[Concentration of Soluble CD14-Subtype (Presepsin) in Plasma of Non-Inflammatory and Septic Febrile Children].

CD14 is present in macrophage, monocyte, and granulocyte cell membranes. Its soluble fraction (soluble CD14-subtype), named presepsin (P-SEP) is present in blood in association with infections, due to phagocy- tosis of microorganisms. Increased serum concentration of P-SEP was reported in adult patients with se- vere bacterial sepsis, however, reports on pediatric patients have been limited. In order to clarify if P-SEP increases in pediatric patients with bacterial sepsis, we conducted a study of plasma P-SEP concentration in children with various febrile diseases. Eighty-eight subjects (49 males, 39 females, 18 days to 168 months after birth, mean 3.2 years old) who admitted to our hospital were enrolled. Among them, blood culture was performed for 56 children. As control, twelve afebrile, non-septic children who admitted for routine cardiac catheter examinations for con- genital heart anomaly were enrolled. Blood was withdrawn on admission. Plasma was obtained within 24 hours after blood withdrawal, stored at 4 Celsius degree until assays. P-SEP was assayed using PATHFAST(TM) chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay system (LSI Medience Inc, Tokyo, Japan). Together with P-SEP assays, blood culture, white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) were assayed. Local ethic committee approved this study. P-SEP concentration ranged 195 to 866 (median 445) pg/mL in patients whose blood culture was positive on admission (n=7). On the other hand, patients with blood culture negative (n=49) remained low level, 82.1 to 770 (median 242) pg/mL(p=0.046). Control subjects (n=12) showed significantly low concentration of P-SEP (mean 160, SD 189, ranged 79.4 to 411 pg/mL) compared to those from blood culture positive children (mean 487, SD 478 pg/mL, p=0.010). Though number of samples was limited, P-SEP may possibly act as a new mark- er of febrile bacteremia even in children. More study is needed for reference intervals for children. [Original].

[Gamma knife radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia: analysis of a multi institutional study].

A multi-institutional study was conducted to evaluate the results of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Eleven hundred and thirty-five patients at 39 centers were analyzed. Three hundred and sixty-nine patients had undergone percutaneous nerve block and 173 patients had undergone microvascular decompression (MVD) prior to GKRS. GKRS was performed for 69.4% of patients targeted at the nerve root entry zone (REZ) and for 20.4% of patients targeted at the retrogasserian region (RGR). The target dose of the GKRS used in the current study varied from 70 to 90 Gy (mean: 77.8Gy). The median follow-up period after GKRS was 21.1 months (range 1 to 125 months). Six hundred and eighty-nine patients (66%) responded with excellent or good control (pain free), 157 (15%) obtained fair control (more than 50% relief), and 192 (19%) experienced treatment failure. After 3 years, 64% of cases were pain free and 80% had more than 50% pain relief. After 4 years, 37 patients underwent additional GKRS, 36 MVD and 36 percutaneous nerve block. Tolerable hypoesthesia or paresthesia occurred in 129 patients (11%), whereas bothersome symptoms developed in 8 patients (1%). But no patient developed deafferentation pain. Nine patients (1%) complained of dry eye, but no other abnormalities of the cornea and conjunctiva were found on ophthalmological examination. Higher maximum radiosurgical dose was associated with a significantly greater factor of complete pain relief (p=0.0101). GKRS is a safe and effective alternative treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, and is a minimally invasive treatment. In addition it provided benefit to a patient population unwilling or unable to undergo more invasive surgical approaches.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery for hemangiomas of the cavernous sinus: a seven-institute study in Japan.

