Gautam Dutta

A “crick” in the neck followed by massage offered him a stroke: An uncommon case of vertebral artery dissection

BACKGROUNDnVertebral artery dissection (VAD) is an important cause of stroke in young and a known complication of spinal manipulation procedures, although dissection following neck massage has rarely been reported in literature. Head and neck massage by improperly trained salon employees is very popular and widely practiced in developing countries like India. In the present report we present a case of VAD following neck massage.nnnMATERIAL AND METHODSnWe present an unusual case of VAD in a 30-year-old male patient following an episode of neck massage. He developed headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, diplopia, dizziness, and ataxia following the procedure. Initial history and examination suggested that the patients symptoms were vascular in origin. We also discuss a brief review of the pathology, diagnosis, symptomatology, treatment, prognosis, and occurrence of this rare entity.nnnRESULTSnComputed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed acute infarction of the left cerebellar hemisphere. Digital subtraction angiography showed narrowing and dilatation of the V3 segment of the left vertebral artery with narrowing of the V4 segment consistent with dissection, along with a cavernous segment aneurysm of the contralateral internal carotid artery.nnnCONCLUSIONnThis report illustrates the potential hazards associated with neck massage. The vertebral arteries are at risk for dissection, which can lead to acute stroke. This case also suggests that careful history taking and awareness of the symptoms of VAD are necessary to diagnose this entity as timely diagnosis and treatment can prevent permanent disability or even death.

Childhood Lhermitte-Duclos Disease Progressing to Medulloblastoma in Bilateral Cerebellar Hemispheres: Report of Unusual Case

BACKGROUNDnLhermitte-Duclos disease is an extremely rare pathologic entity characterized by a cerebellar mass composed of enlarged cerebellar folia containing abnormal ganglion cells. This entity usually presents in young and middle-aged adults and rarely in children. There is no study in the literature analyzing the long-term clinical course of this disease to assess the behavior primarily because of its rarity.nnnCASE DESCRIPTIONnWe present our experience with a 7-year-old patient of Lhermitte-Duclos disease who was followed up for 5 years and found to have progressed to bilateral World Health Organization grade IV medulloblastoma. This case denotes the malignant potential of this rare disorder.nnnCONCLUSIONSnLDD is seen rarely and demands a high degree of suspicion in patients presenting with cerebellar mass and/or imaging characteristics. It is prudent to keep these patients in close follow-up for early detection of malignant transformation.

Cerebellopontine Angle Anaplastic Ganglioglioma Masquerading as Vestibular Schwannoma: Unusual Entity

BACKGROUNDnAnaplastic gangliogliomas at the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) are exceptionally rare with only a few reported cases in published literature. These are composed of atypical ganglion cells and astrocytes accounting for nearly 1% of all central nervous system tumors. The authors report the case of anaplastic ganglioglioma in an adult patient presenting as a CPA mass lesion. The presentation was bizarre, and the diagnosis was possible only after histopathologic examination of the resected mass.nnnCASE DESCRIPTIONnA 32-year-old lady presented with complaints of gradually progressive hearing loss and tinnitus in her right ear along with headache and ataxia. Neurologic evaluation revealed right-sided sensorineural hearing loss and truncal ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was suggestive of a well-defined, contrast-enhancing, solid-cystic mass at the CPA cistern that extended into the porus acusticus, causing enlargement of the internal acoustic meatus. The features were suggestive of vestibular schwannoma of the CPA.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThis unusual appearance of anaplastic ganglioglioma has not been previously described. Neurosurgeons need to keep in mind the possibility of anaplastic gangliogliomas in the differential diagnosis of CPA lesions.

Dorsal hemangioblastoma manifesting as holocord syringomyelia

Background: Intramedullary spinal hemangioblastomas are known to be accompanied by syringomyelia. Case Description: Here, we report a patient who presented with symptoms of a Chiari malformation but was found to have a D4 intramedullary hemangioblastoma with a holocord syrinx. Conclusions: Although rare, neurosurgeons should keep in mind the possibility of an intramedullary hemangioblastoma in patients presenting with symptoms of a Chiari malformation.

