Broken surgical blade retrieval following lumbar discectomy through paravertebral/lateral transpsoas approach: A case report.

BACKGROUND: There are rare reports of broken surgical blades occurring during lumbar discectomy, and even fewer that discuss their retrieval. CASE DESCRIPTION: While a 54-year-old male was undergoing a lumbar discectomy, the knife blade was broken. As it was difficult to retrieve the fragment through the original incision, the patient was closed, and a postoperative angio-computerized tomography (CT) was obtained. When the CT angiogram (CTA) documented the retained fragment had become lodged near the iliac vein within the psoas muscle, a second operation for blade retrieval, consisting of a paravertebral, lateral transpsoas approach, was successfully performed. CONCLUSION: In some cases, it is difficult to retrieve a broken scalpel blade during the index surgery. When this occurs, we would recommend closing the patient, and obtaining a CTA to better document the location of the retained foreign body. Based upon these findings, a safer second stage procedure may be performed (e.g., as in this case using a paravertebral lateral transpsoas approach) to avoid undue sequelae/morbidity.

Pott's puffy tumor por Actinomyces tras trauma craneal leve / Pott's puffy tumor by Actinomyces after minor head trauma

El Pott's puffy tumor (PPT) es una rara entidad que en la actualidad representa un abombamiento del cuero cabelludo asociado a un absceso subperióstico y a una osteomielitis craneal, pudiendo acompañarse o no de infección intracraneal. Suele asociarse a la sinusitis frontal, tratándose de una complicación típica, aunque poco frecuente de la misma. Por su parte las osteomielitis causadas por Actinomyces son raras y suelen tener lugar a nivel mandibular, no encontrándose apenas casos de osteomielitis craneal causada por este género bacteriano, en especial tras traumatismo craneoencefálico. Presentamos un caso especialmente poco usual al tratarse de un PPT frontal tras traumatismo cerrado, con componente intracraneal y en el que tras cirugía se aisló Actinomyces como copartícipe de dicha infección, junto con Fusobacterium y Propionibacterium

Pott's puffy tumour (PPT) is a rare entity that involves scalp swelling associated with subperiosteal abscess and cranial osteomyelitis, occasionally accompanied by intracranial infection. It is usually affiliated with frontal sinusitis, which is a typical but infrequent complication. On the contrary, Osteomyelitis by Actinomyces is rare and usually occurs at the mandibular level, with very few cases of cranial osteomyelitis caused by this bacterial specie, especially after traumatic brain injury. We report an exceptionally unusual case of a PPT frontal tumor after blunt trauma (closed head injury), with an intracranial lesion whereby Actinomyces was isolated after surgery, as a co-participant of the mentioned infection besides Fusobacterium and Propionibacterium

Pott's puffy tumor by Actinomyces after minor head trauma. / Pott's puffy tumor por Actinomyces tras trauma craneal leve.

Pott's puffy tumour (PPT) is a rare entity that involves scalp swelling associated with subperiosteal abscess and cranial osteomyelitis, occasionally accompanied by intracranial infection. It is usually affiliated with frontal sinusitis, which is a typical but infrequent complication. On the contrary, Osteomyelitis by Actinomyces is rare and usually occurs at the mandibular level, with very few cases of cranial osteomyelitis caused by this bacterial specie, especially after traumatic brain injury. We report an exceptionally unusual case of a PPT frontal tumor after blunt trauma (closed head injury), with an intracranial lesion whereby Actinomyces was isolated after surgery, as a co-participant of the mentioned infection besides Fusobacterium and Propionibacterium.

Quistes aracnoideos intraselares. Presentación de 2 casos y revisión bibliográfica / Intrasellar arachnoid cysts. Two case reports and literature review

Los quistes aracnoideos intraselares son una patología muy rara, con muy pocos casos descritos en la literatura científica. Su fisiopatología permanece todavía poco clara, con diferentes hipótesis sobre su formación. El diagnóstico diferencial con otras lesiones quísticas selares puede ser extremadamente complicado. Presentamos 2 casos clínicos de 2 quistes aracnoideos sintomáticos que fueron tratados quirúrgicamente mediante abordaje transesfenoidal, así como los resultados de una revisión bibliográfica (AU)

Intrasellar arachnoid cysts are an uncommon pathology, with only a few cases reported in scientific literature. Their physiopathology is still unknown, with different hypothesis about their development. Differential diagnosis with other cystic sellar lesions is difficult. We report two cases of two intrasellar arachnoid cysts that were treated surgically usingtranssphenoidal approach and present a review of the literature (AU)

