Clinical Practice in Spine Surgery: An International Survey.

Background:  The availability of diverse and sophisticated surgical options to treat spine conditions is compounded by the scarcity of high-level evidence to guide decision-making. Although studies on discrete treatments are frequently published, little information is available regarding real-world surgical practice. We intended to survey spine surgeons to assess clinical management of common spine diagnosis in day-to-day settings.

Mobile cauda equina ependymoma, case report and literature review.

The aim of this study was to describe a very rare presentation of ependymoma that can derive from intraoperative complications for surgeons and increased morbidity for the patients. Multiple cases of mobile cauda equina tumors leading to inadequate approach have been reported in the literature, however, the reports of ependymoma histology are very rare. This report describes the third adult case in recent years and a retrospective review of cases reported in the literature until today.

Frameless navigation-guided percutaneous rhizotomy of the trigeminal nerve: an appraisal of the literature.

Percutaneous rhizotomy is a cornerstone of trigeminal neuralgia treatment. The procedure is classically performed under intermittent fluoroscopic guidance. While frameless navigation has been advanced to overcome potential difficulties and risks of the technique, literature on the subject is limited, and a gap between actual use and published series is likely.

Cross my heart: ventriculoatrial shunt migration into the pulmonary arteries.

We present here a rare complication of ventriculoatrial shunt: migration of the distal catheter into both pulmonary arteries. The patient showed no cardiorespiratory symptoms. The catheter was removed by endovascular technic, the most usual procedure in these cases.

Glioblastoma multiforme metastases to the masticator muscles and the scalp.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor. Metastases outside the nervous system are a rare phenomenon. We present a pictographically striking case of GBM with metastases in the masticatory muscles of the infratemporal fossa and the scalp, in the context of a dense intracranial dissemination.

Traumatic brain injury caused by "balconing".

The term "balconing" refers to the practice of jumping from hotel balconies or roofs to swimming pools, or between hotel balconies. This activity is performed by young vacationists in certain European touristic locations, and it is perceived as a recreational practice. The activity generates a small but constant flow of patients with fall-related severe brain and systemic injuries.

Traumatic epidural retroclival hematoma with odontoid fracture and cardiorespiratory arrest.

Study Design: Case report.

Objectives: To describe a case or traumatic retroclival hematoma with features not previously reported.

Setting: Single center.

Delayed haemorrhage in the splenium of the corpus callosum after aneurysm rupture.

Background And Object: Delayed haemorrhage in the splenium of the corpus callosum after aneurysm rupture is a rare finding. It can be defined as a haemorrhage not present at the initial diagnosis of subarachnoid bleeding, in the context of an aneurysm not located in the corpus callosum vascularization. Only three such cases have been reported, all with focal and circumscribed haematomas.

Uncal decompression in gliomatosis cerebri.

Gliomatosis cerebri is defined as an infiltration, by an infiltrative glioma, of more than two cerebral lobes. Depending on response to treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy), clinical course may prolong over several months. Surgical excision has a very limited role in the management of this diagnosis.

Anaplastic ependymoma with holocordal and intracranial meningeal carcinomatosis and holospinal bone metastases.

Background And Importance: Ependymomas are the most frequent intramedullary neoplasms in adult patients. Anaplastic histology, extramedullary location, meningeal dissemination at initial diagnosis, and extraneural metastases are rare findings. We describe a case of extramedullary anaplastic ependymoma that presented with holocordal and intracranial leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and bone metastases in all the vertebral bodies and the sternum.

Decompressive craniectomy for encephalitis with brain herniation: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been sporadically used in cases of infectious encephalitis with brain herniation. Like for other indications of DC, evidence is lacking regarding the beneficial or detrimental effects for this pathology.

Methods: We reviewed all the cases of viral and bacterial encephalitis treated with decompressive craniectomy reported in the literature.