摘要:

TO EVALUATE THE response of cavernous sinus meningiomas to stereotactic radiosurgery, we reviewed our 54-month experience with 34 patients. All patients underwent radiosurgery with a 201-source cobalt-60 gamma unit. Twenty-eight patients (82%) had previous histological confirmation of a meningioma (1 to 5 cranial base craniotomies per patient); 6 (18%) were treated on the basis of neuroimaging criteria alone. The single-fraction radiation tumor margin dose (10 to 20 Gy) was designed to conform to the irregular tumor volumes in all patients. The maximum radiation dose to the optic nerve or tract was reduced to 9 Gy in 31 patients. No patient had tumor growth (100% tumor control) during the follow-up interval (median, 26 mo). Tumor regression was observed in 56% of patients imaged at an average of 18 months. Eight patients (24%) improved clinically at follow-up examinations. Four patients developed new or worsened cranial nerve deficits during the follow-up interval; two had subsequent full improvement. No patient developed an endocrinopathy or new extraocular muscle paresis. Stereotactic radiosurgery, using multiple isocenter dosimetry facilitated by the gamma unit, is an accurate, safe, and effective technique to prevent the growth of tumors involving the cavernous sinus. Despite the proximity of such tumors to adjacent cranial nerves, complications were rare. The maximum length of hospital stay was 36 hours, and all patients returned to their preoperative employment status within 3 to 5 days. Although even longer follow-up is required, stereotactic radiosurgery using the gamma knife technique was found to be a low-morbidity alternative to aggressive microsurgical removal of small to moderate-sized tumors of the cavernous sinus.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

FORTY-NINE PATIENTS WITH esthesioneuroblastoma were treated at the Mayo Clinic between 1951 and 1990. Their clinical manifestations and treatment results were reviewed to identify possible prognostic factors. The 5-year survival rate for all patients was 69%. Tumor progression occurred in 25 patients (51%; no local control in 6 and local recurrence in 19). Metastasis was found in 15 patients (31%; regional in 10 and distant in 9). Nineteen patients died directly from metastatic or intracranial tumor extension. The pathological grade of the tumor was the most significant prognostic factor identified. The 5-year survival rate was 80% for the low-grade tumors and 40% for the high-grade tumors (P= 0.0001). Surgical treatment alone is effective for low-grade tumors if tumor-free margins can be obtained. Radiation is used for low-grade tumors when margins are close, for residual or recurrent disease, and for all high-grade cancers. The poor prognosis associated with high-grade tumors may also mandate the addition of chemotherapy. Recurrent tumor and regional metastasis should be treated aggressively because this approach has been shown to be worthwhile. A craniofacial resection is now the surgical procedure performed in all cases. Because recurrence can occur after 5 or even 10 years, long-term follow-up is mandatory.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

FEW PATIENTS WITH glioblastoma multiforme survive more than 5 years. To identify the factors associated with long-term survival, patients with primary supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme diagnosed between 1969 and 1985 were identified from our computer data base. Twenty-two (5%) of the 449 patients identified survived at least 5 years after surgical diagnosis. There were 12 female and 10 male patients, with a mean age of 39.2 years (range, 15 to 63 yr). Twenty patients had a subtotal resection, and 2 had a gross total resection. The median duration of survival was 9.4 years. As of August 1, 1992, 10 patients were alive 5.2 to 13.6 years after diagnosis, and 1 patient was lost to follow-up after 9.4 years. Ten patients died from their tumors; 2 patients with stable tumors died, 1 from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm and 1 from erythromycin-induced hepatitis. Unusual sequelae were noted in irradiated areas in several cases. One patient had a scalp sarcoma and a basal cell carcinoma, and three patients had strokes; each of these events occurred more than 5 years after diagnosis. We conclude that among patients with glioblastoma multiforme, long-term survival is most likely for those who have a long disease-free interval after the initial diagnosis and receive multimodal therapy, including aggressive tumor removal. Other factors associated with long-term survival were younger age and high Karnofsky scores.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

PRIMARY MALIGNANT MELANOMA of the leptomeninges of the central nervous system is a rare and aggressive tumor in children. We report our experience from 1964 to 1990 with this tumor in eight children. The mean age at diagnosis was 4.9 years (range, 1.3 to 13 yr). Five children presented with signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure from hydrocephalus secondary to tumoral obliteration of the basal cisterns, but the time from the initial symptomatology to diagnosis was frequently delayed. Three patients in this series had hairy nevi in association with their leptomeningeal melanoma. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis typically showed raised opening pressures, decreased glucose, and increased protein concentrations. Malignant melanoma cells were found in the CSF in three patients. Confirmatory radiographic examinations included air encephalography, myelography, and computed tomographic and magnetic resonance scanning. Four patients were treated with lumboperitoneal shunts, and one patient was treated with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt for hydrocephalus. Two patients underwent craniotomies and subtotal excisions of their tumors. In seven patients, a definitive diagnosis of leptomeningeal melanoma was made by pathological examination of tissues sent at surgery or at post mortem. In one case, the diagnosis was established by a detailed cytological analysis of the CSF. Four children died of fulminant disease and tumor spread before treatment could be instituted. The four children who received treatment had a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. One child received intrathecal methotrexate. The two children with the longest survivals (2 and 3 yr, respectively) received cisplatinum and di-methyltriazenoimidazole carboxamide in addition to craniospinal irradiation. We conclude that primary lepto-meningeal melanoma continues to be a rare and difficult tumor to diagnose and treat in childhood. The widespread availability of magnetic resonance imaging may facilitate diagnostic accuracy preoperatively. We have seen improved survival in recent times with a combination of chemotherapy and conventional craniospinal irradiation.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

