Cerebral echinococcosis: Case report and literature review.

Echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by the larval form of the cestode Echinococcus granulosus. The cerebral affectation in the human is uncommon; only in 1-2% cases is observed encephalic involvement. This condition occurs mainly in the pediatric population and it is characterized by the presence of single and unilocular cysts.

Superior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysms Causing Facial Pain: A Comprehensive Review.

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia caused by superior cerebellar artery aneurysms (TGN-SCAAs) is a rare event without previous analysis.

Objective: To describe the features of TGN-SCAA based on 8 cases (7 from literature +1 illustrative case).

Methods: All cases were thoroughly studied with gathering of their epidemiological, radiological, clinical, therapeutic, and outcome data.

Retrosigmoid Approach for Trapping and Removal of a Distal Dissecting Superior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm in a Child.

 To demonstrate the feasibility of the retrosigmoid craniotomy for surgical management of vascular lesions located in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA).  A previously healthy 2-year-old boy presented a sudden episode of torticollis to the left while sleeping. This episode was selflimited but it occurred two more times in a 6-day span.

Surgical Clipping of a Petrosal Tentorial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula (Lawton's Type 5).

 To demonstrate the surgical clipping of a lateral petrosal tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), located in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA), through a retrosigmoid approach.  A previously healthy 49-year-old man presented a sudden episode of headache, photophobia, and dizziness. Due to the persistence of his symptoms despite proper analgesic treatment, he sought medical attention.

Posterior communicating artery aneurysms causing facial pain: A comprehensive review.

Posterior communicating aneurysms are commonly associated with oculomotor nerve palsy. However, trigeminal nerve involvement among these aneurysms is a rare event with no previous analysis. In order to describe the main features of posterior communicating aneurysms causing trigeminal neuralgia (TGN-PComAAs) eight cases (six from the literature plus two more illustrative cases) were included in the present series.

Bilateral ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistula: unexpected surgical diagnosis.

Dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) are infrequent lesions, the most common locations of which are the cavernous, sigmoid and transverse sinuses. The cribiform plate is one of the less frequent sites for DAVFs, where they entail a high hemorrhage risk. Feeding arteries for ethmoidal DAVFs can be uni- or bilateral.

Massive hemorrhage in hemangioblastomas Literature review.

Massive hemorrhage is a very uncommon event among hemangioblastomas. Forty-four cases have been reported before this review. Thorough analysis of all reported cases on literature was accomplished.

Severe constipation: an under-appreciated cause of VP shunt malfunction: a case-based update.

Background: Increased intra-abdominal pressure has been reported to result in raised intracranial pressure in a variety of conditions such as obesity and pregnancy, and it also constitutes an infrequent cause of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt malfunction. Patients with neurological deficits, as those with myelomeningocele or cerebral palsy, are prone to developing a neurogenic bowel and to suffer chronic constipation. Although previously recognized, VP shunt failure attributed to constipation has only recently been described.

Management of neonatal hydrocephalus: feasibility of use and safety of two programmable (Sophy and Polaris) valves.

Background: Neonates represent a unique group of pediatric patients with special peculiarities. Hydrocephalus valves have not always been designed to meet the requirements of these small children. Few series have addressed the problem of cerebrospinal fluid shunting in newborn babies.

Cauda equina-penetrating injury in a child. Case report.

The authors report the case of a 10-year-old boy who sustained an injury to the cauda equina as a result of the accidental penetration of a wooden pencil into the spinal canal. After neuroimaging evaluation to exclude visceral and vascular lesions, the foreign body was removed and the wound was repaired. This is the first report of a cauda equina injury caused by a pencil.

Shunt-related craniocerebral disproportion: treatment with cranial vault expanding procedures.

Two patients with intracranial arachnoid cysts, one with myelomeningocele-hydrocephalus and the other with a subdural fluid collection, were given a cerebrospinal (CSF) extracranial shunt. All four patients developed features of CSF overdrainage following shunting and were treated by cranial vault expanding procedures. Before undergoing decompressive craniotomy, the patients were treated by a variety of procedures, including changing of obstructed ventricular catheters (n=4), insertion or upgrading of programmable valves (n=3), and foramen magnum decompression (n=1).

Hydrocephalus in intraspinal dermoids and dermal sinuses: the spectrum of an uncommon association in children.

Background: Hydrocephalus associated with intraspinal tumors constitutes a well-documented occurrence. The accepted mechanisms for this association seem to be well established. On the contrary, hydrocephalus in the context of intraspinal dermoids has been rarely recognized and its pathogenetic mechanism appears to be different.

Rhabdoid meningioma: a new subtype of malignant meningioma also apt to occur in children.

Case Report: The case of a 14-year-old girl who presented with a 2-week history of raised intracranial pressure is reported. A left frontal extra-axial tumor was totally removed, whose histopathologic diagnosis was rhabdoid meningioma (RM).

Discussion: Rhabdoid meningiomas constitute a special malignant phenotype of meningioma that has been recently included in the WHO classification of tumors of the nervous system.