[Neuroepithelial thalamo-mesencephalic cyst]. / Kyste neuroépithélial thalamo-mésencéphalique.

Thalamo-mesencephalic neuroepithelial cysts are rare lesions of the central nervous system. They are thought to arise from neuroectoderm and are also referred to as ependymal cysts due to their origin. It can remain asymptomatic throughout life or rarely can cause symptoms. We describe a 42-year-old woman who presented with thalamic syndrome due to a neuroepithelial cyst of the thalamo-midbrain. Differential diagnosis is made with other cystic lesions in the brain. However a good analysis of imaging feature led to diagnosis. When the lesion is symptomatic, mini-invasive procedure is indicated.

Textiloma: an uncommon complication of posterior lumbar surgery.

A surgical sponge or cotton swab that is inadvertently left behind in a surgical wound eventually becomes a "textiloma". Such foreign material (also called "gossypiboma") can cause a foreign-body reaction in the surrounding tissue. Textiloma is mostly asymptomatic in chronic cases, but can be confused with other soft-tissue masses. Therefore, it is important to be aware of patients who present with a paraspinal soft-tissue mass and unusual or atypical symptoms. Imaging is helpful for arriving at the correct diagnosis. Here, we describe a case of textiloma in which the patient presented with low-back pain 6 years after laminectomy and lumbar discectomy. Spinal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass lesion in the posterior paravertebral region.

Acute spontaneous subdural hematoma: an unusual form of cerebrovacular accident.

An acute subdural hematoma is commonly regarded as a complication of a head injury, and bleeding is associated with contusion or laceration of the bridging vein in the subdural space. Occasionally, reports describe non traumatic acute subdural bleeding from the rupture of cerebral aneurysm or vascular malformation. However, acute spontaneous subdural hematomas (ASDH) of arterial origin, without any traumatic history or vascular anomaly, are rarely reported in literature. Here we describe two cases who presented with acute signs of intracranial hypertension secondary to a spontaneous acute subdural hematoma in which spontaneous bleeding from a small cortical artery was seen during operation.

[Cerebellar mutism after removal of a vermian medulloblastoma in an adult]. / Mutisme cérébelleux après ablation d'un médulloblastome vermien chez un adulte.

Cerebellar mutism is a rare postoperative phenomenon that generally occurs in children after resection of a cerebellar mass lesion. A 22-year-old man developed cerebellar mutism after posterior fossa surgery for a mass lesion in the vermis. Histological examination showed a medulloblastoma. The tumor was totally removed via a suboccipital approach. The patient developed mutism on the first postoperative day, which persisted for two weeks. Thereafter, this condition gradually improved. Although pathophysiology and the anatomical substrate of cerebellar mutism still remain unclear, it is important that neurosurgeons be aware of this syndrome after posterior fossa surgery in adults. This phenomenon usually has a self-limiting course and a favorable prognosis for resolution within the first three months.