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No robust evidence is provided by literature regarding the management of intracranial hypertension following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This is mostly due to the lack of prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the presence of studies containing extreme heterogeneously collected populations and controversial considerations about chosen outcome. A scientific society should provide guidelines for care management and scientific support for those areas for which evidence-based medicine has not been identified. However, RCTs in severe TBI have failed to establish intervention effectiveness, arising the need to make greater use of tools such as Consensus Conferences between experts, which have the advantage of providing recommendations based on experience, on the analysis of updated literature data and on the direct comparison of different logistic realities. The Italian scientific societies should provide guidelines following the national laws ruling the best medical practice. However, many limitations do not allow the collection of data supporting high levels of evidence for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring and decompressive craniectomy (DC) in patients with severe TBI. This intersociety document proposes best practice guidelines for this subsetting of patients to be adopted on a national Italian level, along with joint statements from "TBI Section" of the Italian Society of Neurosurgery (SINch) endorsed by the Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care Study Group of the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI). Presented here is a recap of recommendations on management of ICP and DC supported a high level of available evidence and rate of agreement expressed by the assemblies during the more recent consensus conferences, where members of both groups have had a role of active participants and supporters. The listed recommendations have been sent to a panel of experts consisting of the 107 members of the "TBI Section" of the SINch and the 111 members of the Neuroanesthesia and Neurocritical Care Study Group of the SIAARTI. The aim of the survey was to test a preliminary evaluation of the grade of predictable future adherence of the recommendations following this intersociety proposal. The following recommendations are suggested as representing best clinical practice, nevertheless, adoption of local multidisciplinary protocols regarding thresholds of ICP values, drug therapies, hemostasis management and perioperative care of decompressed patients is strongly recommended to improve treatment efficiency, to increase the quality of data collection and to provide more powerful evidence with future studies. Thus, for this future perspective a rapid overview of the role of the multimodal neuromonitoring in the optimal severe TBI management is also provided in this document. It is reasonable to assume that the recommendations reported in this paper will in future be updated by new observations arising from future trials. They are not binding, and this document should be offered as a guidance for clinical practice through an intersociety agreement, taking in consideration the low level of evidence.

Chirurgia della base del cranio laterale: 50 anni di impegno.La base del cranio non è anatomicamente divisa in anteriore e laterale, ma è per semplicità che comunemente si intendono i corridoi chirurgici con direzione antero-laterale, laterale pura e postero laterale come “Approcci chirurgici della base del cranio laterale”. Una relazione con titolo “Cinquant’anni di impegno”, di sforzo o di dedizione, vuole essere il riconoscimento a questa chirurgia che nel corso degli anni ha sviluppato interventi sempre più complessi con una morbidità sempre minore. Il principio della chirurgia della base del cranio laterale si fonda sulla possibilità di “fare spazio”, esporre adeguatamente, rimuovere osso per salvaguardare il cervello, insieme alla possibilità di preservare la funzione e adattare l’approccio chirurgico all’istologia della lesione. Il concetto che l’istologia detta l’entità della resezione chirurgica, bilanciando la morbidità intrinseca di ciascun approccio, è oggetto di trattazione nella prima sezione di questa relazione. Nella seconda sezione sono descritti i principali approcci chirurgici, intesi non come descrizione tecnica di ciascun tempo chirurgico, ma dei principi che sono alla base di ciascun approccio. La terza sezione è dedicata alle questioni aperte, quelle ancora irrisolte, inerenti alcuni tumori ed il loro trattamento. L’argomento del neurinoma sporadico dell’ottavo nervo cranico è trattato riportando l'attuale dibattito sulla osservazione, la chirurgia di preservazione dell’udito, la riabilitazione con l’impianto cocleare, la radioterapia e le ricerche recenti su marcatori tumorali predittivi di crescita. Il paraganglioma del forame giugulare è trattato nel contesto della chirurgia radicale, chirurgia parziale, osservazione e radioterapia. La terapia dei meningiomi della base del cranio analizza il punto di vista specifico dell’otochirurgo e del neurochirurgo. Cordomi e condrosarcomi, tumori del sacco endolinfatico, carcinomi dell’orecchio e colesteatoma della rocca sono le altre lesioni affrontate. Infine, nella quarta sezione è proposto un contributo a libera scelta ad autori di riconosciuta esperienza. Lo scopo di questa relazione è stato quello di fornire un aggiornamento della chirurgia della base del cranio laterale dopo 50 anni di duro lavoro e, o forse soprattutto, di permettere alle tante questioni irrisolte, alle domande che ancora non hanno risposta, di trovare espressione, affinchè il dibattito ed il progresso possano continuare con la condivisione di esperienze. Se al termine della lettura vi saranno più domande che risposte, potremo dirci che l’obiettivo di questa relazione è stato raggiunto.Disregarding the widely used division of skull base into anterior and lateral, since the skull base should be conceived as a single anatomic structure, it was to our convenience to group all those approaches that run from the antero-lateral, pure lateral and postero-lateral side of the skull base as “Surgery of the lateral skull base”. “50 years of endeavour” points to the great effort which has been made over the last decades, when more and more difficult surgeries were performed by reducing morbidity. The principle of lateral skull base surgery, “remove skull base bone to approach the base itself and the adjacent sites of the endo-esocranium”, was then combined with function preservation and with tailoring surgery to the pathology. The concept that histology dictates the extent of resection, balancing the intrinsic morbidity of each approach was the object of the first section of the present report. The main surgical approaches were described in the second section and were conceived not as a step-by-step description of technique, but as the highlighthening of the surgical principles. The third section was centered on open issues related to the tumor and its treatment. The topic of vestibular schwannoma was investigated with the current debate on observation, hearing preservation surgery, hearing rehabilitation, radiotherapy and the recent efforts to detect biological markers able to predict tumor growth. Jugular foramen paragangliomas were treated in the frame of radical or partial surgery, radiotherapy, partial “tailored” surgery and observation. Surgery on meningioma was debated from the point of view of the neurosurgeon and of the otologist. Endolymphatic sac tumors and malignant tumors of the external auditory canal were also treated, as well as chordomas, chondrosarcomas and petrous bone cholesteatomas. Finally, the fourth section focused on free-choice topics which were assigned to aknowledged experts. The aim of this work was attempting to report the state of the art of the lateral skull base surgery after 50 years of hard work and, above all, to raise questions on those issues which still need an answer, as to allow progress in knowledge through sharing of various experiences. At the end of the reading, if more doubts remain rather than certainties, the aim of this work will probably be achieved.

