Extent of tumor removal and molecular markers in cerebral glioblastoma: a combined prognostic factors study in a surgical series of 105 patients.

Object: In this paper, the authors' goal was to evaluate the prognostic value of YKL-40 expression as a prognostic factor for glioblastomas and to compare its validity to the already known MGMT.

Methods: Between January 2002 and January 2007, 105 patients were treated for cerebral glioblastoma. The extent of removal was classified in 4 groups.

Treatment of glioblastoma multiforme in the elderly in functionally non-critical areas. Clinical remarks on 22 patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of multimodality treatment of glioblastoma multiforme in the elderly. Although several studies report a poor outcome in elderly patients with glioblastoma, in the light of our experience, treatment of elderly patients with glioblastoma in non-critical areas and Karnofsky Performance Status > 60 should be just as aggressive as in younger patients.

Ethylene oxide sterilization of autologous bone flaps following decompressive craniectomy.

Introduction: In patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy, the bone flap is temporarily preserved either in the subcutaneous tissue of the patient or frozen. However, there are some drawbacks related to these methods.

Material And Methods: In 16 patients in whom the bone flap was removed for decompressive craniectomy, the bone was firstly washed in hydrogen peroxide and then placed in hermetically-sealed bags and sterilized using ethylene oxide.

Multicentric glioma: our experience in 25 patients and critical review of the literature.

Multicentric gliomas are interesting and well-recognised entities with a yet unknown rate of occurrence. Single cases or small series are reported in the literature accessible to us, and we think this is the first large series describing true multicentric gliomas. We reviewed 25 patients selected according to the criteria defined by Batzdorf and Malamud.

Parkinsonian syndrome in a patient with a pterional meningioma: case report and review of the literature.

The onset of a Parkinsonism in a patient with intracranial meningioma is definitely rare. The authors described the case of a patient suffering from a Parkinsonian syndrome for 10 years with no evidence of clinical improvement after medical treatment. A CT-scan of the brain evidenced a right pterional intracranial meningioma.