Spontaneous Intracranial Extradural Hematoma in Sickle Cell Disease.

Spontaneous extradural hematoma is rare in patients with sickle cell disease. We report a clinical case of a 19-year-old young man with sickle cell anemia who presented a sickle cell crisis complicated by the development of multiple acute extradural and subgaleal hematomas that had not been treated surgically. We discuss the physiopathology of this event. Although it is rare, clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon as part of a spectrum of neurologic complications in these patients.

Surgical vertebral body cementoplasty as spinal cancer metastasis management.

Spinal metastases of cancer are frequent and their treatment strategy remains a problem. The aim of the present paper is to present the technique of cementoplasty and its originality. Spine corporeal cementoplasty techniques were performed in 9 patients with spine metastasis treated at Neurosurgery Department between 2002 and 2005. This series is composed of four women and five men. The average age of patients was 54 years. All patients were admitted for treatment of metastasis of breast carcinoma, metastasis of breast adenocarcinoma (three cases), colon cancer (two cases), pulmonary adenocarcinoma (one case) and melanoma (three cases). Metastasis was located on the cervical spine (3 cases), thoracic spine (4 cases) and lumbar spine (2 cases). No case of cement leaking was observed. In eight patients neurological deficit and pain were decreased. In one patient we noted a persistence of neurological deficit but pain decreased. A post-operative radiological analysis showed good spine stability. Before their death this treatment had improved their quality of life. The technique of surgical cementoplasty described in this paper may be used for a surgical treatment of metastasis and spinal stabilisation. It is an alternative to a palliative treatment of metastasis when it is not possible to perform vertebroplasty.

Les tumeurs orbitaires en neurochirurgie : profil epidemiologique et therapeutique a Abidjan entre 1991 et 2012

Introduction En Afrique Sub-Saharienne; les tumeurs orbitaires constituent un reel challenge notamment pour le praticien de par le diagnostic tardif; les manifestations cliniques polymorphes et la population infantile concernee. Ce sont des processus expansifs; benins ou malins; developpes au sein et/ou aux alentours du cadre orbitaire. Leur prise en charge a connu un essor remarquable du fait des progres recents d'imagerie. L'exiguite du siege lesionnel; l'expansion intracranienne eventuelle et surtout la compromission visuelle precoce rendent difficile la chirurgie; parfois seule arme au diagnostic positif. Objectifs Etablir le profil epidemiologique des tumeurs orbitaires en Neurochirurgie a Abidjan et en identifier les modes de traitement neurochirurgical disponibles. Patients et Methode Il s'est agi d'une etude retrospective et analytique. Cinquante-deux (52) patients hospitalises en Neurochirurgie-Abidjan ont ete colliges entre Janvier 1991 et Decembre 2012 (22 ans); operes ou non pour masse orbitaire documentee (diagnostic radiologique et histologique). Resultats Les neoplasies orbitaires ont surtout concerne l'enfant (44;23%). Le sex-ratio etait de 1;47. L'exophtalmie etait preponderante (92;3%). Le siege intra-conique orbitaire a ete plus retrouve par TDM ou IRM (53;84%). Quarante-neuf patients ont chirurgicalement ete pris en charge dont 16 par abord superieur (30;77%) et 24 par abord lateral preferentiel (46;15%). Par ce dernier; l'exerese a ete partielle (9;61%) ou complete (28;84%). Ont ete colliges 4 rhabdomyosarcomes embryonnaires; 2 retinoblastomes; 3 lymphomes nonhodgkiniens; 2 gliomes et 1 kyste du nerf optique; tous pediatriques. Conclusion L'abord lateral neurochirurgical des lesions orbitaires permet un controle endocranien rigoureux et surtout la decompression neurovisuelle. Toutefois; chirurgie d'exerese ou biopsie; la precocite de prise en charge et surtout la nature histologique lesionnelle demeurent obsessionnelles pour le chirurgien

Bow-hunter's syndrome caused by dynamic vertebral artery stenosis at the cranio-cervical junction--a management algorithm based on a systematic review and a clinical series.

Bow hunter's syndrome (BHS) is defined as symptomatic, vertebro-basilar insufficiency caused by mechanical occlusion of the vertebral artery (VA) at the atlanto-axial level during head rotation. In the literature, about 40 cases have been reported. However, due to the rarity of this pathology, there are no guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Conservative, surgical, and endovascular concepts have been proposed. In order to work out an algorithm, we performed a systematic review of the literature and a retrospective analysis of patients, which have been treated in our institutions over the last decade. The clinical series was comprised of five patients. The symptoms ranged from transient vertigo to posterior circulation stroke. Diagnosis was established by dynamic angiography. In all patients, the VA was decompressed; one patient required additional fusion. The clinical and radiological results were good, and the treatment-related morbidity was low. The literature review demonstrated that Bow hunter's syndrome is a rare pathology but associated with a pathognomonic and serious clinical presentation. The gold standard of diagnosis is dynamic angiography, and patients were well managed with tailored vertebral artery decompression. By this management, clinical and radiological results were excellent and the treatment-related morbidity was low.

