Successful endoluminal reconstruction of a pseudoaneurysm of the internal carotid artery following a transorbital stab injury.

Traumatic penetrating injuries to the internal carotid artery (ICA) resulting in the formation of a traumatic pseudoaneurysm are potentially devastating injuries. Previously treatment included, open surgical occlusion of the affected vessel or endovascular embolization. However, with the advent of flow diverter stents, endoluminal reconstruction has become a viable treatment option. In this case report we describe the successful managment of an ICA pseudoaneurysm due to a transorbital stab injury. Endoluminal reconstruction in a traumatic aneurysm is a feasible option. Considering the risk of hemorrhagic complications due to dual antiplatelet therapy required after flow diverter placement, this treatment should only be chosen if insufficient collateral supply is found and occlusion of the affected vessel is not a viable option.

Combined Endovascular and Endoscopic Approach for Treatment of Concomitant Sphenoid Sinus Giant Traumatic Aneurysm and Direct Carotid Cavernous Fistulas.

BACKGROUND: Direct carotid cavernous fistulas (CCFs) and sphenoid sinus traumatic aneurysms are well-known pathologies that can present concomitantly in rare cases. Patients with both lesions are usually symptomatic from both the CCF and the traumatic aneurysm. Symptoms include proptosis, chemosis, bruit, epistaxis, visual field defects, and loss of vision. Surgical treatment can be challenging, and for most cases an endovascular approach is the treatment of choice. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present an unusual case of a direct CCF with an associated large traumatic aneurysm in the sphenoid sinus due to a history of trauma presenting with unusual symptoms that was treated by a combined endoscopic and endovascular approach. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent occurrence of a traumatic CCF and traumatic aneurysm of the cavernous segment is extremely rare. Early diagnosis and treatment of these lesions are important considering their high mortality rate. Complete occlusion of the fistula and aneurysm while preserving the patency of the carotid artery via an endovascular approach is the treatment of choice for these lesions.

Nasal Framework Osteotomy: An Innovative Approach to Manage an Extremely Long Nose With Meningoencephalocele.

Meningoencephlocele is a relatively rare deformity, usually characterized by penetration of brain or meningeal tissues through a defect in skull. This protruding tissue may affect facial structure and subtle to severe facial deformities may appear. Surgical treatments of these deformities are usually done by a team including a neurosurgeon and craniofacial surgeon. The conventional treatments includes several complicated operations to relocate herniating tissues, then correcting malformed facial structure. The nasal framework osteotomy, is an innovative approach that uses transfacial incisions to gain access to herniating tissue. Then, by completing the osteotomy around the nose, the entire nasal structure is lifted and transposed to it is original position. The authors believe that this technique may considerably reduce the complexity and risks of conventional approaches, while aesthetic demands are readily achieved at the same stage.

Unilateral discectomy: outcomes, postoperative pain, complications.

In low back pain management surgery is currently commonly used with a new technique called minimally invasive discectomy, while open discectomy is still preferable in many cases. In this regard, the efficacy of tubular discectomy (TD) were compared with conventional standard lumbar disc procedure (conventional microdiscectomy). This study was performed as a clinical trial conducted on patients who were under TD and conventional microdiscectomy using unilateral retractor at Bou Ali, Mehrad, Laleh Hospitals during the years 2001 to 2017. The pain score was determined based on the use of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The Roland Morris Disability Questionnaires (RMQ) and mean Oswestry disability index (ODI) were also calculated. Our findings revealed that the two groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics (age, sex, body mass index, etc.) (p> 0.05). The findings indicated the superiority of TD over the classic approach. The mean scores of ODI in conventional microdiscectomy and TD groups were reported as 12.53 ± 7.09 and 9.51 ± 7.83, respectively. ODI revealed that patients with TD surgery had less disability in lifting objects, sitting, standing, and traveling. In the conventional microdiscectomy group, 12 (20%) patients were affected by complications of surgery, but no complication was reported in any patient with TD (p = 0.000). The mean index of Roland Morris disability in the conventional microdiscectomy and TD groups were estimated to be 6.033 ± 2.98 and 3.73 ± 3.25 (p = 0.000). However, both groups did not differ in terms of visual scores for pain and relapse (p > 0.05). Our study demonstrates that disease relapse within 6 months after the surgery, the RMQ and the ODI values were significantly better in TD than the other group.

