Neurosurgery
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We report on a patient with a Chiari I malformation presenting with right hemifacial spasm. Clinicians should consider the downward displacement of the hindbrain as a rare cause of hemifacial spasm in Chiari I malformation. ⋯ The hemifacial spasm could be attributed to compression and/or traction of the facial nerve because of downward displacement of the hindbrain in Chiari I malformation. Compression and/or traction might create irritation of the facial nerve that causes hemifacial spasm. Resolution of the hemifacial spasm after posterior fossa decompression could explain the facial nerve irritation in Chiari I malformation. Clinicians should consider Chiari malformation as a cause of hemifacial spasm and posterior fossa decompression as a potential treatment.
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Review Case Reports Comparative Study
Aneurysmal rupture without subarachnoid hemorrhage: case series and literature review.
Although an aneurysmal rupture typically presents on computed tomographic (CT) imaging as only subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), it may be associated with intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), or subdural hemorrhage. On rare occasions, however, an aneurysmal rupture may present with IPH or IVH without SAH. ⋯ Initial presentation of a ruptured aneurysm without SAH is rare and may have a multifactorial cause attributable to the timing of CT imaging, physiological parameters, or location of the aneurysm. Patients presenting with a head CT scan revealing IPH in the temporal lobe or with IVH should be considered for an urgent workup of a ruptured aneurysm, even in the absence of diffuse SAH.
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Medical management of cerebral edema and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is a critical component of perioperative care in neurosurgical practice. Traumatic brain injury, arterial infarction, venous hypertension/infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, tumor progression, and postoperative edema can all generate clinical situations in which ICP management is a critical determinant of patient outcomes. ⋯ Hypertonic saline is emerging as an alternative to mannitol. Early data suggest that indications for each agent may ultimately depend on ICP etiology.
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Cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia resulting in postural headaches is a well-known clinical entity, but severe forms of cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia with altered mental status and signs of transtentorial herniation ("brain sag") have rarely been reported. This article describes the clinical features of brain sag after craniotomy in an attempt to increase recognition of this syndrome. ⋯ Severe cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia after craniotomy may produce a dramatic herniation syndrome that is completely reversed by the Trendelenburg position. Brain sag should be included in the differential diagnosis for acute postoperative clinical deterioration in this patient population.
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Review Case Reports
Primary extradural epithelioid leiomyosarcoma of the cervical spine: case report and literature review.
No case of primary epithelioid leiomyosarcoma involving the spine has been reported previously. ⋯ This is the first reported case of a primary craniospinal epithelioid leiomyosarcoma.