[Glioma in a patient with multiple sclerosis]. / Gliome chez une patiente atteinte de sclérose en plaques.

The simultaneous occurrence of multiple sclerosis and a primary brain neoplasm is exceptional: only 32 cases have been reported in the literature. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis proven for 10 years who developed a grade II astrocytoma revealed by MRI. At the pathology examination, there was no cellular continuity with areas of demyelinized white matter. Unlike the hypothesis put forward in certain publications describing this association that argue for an induction link between these two entities, our case did not demonstrate any spatial or temporal relationship suggestive a common cause.

Interleukin-4 affects phenotype and proliferative response of peripheral blood lymphocytes from glioblastoma patients after specific or nonspecific in vitro stimulation.

Immunosuppressive events are often observed in glioblastoma-bearing patients. We tested the response of circulating lymphocytes from glioblastoma patients to low concentrations of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-2 after lectin activation or specific in vitro stimulation by autologous tumor cells. In the presence of IL-2, IL-4 up-regulates the proliferation rate of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-P-stimulated glioblastoma patients' peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL)s. Allogeneically- and syngeneically-stimulated PBLs of these patients present an increased proliferation rate in the presence of IL-4. This specifically stimulated lymphocyte population presents a very low proportion of CD8+ cells. This proportion is slightly increased in the presence of IL-4. Our results indicate that the glioblastoma cell-imposed inhibition on T-cells can be partly overcome by low concentrations of IL-4 during in vitro stimulation. Our experiments also demonstrate that glioblastoma-bearing patients' PBLs constitute a good model in which to study the effects of IL-4.

[Intracerebral cavernous angioma and transient ischemic complications]. / Angiome caverneux intracérébral et accidents ischémiques transitoires.

A patient with capsulo-lenticular cavernous angioma presented with transient hemiparetic attacks. A diagnosis of transient ischemic attacks has been accepted and a platelet thrombo-embolic mechanism is suggested.

A sign of lumbar disk herniation recognizable on lateral CT generated digital radiograms.

Computed tomography is a very sensitive and fairly specific imaging mode for diagnosing herniated disks in patients with low back pain and radiculopathy. We describe a new CT sign associated with posterior disk herniation that consists of a bony defect on the lower posterior angle of the proximal vertebral body and endplate shown on CT generated digital radiograms. This finding, by no means constant, is encountered frequently enough to be described as a sign of posterior disk protrusion. It often occurs concomitantly with posterior avulsion of a bone fragment probably related to avascular bone necrosis of the posterior inferior angle of the endplate.

Epidural venous stasis in spinal stenosis. CT appearance.

Computed tomography permits reliable demonstration of the spinal canal and its contents. Measurements of the sagittal diameter of the bony canal do not take into consideration size, shape and state of intraspinal soft tissue structures, i.e. the thecal sac and its own contents, epidural fat and blood circulation pattern. Three particularly illustrative cases were selected in which obvious epidural venous engorgement was visualized in association with spinal stenosis. The authors think that epidural venous stasis occurring in segmental spinal stenosis is a CT sign of clinically significant narrowing of the neural canal. Accurate recognition of the type of lumbar stenosis together with epidural blood flow alterations permits a better understanding of the existing lesions. Thus, a more precise and specific surgical approach is possible.