Sinus pericranii: an uncommon tortuous vascular anomaly with traumatic origin

Sinus pericranii is an unusual venous anomaly characterized by communication of pericranial varicosities with an underlying dural sinus. The varicosities are intimately associated with the periostium, are distensible, and vary in size with changes in intracranial pressure. Symptoms are infrequent but include headache, vertigo, feelings of fullness, local pain, or dermatological lesion. It presents at the paediatric age group more than other age groups and it affects males more than females. Although its aetiology has not been settled yet, however, computerized tomography scan discloses those of traumatic nature. Although, in many instances, it raises a cosmetic concern to the patient and parents, the condition is not without possible "significant' complications, e.g., haemorrhage, infection, dermatological, and air embolism during operative intervention. We describe the clinical features, imaging and operative findings of a case of Sinus pericranii presented to our department, the reason for the surgical treatment of which was the cosmetic concern of the patient's parents

Estimation of some trace elements in severe head injured patients

Severe head injury is the most devastating neurosurgical condition and it is only next to cancers as the leading cause of death in developed countries, Because trace elements [TEs] are involved in most of enzymes that drives the biochemical reactions, so they are considered as a window to the biochemical environment of the body in general and in brain in specific. This study measured six TEs [Fe, Zn, Mg, Cu, Mn and Co] in 29 patients with severe head injury [GCS Score 3-9]; their ages between 5-50 years. Collection and estimation performed at both Neurosurgical Hospital [NH] in Baghdad and Medical Research Center [MRC] of College of Medicine, Kadhimiyah between January 2004 and August 2004. 17 of healthy Iraqi volunteers of age- and sex- matched were used as a comparable control group in TEs measurement. The analysis showed that serum Cu level has a striking significant positive correlation with GCS [P<0.01] followed by serum Mg [P<0.01], serum Fe [P<0.05] with mode of correlation is linear except for that of serum Fe has three phases of correlation. Serum Mg is the only TE showed statistical significant lower value in patient group than the control group [P<0.01]. Zn is the only TE that is correlated with the mode of intake, significantly lower among patient on IVF than those on N/G [P<0.01]. Serum zinc correlated in linear relation with serum Mg [P<0.05], serum Fe with serum Mg [P<0.05]