Treatment of V600E mutated ganglioglioma of the third ventricle with dabrafenib.

Background: Ganglioglioma (GG) of the third ventricle is rare. Surgical excision of tumors in this location is associated with high morbidity due to nearby eloquent brain centers. Alternative treatments, when available, should be considered to reduce risks of surgical treatment.

Evaluation of a novel application of a mindfulness phone application for patients with brain tumours: a feasibility study.

Purpose: Despite the large clinical interest in mindfulness, little is known about its effects in patients with brain tumours. Novel delivery methods such as App based Mindfulness training (AMT) may assist in the delivery of mindfulness treatment to this group of patients.

Methods: We aimed to determine the feasibility of administering an 8-week mindfulness treatment by AMT in patients operated on for brain tumours in a publically funded hospital.

Complicated Pseudomeningocele Repair After Chiari Decompression: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Pseudomeningocele is a recognised complication after posterior fossa decompression for Chiari malformation. Its management can be challenging and treatment options vary in literature.

Case Description: A difficult-to-treat case of a pseudomeningocele after posterior fossa decompression for a Chiari I malformation is presented.

Rhabdomyolysis after neurosurgery: a review and a framework for prevention.

Rhabdomyolysis (RM) is a potentially fatal or disabling clinical syndrome resulting in muscle necrosis and leakage of muscle constituents into the blood. Lactic acidosis and more serious complications such as acute renal failure may occur in up to half of recognized cases, so accurate diagnosis is required. We present three cases in which RM occurred in patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures performed in the lateral position.

Transphenoidal surgery without steroid replacement in patients with morning serum cortisol below 9 μg/dl (250 Nmol/l).

Background: Adrenal insufficiency is a feared complication in patients undergoing transphenoidal surgery (TSS). Using the insulin tolerance test (ITT) for the preoperative assessment of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) status is less than ideal, and the morning serum cortisol (MSC) is often used as a proxy for ITT. However, neither the ITT nor the MSC level has been validated to indicate HPA sufficiency compared to a physiological gold standard such as patients' ability to withstand transphenoidal surgery.

Endovascular stenting of an extracranial-intracranial saphenous vein high-flow bypass graft: Technical case report.

Background: The authors describe a case of endovascular stenting of an extracranial-intracranial saphenous vein high-flow bypass graft in the management of a complex bilateral carotid aneurysm case.

Case Description: A 43-year-old woman was admitted with progressive visual field restriction and headache. Imaging studies revealed bilateral supraclinoid carotid aneurysms.

Laparoscopy-assisted ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery: personal experience and review of the literature.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is a widely accepted technique for the treatment of hydrocephalus. The standard procedure to insert the peritoneal catheter requires an abdominal incision, muscle dissection, and opening of the peritoneum. A number of complications related to the abdominal surgical phase have been reported.

Arteriovenous malformations and intraoperative indocyanine green videoangiography: preliminary experience.

We report our preliminary clinical experience with microscope-integrated intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography in the treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Nine patients underwent surgical procedures for AVMs. All patients had preoperative and early postoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA).

A polycystic variant of a primary intracranial leptomeningeal astrocytoma: case report and literature review.

Background: Primary leptomeningeal astrocytomas are rare intracranial tumors. These tumors are believed to originate from cellular nests which migrate by means of aberration, ultimately settling in the leptomeningeal structure. They may occur in both solitary and diffuse forms.

Emergency surgery in a severe penetrating skull base injury by a screwdriver: case report and literature review.

Background: Very few cases of severe penetrating injuries to the skull base with a seemingly innocuous object have been described in the literature. Of the cases reported, only ten involve a penetrating screwdriver. However, the choice of therapeutic management, whether it be emergency surgical or non-surgical removal of the penetrating object as well as the selected surgical approach remain quite controversial.

Central neurocytoma: two case reports and review of the literature.

Central neurocytomas are low grade tumours usually located in the lateral ventricles next to Monro foramina. This paper reviews the literature on central neurocytomas observed in the last few years and discusses their clinical, histopathological, immunohistochemical and genetic characteristics. Important correlations between therapeutic strategies and biological findings as well as new genetic discoveries are also discussed.

Surgical management of adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting macroadenomas: outcome and challenges in patients with Cushing's disease or Nelson's syndrome.

Object: Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary macroadenomas are an uncommon cause of Cushing's disease (CD) and, subsequently, Nelson's syndrome (NS). They have been associated with low postoperative remission rates. The outcome of modern surgical treatment is unclear and thus was assessed in a series of 43 patients, with the goal of improving therapeutic results in patients with ACTH-secreting macroadenomas.

Radiation-induced intracranial meningiomas: review of six operated cases.

It is well known that radiation can induce meningiomas. These tumors usually arise in patients with a history of low-dose radiation to the scalp for treatment of tinea capitis or high-dose radiation for a previous brain tumor. Radiation-associated meningiomas (RAMs) morphologically resemble their spontaneously arising counterparts.