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Background: High-Grade Gliomas are the most common primary brain malignancies and despite the multimodal treatment, and the increasing amount of adjuvant treatment options the overall prognosis remains dismal. The present investigation aims to analyze the safety profile of the use of intraoperative ultrasounds (Io-US) in a homogeneous and matched cohort of patients suffering from High-grade gliomas (HGG) operated on with or without the aid of Io-US and Fluorescein in specific relation to the incidence of neurological and functional status sequelae. Methods and materials: A retrospective analysis was performed on 74 patients affected by HGG. 22 patients were treated with Io-US matched with neuronavigational system (Group A); 15 patients were treated both with the use of Io-US and Fluorescein matched with neuronavigational system (Group B); 37 patients were treated with the use of the neuronavigational system only (Group C). Primary endpoints were the extent of resection and functional outcome (measured with Karnofski Performance Status) Results: Significative differences were observed in terms of a higher extent of resection in Group B. In a multivariate analysis, this data appears to be independent of the location (eloquent/non-eloquent) of the lesion and from its histology. Regarding functional outcomes, no differences were detected between the two groups. Conclusions: The present study is the first that analyzes the simultaneous use of Io-US and Fluorescein, and the results demonstrate that these two instruments together could improve the extent of resection in HGG while ensuring good outcomes in terms of functional status.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH) typically affects the elderly and can cause cognitive decline, resulting in its differential diagnosis with other neurodegenerative conditions. Moreover, it is probably underdiagnosed; such under- and misdiagnosis prevents the patient from receiving the right treatment and significantly affects the quality of life and life expectancy. This investigation is an in-depth analysis of the actual incidence of iNPH in the population of the province served by our hospital (circa 580,000 individuals). The first phase of this study was conducted by visualizing a total of 1232 brain CT scans performed in the Emergency Departments of the four hospitals of our network on patients who were admitted for different complaints yet screened as suspicious for iNPH. Subsequently, corresponding Emergency Department medical records were investigated to understand the medical history of each patient in search of elements attributable to an alteration of CSF dynamics. The cohort of positive CT scans, according to the radiological and clinical inclusion criteria, included 192 patients. Among the reasons to require acute medical care, “Fall” was the most common. The cumulative incidence of CT scans suggestive of iNPH among the patients undergoing CT scans was as high as 15.58%, and the period prevalence calculated for the total amount of patients accessing the Emergency Departments was 1.084%. The real incidence of iNPH in the population may be underestimated, and the social burden linked to the assistance of patients suffering from such untreated conditions could be significantly relieved.

Abstract Background Meningoencephalocele (ME) is an herniation of brain parenchyma covered by meninges through a bone defect and could be malformative or secondary. Except for rarer cases of spontaneous form, ME is usually due to endonasal or otologic infections and rarely after head trauma. In predisposed patients, even mild head trauma can lead to the formation of a ME. Methods We performed a systematic review of literature with the aims to identify the clinical characteristics of all reported forms of post-traumatic ME and the best diagnostic and treatment strategy. We illustrated a case of a patient treated for a post-traumatic subdural hematoma who developed cerebrospinal fluid leakage 3 months after the trauma. Results The search returned a total of 59 papers for the analysis, including radiological, clinical studies, technical note and the case reported from our experience. The total number of patients collected for this review was 61, with a mean age of 31.1 years. The diagnosis of ME could be heterogeneous in terms of timing and clinical onset after a head injury. Symptoms onset and subsequent radiological diagnosis of ME vary between 24 h to 43 years. The majority of traumas were reported in temporal site (52.45%). There were reported high variability of treatment strategies dependent on the location and extent of the defect: in the majority of cases (58%), duroplasty by the heterologous dural patch was the procedure of choice. There is a relative low rate of complications (6.5%) due to a delayed diagnosis of ME. Conclusions When ME is associated with violation of meninges, the clinical presentation may be that of cerebrospinal fluid otorrhoea or otorhinorrhoea, consequently, delay in diagnosis can lead to neurological complications. The clinical effectiveness of ME treatment depends much more on the correct and timely diagnosis than on the type of procedure selected.