OBJECT: Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) is currently used for primary or postoperative management of cavernous sinus (CS) hemangiomas. The authors describe their experience with 30 cases of CS hemangioma successfully managed with GKS. METHODS: Thirty patients with CS hemangiomas, including 19 female and 11 male patients with a mean age of 53 years (range 19-78 years) underwent GKS at 7 facilities in Japan. Pathological entity was confirmed using surgical specimens in 17 patients, and neuroimaging diagnosis only in 13. Eight patients were asymptomatic before GKS, while 22 had ocular movement disturbances and/or optic nerve impairments. The mean tumor volume was 11.5 cm(3) (range 1.5-51.4 cm(3)). The mean dose to the tumor periphery was 13.8 Gy (range 10.0-17.0 Gy). RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 53 months (range 12-138 months). Among the 22 patients with symptoms prior to GKS, complete remission was achieved in 2, improvement in 13, and no change in 7. Hemifacial sensory disturbance developed following GKS in 1 patient. The most recent MR images showed remarkable shrinkage in 18, shrinkage in 11, and no change in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma Knife radiosurgery proved to be an effective treatment strategy for managing CS hemangiomas. Given the diagnostic accuracy of recently developed neuroimaging techniques and the potentially serious bleeding associated with biopsy sampling or attempted surgical removal, the authors recommend that GKS be the primary treatment in most patients who have a clear neuroimaging diagnosis of this condition.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas.

The purpose of this study was to analyze tumor control and possible complications of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in patients with vestibular schwannomas using low marginal doses and conformal multiple shots to fit irregular tumor shapes. The authors evaluated 152 patients with more than 5 years of follow-up. Marginal doses were 9-15 Gy (median 12 Gy), with corresponding treatment volumes ranging from 0.1 to 18.7 cm3 (median 2.0 cm3). The number of isocenters varied from 2 to 24 shots (median 9 shots). The actuarial tumor control rates were 94% at 5 years and 92.4% at 8 years. Larger tumors (p < 0.0001) and those in younger patients (p = 0.018) tended to recur significantly more often. Useful hearing, facial and trigeminal functions were preserved at 71, 100 and 97.4%, respectively. Seventeen percent of all patients developed transient dizziness, with dizziness persisting in 2% of the total. Fifty-six other patients not included in the long-term evaluation consecutively underwent caloric testing and static stabilometry as well as neurological examinations to evaluate vestibular function in detail, both before and after GKRS. The results revealed 90% of the patients to have already developed vestibular dysfunction prior to the treatment despite reported symptoms of dizziness. GKRS did not significantly affect vestibular function. Hydrocephalus was recognized in 5.3% of all patients, and tended to occur in cases with larger tumors (p = 0.0024). GKRS provides a safe and effective therapy for small to medium-sized tumors. However, indications for larger tumors must be carefully considered, as they are more difficult to control and liable to produce ataxia due to transient expansion.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for skull-base meningiomas.

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) when used as a treatment modality for cavernous sinus or posterior fossa skull-base meningiomas (SBMs), with particular attention given to whether or not intentional partial resection followed by GKRS constitutes an appropriate combination treatment method for larger SBMs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of the 101 SBM patients in this series, 38 were classified as having cavernous sinus meningiomas (CSMs), and 63 presented with posterior fossa meningiomas (PFMs). The patients with no history of prior surgery (19 CSMs, 57 PFMs) were treated according to a set protocol. Small to medium-sized SBMs were treated by GKRS only. To minimize the risk of functional deficits, larger tumors were treated with the combination of intentional partial resection followed by GKRS. Residual or recurrent tumors in patients who had undergone extirpations prior to GKRS (19 CSMs, 6 PFMs) are not eligible for this treatment method (due to the surgeries not being performed as part of a combination strategy designed to preserve neurological function as the first priority). RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 51.9 months (range, 6-144 months). The overall tumor control rates were 95.5% in CSMs and 98.4% in PFMs. Nearly all tumors treated with GKRS alone were well controlled and the patients had no deficits. Furthermore, none of the patients who had undergone prior surgeries experienced new neurological deficits after GKRS. While new neurological deficits appeared far less often in those receiving the combination of partial resection with subsequent GKRS, extirpations tended to be associated with not only a higher incidence of new deficits but also a significant increase in the worsening of already-existing deficits. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that GKRS is a safe and effective primary treatment for SBMs with small to moderate tumor volumes. We also found that larger SBMs compressing the optic pathway or brain stem can be effectively treated, minimizing any possible functional damage, by a combination of partial resection with subsequent GKRS.