Epidermoid Cyst of the IV Ventricle: Case Report

Epidermoid cysts constitute congenital, benign and rare lesions, corresponding to 0.2% to 1.8% of all intracranial tumors. Only 5% of the cases are located in the fourth ventricle. Despite their genesis in intrauterine life, they are usually diagnosed between the third and fifth decades of life due to their very slow growth pattern. The image weighted by the diffusion of the magnetic resonance is essential to establish the diagnosis. The ideal treatment consists of emptying the cystic content with complete capsule resection. In the present work, we report the case of a 31-year-old female with cerebellar syndrome that evolved with intracranial hypertension. The symptomatology was due to an obstructive hydrocephalus by an epidermoid cyst located inside the fourth ventricle, which was confirmed by the pathological anatomy.

Aneurysmal Bone Cyst of the Skull Base ­ Case Report

Introduction Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are pseudotumoral bone lesions of unknown etiology that are also hypervascularized, benign, and locally destructive. They are rare in the base of the skull. The present case report describes a case of aneurysmal bone cyst in the sella turcica. Case Report The present study was developed at the department of neurosurgery of the Hospital Universitário Professor Alberto Antunes of the Universidade Federal de Alagoas (HUPAA-AL, in the Portuguese acronym), Maceió, state of Alagoas, Brazil, and is accompanied by a review of the literature from the PubMed database. A 17-year-old female patient with bitemporal hemianopia and intense left hemicranial headache associated with symptoms from the cranial nerves contained in the cavernous sinus. Neuroimaging evidenced a large lesion in the suprasellar region with calcification foci, sellar erosion, and extension to the cavernous sinus. The patient was submitted to a partial lesion resection and the histopathological analysis showed an aneurysmal bone cyst. Conclusion A rare case of intracranial aneurysmal bone cyst, with the important differential diagnosis from pituitary adenoma.

O currículo paralelo dos estudantes da terceira série do curso médico da Universidade Federal de Alagoas / The parallel curriculum of Third-year medical students of the Federal University of Alagoas

O trabalho teve por objetivo caracterizar o currículo paralelo dos alunos da terceira série do curso médico da Universidade Federal de Alagoas, por meio de um questionário auto-aplicado a uma amostra de 63 alunos. Com base na análise dos dados, constatou-se que a maioria dos alunos (98,41 por cento) buscou algum tipo de atividade extracurricular, sendo que 45,59 por cento delas foram realizadas no período de seis meses, consumindo mais de seis horas semanais. As principais motivações citadas foram a "busca da prática" na atividade médica (36,27 por cento) e a "aquisição de novos conhecimentos" (30,39 por cento). Nota-se que 98,39 por cento dos alunos optaram principalmente por estágios, sendo as principais formas de ingresso os concursos (52 por cento) e a seleção (36 por cento). Conclui-se que, durante a terceira série do curso médico, os alunos ainda não estão capacitados para atuar nos diversos serviços e, por vezes, prejudicam suas atividades acadêmicas para realizar os estágios. Cabe à Universidade orientar seus alunos quanto ao momento mais adequado para o início dessas atividades, além de oferecer suporte quando da realização das mesmas.

The aim of this investigation was to characterize the parallel curriculum of third-year medical students of the Federal University of Alagoas by using a self-applied questionnaire, which was answered by 63 students. The data obtained showed that the greater part of students (98.41 percent) had developed some kind of extra-curricular activity. 45.59 percent of these activities had been carried out during a six month's period and occupied more than six hours a week. The reasons that most frequently motivated these activities were getting practice at medical activities (36.27 percent) and acquiring new knowledge (30,39 percent). 98.39 percent of the students had opted for training periods to which they were admitted by public competition (52 percent) or admission tests (36 percent). It is concluded that in the third year of the Medical course students are still not qualified for the different services and the extra-curricular training periods many times hamper their academic performance. It is thus responsibility of the University to guide the students, show them the right moment to start such activities and to offer support to these initiatives