-axially growing cysts. On abdominal computed tomography images, extra-axially growing pseudocysts are typically surrounded by a fine annulus that shows continuity to hepatic parenchyma. For treatment of extra-axially growing hepatic pseudocysts, surgical unroofing of the cyst and repositioning of the catheter is an effective method if there is no shunt infection and/or dysfunction.

Ganglioneuroblastoma of the thoracic spinal cord: a very rare case report.

An eight-month-old male child was admitted with weakness and swelling in the feet. Paraparesis and bilateral lower extremity edema were present in the neurological examination. Thoracic MRI showed an intradural intramedullary mass 61 x 11 mm in size in the T5-T10 levels. Laminotomy between the T5-T10 vertebrae was performed. A mass with smooth borders was separated from most of the neural tissue. In the postoperative MRI, we observed a contrast enhancing area, considered a residual fragment, only 5 x 4 mm in size. Histopathological properties were compatible with the intermixed subtype of ganglioneuroblastoma. Only a limited number of thoracic cord Ganglioneuroblastoma reports have been previously published. Although very rare in children and young adults, ganglioneuroblastoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of thoracic cord tumors. It is difficult to obtain a preoperative diagnosis with clinical features and radiological investigations. Diagnosis depends on histopathological examinations. Curative treatment should be in the form of a complete resection of the tumor. In partially resected cases, adjuvant radiotherapy may become necessary, along with close follow-up.

Variation in the BRCA2 gene in a child with medulloblastoma and a family history of breast cancer

The fact that BRCA genes operate as tumor suppressors is evident from the genetics of the different human disorders caused by inherited mutations. Germline mutations affecting 1 allele of either BRCA1 or BRCA2 confer susceptibility to different types of cancers such as breast cancer and medulloblastoma. A family with a history of cancer was identified in Eastern Turkey in which one of the family members (a 13-year-old boy) had medulloblastoma. Venous blood was collected from available family members. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were sequenced in the patient with medulloblastoma and the healthy father. An Asn372His homozygous variation was noted in the BRCA2 gene in the patient with medulloblastoma whereas the variation was heterozygous in the healthy father. A biallelic homozygous variation was demonstrated in the BRCA2 gene, which is important in medulloblastoma suppression, and may have caused medulloblastoma formation in the 13-year-old boy. Further investigations in large human populations with medulloblastoma are necessary for further delineation of BRCA gene malfunctions and their relationship to medulloblastoma formation, and to clarify the therapeutic implications of these malfunctions.

The correlation of serum NT-proBNP levels of hemorrhagic and ischemic lesions detected with diffusion MRI in head traumas.

AIM To evaluate the correlation between the dimensions of ischemic and hemorrhagic lesions detected by diffusion MRI and the changes in lesion dimensions with serum NT-proBNP levels in mild and moderate head trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS 30 patients were assessed in our study. A control group of 10 individuals with no trauma history was formed in order to establish normal serum NT-proBNP values. Patients underwent brain diffusion MRI 24 and 48 hours following admittance. Their plasma NT-proBNP levels were checked at the same stages. RESULTS The correlation between the values of 24th and 48th hour Intra-axial hemorrhage (IAHEM) and Intra-axial ischemia (IAISC) and the values of 24th and 48th hour NT-proBNP was established as statistically significant. CONCLUSION It was observed that the serum NT-proBNP values could be higher in patients with wide intra-axial lesion following head trauma than patients with smaller intra-axial lesions. In addition, the fact that it has been established that the serum NT-proBNP values of patients with increasing cerebral parenchymal lesion dimensions on the advancing hours after the trauma increase suggests that serum NTproBNP values may be significant in the follow-up of the dimensions of cerebral parenchymal damage.

Subgaleal Migration of the Distal Catheter of a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt

Proximal migration of the distal end of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt has been observed much more rarely than other numerous shunt-related complications. Subgaleal migration of the peritoneal end is one of the samples. In the preset report we have discussed a case of subgaleal migration of the peritoneal end detected as a result of the examinations performed for shunt dysfunction. There was ventricular dilatation on CT scan of the brain. X-ray examinations confirmed proper ventricular catheter and shunt valve placement but a complete migration of distal (peritoneal) catheter into the subgaleal space. Then the patients shunt was revised. When our case and the literature were examined, we observed that this complication was frequently encountered during the first postoperative months, in the pediatric ages and in patients with advanced hydrocephalus. Besides, we have detected that the peritoneal catheters had tendency to migration into the subgaleal tissues similar to pre-insertion forms of the preoperatively original packages.

Penetrating head trauma with four nails: an extremely rare case

We present a rare case of self-inflicted penetrating head trauma by a 34-year-old male who hammered four nails into his own head; he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia seven years before. On the physical examination, four nails were observed in the hairy scalp that had been driven into the cranium in the right temporal and parietal areas of the head. No cerebrospinal fluid fistulas were present. On the neurological examination, no motor or sensory deficits were present. The Glasgow Coma Scale was 15. On direct skull X-ray and cranial computerized tomography (CT), the nails were seen to be approximately 10 cm long and extending in various directions. No injury was observed in the main vasculature on CT angiography. Under general anesthesia, two nails in the right temporal area were removed by extraction, and the other two nails in the right parietal area were removed through a mini craniotomy. In areas such as the temporal area where the bone is thin, nails can be removed by extraction. However, in areas like the parietal bone where the bone is thick, removal of the nails using this method may not always be possible.

