Brachial plexus injuries. Guidelines for management: our experience.

In spite of the progress made by microneurosurgery, the treatment of brachial plexus injuries still remains a great challenge. This personal series of 49 patients with brachial plexus injuries (excluding tumours and thoracic outlet syndromes) is peculiar because the cases arose after the introduction in Italy of the law requiring all motorcyclists to wear a safety helmet. Our experience confirms that there has been a 32% increase in very severe almost irreparable injuries of the plexus in comparison with previous data reported in the literature.

Skull bone defects. Preliminary results using a new prosthesis.

The use of a new prosthetic material (110 DTEX F 33 Propylene and Medical Polyester Torlen 165 DTEX) in the reconstruction of bone defects of the skull, even of large dimension, is described by the authors. The material has good biologic tolerance, is already pre-moulded, can be easily adapted to the exact size of the defect and offers remarkable aesthetic and functional results. EEG, X-ray, MRI and CT can be performed without artefact and interferences.

Duplicated peritoneal catheter as a cause of shunt malfunction. Case report.

A rare example of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt malfunction is presented. Radiological and operative findings demonstrated a self-duplication with upward migration of the peritoneal catheter.

Unusual radiological presentation of a primary CNS lymphoma.

The Authors report a case of primary cerebral lymphoma occurred in a 62 years old lady, who came to observation for headache and mood alterations. An enhanced CT showed a lesion recalling a meningeal sarcoma. Points of interest in this case are the unusual radiological appearance and the infrequent localization.

Non-medical treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Surgical operations and other methods.

Surgical operations on vessels and other methods of treatment are considered as non-medical therapies for ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. Some of these methods are accepted (improvement in lifestyle, rehabilitative measures) and some are not (acupuncture, homeopathic therapy). Considering the surgical operations, the results of microsurgical anastomoses between extra- and intracranial vessels, in particular, are discussed on the basis of experiences with 40 operated patients.