Angiographic Features of Intracranial Aneurisms in Mali: A Preliminary Study of 105 Patients

Introduction: Rupture of intracranial aneurisms leads to severe morbidity and mortality. There are two modalities of treatment surgery and endovascular treatment. The diagnosis is made by angiography (DSA, CTA, RMA). The angiographic features used to assess the risk of the complications and choose the treatment modality are size, location and aneurism morphology. Materials and Methods: We reviewed and analyzed the computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography of all patients admitted to the hospital of Mali with IAs from 2015 to 2021 either 7 years. Patients who were less than 18 years old, those with non-aneurysmal SAH, patients who request a discharge and those with an incomplete angiographic description of the IAs were excluded from the analysis. Results: We have collected 105 patients with 109 aneurysms. The sex ratio was 2/1 in favor of females. The mean age was 44.51 years with the range from 18 to 70 years. The presentation mode was subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in 97% of cases. 76.19% had confirmed high blood pressure before the bleeding. 19.04% were diabetics. 98% of our patients have made a CT angiography and 2% have made MR angiography for the aneurysm diagnosis. 97.24% of aneurisms were located in the anterior part of the Willis circle. 39.44% of these aneurisms were the anterior communicating complex aneurysm. 27.52% of aneurysm had a small size, 42.20% had a medium size, 20.18% large size against 5.50% of the giant (Figure 3) and the middle cerebral artery was the most involved in the least. 95.41% of cases were saccular aneurysms against 4.59% fusiform. Conclusion: The angiographic feature of an intracranial aneurism in the Malian population may differ from other populations of the sub-region. The anterior communicating complex aneurysm is more common and the aneurism of the posterior part of the Willis circle is less common. We found the aneurism size ≥ 6 mm, ACA, MCA and Pcom more frequent.

Fracture of the Humeral Palette in Adult Patient: Therapeutic and Evolutive Aspect at Gabriel Touré Hospital: About 35 Cases

Introduction: Fractures of the humeral pallet occur between the distal insertion of the anterior brachial muscle and the joint space of the elbow. It represents 2% of all elbow fractures. These lower humeral fractures present a therapeutic challenge to trauma. These fractures are in the majority of joint cases and can be accompanied by loss of substance, which makes their functional prognosis random despite the application of the main therapeutic principles: exact reduction with possible bone graft;stable osteosynthesis, usually allowing early rehabilitation. This work focused on identifying therapeutic aspects and assessing treatment outcomes. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of patients with a fracture of the humeral palette from January 2015 to December 2019 at the Orthopaedic Trauma Department CHU Gabriel Touré Bamako. Results: We collected 35 cases of fractures of the humeral palette. The average age was 39.25 years with extremes of 22 and 74 years. The male gender predominated (71.4%) with a sex ratio of 2.5. Etiologies were dominated by falls with 19 cases (54.3%) and stroke with 13 cases (37.1%). The standard X-ray of the face and profile of the elbow was performed in all our patients. The most frequent types of anatomoradiology were supra condylar fractures type A in 16 cases (45.7%), supra and inter condylar fractures type C in 15 cases (42.9%);4 cases of uni condylar fractures type B (11.4%). Associated lesions were observed in 42.85%. Surgical treatment was performed in 80% of cases. Complications were dominated by elbow stiffness in 18 cases (51.42%), secondary displacement in 5 cases (14.28%), ossifications in 4 cases (11.42%). At an average decrease of 3.2 years our results were considered good in 45.7%. Conclusion: Fractures of the humeral palette are relatively common with associated lesions. The complexity of the fracture with associated lesions makes treatment difficult with unpredictable evolution.

Intracranial Calcified Extradural Hematoma about a Case

Introduction: Extradural hematoma is a common pathology in our department. The natural history of small-volume hematoma is usually towards resorption. In rare cases, the hematoma calcifies and compresses the brain. We report an extradural hematoma in a 15-year-old boy who had a road traffic accident on February 2011. The brain CT-scan performed the following day revealed a small right frontal extradural hematoma. During hospitalization, he had a fever of 40 degrees with convulsions and the blood culture isolated the coagulase-negative staphylococci and Group D streptococci. When his conscience was restored, hemiparesis and dysarthria were observed. The control brain CT-scan performed 2 weeks after the trauma showed early resorption of the hematoma. Two months after the trauma, the brain CT-scan showed calcification of the hematoma. He underwent surgery in April 2011 to remove the calcification. The sequels were hemiparesis and posttraumatic epilepsy. Conclusion: The evolution of a small non-operated extradural hematoma can be done towards calcification thus requiring surgery.