Recidiva traumática de herniación medular idiopática / No disponible

La hernia medular idiopática es una causa muy poco frecuente de mielopatía, siendo todavía más rara la existencia de una recidiva tras un correcto tratamiento. La herniación se produce a través de un defecto dural en la cara anterior de la duramadre a nivel de la columna torácica, por causas no bien establecidas. La cirugía debe liberar la médula, corrigiendo la alineación de la médula e intentando prevenir la recidiva de este cuadro. Presentamos el caso de una mujer con clínica de síndrome de Brown-Séquard consecuencia de una herniación medular a nivel D5, y que tras una primera cirugía exitosa presentó una recidiva de la herniación tras un traumatismo mínimo (AU)

Idiopathic spinal cord herniation is a rare cause of thoracic myelopathy and its recurrence is even more infrequent. Cord herniation is through an anterior dural defect in thoracic spine with unknown causes. Symptomatic cases must be surgically treated to reduce the hernia and seal the defect to prevent recurrences. We report a patient presenting a Brown-Séquard syndrome secondary to a D5 spinal cord herniation treated successfully and its posterior traumatic recurrence (AU)

[Intrasellar arachnoid cysts. Two case reports and literature review]. / Quistes aracnoideos intraselares. Presentación de 2casos y revisión bibliográfica.

Intrasellar arachnoid cysts are an uncommon pathology, with only a few cases reported in scientific literature. Their physiopathology is still unknown, with different hypothesis about their development. Differential diagnosis with other cystic sellar lesions is difficult. We report two cases of two intrasellar arachnoid cysts that were treated surgically using transsphenoidal approach and present a review of the literature.

[Traumatic recurrence of idiopathic spinal cord herniation]. / Recidiva traumática de herniación medular idiopática.

Idiopathic spinal cord herniation is a rare cause of thoracic myelopathy and its recurrence is even more infrequent. Cord herniation is through an anterior dural defect in thoracic spine with unknown causes. Symptomatic cases must be surgically treated to reduce the hernia and seal the defect to prevent recurrences. We report a patient presenting a Brown-Séquard syndrome secondary to a D5 spinal cord herniation treated successfully and its posterior traumatic recurrence.

Pituicitoma hipofisario / No disponible

Los pituicitomas son una entidad poco frecuente incluida en la Clasificación de los Tumores del Sistema Nervioso de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) en el año 2007. Son lesiones originadas en la neurohipófisis y han sido confundidas durante años con otros tumores hipofisarios. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 31 años diagnosticada de una lesión supraselar en el contexto de un estudio de infertilidad debida a un hipogonadismo-hipogonadotropo con prolactina ligeramente aumentada, a la que se realizó un abordaje pterional consiguiendo su exéresis completa. Tras la cirugía aparecieron hemianopsia bitemporal, diabetes insípida y panhipopituitarismo, y los 2 últimos se corrigieron en pocas semanas. Realizamos además una revisión de sus presentaciones clínicas y radiográficas más frecuentes, así como de los tratamientos planteados en los casos publicados (AU)

[Pituitary pituicytoma]. / Pituicitoma hipofisario.

Pituicytomas are rare entities which develop in the neurohypophysis. They were included in the last World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Central Nervous System Tumours in 2007, but for many years they have been confused with other pituitary tumours. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman who was diagnosed of a tumour in the suprasellar region during an infertility study due to hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and slight hyperprolactinemia. A standard pterional approach was performed, achieving total tumour excision. After the surgery the patient suffered bitemporal hemianopsia, diabetes insipidus and panhypopituitarism, although she recovered from the latter 2 in a few weeks. We conducted a review of the most common clinical and radiological features of this entity, as well as the treatments proposed in the literature to treat this rare tumour.

Rinolicuorrea de etiología atípica: encefalocele espontáneo temporal bilateral / Atypical etiology of rhinorrhea: spontaneous bilateral temporal encephalocele

La herniación espontánea de tejido cerebral a través de un defecto óseo y dural a nivel temporal es una rara entidad, siendo todavía más infrecuente que esta circunstancia se produzca de forma bilateral. La presentación suele ser en forma de otorrea intermitente y persistente en el tiempo. La manifestación como rinolicuorraquia es muy poco habitual. El objetivo es presentar este inusual caso de un encefalocele espontáneo bilateral por defecto bilateral del tegmen tympani (AU)

Spontaneous herniation of brain parenchyma through a dural and osseous defect in the temporal bone is a rare entity and a bilateral form is even more infrequent. It usually presents as an intermittent but persistent otorrhea. Manifestation as nose cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is very uncommon. Our objective is presenting this unusual case report of a spontaneous bilateral encephalocele with a bilateral tegmen tympani defect (AU)

[Atypical etiology of rhinorrhea: spontaneous bilateral temporal encephalocele]. / Rinolicuorrea de etiología atípica: encefalocele espontáneo temporal bilateral.

