Thalamic abscess caused by a rare pathogen: streptococcus constellatus.

Streptococcus constellatus is a microorganism that lives commensally in the oropharyngeal region, urogenital region, and intestinal tract. However, it can cause infection in patients with certain predisposing factors. Rarely, this microorganism can cause a brain abscess. Thalamic localization of brain abscesses is much rarer than abscesses in other locations of the brain. Brain abscess caused by streptococcus constellatus are very rarely been reported in the literature. We present a rare case of a left-sided thalamic abscess caused by streptococcus constellatus in a 25-year-old male patient who was injured by shrapnel pieces in the head and who was malnourished. The patient was successfully treated by stereotactic aspiration and antibiotherapy.

Anatomical and morphometrical evaluation of the jugular tubercle.

BACKGROUND: The jugular tubercle (JT) is an important part of the craniovertebral junction. The removal of the JT in the far-lateral approach provides a significant increase in the operative space. The purpose of this morphometrical study was to define the anatomical variations of the JT. METHODS: Thirty-eight dry skulls were included in this study. Seven anatomical parameters were defined and analyzed. The JT, hypoglossal canal (HC), jugular bulb, condylar fossa, occipital condyle (OC), internal jugular foramen, and condylar canal were selected as landmarks. The measurements were made separately for the right and the left sides. RESULTS: Significant morphological variations in the JT were noted. A protuberance was apparent on the JT and classified according to its shape, size, and number. Morphological differences of protuberance of JT were described and classified into seven different types as follows: flat (Type I), sharp (Type II), circular (Type III), pin-point (Type IV), large (Type V), double (Type VI), and unclassified (Type VII). The HC was observed in all specimens. To define the relationship between the JT and the intracranial orifice of the HC, four localizations were identified. To define the relationship between the JT and the intracranial orifice of the HC. CONCLUSIONS: Variations of the JT and the relationship of the JT to the neighboring bone and neural structures are important for modifications of the far-lateral approach. This study presents a detailed anatomical analysis of the shape, size, and orientation of the JT with a new description of protuberance of JT classified into seven types.

A practical laboratory study simulating the lumbar microdiscectomy: training model in fresh cadaveric sheep spine.

Laboratory training models are essential for developing and refining surgical skills prior to clinical application of spinal surgery. A simple simulation model is needed for young residents to learn how to handle instruments and to perform safe lumbar approaches. Our aim is to present a practical laboratory model using a fresh sheep lumbar spine that allows to simulate lumbar microdiscectomy in humans. The material consists of a fresh cadaveric spine from a 2-year-old sheep. The surgical steps for lumbar microdiscectomy were conducted under the magnification of the operating microscope. The cadaveric sheep spine represents a useful model to train posterior lumbar microdiscectomy.

Cerebral tuberculoma mimicking high grade glial tumor.

Tuberculosis has been an important public health problem in both developing and develop nations. Tuberculosis of the central nervous system is rare. Tuberculosis meningitis and tuberculoma are the two most important manifestations of tuberculosis of the CNS. Intracranial tuberculomas may be solitary or multiple. Solitary tuberculomas may be indistinguishable from cranial abscess or primary brain tumor. It is necessary to rule out tuberculoma in patients with intracranial mass lesions. We present a case of tuberculoma mimicking a high grade glial tumor on magnetic resonance imaging and clinical presentation. A 30-year-old woman presented with one-month history of epilepsy. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed a left occipital peripheral ring-enhanced lesion with central necrosis. There was a strong suspicion of glial tumor. The lesion was totally excised with left occipital craniotomy. Histological examination of mass revealed a tuberculoma. The patient was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy.

Paediatric ganglioglioma of the conus medullaris.

Gangliogliomas of the conus medullaris are very rare, with only 12 patients reported so far. We report a 6-year-old male who presented with a painless numbness of the left lower limb and with bladder dysfunction. MRI revealed an intramedullary lesion at the T11-T12 vertebral levels. The tumour was subtotally removed. Histopathological examination demonstrated ganglioglioma.

The relation between surgical cleavage and preoperative neuroradiological findings in intracranial meningiomas.

BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are generally benign masses, and in many cases they do not invade the brain. Therefore their potential to provide cures is high. The most important cause of the development of recurrence in the post-operative period is subtotal resection. Any information that will allow us to perform total mass resection will be beneficial in terms of long-term good clinical procedure. Our aim in this study is to obtain the radiological data from which we can obtain accurate information in terms of the surgical cleavage between the tumor and parenchyma during the surgical planning of the meningiomas. METHODS: We evaluated 85 cases with intracranial meningioma that were treated by the same microsurgical technique. All posterior fossa and skull base meningiomas were not included in the study. RESULTS: Tumor size was smaller than 3 cm in 19 cases, between 3 and 6 cm in 46 cases, and bigger than 6 cm in 20 cases. The cleavage line between the tumor capsule and the cortex underneath was extrapial in 32 cases, subpial in 29 cases, and mixed in 24 cases. Dominant arterial supply was dural in 46 cases. Thirty-three cases were predominantly mixed and 6 cases were predominantly corticopial. At magnetic resonance images, 16 of 28 cases which showed clear tumor-cortex interface, had an extrapial cleavage line. CONCLUSIONS: When surgical treatment of intracranial meningiomas are considered, it is necessary to examine if there is a surgically safe border between the cortex underneath in the preoperative images. It can be concluded that it is appropriate to operate small meningiomas which are on the sensitive regions of the brain when they are in their earlier stages and still have an extrapial cleavage.

