Endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of parasellar abducens nerve schwannoma: A video demonstration.

Background: The abducens nerve schwannoma (ANS) in the sellar and parasellar region are extremely rare. Only around two dozen of ANS have been described in the world literature. These cases were, however, operated through the transcranial approach.

Type one chiari malformation as a cause of central sleep apnea and hypoventilation in children.

Objectives: Chiari type 1 malformation (CM1) may occasionally lead to central sleep apnea (CSA). We studied, in a large clinical cohort of pediatric CM1 patients, the effect of CM1 on breathing during sleep.

Methods: This is a retrospective single pediatric pulmonology center study with a systematic evaluation of pediatric CM1 patients under age 18 with polysomnography (PSG) during 2008-2020.

One-year costs of intensive care in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the pediatric population. The authors assessed 1-year costs of intensive care in pediatric TBI patients.

Methods: In this retrospective multicenter cohort study of four academic ICUs in Finland, the authors used the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium database to identify children aged 0-17 years treated for TBI in ICUs between 2003 and 2013.

Psychotropic Medication After Intensive Care Unit-Treated Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Our aim was to assess the occurrence and risk factors for psychotropic medication use after pediatric traumatic brain injury treated in the intensive care unit.

Methods: We combined data from the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium database, data on reimbursed medications from the Social Insurance Institute, and individual electronic health care data. We analyzed data on children aged five to 17 years treated for traumatic brain injury in intensive care units of four university hospitals in Finland during 2003 to 2013 and being alive six months after injury with no history of psychotropic medication use before traumatic brain injury.

Surgical treatment of a rare rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor in the pineal region.

Background: Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumors (RGNTs) in the pineal region are rare. RGNTs have been described in the fourth ventricle, but rarely reported in other brain regions. Here, we report the radiological findings, surgical treatment, and short-term outcome of an RGNT found in the pineal region.

Posttraumatic epilepsy in intensive care unit-treated pediatric traumatic brain injury patients.

Objective: Posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) is a well-described complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The majority of the available data regarding PTE stem from the adult population. Our aim was to identify the clinical and radiological risk factors associated with PTE in a pediatric TBI population treated in an intensive care unit (ICU).

Comparison of Black Bone MRI and 3D-CT in the preoperative evaluation of patients with craniosynostosis.

Purpose: Black Bone (BB) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a nonionizing imaging method and a recent alternative to computed tomography (CT) in the examination of cranial deformities. The purpose of this study was to compare BB-MRI and routine 3D-CT in the preoperative evaluation of patients with craniosynostosis.

Methods: At our center, we have routinely performed preoperative CT of the skull and brain MRI for patients with clinical suspicion of craniosynostosis.

Trends in pediatric epilepsy surgery in Europe between 2008 and 2015: Country-, center-, and age-specific variation.

Objective: To profile European trends in pediatric epilepsy surgery (<16 years of age) between 2008 and 2015.

Methods: We collected information on volumes and types of surgery, pathology, and seizure outcome from 20 recognized epilepsy surgery reference centers in 10 European countries.

Results: We analyzed retrospective aggregate data on 1859 operations.

Genetic and Epigenetic Characterization of Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Tumors.

Somatic driver mechanisms of pituitary adenoma pathogenesis have remained incompletely characterized; apart from mutations in the stimulatory Gα protein (Gα encoded by ) causing activated cAMP synthesis, pathogenic variants are rarely found in growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumors (somatotropinomas). The purpose of the current work was to clarify how genetic and epigenetic alterations contribute to the development of somatotropinomas by conducting an integrated copy number alteration, whole-genome and bisulfite sequencing, and transcriptome analysis of 21 tumors. Somatic mutation burden was low, but somatotropinomas formed two subtypes associated with distinct aneuploidy rates and unique transcription profiles.

Validation of prognostic models in intensive care unit-treated pediatric traumatic brain injury patients.

Objective: There are few specific prognostic models specifically developed for the pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) population. In the present study, the authors tested the predictive performance of existing prognostic tools, originally developed for the adult TBI population, in pediatric TBI patients requiring stays in the ICU.

Methods: The authors used the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium database to identify pediatric patients (< 18 years of age) treated in 4 academic ICUs in Finland between 2003 and 2013.

Screening for germline and mutations in a set of somatotropinoma patients.

Objective: Recently, mutations in , a potassium channel gene usually linked to long QT syndrome, were reported to cause maternally inherited gingival fibromatosis and growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Expression of the mutated KCNQ1 with the auxiliary potassium channel subunit KCNE2 was shown to reduce pituitary hormone secretion in functional experiments. Here, we investigated if germline mutations in and were present in patients with somatotropinomas, which represent a model of growth hormone excess.

