Non-invasive Intracranial Pressure Waveform Analysis in Chiari Malformation Type 1: A Pilot Trial.

Objective: This pilot study aimed to investigate the role of Posterior Fossa Decompression (PFD) on the intracranial pressure (ICP) waveform in patients with Chiari Malformation type 1 (CM1). It also sought to explore the relationship between symptom improvement and ICP waveform behavior.

Methods: This exploratory cohort study evaluated adult patients diagnosed with CM1.

Motor corticospinal excitability abnormalities differ between distinct chronic low back pain syndromes.

Objectives: It is not known whether cortical plastic changes reported in low-back pain (LBP) are present in all etiologies of LBP. Here we report on the assessment of patients with three LBP conditions: non-specific-LBP (ns-LBP), failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS), and sciatica (Sc).

Methods: Patients underwent a standardized assessment of clinical pain, conditioned pain modulation (CPM), and measures of motor evoked potential (MEPs)-based motor corticospinal excitability (CE) by transcranial magnetic stimulation, including short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF).

The impact of traumatic herniated discs in cervical facets dislocations treatments: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Traumatic facet dislocations in the subaxial cervical spine, also known as locked facets, are commonly associated with neurological deficits. The fear of the presence of an associated traumatic disc herniation and consequent neurological worsening usually causes a delay in the spinal realignment. This study's aim is an analysis of safety and efficacy when treating acute cervical traumatic facet dislocations using cranial-cervical traction or posterior open reduction and fixation in the presence of disc herniations.

Improvement of Hemichorea Following Surgical Resection of a Putaminal Cavernous Angioma: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Background: Hemichorea may point to a structural lesion in the contralateral basal ganglia with a large list of possible causes. Cavernous angioma may be rarely a possible cause for acute appearance of this movement disorder.

Case Description: We present a rare case of a 32-year-old female patient with hemichorea caused by a cavernoma (or cavernous angioma) in the contralateral insula and putamen with complete improvement of symptoms with surgical resection of the lesion.

Radiologic Features of Spontaneous Regression of Vestibular Schwannomas.

Background: Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is the most common benign tumor originating in the cerebellopontine angle. In most cases, tumors tend to grow and deserve proper treatment. Sometimes they stabilize, and rarely they decrease in size spontaneously.

The effect of filum terminale sectioning for Chiari 1 malformation treatment: systematic review.

Purpose: Symptomatic Chiari type I malformation (CM) is treated with posterior fossa decompression with/ without duroplasty. Few authors suggested cerebellar tonsil caudal migration due to a supposed "caudal traction" of cranial nerve structures in a so-called occult tethered cord syndrome. For these authors, filum terminale (FT) sectioning may improve CM symptoms.

Sporadic hemangioblastoma of cauda equina: An atypical case report.

Background: Hemangioblastomas account for about 1%-3% of all central nervous system tumors. They are usually associated with the Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome and typically occur in the posterior fossa, or throughout the spinal neuraxis. Here, we report the unusual case of a sporadic cauda equina hemangioblastoma.

Diffuse spinal spreading following previous intracranial intradural chordoma resection: A rare case report.

Introduction: Chordoma is a malignant tumor that usually involves the axial skeleton. Intradural chordomas are even rarer and 37 cases have been reported to the best of our knowledge. We present a case of a patient with an atypical metastatic diffuse intradural spinal involvement.

Traumatic Lumbosacral Spondyloptosis in a Pediatric Patient: Case Report and Literature Review.

A 4-year-old girl was admitted to the emergency department after having been buried beneath a wall. A computed tomography scan revealed anterior grade V L5-S1 spondylolisthesis, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a traumatic rupture of the fibrous annulus of the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and lesion of the anterior longitudinal and yellow ligaments. The patient underwent anterior and posterior fixation.

Brain Abscess After Halo Fixation for the Cervical Spine.

Background: Halo fixation is one of the possible treatments for cervical spine fractures. However, improper use of these devices may lead to many complications, such as pin loosening, halo dislocation, pin site infection, and intradural penetration.

Case Description: We report the case of a 43-year-old man who first presented with a seizure and an altered level of consciousness 5 months after halo-vest placement for an odontoid fracture.

Reliability and safety of a new upper cervical spine injury treatment algorithm.

