Intra-operative real time intracranial subarachnoid haemorrhage during glial tumour resection: A case report

Glial tumours associated with subarachnoid haemorrhage are very rare. A 64-year-old woman admitted with a history of 3 weeks seizures and a left sided hemiparesis and dysphasia. The magnetic resonance disclosed heterogeneously enhancing a right temporal mass. During surgery, suddenly an abrupt and extensive swelling had occurred both in tumour and the brain tissue. The surgery was completed with a gross total tumour resection together with a partial temporal lobectomy. Postoperative computerized tomography demonstrated a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A cerebral Magnetic Resonance (MR) angiography showed neither an aneurysm nor arteriovenous malformation. Coincidence of an intracerebral tumour and subarachnoid haemorrhage would be devastating

Efficacy of Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Adult Patients: Experience of a Young Epilepsy Outpatient Clinic

Objectives:Antiepileptic drugs are the most commonly used treatments in epilepsy. However, in a group of about one-third of all epilepsy patients who have not been able to control seizures with antiepileptic drugs called drug-resistant epilepsy, epilepsy surgery, VNS (vagal nerve stimulation), neurostimulation, and the ketogenic diet are important treatment modalities. In this study, the patients who had refractory epilepsy and had VNS were reviewed retrospectively, and the results were evaluated.Methods:Patients who were followed-up with VNS in our clinic between July 2014 and January 2019 were evaluated in this study. Demographic and clinical features of the patients and seizure outcome after VNS were reviewed.Results:Seventeen patients who underwent vagal nerve stimulation were enrolled in this study. Three of these patients were VNS in the external centers and the patients we followed in our clinic. Eight (47.1%) of the patients were male, and nine (52.9%) were female; average age 32±8.40 years; (minimum 19 years, maximum 52 years). The mean age of VNS was 28.06±8.37 years, and the mean follow-up period after VNS was 38.82±14.67 months. The seizure of 52.9% of the patients degreased by more than 50%, 11.8% had no change in seizure frequency, 35.3% less than 50% improved. Cognitive improvement was observed in 47.1% of the patients.Conclusion:VNS is an important treatment modality in this group of patients to alleviate the frequency and the severity of the seizures, and to provide cognitive and behavioral improvement in drug-resistant epilepsy patients

Distinctive Characteristic Features of Intramedullary Hemangiopericytomas

Study DesignThe retrospective analysis of intramedullary hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) was performed, and the entity was discussed in accordance with the literature findings.PurposeThis study aimed at defining distinctive characteristic features of intramedullary HPC with respect to surgical approach and prognosis.Overview of LiteratureIntramedullary HPCs are extremely rare tumors. They originate from capillary pericytes, supposedly follow the vessels over the spinal cord, and infiltrate deep into the spinal cord without a distinct plane. Their treatments and prognosis are not well-defined in the literature.MethodsOur database was retrospectively reviewed for the cases of HPCs. Later on, a literature search was performed to reveal all reported cases of intramedullary HPCs. The following key words were searched in PubMed databases: "hemangiopericytoma and intramedullary," "hemangiopericytoma and spine (spinal) and intradural," and "hemangiopericytoma and spinal cord." The articles were reviewed for patients' demographics features, imaging characteristics, tumor-specific factors (surgical technique, pathological descriptions, and world health organization grades), and postoperative course and prognosis (adjuvant therapies, recurrences, complications, and mortalities).ResultsA total of seven patients (three male and four female) was reached, with their ages ranging from 15 to 80 years (mean, 32.5 years). The tumors were located majorly in thoracic region (5/7, 71.4%), and only two cases were in the cervical region (2/7, 28.6%). All tumors were completely removed, and only two cases received radiotherapy. No recurrence was reported.ConclusionsComplete resection of the intramedullary HPCs seems to be the best management strategy for long-term and recurrence-free survival and in alleviating further need for radiotherapy