World Neurosurg
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Review Case Reports
Prenatal diagnosis and multimodal neonatal treatment of a rare pial arteriovenous fistula: case report and review of the literature.
Intracranial pial arteriovenous fistulas (PAVFs) are direct communications between the arterial and venous system of the brain, with the characteristic absence of a plexiform nidus, as seen in the classic cerebral arteriovenous malformations. These vascular malformations, usually occurring in the pediatric population, very rarely are diagnosed in utero, because of a lack of understanding of the condition and because they may be hard to visualize. ⋯ The 2-stage multimodal treatment resulted in complete disappearance of the PAVF without complications.
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Review Case Reports
The rare association of spina bifida and extrarenal Wilms tumor: a case report and review of the literature.
The diagnosis of nephroblastoma outside of the kidneys, in the absence of a renal primary tumor, is known as extrarenal Wilms tumor (ERWT). ERWT is an uncommon entity that typically involves the embryonic path of the developing kidneys and gonads. The occurrence of ERWT in a dysraphic spine is uncommon, with no reported cases of preoperative diagnosis, with all cases diagnosed at pathology. These tumors are malignant and ideally should be completely excised. Thus, preoperative diagnosis would be highly desirable. ⋯ The lack of pathognomonic radiologic features makes the preoperative diagnosis extremely difficult, but a diagnosis of ERWT should be considered in the context of a soft tissue mass without the typical imaging features of a hemangioma or teratoma.
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Review Historical Article
Trepanation to treat a head wound: a case of neurosurgery from 13(th) century Tuscany.
During the archaeological excavations conducted in the 13th century cemetery of the Church of Sant'Agostino in Poggibonsi (Tuscany, Italy), a skull with evidence of neurosurgical intervention was brought to light. The skull, belonging to an adult male, shows two traumatic lesions produced by bladed instruments. The first lesion, located on the anterior part of the parietal bones, involved only the outer cranial table; bone remodeling indicates that the individual survived the injury for a long time. ⋯ However, the surgical intervention failed, and the patient died soon afterwards. Trepanation for the treatment of cranial traumas is described by several medical classical and medieval authors, whose texts were available in the 13th century. This case represents rare Middle Ages evidence of neurosurgery used to treat a bone injury.
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Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRTs) are rare and aggressive tumors, usually affecting patients younger than 3 years of age, that are characterized by a poor prognosis. Nowadays multimodal management, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT), is advocated depending on the patients' age and tumor stage, even if no consensus exists regarding the best treatment modality. Local RT seems to be the most effective treatment in prolonging progression-free and overall survival rates, although RT might not be used on younger children because of the risk of neurocognitive and endocrine sequelae. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a valuable alternative therapeutic option to conventional RT because of the more conformal dose delivery. The aim of this study was to review the available literature on SRS in the management of ATRT. ⋯ SRS should be considered in the multimodal treatment of ATRT, and future studies should focus on a better definition of the role played by SRS in their management.
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Review Case Reports
Factors associated with abducens nerve recovery in patients undergoing surgical resection of sixth nerve schwannoma: A systematic review and case illustration.
Limited or no literature exists identifying factors associated with functional nerve recovery in patients undergoing resection of sixth cranial nerve (CN VI) schwannomas. ⋯ CS involvement is associated with lesser odds for functional nerve recovery in patients undergoing surgical resection for CN VI schwannoma.