ABSTRACT
The authors report the case of a hypothalamic ganglioglioma with left-sided temporal lobe extension in an 8-year-old girl who presented with seizures. Other cases of ganglioglioma involving the hypothalamus have been reported in the literature; however, this site of origin is exceedingly rare and worthy of report. Treatment involved medial temporal lobectomy with the hypothalamic component of the tumor remaining untouched. The patient recovered postoperatively with no neurological deficits and was seizure free at 12 months. Neither radio- nor chemotherapy was recommended because of the tumor histology, location, and the patient's age. The authors recommend follow up and surgical treatment for possible tumor recurrence. The prognosis for hypothalamic ganglioglioma is unknown.
Subject(s)
Anterior Temporal Lobectomy , Epilepsy, Complex Partial/surgery , Ganglioglioma/surgery , Hypothalamic Neoplasms/surgery , Child , Dominance, Cerebral/physiology , Epilepsy, Complex Partial/diagnosis , Epilepsy, Complex Partial/pathology , Female , Ganglioglioma/diagnosis , Ganglioglioma/pathology , Humans , Hypothalamic Neoplasms/diagnosis , Hypothalamic Neoplasms/pathology , Hypothalamus/pathology , Hypothalamus/surgery , Prognosis , Temporal Lobe/pathology , Temporal Lobe/surgeryABSTRACT
The authors describe a technique for anterior thoracic decompression via a posterolateral approach for spinal metastatic disease followed by anterior and posterior column stabilization. We discuss the benefits of decompression via a posterolateral approach including minimization of cord retraction, avoidance of thoracotomy, early mobilization and shorter hospital stay. Technical details are reviewed and difficulties of the approach discussed.
