Acute isolated vertigo with vertical up-beating nystagmus: A rare case of nucleus intercalatus of Staderini ischemia

The role of intercalatus nucleus of Staderini(INS),the most caudal of the perihypoglossal nuclei,is much debated.Last research seems to suggest that this nucleus plays a role as a vertical eyes movements integrator.The few clinical reports present in the literature that describe isolated lesions of the INS have described patients presenting in acute with up-beating vertical spontaneous nystagmus.Isolated acute lesion of INS is,in fact,much rare,and,without other neurological signs,is exceptional.We present a case of acute isolated vertigo with no other neurological signs or symptoms,due to INS ischemia provoked by vertebral artery stenosis.The patient presented with spontaneous vertical up-beating nystagmus that showed at videonystagmographic recording,a clear exponential decay of angular slow-phase velocity,that is considered a typical sign of neural integrator impairment.This case seems to represent a further confirm that INS is part,as a vertical-to-position neural integrator,of the neural circuit controlling the vertical eyes movements.

Cerebellum and neurodegenerative diseases:Beyond conventional magnetic resonance imaging

The cerebellum plays a key role in movement control and in cognition and cerebellar involvement is described in several neurodegenerative diseases.While conventional magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) is widely used for brain and cerebellar morphologic evaluation,advanced MRI techniques allow the investigation of cerebellar microstructural and functional characteristics.Volumetry,voxel-based morphometry,diffusion MRI based fiber tractography,resting state and task related functional MRI,perfusion,and proton MR spectroscopy are among the most common techniques applied to the study of cerebellum.In the present review,after providing a brief description of each technique's advantages and limitations,we focus on their application to the study of cerebellar injury in major neurodegenerative diseases,such as multiple sclerosis,Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and hereditary ataxia.A brief introduction to the pathological substrate of cerebellar involvement is provided for each disease,followed by the review of MRI studies exploring structural and functional cerebellar abnormalities and by a discussion of the clinical relevance of MRI measures of cerebellar damage in terms of both clinical status and cognitive performance.

Pediatric spinal glioblastoma of the conus medullaris:a case report of long survival

High?grade gliomas of the spinal cord represent a rare entity in children.Their biology,behavior,and controversial treatment options have been discussed in a few pediatric cases.These tumors are associated with severe disability and poor prognosis.We report a case of a 4?year?old child diagnosed with an isolated glioblastoma multiforme of the conus medullaris.The patient underwent subtotal surgical excision,followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and oral chem?otherapy.He is alive with mild neurologic deficits at 52 months after diagnosis.We describe the peculiar characteris?tics of this rare condition in pediatric oncology.We also provide an overview of current multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches and prognostic factors for this disease.

Perinatal Stroke and Apparent Life-Threatening Event: A Case Report

To analyze how the multidisciplinary clinical, biohumoral, instrumental approach to ALTE (Apparent Life Threatening Event) episode may discover cardiovascular disease in the newborn. Introduction: In the first year of life ALTEs concern 0.8% of access to Pediatric Emergency Department. The cause of apparent life-threatening events (ALTEs) in infants reflects a differential diagnosis that includes an array of congenital or acquired disorders. Approximately 10% - 25% of ap-parent life-threatening events may remain unexplained following a thorough evaluation. Case re-port: B. E., a 2-month-old child, in wellbeing, shortly before meal, during sleep, was not responsive to repeated stimulations;he was hypotonic and unresponsive. About 15 minutes later, he pre-sented a normal tone and state of consciousness. Evaluating the referred symptoms, diagnostic protocol for ALTE was started;the Angio-MRI brain performed as second line analysis showed a focal gliotic lesion at left striatal area. The cardiological evaluation with echocardiography detected a pervium foramen ovale (PFO), with minimum shunt left-right direction. At least, biohumoral tests revealed protrombin gene heterozygosis mutation. Conclusion: Apparent Life-Threatening Events are first manifestation of stroke in infant. Discussion: This report discloses how the multidisciplinary clinical approach is essential in ALTE. The exact management of ALTE patients is very important in situations like this, when the concomitant disease is rare. In fact, arterial stroke incidence in children > 28 days of life is estimated between 1.2 and 7.9 cases/100,000 child-ren/year. However, in the last 20 years, we observed an increased incidence of stroke, probably related to two main causes: a greater attention for this disease and a major survival of children with pathology that arrange for stroke thanks to a better prevention. In conclusion, it’s a fundamental multidisciplinary approach even in following months after the events.

