Umit Eroglu

Sciatic nerve schwannoma: case report.

Schwannomas are common, truly encapsulated and benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Their occurrence in extracranial locations is rare. Schwannomas most commonly occur in adults between 20 and 50 years of age. Their symptomatology usually mimics sciatic pain due to herniated disc. The most common clinical presentation of sciatic nerve schwannoma is a painful palpable mass. A 40-year-old woman was admitted to our neurosurgery department with a slow-growing mass at the medial right posterior thigh. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a mass involving the right sciatic nerve in its middle portion. No neurological deficit was noted postoperatively. The result of the histopathological examination was reported as schwannoma. We report a case of large sciatic schwannoma with chronic sciatica.

Surgical Management of Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhages: Endoscopic Versus Open Surgery

OBJECTIVE Intracerebral hemorrhage continues to be a major global problem. No standard treatment or surgical procedure has been identified for intracerebral hemorrhages. High morbidity and mortality rates caused by conventional approaches and the disease itself have necessitated more-invasive treatment methods. The endoscopic approach is a more minimally invasive method than craniotomy, which is another alternative surgical treatment. METHODS We compared intracerebral hematoma drainage in 2 groups of 17 patients each, treated with minimally invasive endoscopic method versus craniotomy. All the patients were treated for supratentorial spontaneous hemorrhage between December 2013 and February 2017 at the Neurosurgery Clinic of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. RESULTS We retrospectively evaluated 34 patients surgically treated between December 2013 and February 2017. All patients underwent surgery within the first 24 hours. Patients in the early surgery group had better surgical outcomes. In the neuroendoscopic group, Glasgow Coma Scale increased from 6 to 11 at 1 week postoperatively compared with 5 to 9 in the craniotomy group. CONCLUSIONS Minimally invasive endoscopic hematoma evacuation may be a good alternative surgical method for treating supratentorial spontaneous cerebral hematomas.

The Effect of Levetiracetam on Closure of the Midline in Early Chicken Embryos.

AIM Genetic predisposition and some environmental factors play an important role in the development of neural tube defects. Levetiracetam is a new drug that has been approved in the treatment of partial seizures. We aimed in this study to determine the effect of levetiracetam on chick embryos. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and sixty fertile non-pathogenic Super Nick eggs were incubated for 24 hours and were divided into four groups of 40 eggs each. Levetiracetam was administered via the sub-blastodermic route. The eggs were incubated for another 24 hours. All eggs were opened at the 48th hour, and the embryos were evaluated morphologically and histopathologically. RESULTS The effects of levetiracetam on the embryo were correlated with the dose of levetiracetam. In the light of the results, it was determined that the use of increasing doses of levetiracetam led to defects of midline closure in early chicken embryos. CONCLUSION Levetiracetam, a new antiepileptic drug that is effective especially on calcium ion concentration, leads to defects in midline closure in embryos in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies are needed to show the mechanism of embryonic damage and the mechanisms of its teratogenous effects associated with genetic and environmental factors.

Giant intrasacral meningocele: a case report

A peculiar case of intrasacral meningocele and spinal cord tethering is reported. Contents of the intrasacral meningocele and importance of CSF flow analyses with MRI are discussed. Demonstration of CSF flow from the thecal sac to meningocele in the CSF flow MR imaging may be helpful for determining the possibility of meningocele growth. In this report, we have presented the determination of CSF flow as a new surgical indication in this type of cases.

Is a Unilateral Surgical Approach Effective in Patients with Bilateral Leg Pain with Unilateral Lumbar Disc Herniation? A Prospective Nonrandomized Clinical and Surgical Study

OBJECTIVE To examine the surgical results of unilateral lumbar discectomy in patients with bilateral leg pain and discuss short- and long-term outcomes within the limits of lumbar decompression. METHODS We analyzed 60 patients with unilateral disc herniation who underwent unilateral lumbar discectomy and hemipartial laminectomy between 2014 and 2017. Group 1 (30 patients) had bilateral leg pain and unilateral lumbar disc herniation. Pain lateralization was determined radiologically. Group 2 (30 patients) had unilateral leg pain and unilateral lumbar disc herniation. Pain scores were preoperatively evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS) for both legs and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for overall life quality. In both groups, surgery was performed on the ipsilateral side of the herniated disc. Scores were repeated on postoperative day 1 and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months later. VAS score differences for pain lateralization and disc levels were compared in group 1. ODI score differences were compared between both groups. Results were statistically analyzed. RESULTS VAS score differences were statistically significant at all follow-up time points in patients with ipsilateral and contralateral pain. VAS score differences between L4-L5 and L5-S1 level discopathies were statistically insignificant for all time points in both groups. All postoperative ODI score decreases for all time points were statistically significant (P < 0.001) for both groups, whereas the differences between groups 1 and 2 were statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS Conventional lumbar disc surgery alone is sufficient for the ipsilateral side of radiologically demonstrated disc herniation in patients with bilateral leg pain.

