Mastoid trepanation in a deceased from medieval Croatia: a case report.

We present a rare case of infratentorial mastoid trepanation, by drilling, from medieval Croatia. An artificial ante-mortal opening was found in a male skeleton from the 11th century cemetery Zvonimirovo. It was placed roughly at the intersection of the Frankfurt's plane and the midline of the right mastoid. The right posterior parietal of the deceased also exhibited a callus-like formation consistent with the linear cranial fracture. Our aim was to investigate by computed tomography (CT) a possible presence of otopathology--a chronic middle ear infection--MEI/mastoiditis or cholesteatoma. On the other hand, both standard radiography and CT were employed in a cranial fracture diagnostic agreement. The generated CT scans confirmed the presence of an artificial hole running into a well defined trepanne canal connected with the antrum. The presence of otopathology was not established. The radiography and CT substantiated the presence of a linear posterior parietal discontinuity--without displacement, in front of the right lambdoid suture. From the medical point of view, it would be unusual to perform infratentorial--mastoid trepanation for reasons of treating supratentorial trauma, i.e. possible posttraumatic acute subdural hematoma (PTASDH). However, since there was a lack of CT evidence of osteolysis in ME, there is a possibility of medieval trepanation procedure performed for reasons of posttraumatic treat- ment. To our best knowledge, usually, ancient trepanations described in Croatian bioarchaeology and all over the world are supratentorial and do not always reveal such sophisticated surgical techniques.

Tonsillolithiasis and orofacial pain.

Tonsilloliths are rare calcified structures that usually result from chronic inflammation of the tonsils. Concretions show differences in size, shape and colour. They are usually asymptomatic but can be associated with halitosis, foreign body sensation, dysphagia and odynophagia, otalgia, and neck pain. A patient was referred because panoramic radiography performed by a general dentist revealed radiopaque shadows over the ascending rami of the mandible, located bilaterally: a solitary structure on the higher portion of the right side and two small structures on the left side. Paroxysmal attacks of orofacial pain and symptoms such as dysphagia and swallowing pain on the left side distributed within the tonsillar fossa and pharynx and the angle of the lower jaw were present. The computed tomography images revealed bilateral tonsilloliths. Clinically, there was no sign of inflammation, and the patient's past history revealed an approximately 2-year history of dysphagia, swallowing pain and left-sided neck pain. At the request of the patient, no surgical intervention was carried out. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a rare entity, and the aim of this report was to indicate the importance of tonsilloliths as a cause of orofacial pain.

Inflammatory pseudotumor presenting as a facial swelling.

We present a case of inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) presenting as a facial swelling after an accidental hit on a right side of a face. As swelling did not resolve, dental examination and teeth extraction were done by a dentist presuming the swelling was misdiagnosed with infection of dental origin. Swelling grew even bigger and patient was referred to Department of Maxillofacial Surgery. CT scan of the face and FNA of the lesion was ordered. A homogenous tumor mass in the right infraorbital region in front of anterior wall of the maxillary sinus was seen on CT The result of the FNA was reactive hyperplasia of the lymph node. Since the lesion was easily accessible surgical exploration and complete extirpation was done. Pathohistological analysis indicated a low grade B-cell Non Hodgkin lymphoma. PCR showed policlonality of B cells discarding the diagnosis of lymphoma. Pathohistological review showed diffuse intramuscular, perineural and perivascular infiltration with small lymphocytes without formation of germinative centers. Imunohistochemistry was positive for CD20 and CD3. Taking into account all features the diagnosis of IPT was established. Diagnosis of IPT is a diagnosis by exclusion, combining clinical, radiological and pathohistological characteristics. Lack of clear histologic criteria makes differential diagnosis extremely difficult. Our case is unique regarding localisation of head & neck IPT no case presenting on the face in infraorbital region has been described in the literature. Although IPT is very rare in general and especially on the face, one should be aware of it when considering differential diagnosis of facial swelling.

Large erupting complex odontoma in a dentigerous cyst removed by a piecemeal resection.

Odontomas (ODs) are the most frequent odontogenic tumors in Western societies, they are often asymptomatic and discovered during routine radiography The purpose of this report was to describe the case of a 10-year-old child with an odontoma within a dentigerous cyst (DC). The patient presented with a 1-week history of painful swelling involving the right mandible and cheek. An intraoral examination revealed a defect of the oral mucosa behind the permanent mandibular first molar, which resembled an exposed alveolar bone or tooth remnants. Clinical and radiographic evaluation revealed a large erupting OD associated with a dentigerous cyst. The OD was separated into pieces and enucleated together with the dentigerous cyst to preserve the mandible's integrity and because of the patient's age. This is the first report of an erupting OD associated with a DC in a child. Surgical removal might be a challenge when large ODs are encountered.

Dilated odontome in the mandibular third molar region.

The dilated odontome is the most severe form of the dens invaginatus (dens in dente), which is extremely rare in the mandible, especially in the molar region. A case is reported in a 28-year-old female with an unusual ringlike radiopaque appearance of the mandibular third right molar on panoramic x-ray. CT scan findings were suggestive that the intraosseous circular radiopaque formation was a dilated odontome. The alveotomy of the "tooth" was performed, and histopathological analysis of the inner and surrounding soft tissue revealed a diagnosis consistent with a dilated odontome.

