Intraosseous schwannoma of the vault of the skull

Intraosseous schwannoma is a rare benign tumor of the bone with characteristic radiological and histological features. The most common sites of this tumor are mandible, sacrum, und vertebral bodies. Two cases. one of which is the first diagnosed with MRI, of this tumor in the vault of the skull are presented

Large intrathoracic meningocele in a patient with neurofibromatosis: Technical report

The authors describe a case of large intrathoracic meningocele (16 cm) associated with neurofibromatosis. Computed tomography with metrizamide myelography proved valuable in locating the lesion and in reformation after surgery. The authors make some comments about surgical excision of large meningocele

PRIMARY INTRACRANIAL ARACHNOID CYST IN THE ELDERLY

Sixteen cases of symptomatic arachnoid cyst in elderly patients (> 65 years of age) including of our own case are considered and their clinical and therapeutic features compared with those of the larger series comprising younger patients. From this study, no clinical differences emerged between arachnoid cysts in elderly patients and those of their younger counterparts. Surgical treatment was confirmed as being necessary for a good outcome in this age group when the cysts became symptomatic

Idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus in adults: Result of shunting correlated with clinical findings in 18 patients and review of the literature

The authors describe their findings in a study aimed at identifying clinical-prognostic factors in treatment of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus. The study comprised 18 adult patients submitted to surgery for ventriculo-peritoneal shunting. The findings that emerged from this series of patients were compared with those reported for the 381 published cases. In our group of 18 patients, average age was 65 years and the average duration of clinical history was 47 months (median 18 months). Follow-up ranged from 3 to 5 years (median 4.2 years): 12 patients improved (9 completely) and 6 presented stable neurological deficits. The factors that had a statistically significant influence on outcome were a short clinical history (less than 6 months) (p = 0.05) and a clinical onset without dementia (p = 0.03). Patients with medium-grade preoperative ventricular enlargement always made a complete functional recovery after surgery (p = 0.2)

Osteoblastoma of the calvaria: Report of two cases diagnosed with MRI and clinical review

The authors describe 2 cases of osteoblastoma of the calvaria and review the clinical features of the 28 cases reported in the world literature. Benign osteoblastoma is a rare tumor that effects young patients, most frequently at temporal level. On the basis of its neuroradiological appearance, it is difficult to formulate a differential diagnosis against other osteoblastic tumors or against osteoid osteoma. In only a few cases MRI findings are reported. In our cases, MRI was more effective than CT scans and radiographs for evaluating the intracranial and intraosseous extension of the tumor. The definitive diagnosis was obtained by combining the histopathological features of the tumor with the clinical and radiological data. The prognosis of this tumor is very good regardless of the type of treatment performed, although both relapse and, more rarely, malignant tumor evolution are possible

Sarcoma metastatic to the brain: A series of 15 cases

METHODS: We report on 15 patients surgically treated for intraparenchymal brain metastases from sarcoma, including six osteosarcomas, five leiomyosarcomas, two malignant fibrous histiocytomas, and two alveolar soft-part sarcomas (ASPS). RESULT: Median survival after craniotomy was 9.3 months. Patients with a preoperative Karnofsky performance score of > 70 survived for 12.8 versus 5.3 months for those with a Karnofsky performance score 70 are associated with a favorable prognosis; the presence of concurrent lung metastases is not a contraindication to surgery

Gli Ependimomi Spinali: aspetti clinici e prognostici

L'ependimoma spinale è un tumore, composto da cellule di derivazione ependimaria e/o subependimaria, che può essere localizzato a livello intramidollare, del cono midollare e della cauda equina. Generalmente si comporta come un tumore a bassa malignità ed a lenta evoluzione. Gli ependimomi spinali rappresentano circa il 2% dei tumori del sistema nervoso centrale; quelli spinali costituiscono circa il 40% di tutti gli ependimomi del sistema nervoso centrale ed hanno un'incidenza pari al 40-60% dei gliomi spinali