Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
-
Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis: clinical, laboratory and neuroradiologic features in China.
Hypertrophic pachymeningitis is a rare chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by marked fibrous thickening of the cerebral and/or spinal dura mater. Clinical, laboratory, neuroradiologic and therapeutic data from 12 patients with idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IHP) from our department were retrospectively studied. There were four men and eight women with a mean age of 49±15.3 years, and more than half of the patients (58%) were aged 40-60 years. ⋯ IHP is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the dura with three groups of symptoms, namely headache, cranial nerve palsy and symptoms due to sinus stenosis/occlusion. However, IHP has different features in China in that it predominantly affects women and the age of onset is younger. Sinus stenosis/occlusion is relatively common in IHP patients in China.
-
VITOM-90 (Karl Storz Endoscopy, Tuttlingen, Germany) is a new technology that can be used as an alternative to the operating microscope. We have found that this device substantially improves surgeon comfort during infra-tentorial supracerebellar approaches to pineal region masses, and now report our experiences. The VITOM-90 is a specially designed scope that is attached to a high definition (HD) digital camera and displayed on a HD video monitor. ⋯ Operating room personnel and residents reported improved visualization of the anatomy. Using the VITOM-90 benefited surgeons during pineal region surgery by reducing strain and allowing the surgeon to operate from a comfortable position without increased operative time or complications. The improved comfort levels may translate into safer, more accurate surgeries in this complex area.
-
The treatment of intracranial aneurysms with microsurgical clipping is associated with a very low rate of recurrence. However, in cases of aneurysm recurrence after previous clipping, microsurgical dissection due to adhesions and fibrosis may be challenging, and it may be difficult to safely occlude the recurrent lesion without the risk of significant morbidity. Flow-diverting stents have drastically changed the landscape of endovascular neurosurgery. ⋯ The moderate degree of in-stent stenosis present on initial follow-up imaging resolved on angiography 11 months post-treatment. The management of recurrent aneurysms after clipping is sparsely reported in the literature due to its infrequent occurrence. In carefully selected cases, flow-diverting stents may be used for complex aneurysms of the distal ICA, even for those which have recurred following microsurgical clipping.
-
Spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) is a rare cause of cauda equina syndrome (CES), which must be diagnosed with MRI in conjunction with a high level of clinical suspicion. Most reported cases are associated with obesity, steroid use or are secondary to endocrinopathies, frequently present subacutely or chronically, and have been managed with both surgical decompression and non-operative measures. We describe an obese 55-year-old man with rapid onset CES secondary to idiopathic lumbosacral SEL which was managed successfully with surgical decompression. Although often thought to be a trivial radiological finding, it is important not to be dismissive of patients presenting with compressive neuropathy and MRI evidence of space-occupying SEL.
-
We explored the value of procalcitonin (PCT) to differentiate sepsis from systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and determine sepsis severity in the neurological intensive care unit (NICU). Blood samples were measured for C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCT levels upon NICU admission, on the day of diagnosis of SIRS or sepsis, and at 3 and 7 days after diagnosis. We found that there were significant differences in serum levels of CRP and PCT as well as Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score upon admission between the SIRS and sepsis groups (p<0.05). ⋯ There were no differences in CRP and PCT levels between cerebrovascular disease and non-cerebrovascular disease groups (p>0.05). No differences were found between viral and bacterial meningitis groups (p>0.05). PCT levels are valuable in discriminating sepsis from SIRS and determining sepsis severity in critically ill patients with neurological disease.