Molecular alterations in pediatric brainstem gliomas.

Background: Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) have a dismal prognosis. Previously, diagnosis was based on a typical clinical presentation and magnetic resonance imaging findings. After the start of the era of biopsies, DIPGs bearing H3 K27 mutations have been reclassified into a novel entity, diffuse midline glioma, based on the presence of this molecular alteration.

Cerebellar mutism syndrome in children with brain tumours of the posterior fossa.

Background: Central nervous system tumours constitute 25% of all childhood cancers; more than half are located in the posterior fossa and surgery is usually part of therapy. One of the most disabling late effects of posterior fossa tumour surgery is the cerebellar mutism syndrome (CMS) which has been reported in up to 39% of the patients but the exact incidence is uncertain since milder cases may be unrecognized. Recovery is usually incomplete.

Impact of AIP and inhibitory G protein alpha 2 proteins on clinical features of sporadic GH-secreting pituitary adenomas.

Introduction: In sporadic acromegaly, downregulation of AIP protein of the adenomas associates with invasive tumor features and reduced responsiveness to somatostatin analogues. AIP is a regulator of Ga signaling, but it is not known how the biological function of the Ga pathway is controlled.

Aim: To study GNAS and AIP mutation status, AIP and Ga protein expressions, Ki-67 proliferation indices and clinical parameters in patients having primary surgery because of acromegaly at a single center between years 2000 and 2010.

Health-related quality of life in patients treated for nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas during the years 2000-2010.

Objective: The published data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after treatment of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are conflicting. We evaluated HRQoL in a recent series of patients who had surgery for an NFPA.

Design: Cross-sectional study including a large control population.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Growth Hormone (GH)-Secreting Pituitary Adenomas.

Context: The somatic landscape of pituitary adenomas is largely unknown. Identification of somatic alterations aims at better understanding of tumor pathology.

Objective: The objective of the study was a genome-wide characterization of somatic single-nucleotide variants, structural variants, and copy-number aberrations in somatotropinomas.

Transition From Microscopic to Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery for Nonfunctional Pituitary Adenomas.

Objective: At our institution, a total of 320 patients were operated on between 2000 and 2010 for a newly diagnosed pituitary adenoma. In an attempt to improve quality of tumor resection, the transsphenoidal microscopic technique was replaced by the endoscopic technique in June 2008. This retrospective single center study compares the outcomes after microscopic (n = 144) and endoscopic (n = 41) tumor surgery of all patients operated on for a nonfunctional pituitary adenoma.

Normal long-term health-related quality of life can be achieved in patients with functional pituitary adenomas having surgery as primary treatment.

Background: Previous studies report impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with functional pituitary adenomas (FPA). We assessed HRQoL in FPA patients having undergone surgery at our University Central Hospital between 2000 and 2010, with combined adjuvant treatment given to achieve strict hormonal control.

Design: A cross-sectional study including a large control population.

Prospective flutemetamol positron emission tomography and histopathology in normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Unlabelled: BACKGOUND/OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of association between uptake of the amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent [(18)F]flutemetamol and the level of amyloid-β measured by immunohistochemical and histochemical staining in a frontal cortical region biopsy site.

Methods: Seventeen patients with probable normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) underwent prospective [(18)F]flutemetamol PET and subsequent frontal cortical brain biopsy during ventriculoperitoneal shunting. Tissue amyloid-β was evaluated using the monoclonal antibody 4G8, thioflavin S and Bielschowsky silver stain.

[EEG under the surface].

Epilepsy work-up is based on history and scalp EEG. Drug resistant epilepsy should be evaluated in a dedicated epilepsy surgery unit. Sometimes non-invasive studies fail to localize the epileptogenic area in focal epilepsy and then the work up can be complemented with intracranial EEG.

[Complications of hydrocephalus shunting].

The most common problems related to cerebrospinal fluid shunt are obstruction, infection and overdrainage. The incidence of shunt complications is higher when less time has elapsed since the previous shunt surgery. Nearly all shunt patients end up with one or multiple reoperations.

Sensitivity and specificity of seizure-onset zone estimation by ictal magnetoencephalography.

Purpose: Ictal video-electroencephalography (EEG) is commonly used to establish ictal onset-zone location. Recently software development has enabled systematic studies of ictal magnetoencephalography (MEG). In this article, we evaluate the ability of ictal MEG signals to localize the seizure-onset zone.

Inheritance of nasal dermoid sinus cyst and evidence for association with third ventricle colloid cyst.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the possible inheritance of nasal dermoid sinus cyst in the Finnish population.

Methods: A patient questionnaire and interview were utilized for this study.

Results: We identified nine patients with dermoid sinus cyst.