Search

Purpose: This report aims to present a case of a child with holocord pilocytic astrocytoma and review the existing literature to provide insights into current management strategies. Case presentation: An 11-month-old patient presented with progressive quadriplegia and was initially diagnosed with a spinal abscess. MRI revealed a heterogeneously enhancing cystic intramedullary lesion extending from the cervicomedullary region to the conus medullaris. The patient underwent an emergent T10-L1 total laminectomy and midline myelotomy for presumed abscess drainage. Intraoperative findings, however, were inconsistent with an abscess, suggesting a neoplastic process. Postoperative MRI indicated persistent spinal cord compression and histopathological examination showed no leukocytes or microorganisms. A second surgery the following day extended the laminectomy to T3, achieving gross total resection. Pathology confirmed a grade I pilocytic astrocytoma. Given the patient’s age, chemotherapy with vincristine and carboplatin was initiated, as radiotherapy was unsuitable. Early physical therapy was commenced, resulting in significant neurological improvement to 4/5 muscle strength in all extremities according to the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale in the first year. Chemotherapy was discontinued due to systemic complications. At the 1-year follow-up, MRI demonstrated no tumor recurrence. Conclusion: The management of holocord pilocytic astrocytomas presents significant challenges, particularly in pediatric patients. While surgical resection remains the cornerstone of treatment, the role of chemotherapy requires further investigation. This case underscores the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach and highlights the potential for favorable outcomes with appropriate intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery is the first-line treatment for growth hormone-secreting adenomas. To analyse the results of the transsphenoidal endoscopic approach for acromegaly and to determine the predictive factors of remission. A single-centre retrospective review was performed in patients who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for acromegaly between January 2009 and January 2019. Demographic features, clinical presentation, histopathology records, complications and pre- and postoperative radiologic and endocrinological assessments were evaluated. The factors that influenced the remission rates were investigated. A total of 73 patients underwent surgery via the transsphenoidal endoscopic approach. Cavernous sinus invasion was detected in 32 patients (43.8%); and macroadenoma, in 57 (78%). The pathology specimens of the 27 patients (36.9%) showed dual-staining adenomas with prolactin. A total of 51 patients (69.8%) attained biochemical remission 1 year after surgery. A second operation was performed in 10 patients (13.6%) with residual tumours without biochemical remission in the first year. Six (60%) of the patients attained remission at the last follow-up. Transient diabetes insipidus was observed in 18 patients (24.6%); and rhinorrhoea, which was resolved with conservative treatment, in 4 (5.4%). None of the patients developed panhypopituitarism. The presence of cavernous sinus invasion and preoperative IGF-1, immediate postoperative GH and third-month IGF-1 levels were predictive of remission. Transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery is a safe and effective treatment for acromegaly. Reoperation should be considered in patients with residual tumours without remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the present study, we hypothesized that a low gray matter-white matter ratio (GWR) is associated with poor cognitive function and low quality of life in patients with mild to moderate (WFNS ≤3) aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Methods: All patients with aSAH who were admitted to the neurointensive care unit (Neuro ICU) and whose WFNS score was ≤ 3 were enrolled in the study. During the Neuro ICU follow-up period, the following variables were recorded: demographics, neurological status, comorbidities, time elapsed between onset of bleeding and Neuro ICU admission, treatment method, number of days with vasospasm symptoms (DVS) and vasopressor usage. One year after bleeding, all patients except those who could not answer the questionnaires appropriately were administered the MoCA and SF-36 tests, and brain magnetic resonance imaging and then volumetric brain analysis were performed. Results: Eighty-two patients completed the study. One year after aSAH, cognitive dysfunction and low quality of life were observed in 59.8% and 25.6% of patients, respectively. Among the variables obtained during Neuro ICU follow-up, DVS was found to be a major risk factor for cognitive dysfunction (OR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.9-7.8; p < 0.001), poor quality of life (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.4-5.3, p = 0.002) and a lower GWR value ( p < 0.001, correlation coefficient = −0.410, R2 = 0.234). One year after aSAH, higher GWR values were associated with higher MoCA (R2 = 0.506 for males, R2 = 0.413 for females) and SF-36 (R2 = 0.270 for males, R2 = 0.364 for females) scores in both genders. Also, GWR ≤ 1.35 in males and GWR ≤1.33 in females indicated MoCApoor patients with over 80% specificity and sensitivity. Conclusion: GWR has good correlation with the MoCA and SF-36 score, and a low GWR can indicate cognitive dysfunction. In this context, GWR can be used as an additional method to evaluate cognitive function and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To describe, and to evaluate the clinical and radiological characteristics of pediatric cavernous malformations (CMs) and the surgical approaches and their outcomes in a single center., Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed pediatric patients with CMs that were treated in our center between 2010 and 2020. Radiological, clinical, and demographic features, as well as treatment details were evaluated., Results: Of 23 patients, 12 were male, and 11 were female. Two patients with multiple CMs had a family history. The most common symptoms were headaches (9/23, 39.1%) and seizures (9/23, 39.1%). Twenty patients had single lesions and three patients had multiple lesions. According to Zabramski classification, eight (34.7%) patients had type 1, 11 (47.8%) had type 2 and four (17.3%) had type 3 lesions. Thirteen patients had recurrent preoperative hemorrhages and nine had increased lesion size. Seven patients (30.4%) had coexisting deep venous anomalies in the CM vicinity. Twenty-one patients underwent microsurgical resection (5/23 simple lesionectomy, 16/23 lesionectomy + resection of the surrounding hemosiderin ring). All lesions were completely resected. No surgical mortalities or major complications occurred., Conclusion: Since pediatric CMs are more aggressive than adult CMs, they should not be underestimated. Microsurgical total resection should be the first treatment choice where possible. We concluded that early surgical treatment and resection of perilesional hemosiderin-stained tissue, when feasible, yield the most favorable results at long-term follow-up including seizure outcomes.

Aim: To present an early warning system (EWS) that employs a supervised machine learning algorithm for the rapid detection of extra-axial hematomas (EAHs) in an emergency trauma setting., Material and Methods: A total of 150 sets of cranial computed tomography (CT) scans were used in this study with a total of 11,025 images. Of the CTs, 75 were labeled as EAH, the remaining 75 were normal. A random forest algorithm was utilized for the detection of EAHs. The CTs were randomized into two groups: 100 samples for training of the algorithm (split evenly between EAH and normal cases), and 50 samples for testing. In the training phase, the algorithm scanned every CT slice separately for image features such as entropy, moment, and variance. If the algorithm determined an EAH on two or more images in a CT set, then the workflow produced an alert in the form of an email., Results: Data from 50 patients (25 EAH and 25 controls) were used for testing the EWS. For all CTs with an EAH, an alert was produced, with a 0% false-negative rate. For 16% of the cases, the practitioner received an email from the EWS that the patient might have an EAH despite having a normal CT scan. Positive and negative predictive values were 86% and 100%, respectively., Conclusion: An EWS based on a machine learning algorithm is an efficient and inexpensive way of facilitating the work of emergency practitioners such as emergency physicians, neuroradiologists, and neurosurgeons.