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Affective instability is a common phenomenon in adults. It may be the expression of underlying organic or psychiatric conditions. This is a potentially disabling symptom for the individual, which can cause psychological distress and even consequences in daily life functioning. This article is intended for any healthcare professional and aims to clarify the assessment and diagnostic approach to a patient with mood swings.

Introduction and Importance: Spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas are a rare occurrence. This particular case is made even more distinctive by the fact that the lesion mimicked a dumbbell-shaped neuroma. Moreover, it had a very unique localization (wholly epidural, at cervical-thoracic -C7-D1- level). The importance of this case is linked not only to its remarkable rarity, but also to the diagnostic avenues explored. The surgery was carried out by Prof. Riccardo Caruso, Head of the Neurosurgical Department of the Military Hospital of Rome and Professor of Neurosurgery of Sapienza University of Rome, assisted by Dr. Luigi Marrocco, Senior Neurosurgeon of the Military Hospital of Rome. Postsurgical recovery was managed by Dr. Venceslao Wierzbicki, Senior Neurosurgeon of the Military Hospital of Rome., Case Presentation: In 2020, a 71 year-old man, suffering from intense pain in the left scapular region and in the ulnar area of the left forearm, underwent surgery for the removal of a spinal epidural cavernous hemangioma involving the left C7-D1 foramen. Prior to surgery, the lesion had been misdiagnosed as a neuroma by a radiologist., Clinical Discussion: In the Literature there are other, rare cases of hemangiomas partly located in the spinal canal, and partly located intra and extra foramen. In the case here presented, differential diagnosis as well as a potential Schwannoma, suggested by the dumbbell shape of the lesion, should have considered also the possibility of a meningioma. Two teams of radiologists examined the images, the radiologists of our team, Dr. Valentina Martines and Dr. Emanuele Piccione, thanks to a close inspection of the features of the lesion, postulated the extra-dural position. Other aspects of the scans were then analyzed to help guide future diagnosis of similar lesions., Conclusion: With a spinal tumor affecting the foramen, a close examination of the images allows for accurate presurgical differential diagnosis, differentiating between the more frequent neuroma and other rarer tumors, such as a hemangioma., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Little is known of the advances in battlefield medicine achieved in Italy before and during the Great War. Some deserve wider recognition; this is especially true for the field of neurosurgery. There are a limited number of historical records currently available, fewer still in English, and most of the systematic investigations on field surgery have been in the form of monographs within science history reviews, which obviously lack a strictly clinical perspective. Together with shell shock, the gunshot-related traumatic brain injury (GrTBI) is considered one of the typical, or signature, lesions of the Great War. It was intrinsically linked to trench and mountain warfare: to view the battlefield from a trench/hiding area, soldiers' heads and necks were repeatedly exposed, therefore making them the most likely target for snipers. Military physicians therefore focused their efforts in the clinical and experimental treatment of GrTBI. Among notable contributions of the military surgeons of the time, there is a volume of selected war-surgery lectures conserved in the archives of the Library of the Italian National Academy of Military Medicine. These lectures shed light over the work of General Dr. Lorenzo Bonomo. His incredibly advanced and modern ideas had unfortunately been forgotten. He pioneered research in the ballistic and forensic medical fields, building on first-hand experience, as he performed surgeries himself before the conflict and even while on the frontline, actively working to improve the chances of survival for the Italian troops fighting in the Great War., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

BACKGROUND A case of spinal trauma had an unusual clinical course due to medical mistakes, from which we can learn some important lessons. CASE REPORT We report a case of spondylolisthesis following a bomb explosion, which went undiagnosed for a long time because of a series of mistakes that are highlighted in this article. What makes this case unique is that the spondylolisthesis developed during hospital stay, but the patient had no loss of mobility, strength, or sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS This case shows that establishing the conditions of an organ or a body part upon admission to hospital may not be enough when a patient has suffered extensive and serious trauma, and that it is necessary to carry out more checkups over time, especially if there are new clues and symptoms.

Introduction: This is a very rare case of intraosseous cystic meningioma. There have been no reports of similar cases in the last 30 years., Presentation of Case: A 62-year-old man, suffering from a swelling of the lateral wall of the left orbit was admitted to our hospital. MRI and CT scan showed a large intradiploic lesion involving the lateral wall of the orbit and the greater wing of the sphenoid. The lesion was cystic with a mural nodule. We operated the patient and removed completely the mural nodule and the fibrous wall of cyst. Histological examination showed that the mural nodule was a benign meningothelial meningioma., Discussion: Primary intraosseous meningiomas represent a subtype of primary extradural meningiomas; they comprise about 2% of all meningiomas and are therefore rare entities. Cystic meningiomas are rare, their incidence compared to all other types of meningiomas is of 2-4%. The presence of a meningioma with both characteristics: cystic and intraosseous, like in our case, is an exceptional occurrence., Conclusion: The surgical management of tumor was easy; its rarity means that the case is interesting., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This article presents a very rare late complication of surgery to the posterior fossa involving a craniectomy: cerebellar hemisphere herniation in the neck, through the craniectomy site. Here we also analyse the possible causes of such complication., (Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

We report a rare case of schwannoma of the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus, an exceedingly rare lesion affecting this anatomical district, and discuss salient aspects of the surgical approach to the cavernous sinus, which are traditionally considered technically challenging due to the high risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality related to the presence of the cranial nerves and internal carotid artery.

