Two-Stage Surgical Management for Acutely Presented Large Vestibular Schwannomas: Report of Two Cases

The surgical management of vestibular schwannomas should be based on their presentation, neuro-imaging findings, surgeons’ expertise, and logistics. Multi-stage surgery can be beneficial for large-sized lesions with acute presentations. Herein, we highlighted the indications for two cases managed initially through the retrosigmoid and, subsequently, translabyrinthine approaches. The first case presented with acute balance and gait issues and a long history of hearing loss and blurred vision. Neuroimaging findings revealed a cerebellopontine angle lesion, resembling a vestibular schwannoma, with significant brainstem compression and hydrocephalus. Due to the rapidly deteriorating clinical status and large-sized tumor, we first proceeded with urgent decompression via a retrosigmoid approach, followed by gross total resection via a translabyrinthine approach two weeks later. The second case presented with gradually worsening dizziness and hemifacial numbness accompanied by acute onset severe headaches and hearing loss. Neuroimaging findings showed a large cerebellopontine angle lesion suggestive of a vestibular schwannoma with acute intratumoral hemorrhage. Given the acute clinical deterioration and large size of the tumor, we performed urgent decompression with a retrosigmoid approach followed by gross total resection through a translabyrinthine approach a week later. Post-surgery, both patients showed excellent recovery. When managing acutely presented large-sized vestibular schwannomas, immediate surgical decompression is vital to avoid permanent neurological deficits

Early elective surgical exploration of spontaneous intracerebral hematomas of unknown origin Clinical article

Object The management of non–life threatening spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage with no obvious medical etiology in patients and the lack of findings on images has not been clearly defined. In general, the current practice is to treat these patients conservatively and repeat studies to rule out a treatable cause 6 weeks to 3 months later; more often than not these repeated studies fail to reveal any findings, and the patient is treated conservatively. For years, the senior author (R.C.H.) has treated these patients with early surgical exploration. This study was undertaken prospectively to ascertain the frequency of positive findings during surgical exploration. Methods Between 2000 and 2007, the authors prospectively collected data from 9 cases (4 cerebellar, 4 lobar, and 1 caudate head) of unexplained intraparenchymal hemorrhages. The patient age ranged from 18 to 45 years (mean 31.2 years). All patients were normotensive, had no underlying medical problems explaining such a hemorrhage, and failed to exhibit findings on cerebral angiograms. Magnetic resonance images with contrast showed no abnormal vasculature or enhancement. Eight patients underwent elective surgical exploration in the subacute stage, and urgent decompression of the clot was necessary in 1. Results In 7 (77.8%) of the 9 cases, histopathological examination revealed a cause for the hemorrhage (3 “cryptic” arteriovenous malformations, 3 cavernomas, and 1 neoplasm). A good outcome was achieved in all 8 patients who underwent elective surgery. Conclusions The authors recommend elective surgical exploration of intracerebral hematomas of unknown etiology provided that the hematoma is surgically accessible and the patient is relatively young and healthy. Early exploration and resection can provide a cure and eliminate the risk of rebleeding when a vascular lesion is found or guide further treatment in cases of tumor

What you need to know about: arterial cerebrovascular syndromes caused by static or dynamic musculoskeletal compression

Compressive syndromes of the cervical arteries caused by musculoskeletal structures include bow hunter's syndrome, beauty parlour stroke syndrome, carotid compression by the hyoid bone, carotid compression by the digastric muscle and Eagle syndrome. They are a rare but increasingly recognised group of syndromes, so a high level of suspicion is needed so the diagnosis is not missed. The diagnosis is typically based on a combination of clinical history and advanced imaging investigations. Compression of the arteries may be static (only provoked by compression) or dynamic (exaggerated by movement), and this should be considered when selecting imaging studies. Symptoms resulting from vertebrobasilar insufficiency or ischaemia of areas supplied by the internal carotid artery are caused by compression of the vertebral artery and the internal carotid artery respectively. Surgical procedures are the preferred treatment for most of these syndromes

Serum long non-coding RNAs as potential noninvasive biomarkers for glioblastoma diagnosis, prognosis, and chemoresistance

Gliomas are common brain tumors with a variable prognosis based on their tumor grade. With glioblastomas, the prognosis is usually unfavorable. Thus, having accurate and rapid methods for their diagnosis and follow-up are essential for rapid discovery of the tumor and to protect patients from unnecessary procedures. Some glioma cases are challenging since there is a limited ability to differentiate between gliomas, recurrent glioblastomas, and single metastatic lesions. Monitoring treatment responses and follow-ups can also be challenging. While both radiological and serological markers have been identified that can aid diagnosis and assess therapies, a particularly promising new class of serological markers are long non-coding RNAs. Long non-coding RNAs are a relatively recently discovered class of regulatory RNA molecules that play critical roles in many cellular and physiological processes. The potential role that long non-coding RNAs play with glioma pathogenic processes is not fully understood. In this literature review, we highlight the potential for long non-coding RNAs to be used as serum biomarkers in glioblastoma patients, including their potential to serve as non-invasive, easy to use, and rapid diagnostic or prognostic indicators

A unique variant of abducens nerve duplication in a case of a large vestibular schwannoma

Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are slow-growing benign tumors commonly found in the cerebellopontine angle, potentially compressing brain structures and cranial nerves, including the abducens nerve (AN), responsible for lateral gaze. Although large VSs may compress the AN, postsurgical AN palsy is rare, and the clinical significance of AN variations, particularly in VS cases, remains unclear. We report a unique case of a 29-year-old female with a large left vestibular schwannoma. The patient underwent a left-sided microsurgical two-stage excision with an uneventful recovery (House-Brackmann facial grade I). During surgery, a rare variant of the AN was identified. This AN originated as two separate trunks and merged 3 mm distal to its origin in the same segment. To the best of our knowledge, arising and merging in the cisternal segment of AN variation has not been reported previously. Recognizing AN variations is vital for successful skull base surgeries, especially in preserving both branches during vestibular schwannoma surgery and ensuring ocular function

Intraoperative Shortening of Aneurysm Clips: Revisiting an Old Technique in a New Era

BACKGROUND: It can sometimes be challenging to find a suitable clip to treat an unusual aneurysm, or when the surrounding anatomy is unusual, especially in resourcelimited environments. We describe a method to modify aneurysm clips based on the method originated by Sugita et al in 1985. Herein clip modification (Clip-Mod) is used to treat anatomically difficult anterior communicating artery aneurysms