Solitary plasmacytoma of the skull. A case report

A case of solitary plasmacytoma of the skull is presented. The tumor was radically removed. There was no systemic involvement and the patient was not submitted to radiotherapy. Lytic lesions of the skull are discussed.

Giant cell tumor of the fronto-parietal bone. A case report

Giant cell tumor of the skull is very rare clinical entity. This paper presents a case of giant cell tumor of the fronto-parietal bone and a brief review of the literature.

Two unusual complications of ventriculo-peritoneal shunts. Report of two cases

Two cases in which thoracal extrusion and cervical disconnection complicated ventriculo-peritoneal shunts are reported. Other complications of distal shunts are also reviewed.

Choroid plexus arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in a newborn. Case report

We report here on an unusual case of AVM with intraventricular hemorrhage in a full-term newborn infant. Clinical and radiological findings are discussed in the light of the recent literature.

A case of acute encephalopathy after iohexol lumbar myelography

A case of acute encephalopathy after lumbar myelography is reported in a female aged 26 years. Fourteen hours after the procedure, the patient developed coma (GCS 6) and had generalized slowing of EEG activity. This state lasted about 12 h, followed by gradual and full recovery.

Treatment of acute spinal cord injuries: comparison of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and nimodipine

The effects of nimodipine and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were compared in a clip-compression model of experimental spinal cord injuries (SCI) in rats. Thirty rats received a 50-g clip-compression injury on the cord at T9. Ten rats were given 0.02 mg/kg nimodipine and dextran 40 (3 ml) i.v. 1 h after injury. Ten rats were given 2 mg/kg TRH and dextran 40 (3 ml) i.v. 1 h after injury followed by 1 mg/kg per hour for 4 h. The remaining ten rats were given only saline. TRH treatment significantly improved somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and mean arterial blood pressures (MABPs), whereas nimodipine treatment had no effect on these variables (Fisher's exact test (P less than 0.01).

Bilateral posterior fossa epidural hematoma--report of two cases

Two cases of posttraumatic bilateral posterior fossa epidural hematoma are presented. Such hematomas are extremely rare, but can be surgically cured. Computed tomography helps to establish the diagnosis and determine the neurosurgical treatment.

Intraventricular meningioma of the fourth ventricle

A rare case of meningioma of the fourth ventricle is reported. A review of the literature revealed only 24 reported cases of this type of tumor.

Non operative management of acute extradural hematomas in children

The Authors have reported a series of 15 patients with acute epidural hematomas (EDHs) that were not evacuated surgically. These EDHs were diagnosed 6 hours after injury and were followed by serial CT scanning. All patients showed resolution of the hematoma on CT scanning over a period of 2 to 5 weeks. Factors that influence outcome of medical treatment have been discussed.

Medical treatment of acute spinal cord injuries

The injury was performed with 600 g-cm/weight on the spinal cord of 40 cats with T8-9 laminectomy in this study. Ten cats were given 10 mg/kg naloxone i.v. 1 h after injury. Ten cats were given 2 mg/kg thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) i.v. 1 h after injury followed by 1 mg/kg per hour for 4 h. Intravenous lidocaine was begun 30 min after injury in ten cats, administered as 1.5 mg/kg over the initial 5 min, 3 mg/kg over the next 30 min and 1 mg/kg every 30 min for 4 h. The remaining ten cats were given only saline (control group). TRH-treated cats showed significantly better histopathological scores than either naloxone- or lidocaine-treated animals (KW:13.65, P less than 0.50).

Brain abscess caused by Brucella abortus and Staphylococcus aureus in a child

A case of a 12-year-old male with Fallot's tetralogy and brain abscess due to Brucella and Staphylococcus is presented. The abscess was aspirated and Brucella abortus and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated.

Effects of drag reducing polymer on atherosclerosis

In order to determine the effect of drag reducing polymers on the occurrence of atherosclerosis, the Guinea pigs were used as the experimental animals. The inhibitory effect of a drag reducing polymer (polyacrylamide) on atherosclerosis in the aortas of Guinea pigs on a high cholesterol diet (2%) was investigated over a period of 6 months. The aortas, livers, kidneys and lungs of the animals, which were separated into four experimental groups (control, polymer, cholesterol and cholesterol + polymer) were also investigated both macroscopically and light microscopically. The selected physiological parameters such as, plasma cholesterol levels, plasma hemoglobin, hematocrit and total lipid values were determined at regular intervals for each group. The results indicate that the atherosclerosis in aorta of the animals receiving the polymer injection is suppressed significantly and the drag reducing water soluble polymers may be effectively applied against atherosclerosis.