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“Os odontoideum” is a rare craniovertebral junction disease that presents itself as a dystopic ossicle from a hypoplastic C2 dens, contributing to a craniocervical instability.We report a 45-year-old woman harboring a dystopic os odontoideum, who sustained a progressive neurological deterioration with marked circumferential spinal cord compression. She was subjected to a prior posterior suboccipital craniectomy with occipitocervical fixation, followed by an anterior transoral-transpharyngeal odontoidectomy.Both procedures were performed uneventfully, and the patient had a remarkable improvement afterward. We believe that our step-wise surgical management to os odontoideum is feasible and accomplishes excellent outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most hemangiopericytomas (HPC) are located in the musculoskeletal system and the skin, but rarely in the central nervous system.We report on a patient with a spinal extradural huge HPC, with marked spinal cord compression, extending from the C6 to the T3 level, who was elected for surgery.The patient underwent surgery, through a posterior approach, which led to the identification of a huge red-brown firm mass, highly vascular, that was softly dissected from the surrounding tissues. Total gross removal was accomplished, with an “in-block” resection, preserving neurological function, as shown by the somatosensitive evoked potential. Histopathological examination and an immunohistochemistry assay were performed confirming the diagnosis of HPC.Spinal HPCs respond to approximately 8% of all HPC, tend to occur isolated and attached to the spinal dura-mater, and usually present a good surgical cleavage between the tumor and the dura. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavernous malformations are cerebrovascular anomalies that may be observed throughout the central nervous system, mainly in the supratentorial location, comprising about 10% of all cerebrovascular lesions. They frequently affect young patients, and may be observed as sporadic form or familial (hereditary) form. They may appear as single or multiple lesions. Most patients who present with the multiple lesions are likely to harbor the hereditary form of the disease. Magnetic resonance imaging is the standard imaging to diagnose the cavernous malformation, as they are angiographically occult. An autosomal-dominant pattern of inheritance with variable penetrance is responsible to the familial form of the disease. There are 4 types of clinical presentation of the cavernous malformation: seizures, headaches, neurologic deficits, and asymptomatic presentation. The treatment consists of microscopic surgical resection assisted by intraoperative neuronavigation, stereotaxy, or ultrasound, with minimal morbidity. Radiosurgery may be considered for patient with multiple hemorrhages from a surgically inaccessible lesion, or in clinically ill patients without health for surgery. We report a series of 29 patients harboring supratentorial cavernous malformations surgically removed, operated from 1999 to 2009, at São Paulo, Brazil, by the same surgical crew, to verify surgery as the primary management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cerebellar liponeurocytoma is an extremely rare cerebellar neoplasm of adults, which is characterized by astrocytic and lipomatous differentiation, with a low proliferative potential. Until now, there are only 31 reports of cerebellar liponeurocytoma. Neurosurgeons are not familiarized with this entity. It is not a part of the tumor repertoire that is dealt with in daily practice. Despite its rarity, it is mandatory to distinguish it from medulloblastomas. Cerebellar liponeurocytoma usually has a more favorable prognosis and does not require chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In this study, we describe a 62-year-old woman harboring cerebellar liponeurocytoma, and briefly review the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]