Infracallosal Aneurysm Rupture Revealed by Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Case Report

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is one of the most common entities seen in neurosurgery. We report a case of infracallosal aneurysm revealed by CSDH in a 52 years old woman. She presented 3 days alteration of consciousness in 2019 and repeated in September 2020 a severe headache and dizziness. There was no history of others symptoms, nor head trauma. Routine blood examination and coagulation profile were normal. Emergency computed tomography (TC) showed a left temporoparietal-occipital CSDH. Cerebral Angio CT found a bilobated of A2 aneurysm. The precallosal interhemispheric approach was made and clipping the aneurysm after evacuation of CSDH without complication. CSDH is one of the revealed features of intracerebral aneurysm rupture.

Cerebellar Syndrome Revealing a Giant Postero Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm: A Case Report and a Review of Literature

Context: Cerebellar syndrome caused by disturbances of balance and coordination is not an uncommon neurological disorder. It has varied etiologies usually caused by tumor processes or suppurative collections. Vascular causes remain very rare, especially when it is a giant aneurysm of PICA representing 1% of intracranial aneurysms. Treating giant PICA aneurysms is a very difficult task for neurosurgeons because the surgical dissection can lead to severe damage due to the intimate relationship of PICA with the brainstem or nerve structures. We report a case of giant PICA aneurysm responsible for cerebellar syndrome successfully treated with surgery. The objective of this work is to draw the attention of practitioners to this unusual cause which can lead to diagnosis wandering and a lack of planning at the time of management. Case report: A 65 years old hypertensive patient was seen for a progressive disturbance of balance and walking disorder, but worsened in the last three months with no notion of fever. On admission, the patient was lucid, oriented in time and space and presented with static and kinetic cerebellar syndrome. Brain CT-scan without and with contrast revealed a tissular mass in the posterior fossa suggesting a tumor process, however, CT angiography showed a giant aneurysm of the PICA after reconstruction. A careful microdissection by a sub-occipital approach was decided. Opening the large cistern made it possible to visualize the aneurysm sack surrounded by a yellowish gliosis. The reclining and microdissection revealed the neck of the aneurysm, which was clipped to exclude the giant aneurysm in block. Postoperative follow-up was simple with progressive improvement in the cerebellar syndrome and walking over three months. Conclusion: Giant aneurysm of the PICA is rare. The localization in the posterior cerebral fossa can be confusing. Microsurgery gives a good result.

Management and Outcome of Acute Subdural Hematoma in Gabriel TouréHospital

Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major health problem worldwide. It is the main cause of trauma mortality. Acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) has a reputation for being the most serious of all posttraumatic head injuries. Its frequency is estimated to be 1% to 5% of all head injuries and 22% of severe head injuries. The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological, clinical and prognosis aspects of ASDH in our department. Material and Methods: This prospective study, from January to December 2019, included 57 patients admitted to the Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital for ASDH. Patients underwent detailed clinical and radiological evaluation and ASDH was diagnosed by non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scan. Functional outcome was evaluated 6 months after injury by Glasgow Outcome Scale. Results: During the study period, 662 patients were admitted for TBI including 57 (8.61%) cases of ASDH. The mean age was 34 years with extremes of 2 and 77 years. There was a male predominance with 52 (91.2%). The main cause of trauma was motor vehicle accidents in 38 (66.6%) patients. According to the Glasgow coma scale (GCS), 33 (57.9%) patients were classified mild (Table 2). The thickness of the hematoma was more than 1 cm in 13 (22.8%) patients and less than 1 cm in 44 (77%) patients. Surgical treatment was performed in 13 (22.8%) patients. The outcome was favorable in 30 (52.6%) patients and the mortality rate was 33.3%. Conclusion: ASDH remains a difficult challenge because of the high mortality. The mortality rate remains high particularly in patient with poor GCS score at admission.

Surgical Management of 4 Cases of Craniofacial Fibrous Dysplasia

Background: Fibrous dysplasia is an uncommon skeletal disorder in which normal bone and marrow are replaced with fibro-osseous tissue. The disease comprises 2.5% of all bone tumors and 7.5% of all benign bone neoplasm. It is the progressive, slowly developing disease and the optimum treatment remains unclear in many cases. Aim: In this study, the authors report their experience in the surgical treatment of four cases of craniofacial fibrous dysplasia. Cases presentation: The study involved 4 patients with craniofacial fibrous dysplasia. There were 3 men and a woman. The patients were 10, 17, 20 and 8 years old. No patient had a focal neurological deficit. The CT scan appearance was compatible with Fibrous dysplasia in all patients. The site of disease was frontal in one case and parietal in the other 3 cases. Cosmetic surgical treatment was performed in all patients. Cranioplasty was performed in one patient and planned for the other three. Conclusion: Fibrous Dysplasia is a benign slow growing disease that may cause as well as clinical symptom and aesthetical discomfort. Radical resection, if possible, is the only technique to obtain resolution of the disease.

