[Presacral meningocele in thalidomide-induced embryopathy]. / Präsakrale Meningozele bei Thalidomid-Embryopathie.

A now 27-year-old man, known to have a thalidomide embryopathy with multiple malformations, including a sacral deformity, developed in the course of a few weeks a disorder of bladder emptying, colicky lower abdominal pain and, finally, abnormal stools. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an anterior sacral meningocele, confirmed by computed tomography with intrathecal contrast medium injection. After surgical removal of the meningocele all bladder and rectal disorders disappeared. The course of the disease and the radiological findings are typical of a space-occupying anterior sacral meningocele.

Intracranial arterial aneurysms in children. Clinical, neuroradiological and histological findings.

Of our five cases of intracranial arterial aneurysms in children, there were two typical saccular aneurysms and three with fusiform or large peripheral vascular anomalies. Angiographic and histological examinations pointed to an additional arteriovenous malformation in the area of the aneurysm in two cases, combined in a third case with a cutaneous hemangioma of the brow. Other characteristics were typical of aneurysms in children such as low frequency, male preponderance, and location at the internal carotid artery bifurcation. Large peripheral aneurysms are not unusual in childhood. However, neuroradiological and neuropathological criteria reveal that such 'aneurysms' are often part of a complex arteriovenous malformation as has been presumed by some authors.

[Intracranial arterial aneurysm in children]. / Intrakranielle arterielle Aneurysmen im Kindesalter.

Over a period of 13 years 5 children aged 8 to 11 were operated on intracranial arterial aneurysms. Special features of these aneurysms in children were accidents in the anamnesis of three children and one localization at the internal carotid artery bifurcation and another one at a peripheral artery. It is unusual to have fusiform dilatations at the basis of two aneurysms and one large aneurysm among 5 cases in comparison to aneurysms in adults. This hints to the possibility of more extended artery lesions with aneurysms in children. The intracranial hemorrhage which often leads to a diagnosis makes an immediate neuroradiological check necessary. Hemorrhage or operation were survived by all children. Space occupying hematomas diminish the quality of outcome considerably and therefore must be operated on immediately.

Unusually long survival time after resection and irradiation of a brain metastasis from osteosarcoma.

Cerebral metastases of osteosarcomas are rare. The cases published up to now have manifested only a short relapse-free period of survival. Intracranial filia generation must be anticipated if metastasis formation takes place in the lung. We report here on a young patient who underwent operation for an intraparenchymal cerebral metastasis 76 months after amputation of the left leg due to an osteosarcoma chondroblasticum, and who is, at present, healthy, 13 months after resection. This unusually long survival time is attributed to the good neurological status before craniotomy, early diagnosis, and the improvement of the cytostatic therapy (COSS-80-scheme).

[Endogenous foreign body meningitis due to a spinal epidermoid]. / Endogene Fremdkörpermeningitis bei spinalem Epidermoid.

We present a two year old child with recurrent aseptic meningitis due to a spinal epidermoid in the subdural space. A dermal sinus had been operated earlier in this child. The connection between dermal sinus and spinal epidermoid is demonstrated. Computed tomography (CT) examination should be used as a screening in all patients with congenital dermal sinus with special reference to visualizing anatomical details.