Early identification of wound infection: understanding wound odour

Malodorous wounds can be distressing for patients and their families, negatively impacting on quality-of-life outcomes. For health professionals malodorous wounds can also cause distress manifesting in feelings of disgust when faced with a wound emitting an unpleasant or repulsive odour. There has been investigation into the management of controlling odour particularly in relation to fungating wounds. However, there is limited research that explores techniques for early identification and recognition of wound odours that may be indicative of infection. Electronic nose technology has received some attention, but to date has not been integrated into either diagnostics of infection in wounds or education of health professionals to prepare them for the realities of clinical practice

Supracerebellar arachnoid cyst - A rare cause of acquired Chiari I malformation.

Chiari I malformation (CM) associated with a cervico-thoracic syrinx due to supracerebellar arachnoid cyst has not been reported in the literature. We report such a case, managed by fenestration of the arachnoid cyst and foramen magnum decompression (FMD), aiming to reduce the inferiorly directed pressure on the cerebellum and eliminate the craniospinal pressure dissociation respectively. Imaging done post-operatively showed upward displacement of the cerebellar tonsils with a decompressed craniovertebral junction and disappearance of the syrinx

Epidermoid cysts of the velum interpositum.

The cistern of the velum interpositum is a space located between the corpus callosum dorsally and the roof of the third ventricle ventrally. Lesions located within the velum interpositum are rare and include meningiomas, pilocytic astrocytomas, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors and arachnoid cysts. Epidermoid cysts in this location have not been reported previously. We report the clinical and radiological features of two patients with epidermoid cysts located in the velum interpositum. The patients presented with gait difficulty and features of raised intracranial pressure and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated large tumors in the velum interpositum with intensities suggestive of epidermoid cysts. There was ventral displacement of the internal cerebral veins and dorsal displacement of the corpus callosum in keeping with a mass in the velum interpositum. Tumors of the third ventricle displace the internal cerebral veins dorsally. A transcallosal approach was used in both patients to effectively excise the tumors