Primary Intracranial Manifestation of a Carcinosarcoma.

Carcinosarcomas are tumors comprising part adenocarcinoma and part sarcoma; the presence of carcinosarcoma in the head-and-neck region is very rare. These tumors are typically highly aggressive (G3) and arise most frequently from the salivary gland. Here, we present a case report on a brain metastasis as the primary manifestation of a carcinosarcoma. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a tumor of the pineal region with infiltration of the brainstem and the corpus. The staging following the histopathological diagnosis revealed the origin of the tumor in the left parotid gland. We present an overview of the significance of published treatment strategies in carcinosarcoma.

A review and update of vertebral fractures due to metastatic tumors of various sites to the spine: Percutaneous vertebroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Vertebral fractures (VFs) are the most usual convolution of metastatic tumors and the vertebral column is the third most ordinary site for painful bone metastases and remains a chief factor of morbidity in cancer patients. METHODS: In this paper, we investigated the previous literature on the status of clinical and prospects for the use of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) with polymethylmethacrylate as a remedial alternative for the therapy of refractory pain resulting from malignant vertebral compression and pathologic fractures associated with metastatic tumors of various sites in numerous studies. The scientific document for this remedy, containing safety, immediate and long-term efficacy, and outcome measures, and also the risks of complications, was analyzed in detail. RESULTS: PVP is a safe, feasible, reliable, effective, and useful procedure, a minimally invasive treatment, and a significant tool for reduction of pain and the relief of pain symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This method can be employed as a further or narcotic remedy in elected patients. The techniques of PVP present a novel alternative therapy for diverse metastases with potentially large application.

Isolated Oculomotor and Abducens Nerve Palsies as Initial Presentation of Cavernous Sinus Tuberculoma: Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system tuberculoma is the most severe manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis with high mortality. Cavernous sinus tuberculoma (CST) is a very rare central nervous system tuberculoma with few cases reported in the literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our clinic with acute diplopia and headache limited to the right side. There was no specific medical history except for migraine, depression, and anxiety, all of which were controlled by oral medications. Physical examination revealed ptosis and mydriasis in the right eye, which indicated right third and sixth cranial nerve palsies. Pituitary magnetic resonance imaging showed a right parasellar lesion at the cavernous sinus wall and ophthalmic nerve. Laboratory examinations and brain computed tomography scan showed negative findings. Initial differential diagnosis included meningioma, sarcoidosis, tuberculoma, and lymphoma. However, results of further studies, including blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures and Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA assay, were negative. Biopsy of the cerebral lesion was performed through the subfrontal approach, and histopathologic study confirmed CST. She was treated with a standard antituberculous regimen. After 12 months of follow-up, no cerebral or clinical findings were seen. CONCLUSIONS: CST is a rare presentation of M. tuberculosis, and the diagnosis is a difficult challenge. However, accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of CST can result in complete cure.

Investigation of serum levels and tissue expression of two genes IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 act as potential biomarker for predicting the progression and survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

BACKGROUND: Identification of genetic copy number changes in glial tumors is of importance in the context of improved/refined diagnostic, prognostic procedures and therapeutic decision-making. Blood-derived biomarkers, therefore, would be useful as minimally invasive markers that could support diagnosis and enable monitoring of tumour growth and response to treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of IGFBP-2/3 in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and their value as predictors of survival. METHODS: We examined the plasma levels of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 using ELISA in patient suffering from GBM and controls groups. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry method was used to evaluate the expression levels of these markers. RESULTS: Preoperative plasma levels of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 were markedly higher in glioblastoma patients (mean±SD: 521.5±164.2ng/ml; 402.4±126ng/ml) when compared with healthy controls (301.28±73.12; 244±89.5ng/ml; p<0.001). Immunohistochemical results indicated that the median H score for glioblastoma tissues was higher when compared with normal tissues. The mean scores for IGFBP-2 expression in glioblastoma was higher than normal tissues (p<0.001). Our result showed that the median H score for glioblastoma tissues was higher when compared with normal tissue for IGFBP-3 expression. The mean scores for glioblastoma tissues was higher than normal tissues (p<0.001). We also evaluated whether plasma IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 levels were related to clinical features. The plasma IGFBP-2 level was strongly linked to the patient's age (R=0.769, P=0.001) that were strongly increased in patients with older age (>65), (mean±SD: 594.36±33.3ng/ml). On the other hand, plasma IGFBP-3 level was not correlated with age (P=0.462), sex (P=0.532), and tumor size (P=0.245). Our findings indicated that the tissue IGFBP-2 level was also markedly correlated with the patient's age (R=0.612, P=0.015). On the other hand, tissue IGFBP-3 expression level was not correlated with age (P=0.472), sex (P=0.512), and tumor size (P=0.241). Kaplan-Meier survival and log-rank analysis suggested that patients with high plasma level of IGFBP-2 and tissue expression of IGFBP-2 had shorter overall survival than those with low levels (log-rank test P=0.027; P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival and log-rank analysis suggested that patients with high plasma level of IGFBP-3 and tissue expression of IGFBP-3 had shorter overall survival than those with low levels groups (log-rank test P=0.018; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that plasma levels and tissue levels of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 may be as potential biomarkers for predicting the progression and survival in patients with GBM.

