Microsurgery can cure most intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae of the sinus and non-sinus type

There is consensus that intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae (dAVF) with direct (non-sinus-type) or indirect (sinus-type) retrograde filling of a leptomeningeal vein should be treated due to the high risk of neurological deficits and hemorrhage. No consensus exists on treatment modality (surgery and/or embolization) and, if surgery is performed, on the best surgical strategy. This series aims to evaluate the role of surgery in the management of aggressive dAVFs. Forty-two patients underwent surgery. Opening and packing the sinus with thrombogenic material was performed in 9 of the 12 sinus-type dAVFs. In two sinus-type fistulae of the cavernous sinus and 1 of the torcular, microsurgery was used as prerequisite for subsequent embolization by providing access to the sinus. In the 30 non-sinus-type dAVFs, surgery consisted of interruption of the draining vein at the intradural entry point. In 41 patients undergoing 43 operations, elimination of the dAVF was achieved (97.6%). In one case, a minimal venous drainage persisted after surgery. The transient surgical morbidity was 11.9% (n = 5) and the permanent surgical morbidity 7.1% (n = 3). Our surgical strategy was to focus on the arterialized leptomeningeal vein in the non-sinus-type and on the arterialized sinus segment in the sinus-type dAVFs allowing us to obliterate all but one dAVF with a low morbidity rate. We therefore propose that microsurgery should be considered early in the treatment of both types of aggressive dAVFs. In selected cases of cavernous sinus dAVFs, the role of microsurgery is reduced to that of an adjunct to endovascular therapy

The Oldest Case of Decapitation in the New World (Lapa do Santo, East-Central Brazil)

We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa karst in east-central Brazil with evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 11.7-12.7 cal kyBP (95.4% interval). An ultra-filtered AMS age determination on a fragment of the sphenoid provided an age range of 9.1-9.4 cal kyBP (95.4% interval) for Burial 26. The interment was composed of an articulated cranium, mandible and first six cervical vertebrae. Cut marks with a v-shaped profile were observed in the mandible and sixth cervical vertebra. The right hand was amputated and laid over the left side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the chin and the left hand was amputated and laid over the right side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the forehead. Strontium analysis comparing Burial 26's isotopic signature to other specimens from Lapa do Santo suggests this was a local member of the group. Therefore, we suggest a ritualized decapitation instead of trophy-taking, testifying for the sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas during the early Archaic period. In the apparent absence of wealth goods or elaborated architecture, Lapa do Santo's inhabitants seemed to use the human body to express their cosmological principles regarding death

Do iatrogenic factors bias the placement of external ventricular catheters? A single institute experience and review of the literature

Placement of external ventricular drainage (EVD) catheters is the gold standard for managing acute hydrocephalus, but the range of complications varies in different studies. The objective of this present single institute study is to analyze iatrogenic factors, which may influence the EVD device placement and the patient's outcome. A total of 137 EVD placements in 120 patients at the University Hospital Zurich were analyzed retrospectively. Discriminative findings between the pre- and postoperative imaging were obtained and evaluated in detail with regards to the postoperative course, ventriculostomy-related infection, and acute neurological deterioration directly related to the EVD placement. These findings were correlated to iatrogenic factors including education level of the neurosurgeon and surgical setting. Overall EVD-related complication rate was 16.1%, including infection rate of 10.2%, catheter malplacement rate of 2.2%, and hemorrhage rate of 3.6%. Although not statistically significant, catheter-associated hemorrhages and malplacements were found mostly in primary EVD surgery, with a higher complication rate associated with junior residents as the performing surgeon. In contrast, ventriculostomy-related infection was most likely present in patients with more than one EVD placement and in patients treated by more experienced physicians. Complications related to EVD are common. The rate and character of the complication depends on the education level of the surgeon

Post-traumatic Collet–Sicard syndrome: personal observation and review of the pertinent literature with clinical, radiologic and anatomic considerations

Study design The lesion of the lower four cranial nerves, commonly called Collet–Sicard syndrome, can be caused by a blunt head and neck trauma. It may be associated to an isolated fracture of the occipital condyle or of the atlas. Objective The aim of this report is to assess the modality of the trauma, the type of fracture, the anatomic characteristics, the treatment and clinical results of this syndrome. Summary of background data We discuss 14 cases of fracture of occipital condyle and of atlas and 1 personal case. Methods We analyzed 14 cases collected from the literature between 1925 and 2013, reported a further personal case and performed an anatomical study of the paracondylar, atlas and styloid process region. The anatomical dissection was performed to assess the anatomic relationships in the site of transit in which the nerves IX, X, XI and XII are injured. Results A total of 14 cases of p-CSS were collected: 9 caused by a condyle fracture and 5 by an atlas fracture. The patients were 13 males and only 1 female, 10 of them had a blunt trauma due to the result of axial loading (force directed through the top of the head and through the spine) falling on the head. The nine cases with a condyle fracture were associated to the dislocation of part of it, while those with atlas fractures showed the fracture and/or disjunction of the articular mass. The anatomical evaluations reveal that the lower four cranial nerves, at their emergency, pass through a close osteo-ligamentous space in relationship to the condyle. Below they run through a little wider channel between the articular mass of C1 and the styloid process. Two cases underwent surgical procedure. All the other cases were treated conservatively with immobilization of the cervical spine. During follow-up three cases with condylar fractures were found to be clinically unchanged and six showed modest improvements while one case with atlas fracture had a complete recovery and four improved significantly. Conclusions The p-CSS is caused by force directed through the top of the head.Wesuppose that the nerve injuries are due to their laceration caused by a displacement of a condyle fragment or to their compression and stretching when they pass between the lateral mass of the atlas and the styloid process. Thesemodalities of traumaexplain the better clinical results in patients affected by C1 fractures. Conservative treatment is the option of choice. Surgical option, when choosed, is not considered to fix nerve damages