Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas: Clinical Results and Quality of Life Assessment with Surgical Treatment as a Crucial Therapy. The Joint Experience of Two Centers.

OBJECTIVE: Dorsal intradural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) consist of a direct connection between a radicular feeding artery and the coronal venous plexus; this direct connection leads to arterialization of the venous plexus, venous congestion, and myelopathy. Controversy still exists regarding the best treatment modality of spinal dural AVFs. Surgical disconnection of spinal dural AVFs is a straightforward procedure with a high success rate and virtually no risk of recurrence or incomplete treatment. To identify factors associated with the clinical progression of dorsal intradural AVFs and quantify the range of surgical outcomes in terms of neurologic improvement as well as patients' perception of quality of life (QOL). METHODS: A retrospective observational study of 19 consecutive patients treated with surgery over a 10-year period was carried out. We analyzed surgical results and clinical outcomes. We also evaluated the impact of this disease and its sequelae on the patients' postoperative health-related QOL. RESULTS: The surgical procedure showed good results in terms of neurologic improvement as well as patients' perception of QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Our series confirmed that surgical obliteration of dorsal intradural AVFs is an effective and safe procedure. The results of this retrospective analysis make us believe that surgery, given its low morbidity and high success rate, represents a safe and effective first therapeutic option for these spinal vascular malformations. It could be considered to avoid unsuccessful endovascular attempts that could delay the definitive treatment of this disease. The surgical procedure showed good results in terms of neurologic improvement as well as patients' perception of QOL.

Case of Spinal Osteoblastoma in Elderly: Is It Really a Young Patient's Disease?

BACKGROUND: Osteoblastoma is a benign bone-forming tumor, sometimes locally invasive, that may involve any bone. The highest incidence is between 20 and 30 years of age, and there are no cases described in the elderly. METHODS: We report a case of an elderly patient with a lesion in the lumbar spine in which osteoblastoma diagnosis was made. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoblastoma is a rare tumor older than 50 years of age, but it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bone lesions of the spine in adulthood and in the elderly, to avoid a delay in the treatment.

A Case of Asymptomatic Occipital Condyle Fracture with Incomplete Occipitocervical Dislocation: How Did It Happen?

BACKGROUND: Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD) is a lesion rarely observed in a trauma center, because of high mortality in the preclinical phase. The number of AOD survivors is increasing thanks to the improvement in prehospital resuscitation. CASE DESCRIPTION: Our goal is to describe a case of incomplete atlanto-occipital dislocation presented without any neurologic, cardiorespiratory, or metabolic problems, which remained constant even after surgical treatment. Our purpose is also to discuss treatment approaches to minimize subsequent neurologic deficits. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend a rapid immobilization with spine table and cervical collar, the consensual stabilization of hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, and a successive prompt occipitocervical stabilization. C2 should be included in the stabilization because of the ligamentous conformation of craniocervical joint.

The human immunodeficiency virus-1 protein transactivator of transcription up-regulates N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor function by acting at metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 receptors coexisting on human and rat brain noradrenergic neurones.

We investigated the effects of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 transactivator of transcription (Tat) on the release of norepinephrine (NE) from human and rat brain synaptosomes. Tat could not evoke directly release of [3H]NE. In the presence of Tat (1 nM), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) concentrations unable to release (human synaptosomes) or slightly releasing (rat synaptosomes) [3H]NE became very effective. The NMDA/Tat-evoked release depends on NMDA receptors (NMDARs) since it was abolished by MK-801 (dizocilpine). Tat binding at NMDARs was excluded. The NMDA-induced release of [3H]NE in the presence of glycine was further potentiated by Tat. The release evoked by NMDA/glycine/Tat depends on metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) activation, since it was halved by mGluR1 antagonists. Tat seems to act at the glutamate recognition site of mGluR1. Recently, Tat was shown to release [3H]acetylcholine from human cholinergic terminals; here, we demonstrate that this effect is also mediated by presynaptic mGluR1. The peptide sequence Tat41-60, but not Tat61-80, mimicked Tat. Phospholipase C, protein kinase C, and cytosolic tyrosine kinase are involved in the NMDA/glycine/Tat-evoked [3H]NE release. To conclude, Tat can represent a potent pathological agonist at mGlu1 receptors able to release acetylcholine from human cholinergic terminals and up-regulate NMDARs mediating NE release from human and rat noradrenergic terminals.

Transsphenoidal treatment of empty sella by means of a silastic coil: technical note.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Several methods have been proposed to achieve transsphenoidal arachnoid mobilization and chiasmapexy in symptomatic empty sella (primary or secondary empty sella syndrome). These procedures are often difficult to perform and have not always had satisfactory long-term outcomes because of the difficulty of achieving adequate and long-lasting sellar filling over time. The volume of fat or muscle packing decreases over time as a result of scar retraction. The same problem may occur with intrasellar balloon placement because of deflation of the balloon. TECHNIQUE: We propose extradural packing accomplished through a transsphenoidal approach, using a Silastic (Dow Corning, Auburn, MI) coil, fashioned by means of a ventricular catheter arranged as a spiral. RESULTS: This technique was used in four patients with satisfactory and long-lasting clinical results. It presents several advantages over previous methods: it can be tailored to each patient; Silastic is an inert substance, and therefore scarring, with consequent shrinkage, does not occur; and because the coil is very elastic, it presents few risks of inflammatory complications or of excessive compression of sellar, parasellar, and suprasellar structures. Furthermore, this technique does not require a supplementary skin incision to harvest autologous tissues (fat, muscle, or fascia lata). A skilled neurosurgeon can perform the procedure in a few minutes with more ease and less expense than other techniques. CONCLUSION: The reported technique is a valid alternative to classic transsphenoidal extradural packing.