Spontaneous herniation of brain parenchyma through a dural and osseous defect in the temporal bone is a rare entity and a bilateral form is even more infrequent. It usually presents as an intermittent but persistent otorrhea. Manifestation as nose cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is very uncommon. Our objective is presenting this unusual case report of a spontaneous bilateral encephalocele with a bilateral tegmen tympani defect.

La arteria etmoidal anterior en el laberinto etmoidal: Revisión bibliográfica sobre variantes anatómicas y referencias para la cirugía endoscópica / Anterior ethmoidal artery at ethmoidal labyrinth: Bibliographical review of anatomical variants and references for endoscopic surgery

Introducción: La arteria etmoidal anterior presenta muchas variaciones anatómicas en su trayecto. Tampoco existen referencias claras para localizarla, por esto, es fácil producir una lesión iatrógena. El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una búsqueda bibliográfica para analizar las variantes y referencias endoscópicas reseñadas en la literatura científica para localizarla. Material y métodos: Se ha realizado una revisión en la base de datos Medline y Embase, buscando tanto trabajos anatómicos como radiológicos. Tras la revisión se recogen los resultados de los principales estudios. Resultados: Se recogen 13 estudios que analizan en total 1.388 arterias etmoidales anteriores. Se encuentra ausente entre un 2–14%. Es identificable entre un 95–100% en una TC. Se sitúa entre la 2ª y la 3ª lamela etmoidal en un 74,2% y a nivel basicraneal en un 66,6%. La neumatización etmoidal se relaciona con la situación de la arteria etmoidal anterior a nivel de la base de cráneo. Entre el 83–85,3% se localiza a nivel del receso suprabullar. Se exponen varias distancias y ángulos medidas para poder localizarla. Conclusiones: La TC es útil para una planificación prequirúrgica. Se localiza más frecuentemente entre la 2.a y 3.a lamela etmoidal y a nivel basicraneal. Factores como la neumatización etmoidal o el grado de Keros pueden predecir su relación con el nivel basicraneal. La arteria etmoidal anterior, la axila del cornete medio y el borde superomedial de la nariz forman una línea recta, siendo una referencia sencilla y útil en la cirugía endoscópica (AU)

Introduction: The anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) has a trajectory with multiple anatomical variations. In addition, there are no clear references to locate it, so it is easy to produce an iatrogenic lesion. The goal of this study was to carry out a bibliographical review to analyse variants and endoscopic reference reports in the scientific literature. Material and methods: A review in Medline and Embase data bases was carried out, looking for AEA-related anatomical and radiological studies. After the revision, the principal study results, together with several distances and angles useful for locating the AEA, are presented in this study. Results: There were 13 main articles that analysed a total of 1388 AEA. It was absent from 2 to 14%. It was identifiable in computed tomography (CT) between 95 and 100%. It was located between the second and third ethmoidal lamella in 74.2% and at the skull base level in 66.6%. Ethmoidal sinuses pneumatisation was related to AEA location at the skull base. Between 83 and 85.3%, it was found at the suprabullar recess. Conclusions: CT is useful for presurgery planning. AEA are more frequent between the second and third lamella and at skull level. Ethmoidal pneumatisation and Keros grades could be predictive factors for AEA relationship with the skull base level. The AEA, the axilla of the middle turbinate and the superomedial edge of the nose are in a straight line, being a simple and useful reference in endoscopic sinus surgery (AU)

[Anterior ethmoidal artery at ethmoidal labyrinth: Bibliographical review of anatomical variants and references for endoscopic surgery]. / La arteria etmoidal anterior en el laberinto etmoidal: Revisión bibliográfica sobre variantes anatómicas y referencias para la cirugía endoscópica.

INTRODUCTION: The anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) has a trajectory with multiple anatomical variations. In addition, there are no clear references to locate it, so it is easy to produce an iatrogenic lesion. The goal of this study was to carry out a bibliographical review to analyse variants and endoscopic reference reports in the scientific literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A review in Medline and Embase data bases was carried out, looking for AEA-related anatomical and radiological studies. After the revision, the principal study results, together with several distances and angles useful for locating the AEA, are presented in this study. RESULTS: There were 13 main articles that analysed a total of 1388 AEA. It was absent from 2 to 14%. It was identifiable in computed tomography (CT) between 95 and 100%. It was located between the second and third ethmoidal lamella in 74.2% and at the skull base level in 66.6%. Ethmoidal sinuses pneumatisation was related to AEA location at the skull base. Between 83 and 85.3%, it was found at the suprabullar recess. CONCLUSIONS: CT is useful for presurgery planning. AEA are more frequent between the second and third lamella and at skull level. Ethmoidal pneumatisation and Keros grades could be predictive factors for AEA relationship with the skull base level. The AEA, the axilla of the middle turbinate and the superomedial edge of the nose are in a straight line, being a simple and useful reference in endoscopic sinus surgery.