3D quantitative assessment of response to fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy and single-session stereotactic radiosurgery of vestibular schwannoma.

OBJECTIVES: To determine clinical outcome of patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) after treatment with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) and single-session stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) by using 3D quantitative response assessment on MRI. MATERIALS: This retrospective analysis included 162 patients who underwent radiation therapy for sporadic VS. Measurements on T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI (in 2-year post-therapy intervals: 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 years) were taken for total tumour volume (TTV) and enhancing tumour volume (ETV) based on a semi-automated technique. Patients were considered non-responders (NRs) if they required subsequent microsurgical resection or developed radiological progression and tumour-related symptoms. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 4.1 years (range: 0.4-12.0). TTV and ETV decreased for both the FSRT and SRS groups. However, only the FSRT group achieved significant tumour shrinkage (p < 0.015 for TTV, p < 0.005 for ETV over time). The 11 NRs showed proportionally greater TTV (median TTV pre-treatment: 0.61 cm(3), 8-10 years after: 1.77 cm(3)) and ETV despite radiation therapy compared to responders (median TTV pre-treatment: 1.06 cm(3); 10-12 years after: 0.81 cm(3); p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: 3D quantification of VS showed a significant decrease in TTV and ETV on FSRT-treated patients only. NR had significantly greater TTV and ETV over time. KEY POINTS: Only FSRT not GK-treated patients showed significant tumour shrinkage over time. Clinical non-responders showed significantly less tumour shrinkage when compared to responders. 3D volumetric assessment of vestibular schwannoma shows advantages over unidimensional techniques.

[Leptomeningeal spread of an intramedullary cervical pilocytic astrocytoma: case report and literature review]. / Diseminación leptomeníngea de un astrocitoma pilocítico cervical en el adulto:publicación de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

BACKGROUND. The rarest location of pilocytic astrocytoma is intramedullary. Gliomas represent up to 24 - 30% of intramedullary tumors in adulthood and are second only after ependymomas. Leptomeningeal dissemination through cerebrospinal fluid is unusual and occurs predominantly in medulloblastomas, ependymoblastomas, central neuroblastomas, ependymomas, germ cell tumors and high-grade gliomas. The majority of spinal cord gliomas reporting metastasis were anaplastic astrocytomas or glioblastomas multiforme and relatively few were low-grade gliomas. The incidence of leptomeningeal spread of low-grade tumors is rare. A rare cranial extension of brain leptomeningeal dissemination in an intramedullary pilocytic astrocytoma during adulthood is reported. CASE REPORT. A 51 year-old-man with a recurrent intramedullary mass at C5-C7 level operated 4 times with all pathological anatomy reports describing the lesion as Pilocytic Astrocytoma developed, after 15 years from the diagnosis, visual hallucinations and his level of consciousness worsened to Glasgow coma score 13/15. The MRI showed highly enhanced cranial and spinal leptomeninges and paquimeninges with a micro nodular-granulomatous aspect associated with intense affectation of basal cisterns, subarachnoid spaces and convexity of both cerebral hemispheres suggestive of leptomeningeal spread of the spinal mass. The patient expired after three days. CONCLUSION. Leptomeningeal spread is a rare phenomenon and when it happens usually doesn't change the primary tumor's behavior. In our case the aggressiveness could be explained by a potential malignization of the primary tumor that it was not documented because of the partial resections from the lasts surgeries or instead the tumor was actually a monomorphous pilomyxoid tumor.

Diseminación leptomeníngea de un astrocitoma pilocítico cervical en el adulto: publicación de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Leptomeningeal spread of an intramedullary cervical pilocytic astrocytoma: case report and literature review

Introducción. La localización menos frecuente de los astrocitomas pilocíticos es la intramedular. Los gliomas representan hasta el 24-30% de los tumores intramedulares en el adulto y son los segundos, sólo tras los ependimomas. La diseminación leptomeníngea a través del líquido cefalorraquídeo es inusual y sucede predominantemente en meduloblastomas, ependimoblastomas, neuroblastomas centrales, ependimomas, tumores de células germinales y gliomas de alto grado. La mayoría de las metástasis secundarias a gliomas medulares publicadas proceden de astrocitomas anaplásicos o glioblastomas multiformes y relativamente pocas de gliomas de bajo grado. La incidencia de diseminación leptomeníngea de gliomas de bajo grado es rara. Publicamos una rara diseminación a las leptomeninges cerebrales de un astrocitoma pilocítico intramedular en el adulto. Caso clínico. Describimos un varón de 51 años con masa intramedular recurrente a nivel de C5-C7 intervenido en 4 ocasiones con todos los informes de anatomía patológica describiendo la lesión como astrocitoma pilocítico. 15 años después del diagnóstico desarrolló alucinaciones visuales y deterioro del nivel de conciencia con escala de coma de Glasgow de 13/15. La resonancia magnética mostró importante realce de las leptomeninges y paquimeninges craneales y medulares con intensa afectación de las cisternas basales, espacio subaracnoideo y ambos hemisferios cerebrales sugerente de diseminación leptomeníngea de la masa medular. El paciente falleció a los 3 días.Conclusión. Este fenómeno es raro y cuando acontece no suele cambiar el comportamiento del tumor primario. En nuestro caso la agresividad se podría justificar o por una malignización del tumor primario no evidenciada debido a la resección parcial de las últimas cirugías o bien a que el tumor en realidad fuese un tumor pilomixoide monomorfo (AU)

