Neurosurgery
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Traumatic fracture-dislocations of the lumbosacral junction are rare, with all previously reported cases involving fracture-dislocations at a single level. No cases of multiple fracture-dislocations of contiguous spinal segments in the lumbosacral spine have been reported. A case of traumatic adjacent fracture-dislocations of the fifth lumbar segment is presented. ⋯ The management of traumatic lumbosacral fracture-dislocations requires careful consideration of retroperitoneal structures and possible exploration of the iliac vessels in addition to spinal reconstruction.
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Basal ganglia and thalamic arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) show a poor natural history and have proven difficult to treat. We report the safety and efficacy of presurgical and preradiosurgical embolization of these deep central lesions and describe the contribution of embolization to multimodality treatment. ⋯ Endovascular embolization plays an important role in multimodality treatment of AVMs involving the basal ganglia and/or thalamus. Embolization can result in obliteration of a significant volume of the AVM and may allow complete obliteration of the AVM when combined with microsurgical resection and/or stereotactic radiosurgery.
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Case Reports
Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula with an associated feeding artery aneurysm: case report.
A case of a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with two associated feeding artery aneurysms is reported. Intradural spinal arteriovenous malformations have been associated with aneurysms that present with subarachnoid hemorrhage and with venous varices that produce mass effect, but spinal DAVFs have not previously been described in association with feeding artery aneurysms. ⋯ Feeding artery aneurysms in association with spinal DAVFs have not been previously reported. They present additional risk to patients and, with simple modifications of the standard operative approaches, can easily be treated as part of the surgery for the DAVF.
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Infratentorial empyema, pituitary abscess, and septic cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis are all rare and potentially lethal conditions. The occurrence of all three in a single patient has not previously been described. We present such a case occurring in a young, otherwise healthy man. ⋯ Paranasal sinusitis can have devastating intracranial sequelae. Involvement of the adjacent pituitary gland and cavernous sinuses can result in serious neurological morbidity or mortality, and retrograde spread of infection through the basal venous system can result in subdural or parenchymal brain involvement. A high index of suspicion and aggressive medical and surgical treatment are crucial for patient survival, but the morbidity rate remains high. Our patient survived but lost anterior pituitary function and vision in his right eye.
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To investigate changes in the cerebrospinal fluid flow in patients with cervical spondylosis using cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. ⋯ Cine phase-contrast MR imaging allows quantitative and noninvasive assessment of changes in cerebrospinal fluid flow in patients with cervical spondylosis.