Subcostal artery bleeding after endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery: Signs and treatment

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is the first option in renal stones>2 cm.One of the most serious complications of this procedure is postoperative bleeding[1].Various risk factors(multiple punctures,position,access size,stone volume,operative time,and non-papillary puncture)were considered in the literature with no clear conclusions[[1],[2]].

Advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques in brain tumours surgical planning

Morphological assessment using Computed Tomo-graphy (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is still the workhorse of tumor detection and diagnosis. In particular, MRI provides detailed information about cerebral tumor anatomy, cellular metabolism and hemodynamic features, making it a fundamental tool for a correct diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the disease. Various new functional imaging modalities assessing tissue microstructure and physiology have increased the scope of neuro imaging and raised expectations among clinicians. This article provides an overview of the most advanced MR imaging techniques (functional MRI, perfusion-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and MR spectroscopy) now available for neurosurgical planning and their role in brain tumors assessment. Their pros and cons are analyzed in order to find out which one may be chosen as best diagnostic pre-surgical protocol. At the moment none of the single techniques can be considered the golden standard;only the integration of advanced and conventional MR imaging proves to be a reliable tool in the hands of the neuro-radiologist and neurosurgeon, thus maximazing tumor resection and function preservation.

Bow hunter’s syndrome successfully treated with a posterior surgical decompression approach:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Bow hunter’s syndrome(BHS)is a rare but surgically treatable cause of vertebrobasilar insufficiency due to dynamic rotational occlusion of the vertebral artery.Typically,patients present with posterior circulation transient ischaemic symptoms such as presyncope,syncope,vertigo,diplopia,and horizontal nystagmus,but irreversible deficits,including medullary and cerebellar infarctions,have also been described.CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old patient presented an acute onset of vertigo and gait instability triggered by right head rotation.His medical history included previous episodes of unilateral left neck and occipital pain followed by light-headedness,sweating,and blurred vision when turning his head,and these episodes were associated with severe degenerative changes in the atlanto-dens and left atlanto-axial facet joints and right rotation of the C2 cervical vertebrae.Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed the presence of acute bilateral cerebellar ischaemic lesions,while static vascular imaging did not reveal any vertebral artery abnormalities.Dynamic ultrasonography and angiography were performed and confirmed the presence of a dynamic occlusion of the vertebral artery V3-V4 segment when the head was rotated to the right secondary to left C1-C2 bone spur compression.Surgical decompression led to complete resolution of paroxysmal symptoms without neurological sequelae.CONCLUSION BHS should be considered in cases of repeated posterior circulation transient ischaemic attack or ischaemic stroke,particularly when associated with high cervical spine abnormalities.

Voluminous Cystic Trigeminal Schwannoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Voluminous trigeminal schwannomas are rare, predominantly benign growth encapsulated tumors composed of Schwann cells with controversial surgical treatment. They account for 20% to 40% of all trigeminal schwannomas and share the same imaging findings of neurinomas elsewhere. Surgery remains the treatment of choice for most lesions as long as complete excision is feasible. A 35-year-old house wife complained of a 3-month history of progressive right visual field impairment associated with headaches. Neurological examination revealed a complete cavernous sinus syndrome. CT scanning showed a voluminous cystic mass of the right parasellar compartment extending to the optic nerve and the orbit. A concomitant MRI scan revealed more exquisite anatomical details of the lesion. The patient benefitted from a subsequent CT-angiography (not included) which excluded any vascular abnormalities associated with the tumor. Surgical excision of the tumor was warranted and the patient underwent surgery a few days after admission. A pterional extradural-intradural approach combined with incision of the lateral wall of the parasellar compartment via a standard frontotemporal craniotomy was performed and pathological examination was in favor of a cystic trigeminal schwannoma. Post-operative MRI showed a complete excision of the tumor. A 2-year follow-up yielded persistent right monocular blindness. Given this typical appearance of this lesion indicative of both cisternal and parasellar compartment extension, as well as the level of controversy surrounding surgical treatment of these particular tumors;we sought to report this rare case of a voluminous cystic trigeminal schwannoma and share our humble surgical experience of dealing with these lesions. The patient was informed that non-identifying information from the case would be submitted for publication, and she provided consent.

