Kadir Oktay

Giant Cavernous Malformations in Childhood: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Cavernous malformations (CMs) of the central nervous system are benign, angiographically occult vascular lesions and are diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging techniques. Giant CMs do not differ from smaller-sized CMs in their clinical, surgical or histopathological presentation but may be radiologically different. In this paper, we report a 10-year-old male with a giant CM of 8 × 7.5 × 7 cm in diameter that was completely removed by microsurgical treatment. This case addresses important points for practicing neurosurgeons to consider when making a differential diagnosis of large intracranial mass lesions in pediatric patients. In this report, the radiological features of this vascular malformation are described based on a pertinent literature review.

Spontaneous Extrusion of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Catheter through the Right Lumbar Region: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery is the most frequently performed procedure in the management of hydrocephalus. Many varied complications related to this procedure have been reported. Distal migration of the peritoneal catheter and extrusion from the intact skin in an area unrelated to the surgical incision constitute a rare complication. We report a 1-year-old patient with the extrusion of the peritoneal catheter from the intact skin in the right lumbar region and present a literature review.

Progressive Kyphosis Associated with Tethered Cord Syndrome Treated by Posterior Vertebral Column Resection in a Pediatric Patient

Posterior vertebral column resection is a novel surgical approach for the treatment of progressive kyphosis associated with tethered cord syndrome that was first treated with untethering surgery. A patient with tethered cord syndrome associated with kyphosis first underwent untethering surgery, resulting in progressive kyphosis. Posterior vertebral column resection was performed to correct the kyphosis while shortening the spinal column to prevent the spinal cord from stretch injury. Good correction of kyphosis and reduction of tension on the neural elements were achieved without any neurological deficits. In progressive kyphosis associated with tethered cord syndrome, posterior vertebral column resection after untethering surgery represents a safe and efficacious but technically challenging option.

The role of cine flow magnetic resonance imaging in patients with chiari 0 malformation

AIM To define the role of phase-contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in deciding the therapeutic strategy and underlying pathophysiology resulting in syrinx formation in patients with Chiari type 0 malformation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seven patients who were admitted to our clinic with the diagnosis of Chiari 0 malformation from January 2005 to July 2016 were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a detailed preoperative neurological examination. Entire neuroaxis MRI and phase-contrast cine MRI were obtained preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS Seven patients (5 female and 2 male) with Chiari type 0 malformation fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All of the patients had absent cine flow at the craniovertebral junction except two patients. These five patients underwent surgical interventions; suboccipital decompression and duraplasty. All of them showed both clinical and radiological improvement in the postoperative period. CONCLUSION Cine flow MRI appears to be a useful tool in the management of patients with Chiari 0 malformation. There was a good correlation between the clinical presentation and cine flow preoperatively, and between clinical improvement and cine flow in the postoperative period.

Intramedullary mature teratoma of the conus medullaris

Teratoma is a tumor that derivatives from all three primitive germ layers and spinal intramedullary teratomas are very rare lesions. The primary treatment modality for these tumors is surgical resection, and total resection should be the aim. However, subtotal resection is a valid alternative to prevent traumatizing adjacent functional neural tissue. In this report, we presented a case of a 12-year-old male patient with spinal teratoma of the conus medullaris. We describe the presentation, evaluation, and treatment of this rare disease.

Diffüz İdiopatik İskelet Hiperostozisi: Disfajinin Nöroşirurjikal Sebebi

Diffuz idiyopatik iskelet hiperostozisi, spinal ligamanlar veya paravertebral kaslarin dejeneratif, travmatik ve inflamatuar patolojileri olmaksizin ventral omurga boyunca osteofitlerin asiri olusumuna neden olan kronik bir entesopatidir. Disfaji bu hastaligin en sik gorulen ve cerrahi tedavi gerektirebilen semptomudur. Bu makalede, klinigimizde diffuz idiyopatik iskelet hiperostozisi nedeniyle tedavi uygulanan uc vaka sunulmaktadir. Bu uc hastanin klinik ve tanisal goruntuleme ozellikleri ile uygulanan tedaviler ve sonuclari degerlendirildi. Diffuz idiyopatik iskelet hiperostozisi, hastaligin agir formlarinda cerrahi tedavi gerektirebilen idiyopatik romatolojik bir hastaliktir.