Background. The rarest location of pilocytic astrocytoma is intramedullary. Gliomas represent up to 24 - 30% of intramedullary tumors in adulthood and are second only after ependymomas. Leptomeningeal dissemination through cerebrospinal fluid is unusual and occurs predominantly in medulloblastomas, ependymoblastomas, central neuroblastomas, ependymomas, germ cell tumors and high-grade gliomas. The majority of spinal cord gliomas reporting metastasis were anaplastic astrocytomas or glioblastomas multiforme and relatively few were low-grade gliomas. The incidence of leptomeningeal spread of low-grade tumors is rare. A rare cranial extension of brain leptomeningeal dissemination in an intramedullary pilocytic astrocytoma during adulthood is reported.Case report. A 51 year-old-man with a recurrent intramedullary mass at C5-C7 level operated 4 times with all pathological anatomy reports describing the lesion as Pilocytic Astrocytoma developed, after 15 years from the diagnosis, visual hallucinations and his level of consciousness worsened to Glasgow coma score 13/15. The MRI showed highly enhanced cranial and (..) (AU)

[Iatrogenic cervical epidural hematoma: case report and review of the literature]. / Heamtoma epidural ccervical yatrogenico. Presentacion de un caso clinico y revision de la literatura.

BACKGROUND: Around 600 spinal epidural hematoma cases have been previously reported. Incidence of paraplegia after epidural anesthesia varies between 0,0005 and 0,02%. Several possible etiologies have been described in the literature, including surgery, trauma, anticoagulant therapy, arteriovenous malformations, pregnancy and lumbar puncture. Spinal and epidural anesthesic procedures represent the tenth most common cause. But in combination with anticoagulant therapy, the forementioned procedures increase its incidence until reaching the fifth most common etiological group. We report the case of an 80 year-old-man with a cervical epidural hematoma who had a good outcome with conservative management. CASE REPORT: 80 year-old-man that developed intense cervicalgia with lower limbs weakness showing complete paraplegia and arreflexia 2 hours after analgesic treatment with epidural cervical infiltration for cervicoartrosis. Cervical MRI showed epidural cervical hematoma between C4 and T1 levels. The patient is transferred to our facilities in order to perform surgery. But after showing fast recovery, medical conservative management was elected. After one month, the patient's condition has improved showing no neurological deficits and complete resorption is seen in MRI. CONCLUSIONS: Nowadays, trend is to perform surgery in patients with spinal hematoma and significant neurological deterioration during the first hours. However, good neurological outcomes can be achieved with conservative management, in well selected patients with non progressive, incomplete and partial deficits. Presently, we can not predict which is the best treatment for each case.

Hematoma epidural cervical yatrogénico. Presentación de un caso clínico y revisión de la literatura / Iatrogenic cervical epidural hematoma: case report and review of the literature

Introducción. En la literatura se recogen alrede­dor de 600 casos de hematomas epidurales espinales. En varios estudios, se afirma que la incidencia de para paresia secundaria a anestesia epidural oscila entre 0,0005-0,02%. Se han descrito numerosas etiologías, incluyendo cirugía, traumatismos, anticoagulación, malformaciones arteriovenosas, embarazo, procesos hematológicos y punción lumbar. Los procedimien­tos anestésicos raquídeos y epidurales representan la décima causa más frecuente. Pero en combinación con el tratamiento anticoagulante, dichos procedimientos aumentan su incidencia hasta alcanzar la quinta causa. Publicamos un caso clínico de hematoma epidural cer­vical yatrogénico en el adulto y el buen resultado obte­nido con tratamiento conservador. Caso clínico. Paciente varón de 80 años, que a las 2 horas de tratamiento analgésico de cervicoartrosis mediante infiltración epidural cervical desarrolla intensa cervicalgia y pérdida de fuerza en extremi­dades inferiores, mostrando paraplejia completa con arreflexia. En RM cervical se evidencia hematoma epidural entre los niveles C4 y T1. Es trasladado a nues­tro centro para cirugía pero ante la rápida recuperación se decide tratamiento médico conservador. Al mes de seguimiento, la situación clínica es similar a la previa, sin secuelas con completa reabsorción del hematoma en (..) (AU)

Background. Around 600 spinal epidural hema­toma cases have been previously reported. Incidence of paraplegia after epidural anesthesia varies between 0,0005 and 0,02%. Several possible etiologies have been described in the literature, including surgery, trauma, anticoagulant therapy, arteriovenous malfor­mations, pregnancy and lumbar puncture. Spinal and epidural anesthesic procedures represent the tenth most common cause. But in combination with anticoagulant therapy, the forementioned procedures increase its inci­dence until reaching the fifth most common etiological group. We report the case of an 80 year-old-man with a cervical epidural hematoma who had a good outcome with conservative management. Case report. 80 year-old-man that developed intense cervicalgia with lower limbs weakness showing com­plete paraplegia and arreflexia 2 hours after anal­gesic treatment with epidural cervical infiltration for (..) (AU)