Calvarial metastases are a relatively rare entity, with an overall incidence of 3–4%. Among these cases, metastases arising from salivary gland cancers are even rarer; in fact, large studies regarding salivary gland tumors showed that brain metastases are observed in 0.8% of the cases. Generally, bone metastases have been described in proximity to primary tumors, while bloodstream-disseminated lesions are often located inside the brain parenchyma. During every surgical step, traction on lower-lying infiltrated tissues must be avoided in order to successfully remove the lesion. This case report presents the first ever case of a 67-year-old woman affected by submandibular gland undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastasis with a full-thickness involvement of the calvarium, pachy- and leptomeninges.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH) typically affects the elderly and can cause cognitive decline, resulting in its differential diagnosis with other neurodegenerative conditions. Moreover, it is probably underdiagnosed; such under- and misdiagnosis prevents the patient from receiving the right treatment and significantly affects the quality of life and life expectancy. This investigation is an in-depth analysis of the actual incidence of iNPH in the population of the province served by our hospital (circa 580,000 individuals). The first phase of this study was conducted by visualizing a total of 1232 brain CT scans performed in the Emergency Departments of the four hospitals of our network on patients who were admitted for different complaints yet screened as suspicious for iNPH. Subsequently, corresponding Emergency Department medical records were investigated to understand the medical history of each patient in search of elements attributable to an alteration of CSF dynamics. The cohort of positive CT scans, according to the radiological and clinical inclusion criteria, included 192 patients. Among the reasons to require acute medical care, "Fall" was the most common. The cumulative incidence of CT scans suggestive of iNPH among the patients undergoing CT scans was as high as 15.58%, and the period prevalence calculated for the total amount of patients accessing the Emergency Departments was 1.084%. The real incidence of iNPH in the population may be underestimated, and the social burden linked to the assistance of patients suffering from such untreated conditions could be significantly relieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Meningoencephalocele (ME) is an herniation of brain parenchyma covered by meninges through a bone defect and could be malformative or secondary. Except for rarer cases of spontaneous form, ME is usually due to endonasal or otologic infections and rarely after head trauma. In predisposed patients, even mild head trauma can lead to the formation of a ME. Methods: We performed a systematic review of literature with the aims to identify the clinical characteristics of all reported forms of post-traumatic ME and the best diagnostic and treatment strategy. We illustrated a case of a patient treated for a post-traumatic subdural hematoma who developed cerebrospinal fluid leakage 3 months after the trauma. Results: The search returned a total of 59 papers for the analysis, including radiological, clinical studies, technical note and the case reported from our experience. The total number of patients collected for this review was 61, with a mean age of 31.1 years. The diagnosis of ME could be heterogeneous in terms of timing and clinical onset after a head injury. Symptoms onset and subsequent radiological diagnosis of ME vary between 24 h to 43 years. The majority of traumas were reported in temporal site (52.45%). There were reported high variability of treatment strategies dependent on the location and extent of the defect: in the majority of cases (58%), duroplasty by the heterologous dural patch was the procedure of choice. There is a relative low rate of complications (6.5%) due to a delayed diagnosis of ME. Conclusions: When ME is associated with violation of meninges, the clinical presentation may be that of cerebrospinal fluid otorrhoea or otorhinorrhoea, consequently, delay in diagnosis can lead to neurological complications. The clinical effectiveness of ME treatment depends much more on the correct and timely diagnosis than on the type of procedure selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case of hydrocephalus is presented in a 13-year-old female with transient loss of vision from 1 week and papilledema, previous ophtalmological history was negative. Visual field was performed, and neurogical examination proved to be hydrocephalus. In literature few cases of Papilledema in adolescent children with hydrocephalus has been reported. The aim of this case report is to decode the signs, symptoms and factors associated with papilledema in children with hydrocephalus at an early stage in order to prevent a poor visualfunctional residual (permanent low vision). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative differences between 20 and 85 kHz A-scan rate optical coherence tomography (OCT) images acquired by spectral domain OCT. The study included 60 healthy subjects analyzed with horizontal linear scans with a variable A-scan rate (SHIFT technology, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The retinal thickness measurement of each retinal layer was performed in three different positions (subfoveal, nasal, and temporal). The qualitative assessment was performed by two independent observers who rated every image with a score ranging from 1 ("sufficient") to 3 ("excellent") on the basis of three parameters: visualization of the vitreo-retinal interface, characterization of the retinal layers, and visualization of the sclero-choroidal interface. No statistically significant differences in terms of retinal layer thickness between the two A-scan rate scans were observed (p > 0.05). The coefficient of variation of the retinal thickness values was lower in the 20 kHz group (25.8% versus 30.1% with the 85 kHz). The 20 kHz images showed a higher quality index for both observers. An inner plexiform layer (IPL) multilaminarity was detected in 78.3% of patients from the 20 kHz group and in 40% of patients from the 85 kHz group (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Calvarial metastases are a relatively rare entity, with an overall incidence of 3–4%. Among these cases, metastases arising from salivary gland cancers are even rarer; in fact, large studies regarding salivary gland tumors showed that brain metastases are observed in 0.8% of the cases. Generally, bone metastases have been described in proximity to primary tumors, while bloodstream-disseminated lesions are often located inside the brain parenchyma. During every surgical step, traction on lower-lying infiltrated tissues must be avoided in order to successfully remove the lesion. This case report presents the first ever case of a 67-year-old woman affected by submandibular gland undifferentiated adenocarcinoma metastasis with a full-thickness involvement of the calvarium, pachy- and leptomeninges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purposeIn the last decade there has been an increasing use of antiplatelet/anticoagulant agents in the elderly. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between exposure to anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy and chronic subdural haematoma-CSDH.MethodsSingle institution case-control study involving 138786 patients older than 60 years who visited our academic tertiary care Emergency Department from January 1st 2001 to December 31st 2010. 345 patients with CSDH (cases) were identified by review of ICD-9 codes 432.1 and 852.2x. Case and controls were matched with a 1:3 ratio for gender, age (± 5 years), year of admission and recent trauma. A conditional logistic model was built. A stratified analysis was performed with respect to the presence (842 patients) or absence (536 patients) of recent trauma.ResultsThere were 345 cases and 1035 controls. Both anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents were associated with an increased risk of CSDH with an OR of 2.46 (CI 95% 1.66-3.64) and 1.42 (CI 95% 1.07-1.89), respectively. OR was 2.70 (CI 95% 1.75-4.15), 1.90 (CI 95% 1.13-3.20), and 1.37(CI 95% 0.99-1.90) for patients receiving oral anticoagulants, ADP-antagonists, or Cox-inhibitors, respectively. History of recent trauma was an effect modifier of the association between anticoagulants and CSDH, with an OR 1.71 (CI 95% 0.99-2.96) for patients with history of trauma and 4.30 (CI 95% 2.23-8.32) for patients without history of trauma.ConclusionsAnticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy have a significant association with an increased risk of CSDH. This association, for patients under anticoagulant therapy, appears even stronger in those patients who develop a CSDH in the absence of a recent trauma.

