Treatment of recurrent cystic craniopharyngioma via subcutaneous ommaya reservoir: report of four cases

This report describes four cases of recurrent cystic craniopharyngioma treated between 1989 and 1995 at the Neurosurgical hospital and the Department of Neurosurgery of the Sudam's medical city in Baghdad by using Ommaya reservoir. The role of this drainage system is displayed and its complications are discussed

Giant cell tumor of spine: case report

Spinal epidural giant cell tumors are rare. Two cases of giant cell tumor affecting the spine are reported with review of literature. Compression of spinal cored and its roots may be caused by a variety epidural compression of spinal cord. It is an eccentrically placed osteolytic lesion. The typical osteoclast which forms this tumor is a large multinucleated cell with distinct central nuclei

Multiple intracranial hydatid cysts

Multiple hydatid cysts of the brain are very rare; to date, only 21 reported cases have been encountered. Twenty-six patients with multiple intracranial hydatid cysts among 196 cases of hydatidosis in the brain were treated between 1976 and 1992 at the Neurosurgical Hospital in Baghdad. The occurrence of multiple hydatidosis following iatrogenic rupture of a solitary cyst in the brain was excluded in this series. All cases were secondary multiple cysts, except for two patients with multiple primary cysts and two other patients unknown, because they died prior to surgery. 81% of patients were under the age of 20 years and the female to male ratio was 1.6-1. The majority of cases were investigated by CT scan; the most common location of the multiple cysts was in the parietal region or near by. All operations were done under general anesthesia and the cysts were removed by the Dowling's method. The complications and prognosis were evaluated and the pathology of the multiple cysts in the brain was discussed

Growth rate of intracranial hydatid cysts

112 patients with intracranial hydatid cysts were treated in the Neurosurgical Hospital in Baghdad between 1976 and 1985. Of these, 21 children were selected in whom the diameter of the cyst, measured in cm, was greater than the age of the child. An approximate growth rate of the cysts of 1.3-3 cm per year may be confirmed as an admissible pattern in children. Five of the patients had recurrence of the cysts in various periods of time; these were also included in this study. Recurrent cysts may reach an enormous size within short period of time; a growth rate of 3 cm/7 weeks is described. CT scanning is an accurate method in establishing the diagnosis of the cyst planning the surgical approach and determining, the growth rate in cases of recurrence