Danilo De Paulis

Intracardiac migration of the distal catheter of ventriculoperitoneal shunt: a case report

IntroductionMigration of the distal catheter into the heart is an extremely rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt, with only 11 cases reported in literature; in only four of them, there was also the migration into the pulmonary artery. The authors report the case of a young patient with this rare complication that was managed simply converting the ventriculoperitoneal shunt into a ventriculoatrial shunt.DiscussionThe migration of the distal catheter occurred through the internal jugular vein probably as the consequence of direct damage of the vessel during tunneling. Venous flow and negative intrathoracic pressure may have gradually pulled the catheter up into the heart; the upward migration may also be encouraged by the continuous movements of the patient that was agitated in the postoperative period as the consequence of her psychiatric disorder. The authors review the literature regarding migration of distal tubing into the heart and pulmonary artery. Diagnosis and management of this complication is discussed.

Intrameatal aneurysm of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery.

Aneurysms of the distal part of the anterior-inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are rare, with an incidence of 0.1% to 0.5%. We report a 55-year-old woman suffering from a subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting from a ruptured intrameatal aneurysm of the AICA. A left retrosigmoid craniotomy was performed and the aneurysm was clipped without post-operative deficits. Follow-up angiography demonstrated exclusion of the aneurysm, confirming preservation of the distal AICA. We review the pertinent literature and discuss clinical presentation, radiological findings and surgical management of this patient.

Endoscope-Assisted Microneurosurgery for Intracranial Aneurysms

Background: The endovascular techniques has widely changed the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. However surgery still represent the best therapeutic option in case of broad-based and complex lesions. The combined use of endoscopic and microsurgical techniques (EAM) may improve surgical results. Objective: The purpose of our study is to evaluate the advantages and limits of EAM for intracranial aneurysms. Methods: Between January 2002 and December 2012, 173 patients, harboring 206 aneurysms were surgically treated in our department with the EAM technique. One hundred and fifty-seven aneurysms were located in the anterior circulation and 49 were in the posterior circulation. Standard tailored approaches, based on skull base surgery principles, were chosen. The use of the endoscope included three steps: initial inspection, true operative time, and final inspection. For each procedure, an intraoperative video and an evaluation schedule were prepared, to report surgeons’ opinions about the technique itself. In the first cases, we always used the endoscope during surgical procedures in order to get an adequate surgical training. Afterwards we became aware in selecting cases in which to apply the endoscopy, as we started to become familiar with its advantages and limits. Results: After clipping, all patients were undergone postoperative cerebral angiography. No surgical mortality related to EAM were observed. Complications directly related to endoscopic procedures were rare. Conclusion: Our retrospective study suggests that endoscopic efficacy for aneurysms is only scarcely influenced by the preoperative clinical condition (Hunt–Hess grade), surgical timing, presence of blood in the cisterns (Fisher grade) and/or hydrocephalus. However the most important factors contributing to the efficacy of EAM are determined by the anatomical locations and sizes of the lesions. Furthermore, the advantages are especially evident using dedicated scopes and holders, after an adequate surgical training to increase the learning curve.

Cavernous hemangioma of the frontal bone: a case report.

IntroductionCavernous hemangiomas are rare benign bone tumors and those at the level of the cranial bones are even rarer.Case presentationA 50-year-old woman of Italian ethnicity presented with a frontal mass. A computed tomography scan showed an osteolytic lesion and a magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed a hypointense lesion on the T1-weighted image and a hyperintense lesion on the T2-weighted image. We performed a tailored craniectomy and cranioplasty. Histological examination revealed a cavernous hemangioma.ConclusionsThese benign tumors do not have classic radiographic features and so can be misinterpreted as lesions like multiple myeloma or osteosarcoma. Consequently, the diagnosis is most often made during surgical resection.

Intracranial aneurysms and optic glioma – an unusual combination: a case report

BackgroundThe coexistence of glial high grade tumors (glioblastoma, anaplastic astrocytoma) and cerebral aneurysms is common but the association with optic glioma is rare. The treatment of these associated lesions is problematic.Case presentationA 36-year-old white woman presented to our institution with recurrent attacks of headache. Her preoperative radiological studies revealed a lesion of her left optic nerve with extension to the optic chiasma, an aneurysmatic dilatation of the left carotid bifurcation, a second aneurysm on the left of her middle cerebral artery, and a third one on her right anterior cerebral artery in the A2 tract. A left pterional approach was used to remove the tumor and clip the three aneurysmatic dilatations in a single stage.ConclusionsWe report this unusual case of optic glioma associated to multiples aneurysms and review the pertinent literature. An adequate knowledge of this association is mandatory to plan the correct approach to avoid complications.

