A case of extraskeletal osteosarcoma with metastasis in muscles

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Apparently primary malignant melanoma of the cerebellopontine angle. One case.

We report a case of primary malignant melanoma of the cerebellopontine angle. This tumour showed RMI features that were totally different from those reported for secondary melanomas, and therefore its nature could not be suspected before surgery. Intracranial primary melanomas are so rare that no other published case is available for comparison, and our tentative explanations for the atypical RMI signals cannot be supported by evidence from the literature.

Osteoid osteoma of the spine: radiological aspects and value of arteriography. Four cases.

The authors present four cases of osteoid osteoma of the spine and review the usual clinical and paraclinical data leading to its diagnosis. The value of radionuclide bone scanning is emphasized: it supersedes the often disappointing radio-tomography and guides computerized tomography which, with modern scanners, virtually always demonstrates the lesion and locates it with accuracy. In the author's experience, spinal and spinal cord arteriography plays an important role: it identifies the radiculospinal vessels preoperatively and provides additional aetiological arguments based on the usual hypervascularity of osteoid osteomas and on the pain induced by injection of the feeding vessels. Data from the literature concerning the vascularization of the nidus suggest that treatment by embolization alone can be envisaged but must be demonstrated.

Magnetic resonance imaging in ischaemic accidents of the brain stem.

Seven cases of ischaemic accident affecting the brain stem are reported. There were two lacunar infarctions and five infarctions due to occlusion of major arteries (two lateral medullary infarctions, one pontine infarction and two thalamo-mesencephalic infarctions). In every case the abnormalities detected at MRI were concordant with the clinical findings. The authors underline the value of MRI in establishing clinico-topographic correlations in vivo and in differentiating lacunar infarctions from infarctions due to stenosis of major arteries in the vertebro-basilar system.

Spinal metastases of carotid paraganglioma. One case and review of the literature.

Paragangliomas of the carotid body are uncommon tumours usually regarded as benign or locally malignant. Metastasis occurs in 5 to 25% of the cases, involving mainly the liver, lung and bones. A case of carotid body tumour without histological evidence of malignancy but with local invasion and, subsequently, multiple spinal metastases is reported. Since the histological prognosis of the initial tumour is impossible to make in most cases, the authors underline the importance of signs of local invasion which is predictive of metastasis and requires regular monitoring with radionuclide bone scanning and MRI.