Expression and prognostic value of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and N-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) as potential markers in human astrocytomas.

In this study, immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate the expression of ALDH1 and NDRG2 in astrocytoma tissue samples and normal brain tissues. ALDH1 protein staining displayed that AlDH1 expression was not detectable in eight astrocytoma tissues (8/36) and in all of normal brain tissues. There was a significant difference between ALDH1 expression and WHO grades (P = 0.03). Furthermore, no correlation was determined between expression levels of ALDH1 and other clinicopathological characteristics including age, sex, and tumor size. Immunohistochemistry showed that a high level of NDRG2 protein expression was markedly detected in normal brain tissues and expression of NDRG2 protein was significantly decreased in astrocytoma tissues. There was a significant association between pathological grading and NDRG2 expression level (P < 0.001, Table 1), but no correlation was determined between expression levels of NDRG2 and other clinicopathological characteristics including age, sex, and tumor size. We also obtained detailed follow-up data and evaluated the association of ALDH1/NDRG2 expressions with overall survival. Kaplan-Meier survival and log-rank analysis indicated that the patients with high proportion of ALDH1-positive cells and low proportion of NDRG2-positive had shorter overall survival (P < 0.001; P = 0.001). Univariate analysis indicated that the high proportion of ALDH1-positive cells (P < 0.001), the low proportion of NDRG2-positive cells (P = 0.009), and the advanced grade (P < 0.005) were markedly linked to the prognosis in patients. Furthermore, in the multivariate analysis, ALDH1 cells' expression (P = 0.012), low proportion of NDRG2-positive cells (P = 0.025), and advanced grade (P < 0.03) were linked to poor overall survival. Our results suggest that NDRG2 expression is related to decreased survival rates and NDRG2 may be a potential marker in the astrocytoma prognosis. NDRG2 may be a potential marker in the astrocytoma prognosis. ALDH1 expression was related to advanced pathological grade and survival rate in astrocytoma patients.

A Limb-Saving Procedure for Treatment of Arterial Cement Embolism during Lumbar Percutaneous Vertebroplasty: A Case Report.

As the major hazard of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV), cement extravasation into the venous system, systemic embolism, and spinal canal has been previously reported. However, to our knowledge, only one case of the arterial migration of cement has been previously reported that is directly associated with this technique without any symptom in the immediate post-intervention and in the follow-up period. An arterial embolus of cement occurred in a 46-year-old woman undergoing lumbar PV for breast cancer metastasis. Less than one hour later, the patient complained of severe pain and numbness in her left leg. A diagnosis of acute left leg ischemia due to the acute occlusion of the infrapopliteal arteries by the cement was made. Transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for the infrapopliteal arteries was recommended because there were diffuse and long vessel involvements, leaving no distal targets for bypass vascular surgery. The patient's postoperative course was uncomplicated; the extremity tenderness and mottled skin were improved. A follow-up ultrasound 2 months later revealed an acceptable distal flow in the arteries of the affected limb, and the patient remained asymptomatic (except for a mild leg pain on exertion) at the one-year follow-up examination. In conclusion, PTA may save the limb from amputation in case of peripheral arterial embolism caused by cement during PV.