Trigeminal neuralgia and persistent trigeminal artery

We report a case of trigeminal neuralgia caused by persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) associated with asymptomatic left temporal cavernoma. Our patient presented unstable blood hypertension and the pain of typical trigeminal neuralgia over the second and third divisions of the nerve in the right side of the face. The attacks were often precipitated during physical exertion. MRI and Angio-MRI revealed the persistent carotid basilar anastomosis and occasionally left parietal cavernoma. After drug treatment of blood hypertension, spontaneous recovery of neuralgia was observed and we planned surgical treatment of left temporal cavernoma.

Surgical management of falcine meningiomas: Experience of 95 patients

Falcine meningiomas, defined as a meningiomas arising from the falx not involving the superior sagittal sinus, account for 9% of all intracranial meningiomas. We analyzed 95 patients with falcine meningiomas who underwent surgical removal of their lesion at our institution between 2001 and 2014. Surgical management of these patients, focusing on anatomical and clinical features is described. Thus, based on our series, a surgical algorithm, classifying the falcine meningioma into four types, according to location at the falx, and using an ipsilateral interhemispheric approach in supine or prone position, is described. The median length of follow-up was 7.1years (range 1.6-12.3years). Approximately one-third of all patients was asymptomatic, headaches occurred in 27 patients, seizures in 14 cases, and lower-extremity weakness in 9 cases. In this series, the middle third of the falx was the most frequently involved site (55,78%), while the anterior third (26,31%) and the posterior type (17,89%) were less common. The transitional and meningothelial types occurred in 69 of patients and a high grade in only two patients. Compared with previous series in literature, there was no mortality and Gross Total Resection was obtained in 83 (87,5%) cases. Three of 95 patients experienced new or worsened neurological deficits after surgery while other complications were relatively in only 6 cases. This study presents our good results about removal of the tumor while preserving major cortical veins and the sinus using advanced microsurgical tools.

A rare case of greater petrosal nerve schwannoma

Background: Facial nerve schwannomas include only 0.8% of all intrapetrous mass lesions, and schwannomas originating exclusively from the greater petrosal nerve (GPN) are extremely rare. To date, only 13 reports have been described. In this case, the tumor was thought to originate from the GPN on the basis of clinical, radiological, and operative findings. Case Description: A 23-year-old girl presented an acute left facial palsy, a disturbance in tear secretion of the ipsilateral eye, and a left-sided conductive hypoacusia. Computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an extradural mass in the left middle fossa. A subtemporal approach was performed and the lesion, originating from the proximal portion of the GPN, was excised. The post-operative course was satisfactory, except for a xerophtalmia, which was treated with artificial teardrops. Conclusion: GPN schwannomas can originate anywhere alongside the course of the nerve, from its proximal segment near the facial hiatus to its distal segment near the foramen lacerum. For these reasons, it requires differential diagnosis with trigeminal nerve schwannomas or with injuries arising from the geniculate ganglion, because it can be easily confused with those lesions. However, in less severe cases, an early diagnosis can be able to preserve the function of the facial nerve by reducing iatrogenic injuries caused by surgical maneuvers.

Dorsal extradural meningioma: Case report and literature review.

Background: Extradural spinal mass lesions are most commonly metastatic tumors. Extradural meningiomas are rare, accounting for approximately 2.5–3.5% of spinal meningiomas; intraoperatively, they are easily mistaken for malignant tumors, especially in the en plaque variety, resulting in inadequate surgical treatment. Case Description: Our case is one of the first to describe a patient with two purely extradural meningiomas, one each between D3–D4 and between D5–D6 vertebral levels. Surgical resection was radical, and pathologically both lesions were meningothelialmeningiomas. Conclusions: Reviewing the literature, we discuss the pathogenesis, treatment strategies, and long-term behavior of these uncommon lesions.

Spontaneous intracranial extradural haematoma associated with frontal sinusitis and orbital involvement

Intracranial extradural hematoma is usually traumatic. Rarely, it can occur spontaneously associated with coagulative disorders (spontaneous or iatrogenic), dural vascular malformation, cranio-facial tumors and infections. In these cases, spontaneous extradural hematoma (SEH) is a serious event that needs to be recognized and managed in time to avoid fatal outcome. The authors report a case of a 12-year-old young girl with a 3-year history of right frontal sinusitis treated urgently for a right frontal extradural hematoma involving the orbit. Diagnosis and management of this case is discussed reviewing the pertinent literature.