Surgical treatment of dumbbell-shaped hypoglossal schwannoma via a pure endoscopic transoral approach.

Background: Dumbbell-shaped hypoglossal schwannomas with intradural and extradural extension are extremely rare, and complete removal of these tumors is very difficult. This report describes such lesions in three patients that were completely removed via a purely endoscopic transoral approach.

Method: Three patients with intradural and extradural growth hypoglossal schwannomas (three women, aged 16, 42 and 43 years) were treated by direct surgery via a purely endoscopic transoral approach to the posterior fossa.

[Endoscopic endonasal surgery of trigeminal schwannoma extending into the infratemporal fossa].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of removing extracranial trigeminal schwannomas located in the infratemporal fossa by using a purely endoscopic endonasal approach.

Methods: From November 2004 to July 2009, 8 patients with extracranial trigeminal schwannomas located in the infratemporal fossa (4 male patients and 4 female patients, age ranged 31 - 62 years) were surgically treated by using a purely endoscopic endonasal approach.

Results: The maximum diameters of the tumors ranged from 3 to 7 cm.

[Nasal endoscopic resection of extended intradural clival chordoma].

Objective: Clival chordoma with intradural extension is very difficult to manage mont. Primary experience of nasal endoscopic surgery for the extra-intra clival chordomas was reported.

Methods: Between 2007 and 2009, 7 patients (4 males and 3 females, ages ranging from 8 to 62 years) with clival extra-intra dural chordoma underwent nasal endoscopic surgeries, 4 of them with combined transoral approach.

Transclival cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea as the initial presenting symptom of a tiny intradural chordoma.

We report a patient with a tiny intradural clival chordoma, which was identified following presentation with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea as the initial symptom. The transclival dural defect and the intradural tumor were successfully localized by both radiological investigation and intraoperative endoscopic inspection. The tumor was totally resected and the CSF fistula was repaired by an endoscopic endonasal approach.

Endoscopic endonasal removal of pituitary adenomas with paraclival internal carotid artery invasion.

Objective: To retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness of the endoscopic endonasal removal of pituitary adenomas (PAs) with paraclival internal carotid artery (ICA) invasion.

Methods: Between February 2002 and August 2009, 14 consecutive patients underwent 'pure' extended endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery for PAs with paraclival ICA invasion. The clinical outcomes of the patients were evaluated, including symptoms, the extent of the tumor, the amount of tumor removed and any complications.

Attention changes in epilepsy patients following 3-month topiramate or valproate treatment revealed by event-related potential.

The present study was designed to reveal changes of cognitive processes in epilepsy (EP) patients with Topiramate (TPM) or Valproate (VPA) treatment using Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-CR) and event-related potential (ERP). Thirty untreated epilepsy patients were randomly divided into two groups receiving TPM or VPA, respectively. Fifteen healthy volunteers were included as controls.