Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive large cell lymphoma of the anterior skull base: Report of an unusual case and review of the literature

Pouya Jamshidi, James Y. Chen, Huan-You Wang, Clark C. Chen

Date of publication: 18-Apr-2013

Background:Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare peripheral T-cell lymphoma, accounting for approximately 3% of adult non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). In this report we describe an unusual case of an ALK(+) ALCL, which presented as an aggressive mass involving upper nasal cavity and anterior skull base. The pathogenesis, histopathology with radiologic correlations, and management of this case are reviewed.

Chronic subdural hematoma: A survey of neurosurgeons’ practices in Nigeria

Taopheeq B. Rabiu

Date of publication: 18-Apr-2013

Background:Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a commonly encountered condition in neurosurgical practice. In Nigeria, a developing country, patients with CSDH are less likely to be diagnosed and treated by surgical drainage early. Aware of the reported variations in neurosurgeons’ practices regarding CSDH in many parts of the world, we sought to determine the current practices of Nigerian neurosurgeons in managing CSDH.

Orbital metastasis of pituitary growth hormone secreting carcinoma causing lateral gaze palsy

Rohan R. Lall, Stephen F. Shafizadeh, Kyung-Hwa Lee, Qinwen Mao, Minesh Mehta, Jeffrey Raizer, Bernard R. Bendok, James P. Chandler

Date of publication: 18-Apr-2013

Background:Although pituitary adenoma is one of the most common intracranial tumors, it rarely progresses secondarily into a metastatic carcinoma. Commonalities in reported cases include subtotal resection at presentation, treatment with radiation therapy, and delayed metastatic progression. Pathologic descriptions of these lesions are varying and inconsistent.

Unusual causes of papilledema: Two illustrative cases

Ha Son Nguyen, Kathryn M. Haider, Laurie L. Ackerman

Date of publication: 18-Apr-2013

Background:Neurosurgeons are frequently among the first physicians asked to evaluate patients with papilledema, and the patient is often referred with the implication that they may require shunting. After an initial evaluation to exclude potential neurosurgical emergencies, the physician should carefully consider various etiologies of papilledema to prevent unnecessary neurosurgical operations.

Reproducibility of quantitative fiber tracking measurements in diffusion tensor imaging of frontal lobe tracts: A protocol based on the fiber dissection technique

Leandro I. Dini, Leonardo M. Vedolin, Debora Bertholdo, Rafael D. Grando, Alessandro Mazzola, Simone A. Dini, Gustavo R. Isolan, Jaderson C. da Costa, Alvaro Campero

Date of publication: 12-Apr-2013

Background:Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based tractography is a noninvasive in vivo method for tracing white matter bundles. This raises possibilities for qualitative and quantitative assessment of the structural organization of tracts. Nevertheless, questions remain about neuroanatomical accuracy, reproducibility for clinical purposes, and accessibility of the best method for broader application. The aim of this study was to combine the fiber dissection technique and tractography to provide more pertinent insight into brain anatomy and, as a result, to test a protocol for reconstruction of six major frontal lobe tracts.

Simultaneous Muir-Torre and Turcot's syndrome: A case report and review of the literature

Ramesh Grandhi, Christopher P. Deibert, Stephen M. Pirris, Barry Lembersky, Arlan H. Mintz

Date of publication: 12-Apr-2013

Background:Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS) is an autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by neoplasms of the sebaceous gland or keratoacanthomas, in addition to visceral malignancies. Cerebral neoplasms in patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) or familial adenomatous polyposis suffer from Turcot's syndrome. Genetic mutations in MutS homolog (MSH)-2, MutL homolog (MLH)-1, and MutS homolog (MSH)-6 DNA mismatch repair genes are the most common in MTS with MSH-2 being the most predominant. In HNPCC MLH-1 and MSH-2 mutations are approximately equal in prevalence.

What are the three major changes/challenges in your life?

James I. Ausman

Date of publication: 12-Apr-2013

Quality of life measures as a preliminary clinical indicator in patients with primary brain tumors

Lisa B. E Shields, Aliisha Choucair, Ali K. Choucair

Date of publication: 05-Apr-2013

Background:The health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures serve as valuable indicators of survival in patients with newly diagnosed primary brain tumors (PBTs). HRQOL outcomes may benefit clinical decision-making by individualizing patient treatment and improving communications between the doctor, patient, and families. Exploring the individual items of the European Organization and Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QOL) measures may be predictive of prognosis.

Violence, mental illness, and the brain – A brief history of psychosurgery: Part 1 – From trephination to lobotomy

Miguel A. Faria

Date of publication: 05-Apr-2013

Abstract

Psychosurgery was developed early in human prehistory (trephination) as a need perhaps to alter aberrant behavior and treat mental illness. The “American Crowbar Case” provided an impetus to study the brain and human behavior. The frontal lobe syndrome was avidly studied. Frontal lobotomy was developed in the 1930s for the treatment of mental illness and to solve the pressing problem of overcrowding in mental institutions in an era when no other forms of effective treatment were available. Lobotomy popularized by Dr. Walter Freeman reached a zenith in the 1940s, only to come into disrepute in the late 1950s. Other forms of therapy were needed and psychosurgery evolved into stereotactic functional neurosurgery. A history of these developments up to the 21st century will be related in this three-part essay-editorial, exclusively researched and written for the readers of Surgical Neurology International (SNI).