High mega jugular bulb presenting with facial nerve palsy and severe headache.

We present a rare case of a 50-year-old female patient with symptomatic high mega jugular bulb requiring surgery. We review her medical file, preoperative and postoperative imaging, audiograms, and surgical report. High jugular bulb was diagnosed with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Symptoms of facial nerve palsy and headache were abolished after surgical procedure. Headache and facial nerve palsy can be caused by high mega jugular bulb. Surgery is indicated in such symptomatic cases and leads to relief of signs and symptoms of disease.

Etiology of deafness in children cochlear implant candidates in Croatia.

The aim of this study was to provide more information on the causes of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children cochlear implant candidates in Croatia. The retrospective study included 270 children candidates for cochlear implantation between January 1997 and January 2005 at our institution. The medical assessment of the candidates included the history, physical examination, radiologic evaluation of the temporal bone and audiologic assessment. A family history of SNHL had 82 (30.4%) candidates. The prematurity and/or complicated perinatal course was found in 35 (12.9%) of candidates. Computerized tomography (CT) scan analysis identified 44 (16.3%) candidates presenting with an inner ear malformation. Overall, a definite or probable cause of SNHL was identified in 58.9% of candidates and 41.1% had no obvious cause. The results of the study might give us better insight into the potential causes of SNHL and allow more timely intervention, allowing children with SNHL to reach their potential.

Reversible "brain atrophy" in patients with Cushing's disease.

During the past 25 years, we came across 60 patients with corticotroph pituitary adenomas and Cushing's disease. Neuroradiological examination showed prominent volume loss of the brain parenchyma, unexpected for the patient's age. This "brain atrophy" appeared to regress after surgical removal of pituitary adenoma and normalization of cortisol level. Observed difference between degree of "brain atrophy" in the Cushing's disease group and in the control group was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The degree of "brain atrophy" correlated well with the duration of Cushing's disease. Partial reversibility of "brain atrophy" was noticed during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year after surgery and normalization of cortisol level. Increased cortisol level is one of the causative factors in pathogenesis of "brain atrophy". Loss of brain volume is at least partially reversible after normalization of cortisol levels.

Horner's syndrome as an initial sign of metastatic breast cancer: case report.

BACKGROUND: Horner syndrome is caused by a lesion affecting the sympathetic innervation of the lids and pupil. The most common factor producing the preganglionic Horner's syndrome is malignant tumors. METHODS: We report here a case of Horner syndrome in young women with the history of breast cancer. The patient underwent extensive neurological examinations, including MRI of head and neck, together with chest radiograph and CT thorax scan. RESULTS: Present radiographic methods revealed one-sided metastatic pleural effusion as a cause of sympathetic lesion. CONCLUSION: Metastatic breast disease usually affects lungs, bone, liver, adrenals and skin, and it is highly unusual for ocular involvement to be the first sign of its existence. This report presents a rare case of pleural metastatic breast cancer causing Horner's syndrome/Pancoast syndrome without lung involvement.

Mandibular Caffey's disease--case report.

The case of a six-month-old boy with mandibular Caffey's disease is described. Emphasis is placed on the role of bone scintigraphy, as a diagnostic method which would be, because of the clinical picture and the beginning of the disease (suspected osteomyelitis), one of the first methods performed. Highly characteristic scintigraphic image, when the mandible is involved, can play the most important role in further treatment, and its recognition can also spare many unnecessary procedures.

Using magnetic resonance imaging to identify the lumbosacral segment in children.

Identification of the lumbosacral (L-S) segment on magnetic resonance (MR) images is important for appropriate treatment of disease in the lumbosacral (L-S) area. In the study, data obtained from plain A-P radiographs of the L-S spine and sagittal MR imaging scans (sagittal T1- and T2-weighted sequences) of the L-S spine and sacrum with the coccygeal bone, are analyzed. Twenty-six children aged 10 to 14 years were examined for back pain. On the standard A-P radiographs of the L-S spine, a L-S transitional vertebra as classified according to the method of Castellvi et al. was found in 17 subjects. The problem arose as to whether this was lumbalisation or sacralisation, and how to determine which vertebra was L5 wich S1. On the sagittal MR imaging studies the same question applied. A need emerged for a simple method which would identify the L-S segment on the sagittal MR imaging studies of the L-S spine in children so that in case of a tumor, inflammation, spondilolystesis, or protrusion of a disc, the level in the L-S spine where the problem is localized can be accurately identified. To this objective we selected the method using detection of the S1 vertebra. This involved that, in addition to the sagittal MR imaging scans of the L-S spine, sagittal images of the sacrum and coccygeal bone be also obtained. on the T2-weighted sequence, the sacrum can be clearly distinquished from the coccygeal bone. By counting from the S5 up, the S1 vertebra can be accurately identified. Determination of the S1 vertebra enables detection of the L5 vertebra and, in turn, of all other lumbar vertebrae. In patients in whom a T2-weighted MR studies were done S1 could be precisely determined and so could the L5 vertebra. In this process, whether the patient had a transitional vertebra or whether there was lumbarisation or sacralisation was irrelevant.