J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect
March 2021
Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory condition causing increased immune system activity and manifesting as noncaseating granulomatous disease with the ability to affect multiple organ systems. Neurosarcoidosis is an uncommon presentation, with just 5-10% of patients with sarcoidosis experiencing intracranial disease. The diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis can be difficult, especially given the overlap of imaging findings with more common intracranial lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSuccessful endovascular coiling of ruptured tiny saccular intracranial aneurysms (⩽3mm) is technically challenging and traditionally has been associated with technical failures, as well as morbidity related to thromboembolic events and high intraoperative rupture rates. This study analyzes the feasibility, technical efficacy, and clinical outcomes of coil embolization of ruptured tiny intracranial aneurysms using current coil and microcatheter technology and techniques. We performed a retrospective review of 20 patients with 20 ruptured tiny aneurysms treated with endovascular coil embolization from 2013 to 2016 at a single high-volume academic tertiary care practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Epistaxis is a very common medical condition and can often be controlled with conservative measures. Rarely, uncontrolled and life-threatening epistaxis can occur.
Case Description: We present the case of a 58-year-old man who developed delayed, massive epistaxis caused by an extracranial left internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm caused by an intranasal foreign object without apparent recent trauma.
Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown)
December 2015
Background: Current treatment strategies in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) include trials of medical therapy and surgical intervention, when necessary. In some patients, pain is not adequately managed with these existing strategies.
Objective: To present a novel technique, ventral pontine trigeminal tractotomy via retrosigmoid craniectomy, as an adjunct treatment in TN when there is no significant neurovascular compression.
Background: Intracranial tumors during pregnancy are uncommon, and they present an interesting challenge to both the neurosurgeon and the obstetrician. Special considerations must be made in every aspect of care. The authors use the rare case of a 27-year-old pregnant female with suspected pineal region tumor eventually diagnosed as a thalamic region ganglioglioma to review the current literature on management of pathology in this unique patient population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurol Surg B Skull Base
April 2013
Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea due to tegmen tympani defects can result in hearing impairment and predispose to meningitis. Seizures or neurological deficits are additional risks, particularly when associated with an encephalocele. Surgical repair of the dural defect through a middle cranial fossa (MCF) approach is a treatment option under these circumstances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg
December 2013
Gliomatosis cerebri is a rare, diffuse glioma of neuroepithelial origin involving more than two cerebral lobes. Clinical presentation of gliomatosis cerebri is variable and depends on the degree, extent, and location of cortical involvement. Signs and symptoms related to supratentorial cortical involvement predominate and the diagnosis is reached through a combination of clinical, radiographic, and histopathological evaluations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMarfan syndrome, hemifacial spasm, and Chiari malformation are all relatively rare and seemingly separate entities. Marfan syndrome is caused by a defect in the gene that encodes fibrillin and leads to weakness of the artery wall. Hemifacial spasm results from compression of the facial nerve by an abnormal artery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman neuroblastoma cell lines comprise cellular counterparts of normal differentiation phenotypes arising from the developing neural crest Three distinct cell types have been isolated from cell lines: N-type cells with properties of embryonic sympathoadrenoblasts, S-type cells resembling nonneuronal Schwannian/glial/melanoblastic precursors, and I-type stem cells that can differentiate into either N- or S-type cells. Sympathoadrenoblasts from the normal neural crest further differentiate into neuronal or neuroendocrine cells. In this study, we show that malignant N-type neuroblasts likewise can differentiate futher along these same pathways.
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