Giant parieto-occipital lobe pediatric gliosarcoma: Report of a rare entity and review of literature

Background: Gliosarcoma is a rare high-grade malignant tumor and a variant of glioblastoma characterized by biphasic glial and mesenchymal components. Gliosarcomas occur most commonly in the fifth or sixth decade of life and have a temporal lobe predilection. Occurrence in the pediatric population is extremely rare. Case Description: Here, we report the case of an 8-year-old child with histologically confirmed gliosarcoma at the parieto-occipital lobe. Only a subtotal resection of the tumor mass could be performed in view of massive bleeding from the tumor bed; and despite postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the tumor recurred in a short span of time. A repeat surgery was done but the patient could not survive. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this case constitutes the second youngest case reported in the literature with the lesion in the parieto-occipital region and the third youngest in all pediatric cases of gliosarcoma. This case demonstrates that possibility of gliosarcoma should always be kept in mind in children presenting with features of intracranial high-grade glial tumor. This case also suggests that significant residual after surgery is one variable that may affect the prognosis despite radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

Pituitary fossa chondrosarcoma: An unusual cause of a sellar suprasellar mass masquerading as pituitary adenoma

Background: Chondrosarcoma is a mesenchymal malignant tumor composed of tumor cells producing cartilage. It is more commonly found in older age group and usually affects the axial skeleton. Intracranial chondrosarcoma is extremely rare, and chondrosarcoma arising from the sellar region are even rarer with only a few cases described in the literature. We report a case of chondrosarcoma mimicking a sellar suprasellar mass with parasellar extension. Case Description: A 22-year old male presented with generalized intermittent headache along with diplopia and diminished visual acuity without any history of sexual dysfunction or galactorrhea. His endocrine tests were within normal limits. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a large mass which was apparently arising from the sella with a significant suprasellar and left parasellar component with mild compression over the left optic chiasm and deviation of infundibulum to the right. The patient underwent pterional craniotomy and decompression of the mass. The pathologic diagnosis was chondrosarcoma. The patient received postoperative radiotherapy. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that chondrosarcoma of the sellar region may mimic clinical, endocrinological, and radiological features of more commonly encountered lesions in this region such as nonfunctioning pituitary tumor, craniopharyngioma, meningioma, or chordoma. We discuss the origin, areas of involvement, management, and long-term prognosis of these rare tumors.

Long-term fol low up of a patient with primary cervical spinal cord meningeal melanocytoma

The authors declare they have no potential confl icts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. Autoři deklarují, že v souvislosti s předmětem studie nemají žádné komerční zájmy. The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE “uniform requirements” for biomedical papers. Redakční rada potvrzuje, že rukopis práce splnil ICMJE kritéria pro publikace zasílané do biomedicínských časopisů.

Metastasis from Intracranial Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma: Report of a Rare Case

&NA; Chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor originating from cartilaginous tissue with a tendency to localize in the epiphysis of long and pelvic bones. Only 7% of all chondrosarcomas originate in the craniocervical region. Metastasis from intracranial chondrosarcoma is extremely rare with only two previously reported cases. We report on a young patient with intracranial chondrosarcoma who presented with extracranial metastasis 2 years after surgical excision of the primary lesion. Gross total excision combined with radiotherapy so far has led to a favorable outcome.

Nasopharyngeal rhinosporidiosis with intracranial extension masquerading as juvenile angiofibroma: an unusual entity

Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic fungal inflammatory disease prevalent in India and Sri Lanka. Its manifestations are mostly nasal and extranasal lesions are relatively rare. Occasional atypical presentations of this disease lead to diagnostic dilemma. Herein we report on a case of nasopharyngeal rhinosporidiosis having extensive involvement of paranasal sinuses along with intracranial extension which mimicked radiologically as juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of rhinosporidiosis having intracranial extension. We discuss the pathology, treatment and briefly review the literature of this rare disease.

Pilocytic astrocytoma of the cerebellopontine angle mimicking vestibular schwannoma: report of a rare entity

Abstract We present a rare case of a 55-yr old patient of pilocytic astrocytoma of the cerebello-pontine angle mimicking a vestibular schwannoma. The tumor protruded into the porus acusticus causing enlargement of the internal auditory meatus, which is quite an unusual feature of glial tumours.