How innocent is corpus callosum dysgenesis

Background/Aims: We aimed to investigate the relationship between corpus callosum dysgenesis (CCD) and associated asymptomatic closed spinal dysraphisms (CSDs). Methods: 2,840 pediatric patients who were referred to our outpatient clinic between the years 2005 and 2013 with the diagnosis of microcephaly, macrocephaly, congenital hydrocephaly, epilepsy, mental-motor retardation and suspicion of intracranial mass were evaluated. Eighty-five patients were identified with a CCD by cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The 85 patients with CCD were evaluated by whole spinal vertebral MRI for possible CSD and the results were evaluated. Results: 31/85 (36.4%) patients (20 males, 11 females) were detected to have radiological findings of CSD. The most common radiological finding was a low-lying conus medullaris, either alone, or as part of a multiple pathology in 26 of the 31 patients, followed by diastematomyelia in 16 of 31 cases and spinal lipoma in 4 of the 31 cases. Conclusion: When the neuroaxis emerges as a whole, the structures of embryological ectodermal origin and cranial and spinal structures are not independent regions from each other and thus, asymptomatic CSDs have been demonstrated to accompany CCD. In diseases of neural origin in which early diagnosis is of the utmost importance, each case with dysgenesis, diagnosed incidentally or during differential diagnosis, should be evaluated for possible CSD and should be treated with a multidisciplinary approach before any neurological deficit appears.

Evaluation of apparent diffusion coefficients in the cerebellar tonsils and bulbus in chiari type i malformations: comparison before and after surgery

AIM To evaluate the preoperative and postoperative 6th month mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the cerebellar tonsils and bulbus in patients with Chiari Malformation Type I (CMI), and to compare the results with healthy controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS We included 15 patients with CMI who underwent suboccipital decompression, upper cervical laminectomy, and duraplasty surgery, and compared them with 10 healthy individuals. Three regions of interest were placed, one each in the cerebellar tonsils and one in the bulbus. The mean ADC values were measured separately in each region. RESULTS Among the patients, mean ADC values were significantly decreased after surgery compared with before surgery. The mean ADC values before surgery were significantly higher for patients than for controls; however, although mean ADC values were slightly higher after surgery for patients than for controls, the differences were not significant. Thus, after surgical intervention, ADC values in patients with CMI became close to those of normal individuals. CONCLUSION The increased ADC values in patients with CMI before surgery implied that not only morphologic changes but also increased diffusivity may play a key role in the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of the disease. We conclude that decompression surgery can produce favorable diffusional alterations.

Evaluation of cortical brain parenchyma, by diffusion and perfusion mri, before and after chronic subdural hematoma surgery

AIM To evaluate microcirculatory changes in neighboring parenchyma as a result of pressure due to chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) in early and late periods after hematoma drainage. MATERIAL AND METHODS The subject group consisted of 25 patients who underwent CSDH drainage. Brain diffusion and perfusion magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were obtained preoperatively, and at 48 hours (early period) and 2 months (late period) postoperatively. Measurements were performed on 1 cm2 regions of interest (ROI) in the neighboring parenchymal tissue. RESULTS The early postoperative diffusion values showed improvement compared to the preoperative values. The late postoperative values showed improvement compared to the preoperative and early postoperative values. The early postoperative perfusion values showed slight decline compared to the preoperative values. However, the late postoperative values showed improvement compared to the preoperative and early postoperative values. CONCLUSION The fact that there was an increase in diffusion values from early to late postoperative periods, compared with the preoperative period, indicates that the beneficial effects of surgery increase over time. Brain perfusion was found to be slightly decreased in early postoperative period. Following CSDH drainage, neurological deteriorations are observed in some patients in the early postoperative periods; a slight impairment in perfusion may account for this. However, during the late postoperative period, perfusion was seen to recover prominently.

The effectiveness and clinical outcomes of the Minerva cervical thoracicjacket in patients with type II odontoid fractures

Background/aim: The objective of this study was to carry out a detailed analysis and assess the outcomes for the Minerva cervical thoracic jacket (CTJ) in patients with type II odontoid fractures who could not be surgically treated. Materials and methods: Twenty-six patients for whom the Minerva CTJ was used rather than surgery for different reasons were included in the study. All patients were fitted with the Minerva CTJ within the first 24 h following diagnosis. The patients were followed 4 weeks after hospital discharge and then at 2-week intervals. Results were considered significant at P < 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval was calculated. Results: Of the 26 patients, 17 were male and 9 were female. The mean age was 49.03 years old (range: 16?86 years old). Fusion occurred in 25 of the 26 patients (P = 0.004), and the mean time to fusion was 6.8 weeks (P = 0.002). The mean length of hospital stay was 4 days and the mean follow-up period was 7.3 weeks. None of the patients had any complications due to the Minerva CTJ and the mortality rate was 0%. Conclusions: The Minerva CTJ application was a safe and cheap technique in the management of type II odontoid fractures. It had a high fusion rate and no complications.