Mehmet Sabri Gürbüz

Spontaneous Subdural Haematoma Developing Secondary to Arachnoid Cyst Rupture

Arachnoid cysts are congenital, benign, non-neoplastic, extra-axial intra-arachnoidal lesions. Arachnoid cysts rarely become symptomatic, with bleeding. Intracranial haemorrhage as a complication of arachnoid cyst is a very rare condition. It is well-known that mid-cranial fossa cysts might cause intracerebral haemorrhage or subdural haematoma secondary to traumas. However, the occurrence of spontaneous subdural haematoma secondary to arachnoid cysts, developing without any trauma, is even rarer. A 17-year-old boy presenting with diplopia and headache, with no history of trauma, was diagnosed with left temporal lobe arachnoid cyst and left fronto-parietal subdural haematoma. He was operated on, solely for his haematoma, with no intervention performed for the arachnoid cyst. Authors suggest that it is sufficient to perform an operation for the haematoma only -without arachnoid cyst resection- if there is no clinical presentation specific to the arachnoid cyst itself.

Pregabalin treatment for neuropathic pain may damage intervertebral disc tissue

The aim of the present study was to determine whether pharmaceutical preparations with pregabalin (PGB) as an active ingredient, which are widely prescribed by clinicians, exert toxic effects on human primary nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosis (AF). Primary human cell cultures were obtained from intact (n=6) and degenerated (n=6) tissues resected from the two groups of patients. Different doses of PGB were applied to these cultures and cells were subjected to molecular analyses at 0, 24 and 48 h. Cell vitality, toxicity and proliferation were assessed using a spectrophotometer. The expression of chondroadherin (CHAD), a (member of the NP-specific protein family), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and type II collagen (COL2A1) was measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that cell intensity increased in a time-dependent manner and cell vitality continued in the cultures without pharmaceuticals. Cell proliferation was suppressed in the PGB-treated cultures independent from the dose and duration of application. PGB was demonstrated to suppress the expression of CHAD and HIF-1α. In contrast, COL2A1 gene expression was not revealed in any experimental group. The present study utilized an in vitro model and the PGB active ingredient used herein may not be representative of clinical applications; however, the results demonstrated that PGB has a toxic effect on NP/AF cell cultures containing primary human intervertebral disc tissue. In summary, the use of pharmacological agents containing PGB may suppress the proliferation and differentiation of NP/AF cells and/or tissues, which should be considered when deciding on an appropriate treatment regime.

Might Trauma Be a Triggering Factor for Craniofacial Fibrous Dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare, benign disease of unclear etiology where normal bone is replaced with abnormal fibrous and weak osseous tissue. Any bone of the skeleton might be involved but skull is one of the most commonly affected sites. Fibrous dysplasia is known to be caused by a genetic mutation leading to inappropriate proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic cells. However; it is not known whether any triggering factor exists which might contribute to this genetic mutation. The authors postulated that trauma might be a triggering factor for this disease. Trauma, as a triggering factor, has not been reported to be clearly linked to FD in the literature so far. Through this perspective; the authors report a patient of fronto-orbital fibrous dysplasia developing 6 years after a fronto-orbital skull fracture, at the same localization of the fracture line.

Remote Cerebellar Haemorrhage after Burr Hole Drainage of Chronic Subdural Haematoma: A Case Report.

Remote cerebellar haemorrhage (RCH) is an unusual complication of supratentorial neurosurgical procedures. Even the rarer is cerebellar haemorrhage occurring after supratentorial burr hole drainage of Chronic Subdural Haematoma (CSDH). The exact mechanism is still unclear despite some possible causative factors such as rapid evacuation of haematoma and overdrainage of CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid). We report a 80-year-old male patient who developed cerebellar haemorrhage after burr hole drainage of left frontoparietal chronic subdural haematoma and discuss the possible aetiological mechanisms through the review of the current literature.

