Olfactory schwannomas - an enigmatic clinical entity.

Olfactory Schwannomas (OS) are a rare, benign tumour entity. Throughout literature, only few cases have been reported. We describe here a case of a 75-year-old female with a contrast enhanced mass lesion in the anterior fossa, who underwent a surgical removal and its histopathological analysis was consistent with a schwannoma.

Rare Case of Convexity Meningioma Growing into Arachnoid Cyst.

Background: Meningioma growing into an arachnoid cyst is an extremely rare event. Only 3 cases are reported in the literature. In 2 of them, an operative procedure in or near the arachnoid cyst preceded tumor growth.

Hemodynamic Stress, Inflammation, and Intracranial Aneurysm Development and Rupture: A Systematic Review.

Background: There seems to be a pathogenetic link between hemodynamics and inflammatory arterial wall alteration leading to the development and rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Noninvasive assessment of the inflammatory status of the aneurysm wall may guide the management of unruptured IAs by identifying reliable markers for increased rupture risk.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative systematic review following the ENTREQ (Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research) framework.

Meningioma surgery in the elderly: outcome and validation of 2 proposed grading score systems.

Background: Although population age increases, published evidence on meningioma treatment in the elderly is scarce.

Objective: In order to improve selection for surgery, we investigated our patients' collective, using 2 proposed risk assessment systems, the Clinical-Radiological Grading System (CRGS) and the SKALE score (sex, Karnofsky, American Society of Anesthesiology [ASA] score, location, edema).

Methods: We retrospectively assessed morbidity and mortality in 164 patients aged ≥ 65, operated on for an intracranial meningioma.

Modern management of rare brain metastases in adults.

Brain metastases (BM) represent the main cause of intracranial neoplasms in adults, while being relatively less common in children. Today, better treatment options of the primary malignancy lead to higher remission rates as well as prolonged stable clinical conditions. This may in part explain the increased incidence of BM.

Iatrogenic tension pneumothorax resulting in pneumocephalus after insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt: an unusual complication.

We report the case of an iatrogenic tension pneumothorax related to the placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, followed by pneumocephalus. The patient was pending cranioplasty and shunt placement after decompressive craniectomy for acute subdural hematoma and posttraumatic hydrocephalus. Facilitating the severe and potential life-threatening complication was a severe obesity of the patient as well as incorrect surgical technique.

Significance of intraoperative motor function monitoring using transcranial electrical motor evoked potentials (MEP) in patients with spinal and cranial lesions near the motor pathways.

Intraoperative motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring in patients with spinal and cranial lesions is thought to be a valuable tool for prevention of postoperative motor deficits. Aim of this study was to investigate its diagnostic value in a spinal and a cranial patient group. Ninety-six patients, 31 with spinal and 65 with intracranial lesions, were studied.