THE FACTORS PREDISPOSING to an aggressive clinical course in cavernous malformations of the brain are not known. Disabilities from neurological deficits and from seizures were assessed and graded in 84 patients harboring 100 cavernous malformations and were correlated with patient sex and age, lesion size, lesion location, lesion multiplicity, and previous overt hemorrhage. Univariate analysis showed that female sex, infratentorial lesion location, and previous gross hemorrhage were significantly associated with subsequent neurological disability. Logistic regression analysis showed that infratentorial lesion location and previous gross hemorrhage were independent factors simultaneously and significantly associated with neurological disability. Age less than 40 was the only significant factor predisposing to seizure disability (in both univariate and multivariate analyses). Lesion size, multiplicity, and other factors did not influence clinical disability. This information should assist in management decisions regarding cavernous malformations.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

FORTY-FIVE MEASUREMENTS of diameters of 12 human cerebral arteries were performed during 10 craniotomies under moderate changes in mean blood pressure and end tidal CO2. The mean change in blood pressure was 30 ± 16 mm Hg (standard deviation) and that of end tidal CO2was 14 ± 6 mm Hg (standard deviation). These changes were induced with nitroprusside, phenylephrine, and adjustment of ventilator rate. Measurements were made through the operating microscope focused at the highest power, with meticulous attention to constant angle and distance from the artery. The mean diameter change in the large cerebral arteries (carotid, middle cerebral artery, vertebral artery) was less than 4%, but the smaller arteries (anterior cerebral artery, M2 segment of middle cerebral artery) showed diameter changes as large as 29% and 21% to end tidal CO2and blood pressure changes, respectively. These data suggest that at the time of craniotomy, diameters of the large cerebral vessels do not significantly change during moderate variations in blood pressure and CO2, but that larger changes may occur in smaller vessels. This constancy of diameter suggests that the transcranial Doppler velocities obtained during intraoperative monitoring of craniotomies may closely reflect blood flow through the insonated artery.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

BETWEEN 1986 AND 1991, 14 patients (nine men and five women), ranging in age from 22 to 67 years (mean, 43 yr), presented with acute cauda equina syndrome from a herniated lumbar disc. All presented with bilateral sciatica and leg weakness; 13 (93%) had urine or stool incontinence, or both. At presentation, all were emergently studied with myelogram/computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging. Nine (64%) had large or massive herniations, including two with tethered cords. Five had smaller herniations superimposed on preexisting stenosis. Three had previous surgery; two-thirds had a herniation at a different level. The levels of the herniations were L4-L5 in nine patients, L5-S1 in three patients, and L3-L4 in two patients. The time to surgery ranged from less than 24 hours to more than 30 days; 11 patients underwent surgery within 5 days of onset. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 5 years (mean, 3.3 yr). Postoperatively, six patients (44%) were normal, four (28%) had chronic pain and numbness, and four (28%) had persistent incontinence and weakness. All the patients were ambulatory. There were no operative deaths, and only one patient had a wound infection. Of the 10 patients who had no incontinence after surgery, 7 underwent surgery within 48 hours of onset. Of the four patients with persistent incontinence, all underwent surgery after 48 hours. Previous reports and our experience demonstrate the following most common characteristics for this presentation: 1) male sex; 2) L4-L5 herniations; and 3) onset in the 4th decade. Emergent diagnosis and surgery will improve outcome, but improvement can be seen even in delayed cases. Stenosis, tethered cord, and arachnoidal adhesions may predispose to cauda equina syndrome if a herniation occurs.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