Nitinol Stenting in Post-Traumatic Pseudo-Aneurysm of Internal Carotid Artery

Background: A pseudoaneurysm of the internal carotid artery (ICA) at its cervicl part, is a rare and often lethal com-plication after cervical trauma. The treatment of choice is anticoagulation. Patients with a contraindication for anticoagulation or those who do not improve with standard treatment, warrant either a surgical repair or stent placement.Stent placement posses both short and long term risks such as immediate ischemic events, in-stent stenosis and stent breakage, thus the choice of stent type is critical. Advances in stent technology have made cervical stent placement a viable option. We report our experience with the LEO + (Balt Extrusion, Montmorency, France) nitinol flexible self expanding stent for post-traumatic ICA aneurysms. Methods: 5 patients suffering a post-traumatic cervical ICA pseudo-aneurysms refractory to standard treatment were treated with nitinol braided flexible self expanding stent. This stent has a shape memory and superelasticity virtues making it suitable. Diagnosis was made with CT angiography and confirmed by catheter angiography. All procedures were preformed under local anesthesia. Time between trauma and treatment ranged six days to over five years. Follow-up was performed by CT angiography or conventional angiography. Results: Five patients, having eight aneurysms were treated using 12 stents. In all cases, appropriate stent placement was achieved. No immediate or late complications, as well as no neurological sequele reported at 6 months. Radiological follow-up exams demonstrated complete pseudoaneurysm closure. Conclusion: Stent placement can be a safe and definitive treatment option for patients to conventional medical treatment.

Shunting,optic nerve sheath fenestration and dural venous stenting for medically refractory idiopathic intracranial hypertension:systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)-diversion procedures have traditionally been the standard of treatment for patients with medically refractive idiopathic intracranial hypertension(IIH).However,dural venous sinus stent(VSS)placement has been described as a safe and effective procedure for the management of medically refractive IIH.We performed a meta-analysis comparing outcomes and complications of CSF-diversion procedures,VSS and optic nerve sheath fenestration(ONSF)for the treatment of medically refractive IIH.Methods:Electronic searches were performed using six databases from 1988 to January 2017.Data was extracted and meta-analysed from the identified studies.Results:From 55 pooled studies,there were 538 CSF-diversion cases,224 dural venous stent placements,and 872 ONSF procedures.Similar improvements were found in terms of postoperative headaches(CSF vs.VSS vs.ONSF:84%vs.78%vs.62%,P=0.223),papilledema(CSF vs.VSS vs.ONSF:71%vs.86%vs.77%,P=0.192),whilst visual acuity changes favored venous stenting(CSF vs.VSS vs.ONSF:55%vs.69%vs.44%,P=0.037).There was a significantly lower rate of subsequent procedures with venous stent placement(CSF vs.VSS vs.ONSF:37%vs.13%vs.18%,P<0.001),but other complication rates were similar(CSF vs.VSS vs.ONSF:13%vs.8%vs.14%,P=0.28).Subgroup analysis of lumbar-peritoneal vs.ventriculoperitoneal shunts found no differences in symptom improvements,complications and subsequent procedure rates.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that dural venous sinus stenting may be a viable alternative to traditional surgical interventions in patients who are refractory to medical treatment.

A case of atypical progressive multifocal encephalopathy mimicking acute ischemic stroke:case report and review of literature

Progressive multifocal encephalopathy (PML) is a rare but often fatal infectious brain disease caused by the reactivation of John Cunningham polyomavirus. Reactivation occurs in immunocompromised individuals with AIDS and leukemia, on chemotherapy or being treated with immunosuppressant drugs (e.g. monoclonal antibodies). Cases of PML have been described in patients treated with natalizumab, efalizumab and rituximab used, respectively, for the treatment of (1) multiple sclerosis, (2) psoriasis and (3) haematological malignancies or systemic autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus). The authors describe an unusual case of acute brainstem and cerebellar PML following chemotherapy for chronic lymphatic leukemia diagnosed 4 years before the onset of PML in a 75-year-old man. The patient was treated with high dose chemotherapy and rituximab with complete response. The onset of symptoms of PML was very rapid and occurred after more than two years from last rituximab infusion;patient had a sudden neurological deterioration, with rapid progression to death in about a month from the onset of symptoms. Lesions were localized in the cerebellum, brainstem and such pattern has been reported in very few cases in the literature.