[Intramedullary schwannomas. Report of two cases]. / Neurinomas intramedulares. Presentación de dos casos de un tumor infrecuente.

Intramedullary schwannomas are benign tumors that arise from clusters of Schwann cells embedded in the medullary parenchyma. They are very rare and account for 0.3 to 1.5 % of all spinal schwannomas. It is not known for certain why this happens, and several theories have been put forward. They do not exhibit any characteristic clinical picture, being pain the most frequent symptom. Imaging is also not specific and the correct diagnosis is attained most of the times after pathological examination. The goal of treatment must be complete removal, which is curative. We are presenting two patients in whom an intramedullary tumor was removed. The true nature of the lesions was suspected during the operation, but only after pathological examination was confirmed. A review of the literature has been undertaken, with special attention to the theories about the origin of these uncommon tumors.

[Remote cerebellar hemorrhage after lumbar spinal fluid drainage. Report of two cases and literature review]. / Hematomas de cerebelo como complicación de drenaje lumbar. Presentación de dos casos y revisión de la literatura.

Remote cerebellar hematoma, a cerebellar hematoma occurring after performing a surgical procedure in an anatomical distant area from the cerebellum, is a rare complication. It has been reported after supratentorial surgery and, less often, after spinal surgery with dural opening with important loss of cerebrospinal fluid. We report the occurrence of remote cerebellar hemorrhage after lumbar spinal fluid drainage in two patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus. They were managed conservatively with good outcome. We review the pathologic mechanism, diagnostic procedures, management and prognosis of remote cerebellar hemorrhage.

[Pseudo-emesis gravidarum caused by complicated cerebral venous angioma]. / Seudoemesis gravídica causada por angioma venoso cerebral complicado.

INTRODUCTION: Emesis gravidarum is a common pathology rarely requiring hospitalization to control hydroelectrolytic and metabolic alterations. Although it is typical in the first quarter of pregnancy, it can appear in any moment of the gestation. On the other hand, venous angioma (VA) is the most frequent cerebral vascular malformation. In fact, it is a variant of the normal venous drainage of the brain and it is usually an incidental finding. VA is rarely symptomatic, unless associated with cavernous angiomas. Although uncommon, the clinical complications are very varied, bleeding being the most severe one. CASE REPORT: We describe a 27 weeks pregnant healthy woman, with repetitive vomiting that was classified like emesis gravidarum. The study was enlarged due to the reappearance of vomiting, accompanied by migraine, bradypsychia and confusional state. Neuroradiological studies showed a choroid plexus haematoma from left lateral ventricle to third ventricle, secondary to the existence of a left parietal VA, without demonstration of associated cavernous angioma. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is rare, a supratentorial VA, without associated cavernous angioma, may lead to intraventricular hemorrhage. Gestation is the only risk factor associated to VA. By itself, it supposes a tendency to develop ischemic and hemorrhagic, arterial and venous vascular complications.

[Cocaine abuse as precipitating factor of tumoral bleeding in an oligoastrocitoma]. / Consumo de cocaína como desencadenante de hemorragia en un oligoastrociloma.

Cocaine abuse has been associated with a variety of intracranial haemorrhagic disorders, such as intracerebral, subdural or subarachnoidal haemorrhage. Frequently, these patients harbour underlying vascular malformations, like cerebral aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations (AVM). To the best of our knowledge only two cases of tumoral haemorrhage induced by cocaine abuse have been previously reported. We describe a new case of intracerebral haemorrhage after cocaine inhalation, in which both the preoperative imaging studies and the pathological examination showed a brain tumour as the origin of the haemorrhage. We think that cocaine abuse may be considered as a new precipitating factor in intratumoral haemorrhage.

[Anterior cervical interbody fusion with treathed cylindrical bone versus bak-cace: a comparative study]. / Estudio camparativo de la artrodesis cervical con injerto óseo roscado e implante de titanio.

The authors conducted a prospective and randomized study in 44 consecutive patients requiring cervical interbody fusion following anterior cervical discectomy to compare the efficacy of heterologous threaded cylindrical bone (Unilab Surgibone) versus titanium implant (Bak-C; Spine-Tech, Minneapolis ). The patients were evaluated between two and five years postoperatively and the objectives of the study were to assess the potential differences in implant shifting, interespace collapse, angulation, maintenance of cervical alignment and lordosis, and clinical and radiographic fusion success rates between the two fusion substrates. Clinical results were satisfactory with both types of implant. However the threaded cylindrical titanium implant was found to be superior to the heterologous threaded cylindrical bone as an interbody substrate after single -and multiple- level anterior cervical decompression procedures with respect to maintenance of cervical interspace height, interspace angulation and radiographic fusion success rates.

[Carpal tunnel syndrome? Case report]. / ¿Síndrome del tunel carpiano? Case report.

A patient with an initial misdiagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is presented. The clinical manifestations were suggestive of such diagnosis, but there were some anamnesis and exploratory aspects requiring to establish a differential diagnosis. Painful syndrome was caused by a brachial plexus compression at the costoclavicular region due to a subclavicular hematoma in a patient under anticoagulant treatment. Carpal tunnel pathology is a frequent cause of neuropathy, however others diagnosis should be ruled out as shown in the present case.

[Spinal extradural lipomatosis. Revision of 108 cases. Case induced by exogenous contribution of ACTH]. / Lipomatosis estradural espinal. Revisión de 108 casos. Caso inducido por aporte exógeno de ACTH.

Authors present a male patient with Spinal Extradural Lipomatosis, previously treated of a cerebral astrocytoma with surgery and radiotherapy, after which he received ACTH for a long period of time. Clinical manifestations were rachialgia, paraparesia with pain and dysestesias in both lower extremities. Diagnosis was carried out by Magnetic Resonance imaging. After a progressive withdrawal of the treatment with ACTH, the patient achieved a complete recovery and neuroimaging studies showed the dissappearance of the compression caused by the lipomatosis. We carry out a revision of the literature showing data we consider of interest derived from the wide series subjected to study.