A Case of Primary Intracranial Sarcoma, DICER1-Mutant, in a Child with a Germline Mutation.

syndrome is a tumor predisposition syndrome caused by abnormal micro-RNA processing which leads to a variety of benign and malignant neoplasms in many organ systems, including the central nervous system. This paper reports the case of a primary intracranial sarcoma, -mutant, in a patient with a germline variant thought most likely to be de novo. The patient is a ten-year-old boy who presented acutely with altered level of consciousness, emesis, and left-sided weakness.

Early and isolated breast cancer metastasis to the pituitary: A case report and systematic review.

Background: Pituitary metastases (PMs) arising from breast cancer tend to occur many years following initial diagnosis, and after other systemic metastasis have been identified. Survival is generally considered to be poor. However, there are cases where patients present with an isolated metastatic lesion in the pituitary.

Operative Complications with and without Image Guidance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Ommaya Reservoir Literature.

Background: The use of image guidance (IG) in neurosurgery is ubiquitous, even though evidence from patient outcome data has remained limited to smaller, mostly observational, studies. Ommaya reservoir insertion (ORI) has been available as a treatment option for targeted intraventricular pharmacotherapy since the 1960s, far preceding the modern neuronavigation era. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the impact of IG on surgical outcome from ORI.

Impact of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Clinical Outcomes in a Propensity-Matched Low Grade Glioma Cohort.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the impact of preoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on clinical outcomes in patients with low grade glioma (LGG).

Methods: In a retrospective propensity-matched cohort study, we compared patients with LGG based on whether they underwent fMRI as part of preoperative assessment. Twelve patients with LGG who underwent preoperative fMRI were selected, and a contemporaneous group of 12 control patients with LGG who did not undergo fMRI were matched to the fMRI group based on age, sex, and 1p/19q status.

Tumor growth dynamics in serially-imaged low-grade glioma patients.

Background: Diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are infiltrative, slow-growing primary brain tumors that remain relatively asymptomatic for long periods of time before progressing into aggressive and fatal high-grade gliomas.

Methods: We retrospectively identified LGG patients with numerous (≥ 8) serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Tumor volumes were measured by manual segmentation on serial imaging to study the natural history and growth of the lesion.

Image-guided Ommaya reservoir insertion for intraventricular chemotherapy: a retrospective series.

Background: Ayub Ommaya proposed a surgical technique for subcutaneous reservoir and pump placement in 1963 to allow access to intraventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Currently, the most common indication for Ommaya reservoir insertion (ORI) in adults is for patients with hematologic or leptomeningeal disorders requiring repeated injection of chemotherapy into the CSF space. Historically, the intraventricular catheter has been inserted blindly based on anatomical landmarks.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Preoperative Planning in Brain Tumour Surgery.

Background: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is being increasingly used for the preoperative evaluation of patients with brain tumours.

Methods: The study is a retrospective chart review investigating the use of clinical fMRI from 2002 through 2013 in the preoperative evaluation of brain tumour patients. Baseline demographic and clinical data were collected.