Endoscopic endonasal odontoidectomy for basilar invagination in children: Literature review and case report.

Background: Basilar invagination (BI) is an uncommon clinical condition of the craniocervical junction (CCJ). Surgical management depends on 2 factors: mobility and reducibility; in cases of irreducible dislocation or persistent compression, odontoidectomy should be considered.

Case Discussion: We present the case of a 13-year-old boy with severe BI, causing cervical myelopathy with progressive gait disorder.

[Microscopic excision of a colloyd cyst of the third ventricle assisted by endoscopy. Case report and literature analysis.].

Introduction: Colloid cysts are histologically benign lesions, probably derived from the endoderm, which represent 0.3-2% of brain tumors. They are usually attached to the roof of the third ventricle in direct relation to the foramen of Monro, which can cause a blockage to the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, determining hydrocephalus and in some cases sudden death.

Pushing the boundaries of accuracy and reliability during stereotactic procedures: A prospective study on 526 biopsies comparing the frameless robotic and Image-Guided Surgery systems.

Introduction: A 12-year long, prospective, single center study was conducted, comparing two frameless systems for brain biopsies: ROSA robotic-assisted stereotaxy and BrainLab Varioguide image-guided stereotaxy (Image Guided Surgery, IGS).

Method: All consecutive adult and pediatric patients undergoing frameless brain biopsies were included. Successfully achieving diagnosis was the primary endpoint, analysis of all periprocedural complications was the secondary endpoint, and the tertiary endpoint was the length of the procedure, with the aim of assessing of the learning curve for each operator over time.

TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway modulates octreotide antisecretory and antiproliferative effects in pituitary somatotroph tumor cells.

Octreotide (OCT) is used to inhibit hormone secretion and growth in somatotroph tumors, although a significant percentage of patients are resistant. It has also been tested in nonfunctioning (NF) tumors but with poor results, with these outcomes having been associated with SSTR2 levels and impaired signaling. We investigated whether OCT inhibitory effects can be improved by TGF-β1 in functioning and nonfunctioning somatotroph tumor cells.

Endovascular versus surgical treatment for improvement of oculomotor nerve palsy caused by unruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysms.

Background: There is no consensus regarding the best treatment option for unruptured aneurysms of the posterior communicating artery (PCom) presenting with oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP). We aimed to assess predictors of ONP recovery in a multicenter series of consecutive patients.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of prospective databases in three tertiary neurosurgical centers was carried out, selecting patients with ONP caused by unruptured PCom aneurysms, treated by surgical clipping or embolization, between January 2006 and December 2013.

Occult Cerebral Abscess Revealed by FDG PET/CT in a Case of Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome.

A 51-year-old woman developed profound coma complicating subarachnoid hemorrhage after aneurysmal rupture. An external ventricular drain was inserted. FDG PET/CT was performed for prognostication purposes and showed global cortical hypometabolism.

Cystic meningioma: radiological, histological, and surgical particularities in 43 patients.

Background: The presence of cysts is a rare occurrence for intracranial meningiomas in adults. We report our experience in a large consecutive series of cystic meningiomas.

Method: We prospectively collected data for a dedicated database of cystic meningioma cases between January 2004 and December 2011 in two tertiary neurosurgical centers.