Endocranial Suppurations of Sinus Origin: Ratio of 3 Cases in Children at the Hospital in Mali

Introduction: Intracranial suppurations are neoformed purulent collections including, in decreasing order, cerebral abscesses, subdural empyemas and extradural empyemas. Otorhinolaryngologic infections are one of the main causes, especially in older children and adolescents. We report 3 clinical cases of endocranial suppurations treated at the Mali Hospital. Clinical Cases: 1) Observation 1. IK was a 14-year-old boy, who was hospitalized in our department for fever, headache and left hemiplegia. The emergency brain scan showed a right frontal and interhemispheric subdural empyema associated with multifocal sinusitis. Surgical drainage associated with ceftriaxone: 100 mg/Kg/d in direct intravenous (DI), metronidazole: 10 mg/Kgs/12hours in slow intravenous (SI) for 15 days, gentamycin: 3 mg/Kgs/d in SI for 3 days, paracetamol 15 mg/Kgs/6hours in SI, 10% glucose serum: 100 ml/Kg/d were given. The bacteriological analysis of the pus came back sterile. The postoperative period was calm. 2) Observation 2. This was a 14-year-old boy with a history of headaches who was admitted to our department for left hemiplegia. An emergency brain scan showed a right pre-suppurative encephalitis associated with a right fronto-ethmoidal and maxillary sinusitis. He was put on ceftriaxone 100 mg/kg/d in DI for 21 days, gentamycin: 3 mg/Kg/d in SI for 3 days;metronidazole: 10 mg/kg/12hours in SI for 21 days, paracetamol: 15 mg/kg/6hours in SI. After 3 weeks of medical treatment, a follow-up brain scan revealed an interhemispheric and right subdural empyema. Surgical drainage was associated with the triple antibiotic therapy initially instituted. The bacteriological analysis of the pus was sterile. The postoperative course was calm. 3) Observation 3. N.M was an 11-year-old boy, who was admitted with fever and left hemiplegia. An emergency brain scan revealed a right hemispheric subdural empyema associated with an intracerebral abscess and pansinusitis. Surgical drainage associated with ceftriaxone 100 mg/kg/d in DI for 15 days, gentamycin;3 mg/kg/d in SI for 3 days, metronidazole: 10 mg/kg/12hours in SI for 15 days and paracetamol: 15 mg/kg/6hours in SI were instituted. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in the pus of the abscess. The postoperative course was calm. Conclusion: Endocranial suppurations of sinus origin are serious and frequent infections in children in developing countries. Its diagnosis must be evoked in front of any hemiplegia associated with a fever or headache and confirmed by a cerebral scanner.

Surgical Repair of Growing Skull Fracture: A Case Report

Background: Growing skull fractures (GSF) are a rare complication of pediatric head trauma that comprises post-traumatic skull defect associated with an underlying dural tear and an intact arachnoid membrane. They are often misdiagnosed, and delay in management can lead to progression of the disease with neurological sequelae. GSF are rare and their incidence has been estimated as 0.05% - 1% of all pediatric skull fractures. This low incidence and the subtlety of its presentation often make diagnosis challenging with consequent delay in management. Surgery is recommended to treat GSF and involved dural repair with or without cranioplasty. In this paper, we report a case of a patient with GSF in whom the surgical repair was successful with good cosmetic and functional outcome. Case Report: A 12 months old girl was admitted to our neurosurgical department with right parietal swelling that had been gradually enlarging over 3 months. The history of the disease began when the girl was 1 month old with a fall with cranial impact resulting in head trauma with initial loss of consciousness. At presentation the girl was alert with normal consciousness. Clinical examination revealed the deformed skull with large pulsatile and painless swelling lesion in the right parietal region and hemiparesis on the left side. The CT scan revealed type 3 GSF including parietal bone diastasis with hypodense fluid collection that mimicked the leptomeningeal and porencephalic cyst. Surgical repair was performed. The post-operative course was uneventful and the child was discharged home five days after surgical intervention. Conclusion: GSF can lead to serious neurologic complications. Therefore educating parents on this potential outcome and close follow-up with clinical and imaging screening is recommended to screen children at risk for the development of the disease.