Ancient schwannomas (AS) are exceedingly rare variant of common schwannomas (CS). Only two cases involving the cauda equina region have been previously reported in literature. AS are typically associated with a higher histological degree of degenerative changes (Antoni B areas). It is of peculiar importance, according to our opinion, to outline that, because of their extremely slow growth (which explains the increase of the degenerative changes in respect to the CS) and their typical soft consistency in respect to their standard counterparts, AS usually imply an even better prognosis., Competing Interests: The authors have no personal, financial, or institutional interest in any of the drugs, materials, or devices described in this article. The authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers' bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements) or nonfinancial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge, or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. The authors have no financial disclosures that would be a potential conflict of interest with this publication.

Purpose: This article aims at presenting a scale that, through the analysis of MRI images, clearly charts the various degenerative stages of the cervical spine and establishes its biological age. We have created this scale by summing together various scores linked to a selection of parameters according to which MRI images are analyzed., Method: We examined 423 cervical spine MRI scans, belonging to patients who had been admitted to the Medical Imaging Service of the Military Hospital of Rome between January 2010 and July 2011. We selected 6 parameters for the analysis of the MRI scans of the cervical spine: (1) the degeneration of the intervertebral discs, (2) the degeneration of the yellow ligaments, (3) the degeneration of the vertebral bodies, (4) the possible presence of spondylolistheses, (5) the presence or absence of foraminal stenosis, and (6) the diameter of the spinal canal. We assigned to each parameter a score system based on a graduated scale. The cervical spine physiological age can be determined by summing up the scores obtained for each parameter., Results: We submitted the data obtained from the study to a statistical enquiry. The results of the enquiry confirmed the suitability of the parameters selected for the evaluation of the aging process of the cervical spine., Conclusions: The effectiveness of the various treatments for cervical spine degenerative disorders is influenced by the overall anatomical conditions of the cervical spine. Up until now there has been no objective criterion for the evaluation of these anatomical conditions. We believe that this scale will be a useful tool to homogenize retrospective studies and to correctly set up prospective studies on the degenerative conditions of the cervical spine and relative treatments.

We studied a poorly known form of cerebrospinal fluid hypotension characterized by cervical myelopathy, a considerable growth in volume of the venous plexus of the cervical spine, and absence of headache. This form was first described by Miyazaki. We reported a case brought to our attention, reviewed the literature, and formulated etiopathogenic theories that might explain all the various clinical aspects of this pathology., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Many surgical techniques are used for the treatment of cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy due to spondylosis or disc herniation. The aim of this article is to evaluate and to compare the long term outcomes of 1. anterior cervical discectomy (ACD), 2. anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF) and 3. anterior cervical discectomy with total disc replacement (TDR) in order to find the most appropriate surgical option according to the medical condition of the patient., Materials and Methods: Three retrospective cohort studies were performed to assess the long-term results of ACD, ACDF and TDR procedures. Data from the three studies were compared by statistical methods to highlight the differences in results., Results: All patients presented a neurological improvement that endures. The results of three surgical techniques were different as regards the alignment of the cervical spine, the preservation of mobility and the pathology of adjacent space., Conclusions: TDR is the most appropriate technique in young patients, below the age of 55 years and whose pathology is prevalently a hernia. The best surgical choice is ACDF in patients above the age of 55 years and in all those cases in which there is a prevalence of spondyloarthrotic alterations. In highly selected cases, in which the cervical spine is in a flattened condition and the intervertebral space is very restricted ACD, according to Hirsh, is a surgical method which ensures a very high degree of spinal motility preservation.

Supratentorial endodermal cysts are very rare pathological entities. Their pathoembryology is largely unknown and they can represent a diagnostic challenge. A research performed on the PubMed database in December 2010, to screen for supratentorial endodermal cyst studies, demonstrated that since 1960 only 31 supratentorial endodermal cysts have been described in the literature, including our case: a 42-year-old woman with a parasellar endodermal cyst. These lesions are usually benign. As with other types of brain cysts, the signs and symptoms caused by supratentorial endodermal cysts are mainly linked to the compression or irritation of surrounding neural structures. Upon neuroimaging examination, they typically appear as a round or lobulated mass. The signal intensity may vary depending on the protein content of the cyst. The majority of reported supratentorial endodermal cysts were completely excised with good or excellent results. Incomplete excision can result in an increased risk of recurrence, infection, and dissemination., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

We report on a very rare case of dorsal intramedullary melanocytoma in a 62-year-old man. The tumor was resected and gross total removal was achieved. During a 2-year follow-up period in which no radiotherapy was given, the tumor did not recur. We review the literature on these tumors and present disease criteria to distinguish melanocytoma from primary malignant melanoma. Patients and investigators should be cautioned that an intramedullary melanocytoma may recur and give rise to metastatic spread via the cerebrospinal fluid.

Purpose: Bilateral papilledema is a rare symptom of cauda equina tumours. The authors report a case of neurinoma of cauda equina, which had a bilateral papilledema among its initial symptoms., Case Report: A 28 years old man showed the presence of a bilateral papilledema; a cerebral MRI did not show any endocranial pathology. After three months the patient started suffering, especially at night, of right-leg-sciatica. A lumbar MRI showed a neurinoma of the cauda equina. The patient was operated and after surgery the papilledema slowly shrank., Conclusions: The tumours of cauda equina could cause endocranial hypertension and consequently a papilledema because of hyperproteinorachia. If there is a bilateral papilledema and the cerebral MRI does not show any endocranial pathology, there is the need for the examination of any spinal disorders.

The authors report one case of cauda equina paraganglioma and review the neurosurgical, radiological and pathological literatureon this rare tumour. Although it is difficult to distinguish preoperatively the paraganglioma from other tumours of the cauda equina, like neurinoma or ependymoma, this neuroendocrine tumour should be included in differential diagnosis.