CT-guided Stereotactic Microsurgical Resection of Cerebral Mass Lesions

Stereotactic techniques were initially developed for experimental purposes and anatomic localisation studies1. Robert Henry Clarke and Victor Horsley originally described the stereotactic method in 1906. They defined cartesian coordinates and studied accessing subcortical structures using a three-dimensional positioning device with the same coordinate system2,3. Despite Clarke’s suggestion to use stereotaxis for the treatment of brain tumors, Horsley did not consider applications beyond the laboratory, and human use in subcortical stereotaxis came into practice only after Spiegel and Wycis’s proposal to apply stereotaxis in the management of human brain neoplasms2-4. Meanwhile, Leksell established the basis of a novel system combining the cartesian system with other systems, which consisted of an apparatus fixed to ABSTRACT

Forestier syndrome presenting with dysphagia: case report of a rare presentation

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) (Forestier syndrome) is a rheumatologic disease, the etiology of which is not exactly known. It is characterized by spinal osteophyte formations resulting from the ossification of the paravertebral ligaments and muscles. Anterior longitudinal ligament is the usual site of involvement and the frequency of the disease increases after the 5th decade. Lower cervical segments are the most frequently involved regions whereas the upper cervical involvement leading to dysphagia is very rare. In this report, a 77-year-old patient with Forestier syndrome in upper cervical region presenting with dysphagia was presented. Anterior cervical osteophyte resection was performed with no need for discectomy, fusion or stabilization. The patient showed a significant improvement in his all preoperative symptoms, and no recurrence was detected at 1-year follow-up.

Unilateral vision loss without ophthalmoplegia as a rare complication of spinal surgery

Postoperative visual loss is an extremely rare complication of nonocular surgery. The most common causes are ischemic optic neuropathy, central retinal artery occlusion, and cerebral ischemia. Acute visual loss after spinal surgery is even rarer. The most important risk factors are long-lasting operations, massive bleedings, fluid overload, hypotension, hypothermia, coagulation disorders, direct trauma, embolism, long-term external ocular pressure, and anemia. Here, we present a case of a 54-year-old male who developed acute visual loss in his left eye after a lumbar instrumentation surgery and was diagnosed with retinal artery occlusion.

Lipomatous meningioma: A rare subtype of benign metaplastic meningiomas

Lipomatous meningiomas are extremely rare subtypes of benign meningiomas and are classified as metaplastic meningioma in the World Health Organization classification. We present a 77-year-old man presented with the history of a gradually intensifying headache for the last 3 months. A right frontoparietal mass was detected on his cranial magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was operated on via a right frontoparietal craniotomy, and histopathological diagnosis was lipomatous meningioma. Distinctive characteristics of lipomatous meningiomas were discussed with special emphasis to importance of immunohistochemical examinations, particularly for its differentiation from the tumors showing similar histology though having more aggressive character.

Rapidly progressing interhemispheric subdural empyema showing a three-fold increase in size within 12 hours: Case report.

Background: Subdural empyema is a rare form of intracranial infection. It is described as accumulation of purulent infective material between the inner layer of dura mater and outer layer of arachnoid membrane. Case Description: A 17-year-old girl was admitted to the emergency department with acute left hemiplegia and was diagnosed with interhemispheric subdural empyema that showed a three-fold increase in size within 12 hours. Complete recovery was achieved with emergency surgical evacuation and additional 3 weeks of antibiotic treatment. Conclusion: Subdural empyema should be diagnosed and managed early in time since it may progress very rapidly and can cause high morbidity and mortality. Complete recovery can be achieved if it is diagnosed early and treated in time.

The association between sagittal index, canal compromise, loss of vertebral body height, and severity of spinal cord injury in thoracolumbar burst fractures

Aim: Our aim was to determine whether a combination of sagittal index (SI), canal compromise (CC), and loss of vertebral body height (LVBH) is associated with the severity of neurological injury in patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four patients with thoracolumbar burst fracture undergoing instrumentation between 2010 and 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. The degree of neurological injury was determined using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scoring system. The association between the morphology of the fracture and the severity of neurological injury was analyzed. Results: There was a strong association between fracture morphology and the severity of neurological injury. Of the patients, 77.5% with SI ≥20°, 81.6% with CC ≥40%, and 100% with LVBH ≥50% had lesion according to ASIA. All of 7 patients with ASIA A had SI ≥20°, CC ≥40%, and LVBH ≥50%. On the other hand, 79% of the patients with ASIA E had SI <20°, 83.7% of the patients with ASIA E had CC <40%, and all of the patients with ASIA E had LVBH <50%. SI, CC, and LVBH were lower in neurologically intact patients (ASIA E), whereas they were higher in patients with neurological deficits (ASIA A, B, C, D) (P = 0.001; P< 0.01). These measurements had 100% negative predictive values and relatively high positive predictive values. Conclusion: SI, CC, and LVBH are significantly associated with the severity of neurological injury in patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures. The patients with SI >25°, the patients with CC >40%, and the patients with LVBH >50% are likely to have a more severe neurological injury.