Measuring the diagnostic management and follow-up imaging for glioma patients across Belgian hospitals between 2016 and 2019.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic management and follow-up imaging for glioma patients across Belgian hospitals by calculating process indicators.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed glioma in Belgium (2016-2019) were selected from the Belgian Cancer Registry. The National Social Security Number served as unique patient identifier, linking the Registry to vital status and reimbursement data.

Central nervous system solitary fibrous tumors: Case series in accordance with the WHO 2021 reclassification. Framework for patient surveillance.

Purpose: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are a rare type of mesenchymal tumors. The World Health Organization reclassified SFTs in 2021. Currently, guidelines concerning treatment and follow-up are lacking.

Deep brain stimulation for essential tremor in patients with ventriculomegaly.

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus ventralis intermedius (VIM-DBS) is considered a safe and effective treatment for medically intractable essential tremor (ET). However, ventriculomegaly can provide a surgical challenge, as there is an increased risk of breaching the ventricle during the procedure, with potential risk of intraventricular hemorrhage and target displacement.

Case Description: In this case series, we report successful bilateral VIM-DBS in a 72-year-old and 69-year-old female ET patient with significant ventriculomegaly.

Association of hospital volume with survival but not with postoperative mortality in glioblastoma patients in Belgium.

Objectives: Standard of care treatment for glioblastoma (GBM) involves surgical resection followed by chemoradiotherapy. However, variations in treatment decisions and outcomes exist across hospitals and physicians. In Belgium, where oncological care is dispersed, the impact of hospital volume on GBM outcomes remains unexplored.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Incidence and Observed Survival of Malignant Brain Tumors in Belgium.

(1) Background: This study evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence, treatment, and survival of adults diagnosed with malignant brain tumors in Belgium in 2020. (2) Methods: We examined patients aged 20 and older with malignant brain tumors (2004-2020) from the Belgian Cancer Registry database, assessing incidence, WHO performance status, vital status, and treatment data. We compared 2020 incidence rates with projected rates and age-standardized rates to 2015-2019.

Deep brain stimulation in Bassen-Kornzweig syndrome: Still effective after 22 years.

Introduction: Bassen-Kornzweig syndrome or abetalipoproteinemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a malabsorption of dietary fat and fat-soluble vitamins. This deficiency can lead to a variety of symptoms, including hematological (acanthocytosis, bleeding tendency), neurological (tremor, spinocerebellar ataxia), neuromuscular (myopathy), ophthalmological symptoms (retinitis pigmentosa). The thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) is a well-established target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of refractory tremor.

Epidemiology and survival of adult-type diffuse glioma in Belgium during the molecular era.

Background: Survival data of diffuse adult-type glioma is mostly based on prospective clinical trials or small retrospective cohort studies. Real-world data with large patient cohorts is currently lacking.

Methods: Using the nationwide, population-based Belgian Cancer Registry, all known histological reports of patients diagnosed with an adult-type diffuse glioma in Belgium between 2017 and 2019 were reviewed.

Anterolateral versus posterior minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion surgery for spondylolisthesis: comparison of outcomes from a global, multicenter study at 12-months follow-up.

Background Context: Several minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion techniques may be used as a treatment for spondylolisthesis to alleviate back and leg pain, improve function and provide stability to the spine. Surgeons may choose an anterolateral or posterior approach for the surgery however, there remains a lack of real-world evidence from comparative, prospective studies on effectiveness and safety with relatively large, geographically diverse samples and involving multiple surgical approaches.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that anterolateral and posterior minimally invasive approaches are equally effective in treating patients with spondylolisthesis affecting one or two segments at 3-months follow-up and to report and compare patient reported outcomes and safety profiles between patients at 12-months post-surgery.

Cancer Registration, Molecular Marker Status, and Adherence to the WHO 2016 Classification of Pathology Reports for Glioma Diagnosed during 2017-2019 in Belgium.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to cross-check and, if necessary, adjust registered ICD-O-3 topography and morphology codes with the findings in pathology reports available at the Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR) for glioma patients. Additionally, integration of molecular markers in the pathological diagnosis and concordance with WHO 2016 classification is investigated.

Methods: Since information regarding molecular tests and corresponding conclusions are not available as structured data at population level, a manual screening of all pseudonymized pathology reports available at the BCR for registered glioma patients (2017-2019) was conducted.

Quality indicators in neuro-oncology: Review of the literature and development of a new quality indicator set for glioma care through a two-round Delphi survey.

Background: Quality Indicators (QIs) are important tools to assess the quality and variability of oncological care. However, their application in neuro-oncology is limited so far. The objective of this study was to develop a set of QIs for glioma, covering process and outcome indicators.

Chiari Type I Malformation Presenting with Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Introduction:  Chiari type I malformations can present in different ways, but the most frequent symptom is an occipitocervical headache. Hearing loss as the main presenting symptom is rare.

Case:  A young woman with progressive left-sided unilateral hearing loss was diagnosed with a Chiari type I malformation.

The supplementary motor area syndrome: a neurosurgical review.

The supplementary motor area (SMA) syndrome is a frequently encountered clinical phenomenon associated with surgery of the dorsomedial prefrontal lobe. The region has a known motor sequencing function and the dominant pre-SMA specifically is associated with more complex language functions; the SMA is furthermore incorporated in the negative motor network. The SMA has a rich interconnectivity with other cortical regions and subcortical structures using the frontal aslant tract (FAT) and the frontostriatal tract (FST).