HINDBRAIN LESIONS THAT distort or compress the cervicomedullary junction are commonly associated with syringomyelia. As a basis for discussing pathogenetic mechanisms, the upper end of the central canal of the spinal cord was examined histologically in six aborted fetuses and 14 adults dying of natural causes; the results were correlated with magnetic resonance images in 40 normal subjects. The central canal of the medulla, which extends from the cervicomedullary junction to the fourth ventricle, was found to migrate dorsally, elongate in dorsoventral diameter, and dilate beneath the tip of the obex to form a large, everted aperture. This opening communicates directly with the subarachnoid space through the foramen of Magendie and is indirectly continuous with the main body of the fourth ventricle. In adults, the aperture of the central canal is located approximately 1.0 cm below the tela choroidea inferior and 3.5 cm below the midpoint of the fourth ventricle. Analysis of magnetic resonance imaging scans in 45 patients with syringomyelia and simple hindbrain lesions revealed two patterns of cavity formation: 1) lesions that obstructed the upper end of the central canal or its continuity with the subarachnoid space produced a noncommunicating type of syringomyelia; and 2) lesions that obstructed the basilar cisterns or the foraminal outlets of the fourth ventricle produced a communicating type of syringomyelia (hydromyelia) in association with hydrocephalus. Evidence is presented that syrinxes occurring with hindbrain lesions are not caused by a caudal flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the fourth ventricle into the central canal of the spinal cord.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

THIRTY-THREE CHILDREN and one adult with sacral agenesis (SA) were studied by computed tomographic myelography and/or magnetic resonance imaging and were monitored for a mean period of 4.7 years. Four children had the OEIS (concurrent omphalocele, cloacal exstrophy, imperforate anus, and spinal deformities) complex, and three others had VATER (vertebral abnormality, anal imperforation, tracheoesophageal fistula, and renal-radial anomalies) syndrome. All patients shared some of the characteristic features of SA, namely, a short, intergluteal cleft, flattened buttocks, narrow hips, distal leg atrophy, and talipes deformities. Neurologically, lumbosacral sensation was much better preserved than the motor functions, and urinary and bowel symptoms were universal. The level of the vertebral aplasia was correlated with the motor but not with the sensory level. The important neuroimaging findings of SA were as follows: 1) 12 patients (35%) had nonstenotic, tapered narrowing of the caudal bony canal, and 2 patients had hyperostosis indenting the caudal thecal sac; 2) 16 patients (47%) had nonstenotic, tapered narrowing and shortening of the dural sac, but 3 patients (9%) had true, symptomatic dural stenosis, in which the cauda equina was severely constricted by a pencil-sized caudal dural sac; 3) the coni could be divided into those ending above the L1 vertebral body (Group 1, 14 patients) and those ending below L1 (Group 2, 20 patients). Thirteen of 14 Group 1 coni were club or wedge-shaped, terminating abruptly at T11 or T12, as if the normal tip was missing. All 20 Group 2 coni were tethered: 13 were tethered by a thick filum; 2 were extremely elongated and had a terminal hydromyelia; 3 were terminal myelocystoceles; and 2 were tethered by a transitional lipoma. High blunt coni were highly correlated with high (severe) sacral malformations (sacrum ending at S1), but low-lying tethered coni were highly correlated with low sacral malformations (S2 or lower pieces present). In conclusion, 1) dural stenosis and tethering lesions are much more common in patients with SA than was previously thought; 2) paradoxically, tethered coni are found more commonly in cases of mild versus severe SA; 3) neurological deterioration is frequently associated with tethered coni and in dural stenosis but not with blunt, short conuses, which may be the “norm” in SA; 4) all tethering lesions should be excised to release the cord, and dural stenosis should be treated by decompressive duraplasty; 5) magnetic resonance imaging screening should be ordered for patients with characteristic features or x-ray evidence of SA, anorectal, and genitourinary anomalies or other complex malformations of the caudal region. It is also postulated that the teratogenic target of SA is the caudal eminence after closure of the caudal neuropore and that various conus anomalies are due to embryological errors occurring at different stages of secondary neurulation.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

TO EVALUATE THE usefulness of measuring lumbar intraspinal epidural pressure (ISEDP) measurements for the estimation of intracranial pressure, we studied the relationship between ISEDP and intracranial epidural pressure (ICEDP) in 12 patients with high intracranial pressure after neurosurgical procedures. ISEDP was measured with a Gaeltec catheter-tip pressure transducer placed percutaneously in the lumbar epidural space with a Touhy needle. ICEDP was determined by the conventional method. During the measurement, some manipulations were carried out. ISEDP and ICEDP measurements exhibited a linear correlation. In all but one patient with normal cerebrospinal fluid, ISEDP was 84 to 100% of ICEDP. In patients with mild subarachnoid hemorrhage, ISEDP was 82 to 86% of ICEDP. In patients with severe subarachnoid hemorrhage, ISEDP was 45 to 57% of ICEDP and always fluctuated in parallel with ICEDP. ISEDP accurately reflected ICEDP in response to manipulations such as breath holding, neck compression, compression at the cranial defect, mannitol administration, and coughing. These data suggest that ISEDP measurement is useful in monitoring intracranial pressure in patients with intracranial hypertension. In addition, the measurements can be obtained easily and safely.

ISSN:0148-396X    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1993

数据来源: OVID