ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the venous anatomy of the dural sinuses of patients with posterior encephaloceles, in order to formulate anatomical patterns which can ensure safer surgery. METHODS: This is a retrospective study, analyzing eight patients diagnosed with posterior encephalocele throughout 1 year. RESULTS: Eight patients with cephaloceles were evaluated in our study from January 2017 to January 2018. The most common alteration was dysgenesis of the straight sinus (n = 7), followed by venous anomalies in the encephalocele and alterations in the SSS (superior sagittal sinus) (n = 4), and the occurrence of a falcine sinus (FC) in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: Anatomical variations are frequent in patients with cephaloceles. Therefore, an understanding of them is necessary for safe and effective treatment.
Subject(s)
Encephalocele , Vascular Malformations , Cranial Sinuses/diagnostic imaging , Encephalocele/diagnostic imaging , Encephalocele/surgery , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Superior Sagittal Sinus/diagnostic imagingSubject(s)
Chikungunya Fever/complications , Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/etiology , Adolescent , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Antibodies, Viral/cerebrospinal fluid , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brazil , Chikungunya Fever/diagnosis , Chikungunya Fever/immunology , Chikungunya virus/immunology , Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/cerebrospinal fluid , Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Immunoglobulin M/cerebrospinal fluid , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Spinal Cord/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) extends from the foramen magnum to the sacrum. In some cases, it becomes calcified/ossified; the term for this is ossification of the PLL (OPLL). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 50-year-old female presented with acute sphincter dysfunction and paraparesis attributed to T2-T4 OPLL. The patient underwent a C7-T5 laminectomy to decompress the spinal cord. After 1 postoperative week, and certainly by 6 months postoperatively, the patient's motor and sensory deficits showed improvement. CONCLUSION: Surgery for thoracic OPLL includes laminoplasty, laminectomy with/without fusion, anterior decompression through a posterior approach (transpedicular, costotransversectomy), and circumferential decompression (e.g. combined anterior/posterior approaches). In cases like the one presented, patients who originally present with acute paraparesis/sphincter dysfunction may demonstrate postoperative improvement.