A Case Report of 3C Syndrome and Literature Review

Ritscher-Schinzel syndrome, or 3C (cranio-cerebello-cardiac) syndrome is a developmental disorder characterized by cranio-facial, cerebellar and cardiac anomalies. It is a rare disease with an incidence of 1/1,000,000 inhabitants, and was first described by Ritscher-Schinzel in 1987. 3C syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a mutation on the long arm of chromosome 8 to 8q24.13, the KIAA0196 locus, the strumpellin protein gene. The cardiac and cerebral anomalies are most often leading cause of death at an early age and people with 3C syndrome rarely exceed 40 years. In this paper, we report a case of Ritscher-Schinzel in 3-month-old boy who was admitted to our neurosurgical department in September 2020. Clinical examination revealed a macrocrania with head circumference at 47 cm. There was a prominence of forehead and occiput, the root of the nose which was flat, hypertelorism and micrognatism. The CT scan revealed Dandy WALKER malformation with cystic dilation of the 4th ventricle, an aplasia of the cerebellar vermis associated with a tretraventricular hydrocephalus.

Intraorbital Mature Teratoma in Infant

Intraorbital mature teratoma is a rare congenital tumor of slow evolution that can compromise vision. Objectives: We describe the clinical and therapeutic aspects of a mature teratoma in childhood with a literature review. Clinical Case: It was a 12-year-old who had a progressive straight monocular exophthalmia with blindness. CT without and with contrast injection showed a double component intracolonic invasive tumor with partial contrast acquisition after injection. This tumor respected the bone walls of the orbit. The treatment was surgical by conjunctival dissection of the tumor and enucleation. This allowed the tumor to be fully excised under an operating microscope. The operating procedures were simple. Anatomopathology confirmed the nature of the tumor by visualizing the presence of a squamous epithelium by the high-magnification (X20) method of hematoxylin and eosin. Conclusion: Mature intraorbital teratoma is an embryonic tumor with early diagnosis the finding in an older child remains rare. Complete surgical excision allows healing.

Bilateral Chronic Subdural Hematoma after Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in a Child: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Hydrocephalus had been managed by ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) since several years. But these two different technics had some complications that must be managed promptly to avoid eventual fatal evolution. Chronic subdural hematomas after ETV is among these complications and is a very rarely situation observed in our department. This rare event associated with malaria in a child is considered to have a high mortality. Here we report a rare case of bilateral chronic subdural hematoma occurring in a 4-month-old boy after ETV and we discuss the likely pathogenesis and the difficulties of management.

Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries in Gold Miners in Mali: Preliminary Study on 76 Cases

Introduction: Gold panning is the research and artisanal exploitation of gold in the auriferous areas (rivers or others). Traumatisms arising from these activities are due to severe spinal cord injury and generally affect young people in full activity. They constitute a real social handicap in Mali and even in Africa. The aim of our study is to share our expertise in the management of these vertebro-medullary traumasin these miners who currently escape to all controls in Mali. Material and Methods: From 2013 to 2016, 76 Traumatic Spine Cord Injuries (TSCI) were treated in the department of Neurosurgery of “Hôpital du Mali”. There were 73 males (96.05%) versus 03 Females (3.95%), aged between 21 - 43 years old. Results: All of our patients were admitted with deficit differing from paraparesis to tetraplegia. According to Frankel scale, we found 59 patients with complete deficits (A grade, 77.63%), and incomplete deficits in 17 cases (12 grade B, 04 grade C, 01 grade D). The X-ray standard radiographies were done in 24 cases (31.58%) from which 02 patients had been operated with these data. CT scan centered on the injured spinal segment was performed in 74 cases (97.37%). The lumbar spine was affected in 39 cases, followed by thoracolumbar junction in 19 cases and thoracic spine in 16 cases. The cervical spine was only interested in two cases. Fractures dislocations are the most frequently lesions encountered in our series. The surgical approach was performed in 74 patients and 02 patients received conservative treatment. Conclusion: Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries (TSCI) among miners are a real disaster in Mali and continue to plague thousands of families or increase the number of disabled people in our society. It is the only work, where the person concerned is making of his own grave. And according to witnesses, several miners remained at the bottom of the wells. Their prevention must first involve users by raising the awareness of local residents and traditional therapists, but also the country that must participate in regional development and ensure strict enforcement of regulatory measures. Our structure must have enough resources to acquire and treat these patients at any time.

Malignant Transformation of Cerebellar Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma: A Case Report

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) generally occurs in children and young adults and is classified as a low-grade astrocytic tumor with a potential favorable prognosis. But these data must be interpreted with much caution, because of some rapid progression or malignant transformation during the postoperative follow-up. We report herein a rare case of a cerebellar PXA manifested as a benign lesion at first time in a 39 year-old woman, but with malignant transformation two years later. In this paper, we discuss the clinical signs, radiological findings and the therapeutic data on the subject according to literature review.