Diagnostic imaging algorithm for cervical soft disc herniation.

MR imaging with surface coils is currently the preferred method for the evaluation of cervical soft disc herniation. However, the differentiation between soft disc herniation and osteophytic spurs in the neural foraminal canal is not always obvious on a 0.5 Tesla unit. Therefore the specificity for neural foraminal canal pathology has been reported not to be very high. We evaluated MRI in selected patients without major foraminal spurs or important spondylosis on plain radiography. This prospective study includes 100 patients with cervical radicular symptoms, not subsiding after conservative treatment. All patients underwent plain radiograms. Patients without spinal instability, spondylosis or major osteophytes on plain radiograms and without clinical findings of myelopathy underwent MRI (n = 59) on a 0.5 Tesla superconducting system. All 41 other patients underwent CT myelography. On MRI, a cervical soft disc herniation was observed in 55 out of 59 investigated patients and the localization corresponded well with the clinical symptoms. CT myelography demonstrated a foraminal herniation in 1 of 4 selected patients with negative MRI. Fifty out of 55 patients underwent anterior cervical discectomy without fusion. All herniations were confirmed at operation, but in two patients there were important foraminal spurs, not seen on MRI. The specificity of MRI in this study is 94%. It is concluded that 0.5 T MRI, combined with plain films offers an accurate, noninvasive test in the assessment of selected patients with cervical radiculopathy.

Diagnostic imaging algorithm for cervical soft disc herniation.

MRI with surface coils is currently the preferred method for evaluating degenerative cervical spine disease. The differentiation between soft disc herniation and osteophytic spurs is not always obvious, however, on a 0.5 Tesla unit. The procedure of choice for soft disc herniation, MRI on a 0.5 T superconducting system associated with plain radiography of the cervical spine, in selecting patients for anterior cervical discectomy without interbody fusion (ACD), was evaluated. This prospective study comprised 100 patients with cervical radicular symptoms, not subsiding after conservative treatment. Plain radiographs were obtained for all patients. Patients without spinal instability, spondylosis, or major osteophytes on plain radiographs and without clinical findings of myelopathy underwent MRI (n = 59) on a 0.5 Tesla superconducting system. The other 41 patients underwent CT myelography. On MRI, herniation of a cervical soft disc was seen in 55 patients and the localisation corresponded well with the clinical symptoms. CT myelography showed a foraminal herniation in one of four selected patients with negative MRI. Fifty of 55 patients underwent ACD. All herniations were confirmed at operation, but in two patients there were important foraminal spurs not seen on MRI. It is concluded that 0.5 T MRI combined with plain radiographs offers an accurate, non-invasive test in the assessment of selected patients with cervical radiculopathy.

Stereotactic radiosurgery of vestibular schwannomas with a linear accelerator.

The authors describe their initial experience with stereotactic radiosurgery of 22 cases with vestibular schwannomas using a linear accelerator. 14 of them with a follow-up of at least one year were studied. 6-9 months after treatment 86% had central tumour necrosis, 71% tumour shrinkage and none of them evidence of tumour growth 3 patients developed reversible facial nerve impairment, 2 had permanent facial numbness. Hearing diminished in one case out of three with normal hearing and in two out of three with already diminished hearing. Although there is a general consensus that microsurgery is the treatment of choice for these benign tumours, stereotactic radiosurgery challenges this opinion. Stereotactic radiosurgery not only proves to be a valuable alternative for selected cases not suitable for microsurgery, but it is conceivable that it will become the treatment of choice for small vestibular tumours. Tumour control can be obtained in the majority of treated patients with fewer complications and with a higher rate of cranial nerve sparing. This series indicates that linear accelerators can achieve results similar to the Gamma Unit in the treatment of vestibular schwannomas.

Postsurgical follow-up by MRI of anterior cervical discectomy without fusion.

Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are described in selected patients with cervical radiculopathy and a cervical soft disc herniation, treated by anterior cervical discectomy (ACD) without fusion. Six months postoperatively, 45 patients underwent MRI examination using a 0.5 T superconductive unit. T1- and T2-weighted spin echo sequences were acquired on sagittal and axial planes. A low signal intensity on T2-weighted images was visualized at the ACD level in all patients. Five patients were found to have a slight kyphosis at the discectomy level. There was no residual disc material at any ACD level. In 5 patients, areas of diminished signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images on adjacent vertebrae was noticed, indicating sclerosis of the cortical bone adjacent to the ACD level. In 3 patients, cervical disc protrusions without impression on the dura were visualized postoperatively: 2 below and 1 above the ACD level. One patient developed a cervical disc herniation without complaints one level above the operated one. No patient developed infolding or degenerative swelling of the ligamenta flava and no intrinsic cord abnormalities were present. MRI provided useful information on pathology, allowing a non-invasive evaluation following ACD and enabling a better understanding of surgical consequences.

MR imaging of tuberculous spondylitis.

This case report describes a patient presenting with symptoms of progressive paresis of both legs. An X-ray of the thorax demonstrated an aspect consistent with miliary tuberculosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracic spine revealed medullary compression. The patient underwent a laminectomy and the diagnosis of spinal epidural tuberculoma was made. The patient has been treated with isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide. After a period of six months, she made a complete recovery.

The association of astrocytoma and pituitary adenoma in a patient with alcaptonuria.

A female patient with a juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma and a pituitary adenoma is described. The patient also has alcaptonuria, a rare inborn error of metabolism with autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. The association of these three disorders has never been reported previously. The possible existence of a common genetic factor in the development of both tumors and alcaptonuria is discussed.

Chronic perineal pain related to sacral meningeal cysts.

Chronic perineal pain is an often encountered problem that is difficult to evaluate. Based on a series of 17 patients in whom urological, gynecological, and anorectal pathology was excluded, the authors compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with computed tomographic (CT) scan with myelography in the investigation of chronic perineal pain. After a clinical neurological examination, patients underwent radiodiagnostic imaging of both techniques. Thirteen patients (76%) had one or more sacral meningeal cysts (MC) on MRI scan, whereas CT scan with myelography of the lumbar and sacral region revealed 7 patients (41%) with sacral MC. Sacral MC may be the etiology of chronic perineal pain in many instances, and MRI scan appears to be superior to CT scan with myelography in demonstrating sacral MC. Ten patients with sacral MC were operated on with moderate to excellent results 6 months after operation. Early postoperative results are encouraging, but further follow-up and larger series are required.

Intracerebral hemorrhage after lumbar myelography with iohexol: report of a case and review of the literature.

Intracranial hemorrhage is an uncommon complication of dural puncture. In most instances, hematomas are subdural; they may be unilateral or bilateral. Rarely are intraparenchymal cerebral hemorrhages related to dural puncture. This report describes a delayed occurrence of bilateral intraparenchymal hemorrhages in a 38-year-old woman 7 days after lumbar myelography with iohexol. A review of the literature is presented.

Malignant pigmented spinal nerve root schwannoma metastasizing in the brain and viscera.

A 46-year-old woman suffered a meningococcal meningitis followed by a rapidly progressive lumbosacral pluriradicular syndrome. Myelography showed multiple nodules on the lumbar radices. A biopsy showed tissue with numerous Verocay-like bodies, spindle shaped and lymphocytoid cells which was diagnosed as schwannoma. There was a small group of polygonal cells with somewhat irregular and hyperchromatic nuclei. Postoperatively, she developed intracranial hypertension and died. CT scan and MRI revealed multiple occipital lesions consistent with metastases. At autopsy the cauda equina showed multiple nodular lesions with morphology comparable to the biopsy. However, pigment producing cells were also present. There were metastases with distinct morphological features in the brain, myocardium, thyroid gland and pancreas. Some consisted of pigmented, large, pleomorphic cells, others of non-pigmented, spindle-shaped and less pleomorphic cells. In this case, the diagnosis of metastasizing pigmented schwannoma is the most plausible hypothesis.

Neuroradiologic findings in leptomeningeal carcinomatosis: the value interest of gadolinium-enhanced MRI.

Four patients with leptomeningeal metastases documented by neuroradiological examinations are reported. All had central nervous system or systemic neoplasms and showed clinical signs of carcinomatous meningitis. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI (Gd-MRI) disclosed for each patient pathological foci, allowing delineation of the extent of meningeal disease. Although non-specific, these findings, combined with the clinical context and CSF analysis, may lead to a rapid diagnosis and treatment of carcinomatous meningitis, even when malignant cells are not detected in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Gadolinium-DOTA enhanced MR imaging of intracranial lesions.