We describe the case a spinal cord localization of neurological toxoplasmosis in a HIV-positive patient with Burkitt lymphoma, previously treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This complication occurred while patient was in complete remission of lymphoma, with CD4+ T cell count of 270 /ml, undetectable HIV viremia, and despite the trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis. Indeed, we hypothesize that in our patient neurologic toxoplasmosis has been fostered more by previous immuno-chemotherapy than by HIV- related immunodeficiency. On the whole, this case suggests that parameters usually employed to predict the risk for opportunistic infections in HIV-positive people might not apply to patients with HIV-related lymphomas.

We describe the case a spinal cord localization of neurological toxoplasmosis in a HIV-positive patient with Burkitt lymphoma, previously treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This complication occurred while patient was in complete remission of lymphoma, with CD4+ T cell count of 270 /ml, undetectable HIV viremia, and despite the trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis. Indeed, we hypothesize that in our patient neurologic toxoplasmosis has been fostered more by previous immuno-chemotherapy than by HIV- related immunodeficiency. On the whole, this case suggests that parameters usually employed to predict the risk for opportunistic infections in HIV-positive people might not apply to patients with HIV-related lymphomas.

Chemotherapy including high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX), with or without radiotherapy, is standard treatment for primary cerebral nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). It remains controversial whether addition of other drugs will add to therapeutic efficacy. We report here on 41 patients with PCNSL treated using a combined treatment modality, including HD-MTX (3.5 g/m2 for 2 cycles) prior to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). In 22 patients, the chemotherapy was intensified by adding high-dose cytosine arabinoside (HD-AraC) (2g/m2 for 4 doses for 2 cycles). Complete remission was obtained in 23 of 34 assessable patients (67%), and overall and disease-free survival rates were 24% and 46%, respectively, without differences between treatment groups. The addition of HD-AraC was complicated by severe infections in 17/22 (77%) patients, resulting in 3 toxic deaths. Our study indicates that addition of HD-AraC may not improve clinical outcome in PCNSL, while it increases toxicity. More targeted and less toxic therapies are warranted.

Chemotherapy including high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX), with or without radiotherapy, is standard treatment for primary cerebral nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). It remains controversial whether addition of other drugs will add to therapeutic efficacy. We report here on 41 patients with PCNSL treated using a combined treatment modality, including HD-MTX (3.5 g/m2 for 2 cycles) prior to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). In 22 patients, the chemotherapy was intensified by adding high-dose cytosine arabinoside (HD-AraC) (2g/m2 for 4 doses for 2 cycles). Complete remission was obtained in 23 of 34 assessable patients (67%), and overall and disease-free survival rates were 24% and 46%, respectively, without differences between treatment groups. The addition of HD-AraC was complicated by severe infections in 17/22 (77%) patients, resulting in 3 toxic deaths. Our study indicates that addition of HD-AraC may not improve clinical outcome in PCNSL, while it increases toxicity. More targeted and less toxic therapies are warranted.