Transcranial Doppler sonography evaluation in patients with vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography is emerging as a new ultrasonography technology to look at the interaction between the brain parenchyma and perfusion during cerebrovascular accident. Before TCD sonography the vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage could only be diagnosed either clinically or by invasive method ie, angiography. TCD has been proved as a wonderful non-invasive, repeatable, beat-by-beat, non-expensive technique for detection and follow-up of vasospasm after subarachnoid haemorrhage. In the present series 12 patients suspected to have vasospasm after subarachnoid haemorrhage were confirmed and monitored with the help of TCD. Most of the patients were clinically presented with increasing headache and altered sensorium. It is noticed that vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage has a typical course, which has increasing trend after 4th day of subarachnoid haemorrhage and declining trend after 14th day onwards. Six out of 12 patients were in moderate grade of vasospasm, 2 out of 12 were in severe grade and 4 out of 12 were mild grade of severity.

A retrospective study of multiple interbody grafting and long segment strut grafting following multilevel anterior cervical decompression.

A retrospective study of 201 patients who underwent multilevel anterior cervical decompression and fusion by multiple interbody grafting and long segment strut grafting without plate fixation was conducted from January 1991 to December 2001. Previous studies have reported lower fusion rates for anterior cervical decompressions reconstructed with multiple interbody grafts as opposed to a single long strut graft. Our aim was a retrospective study of two fusion techniques with reference to radiological and clinical outcomes in patients operated by the senior author. Of 132 patients who underwent strut grafting, 124 achieved solid fusion (93.9%), whereas 48 of 69 patients who underwent multiple interbody grafting (69.6%) achieved solid fusion. There were five cases of graft displacement or extrusion among strut-grafted patients and one among patients with interbody grafts. More 'good' and 'excellent' clinical outcomes were found among patients who underwent strut grafting (87.1 v. 81.1%). Patients with pseudoarthrosis had significantly poorer clinical outcomes. Therefore, corpectomy or vertebrectomy and strut grafting should be considered after multilevel anterior cervical decompression to increase the likelihood of successful fusion and to improve clinical outcome.

Neuro-endoscopic surgery--experience and outcome analysis of 102 consecutive procedures in a busy neurosurgical centre of India.

BACKGROUND: Neuro-endoscopic surgery is finding increasing application for various clinical conditions. We present our experience of 100 cases of diverse intracranial lesions, including infections, managed by neuro-endoscopy in a busy neurosurgical department in the developing world. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred patients treated from March 1996 to February 2002 formed the study group. Management of hydrocephalous by Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) was the aim in 75 patients with or without diagnostic biopsy. Excision or resection was attempted in 25 patients with juxtaventricular or intraventricular lesions. Endoscopic procedures included total tumour resection, partial resection, biopsy, stent placement, Monroplasty, septostomy and third ventriculostomy. Outcomes of endoscopic surgery were evaluated with respect to clinical and/or radiological improvement, complications and need for additional therapy. FINDINGS: Endoscopy was the only surgical treatment in 59 patients. Intermittent lumbar drainage for cerebrospinal fluid leak, shunt, microsurgery and/or repeat endoscopic surgery were additional treatments needed in 39 patients, who subsequently had increased hospital stay, postoperative morbidity and a higher cost of treatment. Peroperative bleeding due to distorted anatomy and obscured vision in 2 patients with post-infective loculated hydrocephalus (LH) resulted in two fatalities (2%) in the early post-operative period. INTERPRETATION: Neuro-endoscopic surgery cuts down operative time and hospital stay, reduces cost and results in a faster turnover of the patients. It is a versatile and useful tool for a busy neurosurgical department.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty: an experience of 31 procedures.

A prospective study of 31 percutaneous vertebroplasty procedures (PVP) in 22 patients treated during January 2000 to December 2001 is presented. PVP was performed using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) to treat vertebral collapse due to osteoporosis and vertebral metastasis, to obtain analgesia and spinal stabilization. We analyze the efficacy and complications related to the procedure. PVP is a safe, effective and a daycare surgery. It can be performed under local anesthesia and has minimal and manageable complications.

MRI demonstration of unsuspected intraventricular rupture of pyogenic cerebral abscesses in patients being treated for meningitis.

We report three patients with pyogenic meningitis who showed a partial response to medical treatment. MRI demonstrated an unsuspected brain abscess with intraventricular rupture, a possible cause of the partial response to treatment.

Cerebellar hemangioblastoma simulating arachnoid cyst on imaging and surgery.

A case of posterior fossa hemangioblastoma simulating arachnoid cyst on imaging and peroperatively is presented. In vivo proton MR spectroscopy showed evidence of large lactate and resonance at 2.37 ppm not observed earlier in the cystic lesions, including arachnoid cyst. The demonstration of this resonance may help in characterization of these lesions that may be confused with arachnoid cysts on imaging and during surgery.

Differentiation of tuberculous from pyogenic brain abscesses with in vivo proton MR spectroscopy and magnetization transfer MR imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging features are nonspecific with respect to the causative organism for patients with brain abscesses. On the basis of the hypothesis that the biochemical environment depends on the infecting organism and might be different in tuberculous compared with pyogenic brain abscesses, this study attempted to determine whether pyogenic brain abscesses can be differentiated from tuberculous brain abscesses by use of magnetization transfer (MT) MR imaging and in vivo proton MR spectroscopy. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with a total of 33 pyogenic brain abscesses and three patients with a total of 12 tuberculous abscesses were evaluated with in vivo MR spectroscopy and MT MR imaging. The diagnosis in all cases was based on the culture of the causative organisms and histopathology whenever done as a part of clinical management. RESULTS: All 27 patients with pyogenic brain abscesses had lipid and lactate levels of 1.3 ppm and amino acid levels of 0.9 ppm with or without the presence of succinate, acetate, alanine, and glycine, while the three patients with tuberculous abscesses showed only such lipid and lactate levels. The MT ratio from the wall of the pyogenic abscesses was significantly higher (P <.001) than that from the tuberculous abscess wall. CONCLUSION: It might be possible to differentiate tuberculous abscesses from pyogenic abscesses by using MT MR imaging and in vivo MR spectroscopy, which could be of value in influencing the management of such cases.

Primary fibrosarcoma of brain.

This is a case presentation of a young patient with an intracranial space-occupying lesion following multiple episodes of generalised tonic clonic seizures for the last 20 years. Such a long latency period between the onset of fits and the discovery of an intracranial lesion is highly unusual in malignant brain tumours. This lesion was excised completely and proved to be a primary lesion of the brain - fibrosarcoma. These rare tumours of mesenchymal origin in the central nervous system are very rare.

Posterior fossa arachnoid cyst presenting as high cervical cord compression.

We report a 16-year-old boy who presented with high cervical cord compression caused by a midline posterior fossa arachnoid cyst lying below the vermis. Cystoperitoneal shunting resulted in a dramatic improvement of neurological signs.