Gadolinium 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N",N"'-tetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) is the first of a new class of macrocyclic paramagnetic magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents (gadolinium cryptelates) to be used in clinical practice. Gadolinium-DOTA possesses relaxation properties similar to those of gadolinium diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA). We report our initial clinical experience in 38 patients with intracranial lesions studied with MR before and after injection of Gd-DOTA. Diseases included primary and metastatic brain tumor, cerebral infarct, vascular malformation, meningioma, hemangiopericytoma, schwannoma, and pituitary macroadenoma. Gadolinium-DOTA was administered intravenously in a dosage of 0.1 mmol/kg body weight. All studies were performed on a superconductive 0.5 T system. As compared to noncontrast T1- and T2-weighted images (WI), Gd-DOTA enhanced T1 WI were useful in defining the anatomy of malignant intraaxial tumors (high-grade glioma, metastasis) and in tumor versus edema differentiation. Low-grade gliomas did not enhance; in these cases the precontrast T2-weighted sequence was found to be more informative. In post-operative patients, Gd-DOTA allowed us to demonstrate residual tumor or tumor recurrence. Extraaxial tumors (meningioma, hemangiopericytoma, neuroma) enhanced markedly, presumably reflecting tumor vascularity. In our experience, the use of Gd-DOTA improves the anatomic definition of cerebral lesions and in some cases increases both MR sensitivity and specificity. We found Gd-DOTA to be a well tolerated and effective paramagnetic contrast agent. Gadolinium-DOTA can be considered as an alternative water-soluble MR contrast agent to Gd-DTPA.

Transcranial Doppler sonography.

A general review of the physical principles and the applications of transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography is given. This new non-invasive technique is presented as an important diagnostic tool in neurology, neurosurgery and intensive care medicine. The applications are documented using our own patient material.

A comparison of the anaesthetic properties of propofol and methohexitone when used as the sole induction agent for thermocoagulation of the gasserian ganglion.

Methohexitone and propofol were compared when used as the sole induction agent for thermocoagulation of the Gasserian ganglion. Sleeping and apnoea times were not significantly different for both drugs, nor were they for the same drug during repetitive inductions. However, the haemodynamic data showed a better stability when propofol was used. Amnesia may be in favour of propofol. There were no significant differences concerning pre- and post-operative side-effects in both groups.

Hamartoma of the tuber cinereum in a six-month-old boy, causing isosexual precocious puberty.

A case of hamartoma of the tuber cinereum causing isosexual precocious puberty in a six-month-old boy, in whom the lesion was successfully extirpated, is presented. Our patient was relatively young, since hamartomas causing sexual precocity most often occur between the ages of one and three years. Hamartomas are discussed from the clinical and pathological points of view. The mechanisms of initiating pubertas praecox in cases of cerebral tumours, particularly hamartomas, are reviewed.

Intracerebral hemorrhage due to cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Case report.

The case is presented of a 59-year-old man with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and three consecutive hemorrhages in the occipital lobes. The clinicopathological features and the relationship to Alzheimer's dementia are discussed. The correct treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a matter of controversy.

Craniostenosis: the importance of the anesthesiologist.

Based on the experience with 15 patients operated for craniostenosis in our hospital, guidelines were determined for the anesthetic and postoperative management with optimal maintenance of vital parameters. Subgaleal accumulation of blood may cause a spectacular drop of hemoglobin level during the first postoperative days. Since it is better to prevent than to cure, systematic anti-convulsive and antibiotic prophylaxis must be considered.

Intrasacral meningeal cyst demonstrated by sacral epidurography.

A case of intrasacral meningeal cyst is reported in which radiculography and computed tomography were not conclusive in diagnosing the lesion. Sacral epidurography delineated the cyst very clearly and is proposed as a complementary imaging technique in lesions of the sacral canal.

Familial oligodendroglioma. Case report.

A case of familial oligodendroglioma, occurring in a mother and her daughter, is presented.