Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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The post-traumatic inflammatory response in acute spinal cord contusion injury was studied in the rat. Mild and severe spinal cord injury (SCI) was produced by dropping a 10 g weight from 3 and 12 cm at the T12 vertebral level. Increased immunoreactivity of TNF-alpha in mild and severe SCI was detected in neurons at 1 h post-injury, and in neurons and microglia at 6 h post-injury, with a less significant increase in mild SCI. ⋯ RT-PCR showed an early significant up-regulation of IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha mRNAs, maximal at 6 h post-injury with return to control levels by 24 h post-injury, the changes being less statistically significantly in mild SCI. Western blot showed early transient increases of IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha proteins in severe SCI but not mild SCI. Immunocytochemical, western blotting and RT-PCR analyses suggest that endogenous cells (neurons and microglia) in the spinal cord, not blood-borne leucocytes, contribute to IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha production in the post-traumatic inflammatory response and that their up-regulation is greater in severe than mild SCI.
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A 50-year-old woman first presented with recurrent craniopharyngioma in the suprasellar region. The recurrent tumor was removed via the frontobasal interhemispheric approach. ⋯ Histological examination showed the left frontal lesion was an ectopic recurrence of craniopharyngioma. Ectopic recurrence of craniopharyngioma is extremely rare.
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To evaluate the outcome and complications of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic neuropathic pain in an Australian population. ⋯ SCS is an effective treatment in the control of chronic neuropathic pain, particularly in combination with comprehensive medical management within a multidisciplinary pain management centre.
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To probe the feasibility and utility of neuroendoscopic inspection of the anatomy of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) and of neuroendoscopic assisted microneurosurgery (NEAMN) for CPA lesions via a retrosigmoid approach, we used retrosigmoid NEAMN in 28 patients with CPA lesions. Prior to this, we undertook anatomical observation of bilateral CPA in two adult cadaver heads using the neuroendoscope. NEAMN tumour resection was performed in eight acoustic neuromas, one meningioma and 14 cholesteatomas and NEAMN vascular decompression was performed in five patients with trigeminal neuralgia. ⋯ The CPA can be divided into three levels - the cranial, medial, and caudal, and each level contains specific neurovascular structures as seen through the neuroendoscope. Knowledge of these divisions is useful to master the common NEAMN procedures of the CPA. NEAMN for CPA lesions via a retrosigmoid approach is a useful adjunct to standard microneurosurgical techniques effect and may decrease the operative risk.
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To define the clinical characteristics of cystic acoustic neuroma, we retrospectively analyzed 22 patients with cystic acoustic neuroma and reviewed the literature with regard to clinical manifestation, imaging features, diagnosis, surgical procedures and prognosis. An acoustic neuroma was defined as cystic according to the following criteria: the presence of hypodense/hypointense areas on CT or MRI, the identification of cystic elements at operation and histological verification. ⋯ Complete removal of the tumor was achieved in 18 cases (81.8%). We conclude that patients with cystic acoustic neuroma need prompt surgery with special attention paid to the preservation of the facial nerve.