[Brain metastasis from breast cancer: who?, when? and special considerations about the role of technology in neurosurgery].

Questions about both the place and the role of surgery on brain metastasis from breast cancer are arising more and more frequently in practice due to the increase of brain metastasis in patients suffering from a form of cancer recognized as one of the most recurrent cancers in adults but also one of the most sensitive to general treatments of the systemic disease. With improvements in anaesthesia, in surgical instruments, and in global care, neurosurgery has taken advantage of new techniques such as pre- and even per-operative imagery and also neuronavigation. These techniques enable radical and effective surgical intervention with a high level of safety for the patient, making neurosurgery perfectly competitive with other therapeutic modalities, particularly on functional grounds.

[Brain metastases in breast cancer. Epidemiology and natural history. The Institut Curie experience].

Breast cancer is the second cause for brain metastases. Their incidence is rising, partly due to the therapeutic improvements which alter the natural history of breast cancer. Predictive factors for brain metastases have been identified: HER2 oncogene overexpression, lack of expression of hormone receptors, young age and triple negative status.

The French mobile neurosurgical unit.

The authors present the French concept of a mobile neurosurgical unit (MNSU) as used to provide specific support to remote military medicosurgical units deployed in Africa, South America, Central Europe, and Afghanistan. From 2001 to 2009, 15 missions were performed, for 16 patients. All but 3 of these missions (those in Kosovo, French Guyana, and Afghanistan) concerned Africa.

[Recurrent giant cystic vestibular schwannomas: role of cystoperitoneal shunt].

Introduction: Surgical removal of giant cystic vestibular schwannomas is difficult because of adherences between the cyst membrane, brainstem, and the VII-VIII nerve complex. The recurrence of the cyst is frequent and requires reoperation. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of the palliative cystoperitoneal shunt in giant cystic vestibular schwannomas.

[Extradural spinal meningioma: case report].

Objectives: We report a case of purely extradural spinal meningioma and discuss the potential pitfalls in differential diagnosis.

Background: Spinal meningiomas account for 20-30% of all spinal neoplasms. Epidural meningiomas are infrequent intraspinal tumors that can be easily confused with malignant neoplasms or spinal schwannomas.

[Surgical management of synovial cyst of the lumbar spine: retrospective study of 52 patients].

Purpose Of The Study: Lumbar synovial cysts are an uncommon cause of radiculopathy, low back pain and neurogenic claudication. We report a retrospective analysis of the clinical presentation, radiological studies, operative findings and outcome in 52 patients surgically treated for symptomatic lumbar synovial cysts.

Material And Methods: Retrospective data from 52 consecutive patients treated from January 1996 to February 2006 were analyzed.

Pulmonary cement embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty: a rare and nonthrombotic cause of pulmonary embolism.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty consists of injection of acrylic cement - polymethylmethacrylate - into a vertebral body to obtain pain relief and increase its mechanical stability. The procedure is indicated for painful hemangiomas and for painful vertebral compression fractures due to osteoporosis or malignancy. Although vertebroplasty is an efficient treatment, it is not free of complications.

[Melanotic schwannoma, a tumor with a unpredictable prognosis: case report and review of the literature].

A large sporadic melanotic schwannoma was found at the C2-C3 level in a 66-year-old woman who presented a pyramidal syndrome of all four limbs. The diagnosis was established by histology and immunohistochemical studies and confirmed by ultrastructural examination. Thirty-six cases of melanotic schwannoma located in the spinal cord have been reported in the literature, allowing an analysis of the different histological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects.

[Clinical application of functional MRI: a strategic tool for neurosurgery].

The purpose was to incorporate preoperative functional imaging data into anatomic data of operative microscope for neurosurgical procedures of patients suffering from lesions contiguous to eloquent brain areas. The day before surgery, patients bearing scalp markers underwent fMRI, just before anatomical contrast-enhanced MR images. FMRI data analysis were realised using a t test (p<0.

[Arachnoid cysts of the middle fossa and associated subdural hematoma. Three case reports and review of the literature].

Background And Purpose: We report 3 cases of subdural hematoma associated with arachnoid cyst of the middle fossa, and discuss the treatment.

Methods: Three males aged 33, 63 and 68 were treated in our institution. Before this event the cyst was asymptomatic and unknown.