Numan Karaarslan

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.

Intraabdominal Pseudocyst Developed after Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt: A Case Report

Abdominal pseudocyst is a rare complication developing after ventriculoperitoneal shunt treatment. It is more commonly seen particularly in children. The underlying pathogenesis may be associated with repeat revisions or infections. Morphologically, it has no complete cyst wall, presenting only with a pseudocapsule among the intestinal loops, around the lower shunt tip. The principal problem appears to be the reduced peritoneal absorption capacity. The treatment is complicated and difficult. In this report, we present an 8-year-old abdominal pseudocyst case with a history of many shunt revisions.

The association between different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and CHAD, HIF-1α, COL2A1 expression in chondrocyte cultures

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of three different formulations of hyaluronic acid (HA): Low molecular weight (MW) Sinovial One®, medium MW Viscoplus® and high MW Durolane®, on chondrocyte proliferation and collagen type II (COL2A1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and chondroadherin (CHAD) expression in primary chondrocyte cultures. Standard primary chondrocyte cultures were established from osteochondral tissues surgically obtained from 6 patients with gonarthrosis. Cell morphology was evaluated using an inverted light microscope; cell proliferation was determined with a MTT assay and confirmed with acridine orange/propidium iodide staining. Levels of CHAD, COL2A1 and HIF-1α expression were assessed using specific TaqMan gene expression assays. The results demonstrated the positive effect of HA treatment on cell proliferation, which was independent from the MW. COL2A1 expression increased in the medium and high MW HA treated groups. It was observed that HIF-1α expression increased in the high MW treated group alone. CHAD expression increased only in the medium MW HA treated group. Evaluation of gene expression revealed that levels of expression increased as the duration of HA application increased, in the medium and high MW HA treated groups. In terms of increased viability and proliferation, a longer duration of HA application was more effective. Taken together, it may be concluded that the administration of medium and high MW HA may be a successful way of treating diseases affecting chondrocytes in a clinical setting.

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.

Effect of naproxen on proliferation and differentiation of primary cell cultures isolated from human cartilage tissue

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are applied through oral, injectable or topical routes have been widely used in painful and inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases. The current study aimed to determine whether naproxen, an aryl acetic acid derivative with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, has a toxic effect on human chondrocytes. Samples containing monolayer primary chondrocyte cultures were prepared following resection from osteochondral tissues obtained from patients with gonarthrosis. Cell viability, toxicity and proliferation and levels of stage-specific embryonic antigen-1, a precursor to human prechondrocytes, were evaluated spectrophotometrically. The results from the untreated control group were compared with those of the study groups, where naproxen was administered in varying doses (1–1,000 µM). Surface morphologies of the cells were compared using inverted light and environmental scanning electron microscopy. Treatment groups were compared by analysis of variance with Tukeys honest difference post hoc test. P<0.01 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. The research revealed significant changes to proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in all treatment groups (P<0.01). Naproxen was demonstrated to suppress chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation, which may be an important factor to consider when prescribing this medication to patients.

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

Are radio-contrast agents commonly used in discography toxic to the intact intervertebral disc tissue cells?

In the literature, there have been no studies showing clear results on how radio‐contrast pharmaceuticals would affect intact disc tissue cells. In this context, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of iopromide and gadoxetic acid, frequently used in the discography, on intact lumbar disc tissue in pharmaco‐molecular and histopathological level. Primary cell cultures were prepared from the healthy disc tissue of the patients operated in the neurosurgery clinic. Except for the control group, the cultures were incubated with the indicated radio‐contrast agents. Cell viability, toxicity and proliferation indices were tested at specific time intervals. The cell viability was quantitatively analysed. It was also visually rechecked under a fluorescence microscope with acridine orange/propidium iodide staining. Simultaneously, cell surface morphology was analysed with an inverted light microscope, while haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining methodology was used in the histopathological evaluations. The obtained data were evaluated statistically. Unlike the literature, iopromide or gadoxetic acid did not have any adverse effects on the cell viability, proliferation and toxicity (P < 0.05). Although this study reveals that radio‐contrast pharmaceuticals used in the discography, often used in neurosurgical practice, can be safely used, it should be remembered that this study was performed in an in vitro environment.

Evaluation of the effects of pregabalin on chondrocyte proliferation and CHAD, HIF-1α, and COL2A1 gene expression

Introduction The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of pregabalin (PGB) on chondrocyte proliferation and collagen type II (COL2A1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF-1α), and chondroadherin (CHAD) gene expression in osteoarthritic chondrocytes. Material and methods Standard primary chondrocyte cultures were prepared using osteochondral tissues that were surgically obtained from 6 patients with gonarthrosis. Cell morphology was evaluated using an inverted microscope, and cell death and proliferation were determined through MTT analysis, which was confirmed by AO/PI staining and statistically evaluated. The expression levels of CHAD, COL2A1, and HIF-1α genes were assessed using gene-specific TaqMan Gene Expression Assays. Results MTT analyses showed that PGB administration did not have a negative or toxic effect on cell viability and proliferation in cultured chondrocytes (p < 0.001), but in our morphological evaluation extracellular matrix development was observed to be weaker in cultures treated with PGB. After 24 h of treatment, COL2A1, HIF-1α, and CHAD gene expression decreased in the groups to which PGB was applied compared to gene expression before the experiment (at 0 h); at 48 h, CHAD and HIF-1α expression increased to the same level as the control group, but the expression of COL2A1 continued to decrease. Conclusions Further studies need to be conducted with more participants to prove that there is a negative correlation between extracellular matrix formation and PGB administration. Our preliminary data show that even at low doses and over short-term administration, PGB may affect chondrocyte cells at the gene-expression level.

Is implant washing and wound irrigation with rifampicin effective for preventing surgical site infections in lumbar instrumentation

AIM To determine whether the washing of implants and autogenous bone grafts with rifampicin, and the irrigation of the surgical field using diluted rifampicin, have any significant effect on the prevention of spinal implant infections. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 166 consecutive lumbar stenosis and spondylolisthesis patients undergoing lumbar instrumentation between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups. Group I (n=85) included patients whose implants were washed with rifampicin immediately before insertion and whose surgical fields were irrigated with diluted rifampicin immediately after insertion. Group II (n=81) included the cases without rifampicin application. Both groups were matched for age, sex, body mass index, and surgical indication. The infection rates of the groups were compared during the first 2 postoperative years. RESULTS No significant difference was found between the infection rate in Group I and Group II. Only 1 case had surgical site infection (SSI) in Group I, a rate of 1.17% (1 of 85 patients), whereas 2 patients had SSI in Group II, a rate of 2.46% (2 of 81 patients). CONCLUSION Peroperative washing of implants with rifampicin and irrigation of the surgical field using diluted rifampicin have not been found to be significantly effective in preventing or reducing spinal implant infections. However, further studies with larger series need to be carried out to verify these results.