Transanal protrusion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt catheter.

A two years old boy presented with a transanal protrusion of the ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt catheter. A VP shunt was inserted when the boy was six-month-old for congenital hydrocephalus. He was active and neurologically normal, with no signs of meningitis and peritoneal irritation. During laparotomy, the tube was seen entering the sigmoid colon, so the tube was cut at the point where it entered the sigmoid colon. The distal end of the protruding tube was pulled out from the anus. The sigmoid colon was repaired, and a delayed shunt revision was completed. The patient was discharged without abdominal and neurological deterioration.

Traumatic intraventricular hemorrhage with a good prognosis.

We report a 10-year-old girl with an isolated traumatic intraventricular hemorrhage following a traffic accident, who had a good prognosis. Her neurological examination upon arrival was normal and she had no complaint other than headache and vomiting. Computed tomography on admission showed a hemorrhage in the lateral and fourth ventricles. She had a Glasgow Coma Score of 15, and she was thus given only antiepileptic drugs for prophylaxis and followed. Computed tomography that was repeated 5 days after admission showed no blood and all ventricles were of normal size. There was no vascular pathology on magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography. The patient remains well 5 months after her accident. Intraventricular hemorrhage does not always have a poor prognosis.

The thickness of the ligamentum flavum in relation to age and gender.

Hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum (LF) can reduce the diameter of the spinal canal posteriorly. Such stenosis may significantly compress the dural sac and nerve roots, resulting in symptoms, even without a bulging anulus fibrosus or herniated nucleus pulposus. We conducted an anatomical study to determine the influence of age and gender on the thickness of the LF at the lower lumbar levels using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The thickness of 1,280 ligaments was determined at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels from MRIs. We screened 320 patients (152 males [47.5%] and 168 females [52.5%]) between 21 and 82 years of age. There were no significant differences in LF thickness with respect to gender (P > 0.05). Age was not correlated with the thicknesses of the LF. The left LF at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels was significantly thicker than on the right side (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the LF thicknesses at L5-S1 bilaterally were significantly greater than on the corresponding sides at L4-L5 (P < 0.05). The LF is an important anatomical structure, which might cause low back or leg pain. Therefore, the thickness of the LF should be measured and evaluated carefully in the case of spinal stenosis.

A 13-year-old girl with a cystic cerebellar lesion: consider the hydatid cyst.

We report a 13-year-old girl with a hydatid cyst located in the posterior fossa. The pre-operative diagnosis was a cerebellar tumour; the cyst was operated on using puncture, aspiration, irrigation and resection. Sixteen months post-operatively, the patient is in a good health. A hydatid cyst must always be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the cranium, especially for those children living in rural areas.

Pituitary hyperplasia mimicking pituitary macroadenoma in two adolescent patients with long-standing primary hypothyroidism: case reports and review of literature.

We report two cases with primary autoimmune hypothyroidism and an ectopic thyroid gland causing pituitary enlargement mimicking pituitary macroadenoma. One of the cases presented with complaints of headache and short stature and the other case with a complaint of menorrhagia. In both cases, the pituitary mass and symptoms resolved with levothyroxine replacement. Normal menses resumed. However, pituitary dynamic tests revealed persistent growth hormone and gonadotropin deficiency in one case and growth hormone deficiency in the other. To our knowledge, this is the first report in an adolescent of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, growth hormone deficiency, and menorrhagia associated with pituitary hyperplasia secondary to primary hypothyroidism. The recognition of the association between reversible pituitary hyperplasia and primary hypothyroidism might eliminate unnecessary surgery.

[Effect of axial loading on bone mineral density in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury]. / Travmatik omurilik felci olan olgularda aksiyel yüklenmenin kemik mineral yogunlugu üzerine etkisi.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis occurs in paralyzed extremities secondary to immobilization following spinal cord injury (SCI). Bone mineral density (BMD) is rapidly lost after SCI. Loss of BMD may reach fracture threshold although it slows with time. This study was planned to investigate the option of impediment of osteoporosis by early axial loading in immobilized patients. METHODS: Fifteen patients with complete paraplegia having spinal cord lesion between T4-L1 and 15 normal volunteers were included into the study. Time, mechanism and type of injury, BMD, serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels were undertaken as variables. BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray absorbtiometry (DEXA) in the femoral neck, trochanteric region and T1 and L3 spine. RESULTS: The BMD values were lower in the femoral neck and trochanteric region, but there were no significant differences at T1 and L3 spine in paraplegics. CONCLUSION: BMD decreases in the femoral neck and trochanteric region, secondary to immobilization. Absence of significant differences of BMD values at T1 and L3 spine in the study and control groups might be due to early rehabilitation. Sitting exercises early after stabilization might impede of the loss of BMD by axial loading to the spine. Thus, complications such as osteoporosis and pathological fractures can be prevented.

Mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil, and cyclosporin A prevent epidural fibrosis in an experimental laminectomy model.

This study examined the preventive effects of the local application of mitomycin C (MMC), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and cyclosporine A (CsA) in minimizing spinal epidural fibrosis in a rat laminectomy model. Thirty-two 2-year-old male Wistar albino rats, each weighing 400 +/- 50 g, were divided into four equal groups: sham, MMC, 5-FU, and CsA. Each rat underwent laminectomy at the L5-L6 lumbar level. Cotton pads (4 x 4 mm2) soaked with MMC (0.5 mg/ml), 5-FU (5 ml/mg), or CsA (5 mg/ml) were placed on the exposed dura for 5 min. Thirty days after surgery, the rats were killed and the epidural fibrosis, fibroblast density, inflammatory cell density, and arachnoid fibrosis were quantified. The epidural and arachnoid fibroses were reduced significantly in the treatment groups compared to the sham group. Fibroblast cell density and inflammatory cell density were decreased significantly in the MMC and 5-FU groups, but were similar in the sham and CsA groups. The decreased rate of epidural fibrosis was promising. Further studies in humans are needed to determine the short- and long-term complications of the agents used here.

Nightmare of lumbar disc surgery: iliac artery injury.

Intra-operative injuries of pelvic vessels are quite infrequent but serious complications of lumbar disc surgery. Injury may cause laceration of the vessel with acute life threatening retroperitoneal haemorrhage, formation of pseudoaneurysms or arteriovenous fistulae in the late phase. It is important for surgeons to be aware of these potentially fatal complications. Authors reported a case of major vascular injury recognised intra-operatively during posterior lumbar discectomy and repaired immediately.

Soft tissue closure and plastic surgical aspects of large dorsal myelomeningocele defects (review of techniques).

The large myelomeningocele defects that cannot be closed reliably by simple skin undermining require a close cooperation between the neurosurgeon and the plastic surgeon. In this study, a 3-year review was undertaken of nine consecutive patients with a myelomeningocele defect treated in our hospital. The aim of the study was to analyze the size, location of myelomeningocele defects, features of the surrounding tissue, and type and results of the reconstruction method for skin closure. Of the nine patients, five were repaired within the first 48 h of life, two within the 1st month of life, and two were repaired within the 1st year of life. Of the nine patients, seven (78%) underwent repair with direct skin approximation by the Neurosurgical Service. For three patients (33%) with large lumbosacral meningomyelocele defects, including one patient who had failed direct skin approximation, the Plastic Surgery Service achieved the skin closure by bilateral paralumbar fasciocutaneous rotational flaps. Minimal area in the patients referred to the Plastic Surgery Service was 24 cm2 (range 24-48 cm2); patients having 18 cm2 or less skin defect were not referred for closure. In conclusion, fasciocutaneous rotational flaps provided tension-free, durable, innervated and well-vascularized skin coverage over the dural repair in all three referred patients, without using skin graft. Since myelomeningocele defects vary in size, shape, and location, no single procedure applies to all. Therefore, other reconstruction methods involving skin grafts, fasciocutaneous flaps, and musculocutaneous flaps are reviewed in this report.

Can a spinal cord tumor cause brachioradial pruritus?

A woman had burning pruritus on both arms and thenar regions for 1 year. The location of pruritus was consistent with C5-C6 dermatomes. Brachioradial pruritus caused by spinal cord tumor was diagnosed. Although cases of brachioradial pruritus were reported in cervical osteoarthritis and cervical rib previously, to our knowledge, our patient is the first reported case of brachioradial pruritus caused by a tumor.