Hippocampal Sclerosis in Frontotemporal Dementia: When Vascular Pathology Meets Neurodegeneration.

Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is a common neuropathological finding and has been associated with advanced age, TDP-43 proteinopathy, and cerebrovascular pathology. We analyzed neuropathological data of an autopsy cohort of early-onset frontotemporal dementia patients. The study aimed to determine whether in this cohort HS was related to TDP-43 proteinopathy and whether additional factors could be identified.

Partial resection offers an overall survival benefit over biopsy in MGMT-unmethylated IDH-wildtype glioblastoma patients.

Background Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastoma patients with O-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT)-unmethylated tumors have the worst outcome of all glioblastoma patients. The overall survival (OS) benefit of partial resection of glioblastoma compared to biopsy only remains controversial specifically in relation to molecular factors. In this report, we analyzed the effect of incomplete resection on OS compared to biopsy only in a cohort of IDH-wildtype glioblastoma patients who were uniformly treated with temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy (TMZ-CR) after surgery.

Subventricular zone contacting glioblastoma: tumor size, molecular biological factors and patient survival.

Background: Several studies show that subventricular zone (SVZ) contact of glioblastoma at diagnosis is a negative prognosticator of survival. In this report, we study glioblastoma patient survival, molecular biological and MRI-based volumetric findings according to SVZ contact.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult patients diagnosed with supratentorial glioblastoma and uniformly treated with temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy after surgery.

Granular Cell Tumor of the Pituitary Presenting with Major Intraventricular Hemorrhage.

Granular cell tumors of the pituitary gland are rare, slow-growing lesions arising from the neurohypophysis or pituitary stalk. We describe an extremely rare presentation of a pituitary granular cell tumor mimicking an anterior communicating artery aneurysmal rupture with ventricular hemorrhage. The patient was admitted in a comatose state and underwent urgent bilateral external ventricular drainage.

Conscious Sedation Using Dexmedetomidine During Surgical Paddle Lead Placement Improves Outcome in Spinal Cord Stimulation: A Case Series of 25 Consecutive Patients.

Objectives: Different anesthesia techniques are used for surgical implantation of paddle lead electrodes for neurostimulation through a laminectomy. We wanted to evaluate the use of dexmedetomidine as sedative for this procedure in a series of patients. Second, we wanted to verify whether the stimulation pattern and position of the electrode had to be changed during the procedure guided by the patient's feedback.

Weak MGMT gene promoter methylation confers a clinically significant survival benefit in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Quantitative methylation specific PCR (qMSP) is a frequently used technique to assess MGMT gene promoter methylation in glioblastoma patients. The optimal technical cut-off value to distinguish methylated from unmethylated samples is nevertheless still undetermined. In literature, a "grey zone" of diagnostic uncertainty has been described.

Endoscopic Treatment of Temporal Arachnoid Cysts in 34 Patients.

Introduction: Arachnoid cysts are lesions present in 1% of the population and usually found in the temporal fossa. Clinical and radiologic presentations can differ greatly. Despite intensive research, it is still debatable which patients will benefit from surgery.

Treatment of cystic craniopharyngioma by endocavitary instillation of yttrium⁹⁰ radioisotope--still a valuable treatment option.

Craniopharyngiomas are a challenging pathology in neurosurgery because of their anatomic localization in the (supra)sellar region and their contact with diencephalic structures around the third ventricle. Among the different treatment modalities, stereotactic intracavitary treatment by instillation of yttrium⁹⁰ radioisotope is a minimally invasive technique of particular use in the treatment of cystic or partially cystic craniopharyngiomas. It can be performed under local anesthesia during a short hospitalization and has a long-lasting effect.

Endoscopic coagulation of choroid plexus hyperplasia.

Hydrocephalus is a clinical disorder resulting from an imbalance between the production of CSF and its resorption, of which the latter is mostly a disadvantage. In rare cases of choroid plexus papilloma or carcinoma, hydrocephalus is due to an overproduction of CSF. Choroid plexus hyperplasia (CPH) is a distinct clinicopathological entity in which the enlarged choroid plexus produces large amounts of CSF.

Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula successfully treated by combined open-endovascular procedure.

Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas constitute a rare though potentially devastating disease. Because the arterial (high-pressure) blood flow drains directly into the low-pressure venous system, there is a high risk of bleeding and associated neurological deficit. The classifications by Borden and Cognard underline the correlation between bleeding risk and venous drainage pattern of the fistula.

Treatment of cranial epidural hematoma in a neonate by needle aspiration of a communicating cephalhematoma.

A newborn presented on day 15 of life with an epidural hematoma, extending through a diastatic sutura squamosa in an external cephalhematoma. There was no skull fracture. The cephalhematoma was punctured twice with 24-h interval, reducing both the cephalhematoma and the epidural component.

Chordoid glioma of the third ventricle.

Background: Chordoid glioma is a rare tumour (World Health Organisation grade II) originating from the third ventricle with both glial and chordoid features. It was first described by Brat in 1998. Since there is no detailed information available on the outcome after surgery and adjuvant treatment, we reviewed the literature.