Primary brain tumors associated with cerebral aneurysm: report of three cases.

The primary brain tumors associated with cerebral aneurysms are rare in neurosurgical practice. The present article constitutes an evaluation of the management of coexistent primary brain tumor and cerebral aneurysm. A retrospective study of three cases of primary brain tumor with cerebral aneurysm was performed. We evaluated the complications and clinic outcomes by assessing the clinical and imaging findings. Case 1 presented with a subarachnoid hemorrhage from an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery, with an incidental left frontal oligodendroglioma. Case 2 presented with chronic headache due to left frontal convexity meningioma, with proximal internal carotid artery aneurysm which was found incidentally during preoperative magnetic resonance angiography. Case 3 was admitted to our hospital complaining of headache, memory disturbance, and weakness in her left lower extremity. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed right frontal lymphoma and an unruptured aneurysm at the left middle cerebral artery. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging revealed right frontal lymphoma and unruptured left middle cerebral artery. The frequency of primary brain tumor and cerebral aneurysm coexistence is increasing due to improvements in high-resolution imaging. In these complicated cases, the management will differ according to each pathology present, and this is an important problem for a neurosurgeon.

One-stage surgery through posterior approach-for L5-S1 spondyloptosis.

Grade 5 spondylolisthesis or spondyloptosis is a rare condition. Generally, the surgical management of spondyloptosis includes multi-staged procedures instead of one-staged procedures. One-stage treatment for spondyloptosis is very rare. A 15-year-old girl with L5-S1 spondyloptosis was admitted with severe low back pain. There was no history of trauma. The patient underwent L5 laminectomy, L5-S1 discectomy, resection of sacral dome, reduction, L3-L4-L5-S1 pedicular screw fixation, and interbody-posterolateral fusion through the posterior approach. The reduction was maintained with bilateral L5-S1 discectomy, resection of the sacral dome, and transpedicular instrumentation from L3 to S1. In this particular case, one-staged approach was adequate for the treatment of L5-S1 spondyloptosis. One-staged surgery using the posterior approach may be adequate for the treatment of L5-S1 spondyloptosis while avoiding the risks inherent in anterior approaches.

Bilateral Lhermitte-Duclos disease.

Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) is a pathologic entity with progrediating, diffuse hypertrophy chiefly of the stratum granulosum of the cerebellum. Typically LDD is a unilateral lesion of the cerebellum or in vermis. Here we report a case of LDD with bilateral lesions of cerebellar hemispheres managed surgically. A 28-year-old woman presented with one-year history of progressive headache, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. Neurologic examination revealed a bilateral mild papilledema, mild dysmetria, and dysdiadochokinesia. The cerebellar lesions caused moderate mass effect in posterior fossa with hydrocephalus, and Chiari type I malformation. We performed the suboccipital-retrosigmoid approach, and removed completely the left intracerebellar mass. Symptoms related to elevated intracranial pressure disappeared in a short period postoperatively.

Surface anatomy of the transverse sinus for the midline infratentorial supracerebellar approach.

AIM: Knowing the location of the transverse sinus in the midline supracerebellar infratentorial approach is important to prevent its inadvertent injury. The external landmarks of the occipital bone have been studied in this anatomic study in order to reveal their relationship with the transverse sinus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-two dried skulls were used to study the relationship of the transverse sinus with various surface bone structures. The key bone surface structures identified in each specimen were the superior nuchal line, the inferior nuchal line, the inion, internal occipital protuberance, and the transverse sulcus. RESULTS: The distance from the inion to the inferior nuchal line in specimens ranged from 12.7 mm to 37.7 mm. The distance from the inferior nuchal line to the midline foramen magnum in the specimens ranged from 19 mm to 34.75 mm. The width of the proximal transverse sulcus ranged from 2.6 mm to 10.16 mm with an average of 6.43 mm on the right side and 3.4 mm to 10.6 mm with an average of 6.15 mm on the left. CONCLUSION: The first and most superior burr hole for midline supracerebellar infratentorial approach can be safely placed approximately 1 cm below the inferior nuchal line. A burr hole in this localization will avoid the transverse sinus.

Frontal bone and epidural tuberculosis.

Cranial bone and epidural tuberculosis is rare manifestation extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The incidence of tuberculosis of calvaria is on the rise in developing countries because of malnutrition, poor socioeconomic conditions, and immunodeficiency. We present the clinical features, radiology, histopathology, and surgical findings of a case of tuberculosis of the frontal bone with epidural extension. A 46 year-old female had presented with a history of painless right frontal swelling for the previous 4 months. The patient was operated on at a peripheral center for swelling in the right frontal region. In postoperative period, a leak that did not reply to nonspecific antibiotic therapy developed on the lesion. Right frontal epidural effusion was found in the patient who presented our clinic. Histopathological and microbiological examination suggested a diagnosis of tuberculosis.

[Self migrating intracranial bullets]. / INTRAKRANYAL MERMI CEKIRDEKLERININ KENDILIGINDEN HAREKETI.

We report herein two patients in whom bullets migrated into adjacent lateral ventricles in the brain and moved freely as a consequence of gravity. A rewiew ofthe literature suggests that spontaneous migration ofintracerebral bullets is being eased by cerebral softness, specific gravity of the bullet compared with brain tissue. ln patients undergoing the surgical removal of intracerebral or intraventricular bullets, an x-ray is recommended after final positioning.