Effect of Riluzole on Spinal Cord Regeneration with Hemisection Method Before Injury

OBJECTIVE The pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) with the information obtained to date has not been elucidated fully. A safe drug or treatment protocol that results in cell regeneration for SCI remains unknown. Neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects of riluzole, administered after a SCI, have been shown in experimental studies. This study aimed to investigate the effect of riluzole on neural regeneration in a rat SCI model. METHODS Thirty-two rats were divided into 8 groups, with 4 rats in each group. Hemisection method was performed after T7-T9 laminectomy. Rats were intraperitoneally aministered with riluzole (6 mg/kg). Locomotor recovery of the rats was assessed at 1 day, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after the 21-point Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan test. Subsequently, the spinal cords of the rats were scored according to a semiquantitative grading system using a light microscope, and the numbers of myelinated axons, neurons, and glial cells were calculated. RESULTS Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan test changes were statistically significant when groups 4-6 and 8 were compared with the other groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.00625). The results of the numbers of neurons, glial cells, and myelinated axons were statistically significant. Especially group 8, in which riluzole was administered 5 days before injury, more positive clinical and histopathologic results were obtained. CONCLUSIONS Riluzole treatment is more effective when provided before injury. Riluzole may contribute to functional recovery when used in the preoperative period in patients who are at a high risk for permanent neurologic deficit.

Pure Robotic Surgery for Odontoid Tumor: First Case

BACKGROUND Transoral robotic surgery has been used successfully to assist many surgical procedures. Here, we report its first use as pure robotic surgery, applied to excise an odontoid metastatic mass. CASE DESCRIPTION A 48-year-old woman was hospitalized due to a lesion consistent with metastasis that extended to the pharyngeal constrictor muscles and that had completely destroyed the odontoid bone. Occipitocervical fixation was performed initially, and transoral surgery took place 5 days later. The da Vinci Surgical System Robot was used to resect the tumor. The patient was discharged with a very good general condition. CONCLUSIONS This article presents the first pure robotic surgery for odontoid. The increasing number of robot-assisted cases will demonstrate the necessity of this evolution in neurosurgery and should accelerate the process.

Endoscopic endonasal approaches to craniovertebral junction pathologies: a single-center experience

AIM: To review our experience of using the endoscopic endonasal approach for clivus and odontoid pathologies as well as craniovertebral junction anomalies at our institution. MATERIAL and METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 41 patients (21 male, 20 female; age range, 2–65 years) who underwent endoscopic endonasal procedures for craniovertebral junction pathologies between 2008 and 2017. RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 27 had clivus lesions, 7 had odontoid lesions, 6 had basilar invagination, and 1 had rhinorrhea repair. Six patients underwent an additional posterior decompression/fusion either before or after the endonasal procedure. None of the patients required tracheostomy, and cerebrospinal fluid leakage was postoperatively detected in one patient. The patients’ mean modified Rankin scale and visual analog scale scores were 3 and 4, respectively. The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 50 months. CONCLUSION: Although the microscopic transoral approach has been considered the gold standard for craniovertebral junction surgical management, endoscopic approaches are feasible, safe, and effective for addressing pathologies in this region, with developing technique and surgical experience.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Extra-/Intradural Hematomas: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Osteogenesis imperfecta, also named as brittle bone disease, is characterized by fragile bones and short stature caused by mutations in the collagen gene. Subdural and intraparenchymal hematomas are defined and associated with trauma, vascular causes, and systemic bleeding diathesis. Skull fragility may lead to epidural hematoma, which is a life-threatening situation. Vascular fragility and intrinsic platelet defects are the causes of bleeding in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta, which is a major management challenge for neurosurgeons. Here, we reported on a 5-year-old boy with osteogenesis imperfecta with epidural hematoma and skull fracture following a trivial trauma, and made a literature review of 28 cases with extra-/intradural hematoma.

Structure of corona radiata and tapetum fibers in ventricular surgery

In this study the three-dimensional anatomy of the corona radiata and tapetum via the fiber dissection and diffusion tensor imaging of the brain for ventricular surgery was demonstrated. Ten formalin-fixed cerebral hemispheres were dissected for corona radiata and tapetum via Klinglers fiber dissection method under an operating microscope. The corona radiata and tapetum were dissected through lateral and medial surfaces of the cerebral hemisphere, respectively. All surgical routes for ventricular lesions were evaluated for white matter fibers during and after dissections. Corona radiata and tapetum fibers were demonstrated by dissecting hemispheres through lateral and medial aspects of the brain. The internal capsule contains all fibers that extend from thalamus to cortex and cortex to thalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord. These fan-shaped fibers extending from cortex to internal capsule were named the corona radiata. The corona radiata is not a specific pathway, and it is composed of several different fiber pathways. The tapetum contains splenium and body fibers of the corpus callosum. Tapetum is located immediately medial to the ependymal line of the ventricular wall and forms a fiber layer in the medial optical radiation on the coronal and axial sections. Surgical planning for ventricular lesions requires detailed information regarding white matter fibers that can be obtained by the fiber dissection and diffusion tensor imaging of the brain to decrease surgical complications.