Les méningiomes intrâcraniens en milieu ivoirien. Étude d/'une serie chirurgicale

Objectif. Presenter les particularites epidemiologiques; cliniques et therapeutiques des meningiomes intracraniens en milieu sous medicalise; a travers l'experience ivoirienne. Materiel et Methode. Il s'agit d'une etude retrospective d'une serie de 96 cas de meningiomes intracraniens traites au service de neurochirurgie d'Abidjan de 1991 a 200 . Le diagnostic pre chirurgical ou avant la biopsie fait par le scanner etait confirme par l'examen neuro-pathologique. Le suivi postoperatoire a ete clinique et quelquefois un examen tomodensitometrique a ete realise.Resultats. Les meningiomes ont represente 33;43des tumeurs intracraniennes. La moyenne d'age au moment du diagnostic etait de 43 ans avec des extremes de 07 a 72 ans. Le sexe feminin a predomine avec un sex-ratio de 3/2. Le tableau clinique etait domine par les cephalees. Le delai precedant le diagnostic etait d'environ 22 mois. Les meningiomes de la convexite etaient les plus frequents (47;36). Dans la majorite des cas le diametre tumoral se situait entre 3 cm et 6 cm. L'exerese chirurgicale a constitue l'essentiel du traitement avec une mortalite operatoire de 12;63. Les meningiomes usuels de type meningothelial ont predomine (55;78). Conclusion .Les meningiomes ont represente les plus frequents des tumeurs intracraniennes en milieu ivoirien. Des etudes ulterieures africaines epidemiologiques permettront de le verifier. Les meningiomes ont ete diagnostiques chez des patients relativement plus jeunes (43 ans) que ceux des pays occidentaux (58 ans). Depuis l'avenement du scanner des services de neurochirurgie et de neuropathologie; les meningiomes ne posent moins de probleme de diagnostic. Les unites de recherche sur l'oncogenese et sur les therapeutiques complementaires a la chirurgie sont encore inexistantes

[Causes of encephalopathy: descriptive study at Abidjan (Cote-d'Ivoire)]. / Etiologies des encéphalopathies: étude descriptive à Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire).

OBJECTIVE: Assess the etiology and course of cases of encephalopathy seen in the neurology department of the Cocody University Hospital in Abidjan (Côte-d'Ivoire), a city of more than three million inhabitants. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the hospital neurology unit from 1 December, 1998, through 31 December, 2000; with a lesion of the brain, brainstem, cerebellum or meninges. Lesions were either confirmed by computed tomography or clinically obvious; MRI was unavailable. RESULTS: Overall, 1011 subjects met the inclusion criteria: 58% were male; their median age was 45 years (range: 1 to 93 years); more than 40% were not working, and 92% had a medical history. The etiology was vascular (445), infectious (380) or undetermined (125); rare cases were degenerative (5) or traumatic (4). Of 35 cases of metabolic encephalopathy, half were associated with another etiology. Pathological confirmation of cerebral tumors (22) was unavailable. All cases of toxic encephalopathy (11) involved adults and alcohol. Global lethality was 26% and did not differ significantly according to whether or not the etiology was identified (26% vs 28.8%). Another 13% were lost to follow-up (left without discharge), and 61% patients recovered and were discharged after a median hospitalization of 12.5 days. CONCLUSION: The proportion of cases with an undetermined etiology is worrisome. Better knowledge would be useful to develop indicators to evaluate improvements in the medical management of these diseases.

[Spinal tuberculosis. Epidemiologic and diagnostic aspects: a study of 28 clinical observations]. / La tuberculose vertébrale: aspects épidémiologiques et diagnostiques. A propos de 28 observations cliniques de Côte d'Ivoire.

OBJECTIVE: To rapidly diagnose spinal tuberculosis in order to improve its prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective study of 28 clinical observations of patients treated in the neurosurgery department of Yopougon's University Teaching Hospital during a 7-year period (January 1994-December 2000). The diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis was established based on clinical, radiological microbiological and histologic arguments. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients is 40 years (from 5 to 75 years of age). The typical spondylodiscitis was the commonest form observed (22 cases) with paravertebral abcess (4 cases). Retropharyngeal abcess was noted in two cases. One case of spondylitis was observed. In two cases, there were a spondylodiscal lesion associated with neural arch lesion. CT scan was helpful in determining the extent of the lesions whereas standard radiography was normal. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis is difficult because of the atypical form of spinal tuberculosis. These forms need differential diagnosis with spine tumors.