Methods: Thirty cases, previously treated according to the new algorithm, were presented to four spine surgeons who were questioned about their personal suggestion for treatment, and the treatment suggested according to the application of the algorithm. After four weeks, the same questions were asked again to evaluate reliability (intra- and inter-observer) using the Kappa index.

Results: The reliability of the treatment suggested by applying the algorithm was superior to the reliability of the surgeons' personal suggestion for treatment.

Intraoperative Ultrasonography for Definition of Less Invasive Surgical Technique in Patients with Chiari Type I Malformation.

Introduction: Chiari malformation type I (CM) is the main congenital malformation disease of the craniovertebral junction. The ideal surgical treatment is still controversial. Invasive procedures inside the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space and associated with dural repair are considered the gold standard; however, less invasive surgery with isolated bone decompression without dural opening may be possible in selected patients.

Intradural calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis presenting as a cauda equina syndrome.

Background: Calcifying nonneoplastic pseudoneoplasms of the neuraxis (CAPNON) have been reported in 59 cases in literature, however, they rarely involve the spinal cord. Owing to the advances in immunohistochemical markers, their structure and origin are better understood now.

Case Report: We present the case of a 72-year-old female who had longstanding history of low back pain that exacerbated 20 days prior to the presentation to the emergency room with a frank cauda equina syndrome.

Surgical clipping is still a good choice for the treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms.

Unlabelled: Paraclinoid aneurysms are lesions located adjacent to the clinoid and ophthalmic segments of the internal carotid artery. In recent years, flow diverter stents have been introduced as a better endovascular technique for treatment of these aneurysms.

Method: From 2009 to 2014, a total of 43 paraclinoid aneurysms in 43 patients were surgically clipped.

Survival score scales of patients operated with spinal metastases: retrospective application in a Brazilian population.

Spinal cord epidural metastasis (SEM) is a common complication of systemic cancer. Predicting these patient's survival is a key factor to select the proper treatment modality, but the three most used score scales to predict their survival (Tokuhashi revised score, Tomita score and Bauer modified score) were designed in single institutions and their reliability to predict correctly the patient's survival were first tested only in those specific populations. This prognostication issue is addressed in this article, evaluating retrospectively the survival of 17 patients with SEM from a Brazilian general hospital with these score scales.

Application of indocyanine green video angiography in surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms.

Indocyanine green (ICG) video angiography has been used for several medical indications in the last decades. It allows a real time evaluation of vascular structures during the surgery. This study describes the surgical results of a senior vascular neurosurgeon.

Cerebellopontine angle empyema after lumbar disc herniation surgery.

Background: Lumbar discectomy is still one of the most common spinal surgeries performed today. Nevertheless, there are few publications considering severe complications.

Case Description: We report a case with severe complication, without any previous report, a brain empyema after cerebrospinal fluid leak with good outcome afterword.

The extracisternal approach in vestibular schwannoma surgery and facial nerve preservation.

The classical surgical technique for the resection of vestibular schwannomas (VS) has emphasized the microsurgical anatomy of cranial nerves. We believe that the focus on preservation of the arachnoid membrane may serve as a safe guide for tumor removal. Method The extracisternal approach is described in detail.

Perianeurysmal edema as a predictive sign of aneurysmal rupture.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage following intracranial aneurysmal rupture is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Several factors may affect the probability of rupture, such as tobacco and alcohol use; size, shape, and location of the aneurysm; presence of intraluminal thrombus; and even the sex of the patient. However, few data correlate such findings with the timing of aneurysmal rupture.

Gunshot wound to the upper cervical spine leading to instability.

Gunshot wounds (GSW) to the cervical spine leading to instability are rare. Also, the presence of vital vascular and neurological structures in the surround area lead to death or severe disability in the vast majority of cases. In this brief report, we present a rare case of C1 fracture due to GSW leading to instability of the atlanto-occipital joint in a neurologically intact patient.

Quality of life in adult intradural primary spinal tumors: 36-Item Short Form Health Survey correlation with McCormick and Aminoff-Logue scales.

Object: The most appropriate method to determine the quality of life of patients with intradural primary spinal tumors (IPSTs) is not still well established.

Methods: Clinical data in 234 patients who underwent surgery for intradural spinal disease were collected prospectively. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), a generic score scale, was administered to 148 patients with IPSTs to demonstrate if the survey can be used to effectively evaluate these patients.