An increased frequency of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has been reported in the literature, including studies based on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). To substantiate our own ascertainment of such an increase, we retrieved all the diagnoses of ultrasound-guided FNAC which was performed on 11,389 patients referred for cytological evaluation of a single or dominant thyroid nodule from 1988 to 2010. FNAC yielded 11,258 adequate specimens. The number of patients with PTC was 200 (age 10–83 yrs) and increased significantly from 1988 to 2010 (r= 0.916, P

Primary melanoma of the central nervous system (CNS) is rare and primary spinal melanoma (PSM) is even more unusual. Preoperative diagnosis of melanocytic lesion as a PSM is difficult, because of the heterogeneous magnetic resonance (MR) signal intensity, due to hemorrhagic foci and melanin deposits. We describe the case of a 68 year-old male with a MR showing at Th8-Th9 level a well-defined intramedullary lesion; for the characteristics of hemorrhagic signal on MR and its association with a presumptive brain cavernoma, a preoperative diagnosis of intramedullary cavernous angioma was suspected. Pathological examination revealed a melanoma, and for the absence of other localizations outside the spinal cord, a diagnosis of primary spinal melanoma was established. The growth of PSM is slower and survival is longer than in the most common spinal metastasis from skin melanoma. Patients who undergo surgical excision, alone or associated with additional treatments, often show a long survival. We report this case to underline the importance and difficulties concerning the preoperative diagnosis of a hemorrhagic intramedullary lesion.

Transnasal endoscopic management of anterior cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak: experience from a large case series.Anterior cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a consequence described after head trauma, skull base surgery or inflammatory diseases, but may also occur spontaneously. Prompt recognition and management is crucial in order to avoid complications and to achieve successful surgical repair. The purpose of this study is to present the clinical features of a large group of patients with anterior CSF leak and the results of their surgical management.The study approach was a retrospective review of 110 consecutive patients treated by the same surgeon for CSF leak of the anterior skull base via a transnasal endoscopic approach between 2003 and 2013. Patients with anterior skull base surgery due to cancer or pituitary adenoma were excluded from this study. The diagnostic workup included nasal endoscopy, beta2-transferrin and -trace protein assay in the rhinoliquorrhoea and radiological imaging. The intrathecal fluorescein test was performed in selected cases. The surgical techniques used to repair dural defects were primarily middle turbinate placement and fascia lata grafting.Primary endoscopic repair of the CSF fistula was successful in 106/110 (96.4%) patients. Four patients (3.6%) required a revision procedure due to early failure of the repair. After a minimum follow-up of 24 months, no recurrent CSF leaks were observed in the study group. None of the patients developed meningitis as a surgical complication.The endoscopic transnasal approach is a reliable technique for treating CSF leaks. The intrathecal fluorescein test is safe and helpful in locating the defect. The fascia lata proved the best graft available in our experience.

Postoperative infections after spinal surgery are a challenging issue, difficult to diagnose and treat, that requires prolonged medical therapy and even surgery. In this paper, we aim to review the current standards in the diagnosis and treatment of post-procedural Spondylodiscitis (SD). We performed a review of the available literature focusing on diagnostic and therapeutic standards of post-procedural SD, both after minimally invasive procedures and open surgery. Spinal infections can occur in less invasive procedures with an incidence ranging from 0.26% to 2.75%. Post-surgical spinal infections range from 2.1% to 8.5% for instrumented surgery, whereas these are less than 1% in open surgery without instrumentation. MRI is currently the most sensitive and specific technique to diagnose postoperative SD. CT guided aspiration culture should be performed in all patients with deep-seated infections with negative blood cultures. Early infections start with wound healing problems within a few weeks from surgery, and the occurrence of fever and an increase in serum markers of inflammation. Late infections often cause chronic pain, implant failure, non-union or wound dehiscence even a long time after surgery. The onset of the infection differentiates the specific treatment. Indeed, in the early postoperative period spinal fusion is not appropriate yet, and the stability of the fusion site only relies on the instrumentation. Therefore, even when suitable, implant removal may lead to undesirable consequences. In chronic infections, on the other hand, implant removal is unlikely to determine instability since the fusion has already been accomplished.

Background Pituitary tumors are a heterogeneous group of lesions that are usually benign. Therefore, a proper understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology is mandatory to achieve favorable outcomes. Accordingly, diagnostic tests and treatment guidelines should be determined and implemented. Thus, we decided to perform a multicenter study among Italian neurosurgical centers performing pituitary surgery to provide an actual depiction from the neurosurgical standpoint. Methods On behalf of the SINch (Societa Italiana di Neurochirurgia), a survey was undertaken with the participants to explore the activities in the field of pituitary surgery within 41 public institutions. Results Of the 41 centers, 37 participated in the present study. The total number of neurosurgical procedures performed in 2016 was 1479. Most of the procedures were performed using the transsphenoidal approach (1320 transsphenoidal [1204 endoscopic, 53 microscopic, 53 endoscope-assisted microscopic] vs. 159 transcranial). A multidisciplinary tumor board is convened regularly in 32 of 37 centers, and a research laboratory is present in 18 centers. Conclusions Diagnosing pituitary/hypothalamus disorders and treating them is the result of teamwork, composed of several diverse experts. Regarding neurosurgery, our findings have confirmed the central role of the transsphenoidal approach, with preference toward the endoscopic technique. Better outcomes can be expected at centers with a multidisciplinary team and a full, or part of a, residency program, with a greater surgical caseload.

Background Cervical degenerative pathology produces pain and disability, and if conservative treatment fails, surgery is indicated. The aim of this study was to determined whether anterior decompression and interbody fusion according to Cloward is effective for treating segmental cervical degenerative pathology and whether the results are durable after a 10-year-minimum follow-up. Materials and methods Fifty-one patients affected by single-level cervical degenerative pathology between C4 and C7 were surgically treated by the Cloward procedure. Clinical evaluation was rated using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the visual analog scale (VAS). At last follow-up, the outcomes were rated according to Odom’s criteria. On radiographs, the sagittal segmental alignment (SSA) of the affected level and the sagittal alignment of the cervical spine (SACS) were measured. Results Average NDI was 34 preoperatively and 11 at last follow-up. Average VAS was 7 preoperatively and 1 at last follow-up. According to Odom’s criteria, the outcome was considered excellent in 18 cases, good in 22, and fair in 11. Average SSA was 0.5 ± 2.1 preoperatively, 1.8 ± 3.8 at 6 months, and 1.8 ± 5.7 at last follow-up. Average SACS was 16.5 ± 4.0 preoperatively, 20.9 ± 5.8 at 6 months, and 19.9 ± 6.4 at last follow-up. Degenerative changes at the adjacent levels were observed in 18 patients (35.3%). Conclusions The Cloward procedure proved to be a suitable and effective technique for treating segmental cervical degenerative pathology, allowing good clinical and radiographic outcomes even at a long-term follow-up.