Compound anterior cranial base fractures: classification using computerized tomography scanning as a basis for selection of patients for dural repair

1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damianos E. Sakas ◽  
David J. Beale ◽  
Ameen A. Ameen ◽  
Helen L. Whitwell ◽  
Karl W. Whittaker ◽  
...  

Object. A classification is proposed to organize anterior cranial base fractures systematically according to their location and size. The goal of this study was to determine whether these two variables, irrespective of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea, are related to the long-term risk of posttraumatic meningitis and, hence, to standardize decision making concerning surgical repair of associated CSF fistulas. Methods. With the aid of high-resolution thin-section coronal computerized tomography (CT) scanning, anterior cranial base fractures were classified into the following four major types: I, cribriform; II, frontoethmoidal; III, lateral frontal; and IV, complex (any combination of the other three types). Fractures with a maximum bone displacement that extended farther than 1 cm in any plane were classified as “large” and those less than 1 cm as “small.” The authors used this classification in a study of 48 patients who were treated by conservative (20 patients) or surgical (28 patients) means. The results showed a gradation of risk: the fracture most likely to develop infection was a large cribriform (Type I) and the least likely was a small lateral frontal (Type III). Statistical analysis showed that the trend for an increased infection rate was related to the cumulative effect of three variables in the following order: 1) prolonged duration of rhinorrhea (analysis of variance [ANOVA], p = 0.017); 2) large size of fracture displacement (ANOVA, p = 0.079); and 3) fracture's proximity to the midline (ANOVA, p = 0.015). Conclusions. In this series, microsurgical repair was accompanied by a minimum complication rate. Hence, the authors recommend that patients with fractures that combine the aforementioned variables should be considered to have a high long-term risk of infection and their injury should be surgically repaired as soon as the posttraumatic edema has subsided. This applies to the following fractures: large cribriform (Type I) with transient rhinorrhea lasting 5 to 8 days and large frontoethmoidal (Type II) with prolonged rhinorrhea lasting longer than 8 days. Furthermore, the authors conclude that this classification can improve the management of posttraumatic CSF fistulas of the anterior cranial base and may provide insights into the mechanisms underlying their spontaneous repair and susceptibility to meningitis.

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 362-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos O. Dare ◽  
Lucy L. Balos ◽  
Walter Grand

Object. Few anatomical studies have been focused on the morphological features and microscopic anatomy of the transition from the intracranial space to the medial anterior cranial base. The authors of the current study performed histological analyses to define the structure of the transition from neural foramina to the cranial base (neural—dural transition) at the cribriform plate, particularly as related to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula formation and surgical intervention in the region. Methods. The medial anterior cranial base was resected in six cadaveric specimens. Histological methods were used to study the anatomy of the region on the microscopic level. Results of these examinations revealed a multilayered neural—dural transition at the cribriform plate, which consisted of an arachnoid membrane and a potential subarachnoid space as well as dura mater, periosteum, ethmoid bone, and associated layers of submucosa and mucosa of the paranasal air spaces. A subarachnoid space was identified around the olfactory nerves as they exited the neural foramina of the cribriform plates. The dura mater eventually thinned out and became continuous with the periosteum in the ethmoid bone. The dura, arachnoid membrane, and associated potential subarachnoid space were obliterated at a place 1 to 2 mm into the olfactory foramen. The authors present a case of recurrent CSF rhinorrhea successfully treated using a technique of multilayered reconstruction with pericranium, fat, and bone. Conclusions. The findings provide an anatomical basis for CSF fistula formation in the region of the cribriform plate and help to explain the unusual presentations in patients who have CSF rhinorrhea and meningitis. These results may facilitate the treatment of CSF fistulas, repair of defects in the medial anterior cranial base, and approaches to tumors and other pathological entities in the region.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 706-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoko Nakasu ◽  
Jyoji Handa ◽  
Kazuyoshi Watanabe

✓ Two patients with benign intracerebral cysts are reported and a brief review of the literature is given. Although computerized tomography (CT) scanning is useful in detecting a variety of intracerebral cysts, the CT findings are not specific for any lesion. An exploratory operation with establishment of an adequate route of drainage and a histological examination of the cyst wall are mandatory in the management of patients with a progressive but benign lesion.


1979 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuncalp Özgen ◽  
Aykut Erbengi ◽  
Vural Bertan ◽  
Süleyman Saǧlam ◽  
Özdemir Gürçay ◽  
...  

✓ Eleven cases of cerebral hydatid cyst, diagnosed by computerized tomography (CT), are presented. The importance of CT in minimizing the possibility of accidentally tapping or tearing the cyst membrane is stressed. Repeat CT scanning after removal of the cyst revealed atrophy in the affected hemisphere.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Wanifuchi ◽  
Takashi Shimizu ◽  
Takashi Maruyama

Object. The purpose of this study was to establish a standard curve to demonstrate normal age-related changes in the proportion of intracranial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space in intracranial volume (ICV) during each decade of life. Methods. Using volumetric computerized tomography (CT) scanning and computer-guided volume measurement software, ICV and cerebral parenchymal volume (CPV) for each decade of life were measured and the intracranial CSF ratio was calculated by the following formula: percentage of CSF = (ICV − CPV)/ICV × 100%. The standard curve for age-related changes in normal percentages of intracranial CSF was obtained. Conclusions. Based on this standard curve, the percentage of intracranial CSF rapidly increased after the sixth decade, seeming to reflect the brain atrophy that accompanies increased age.


1985 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Andries Bosch ◽  
Gustaaf N. Beute

✓ A healthy young woman developed a rapidly progressive pontomedullary lesion 24 hours after delivery of her first child. The lesion was shown on computerized tomography (CT) to be a primary hematoma. Stereotaxic aspiration was carried out, and the patient recovered. Angiography and CT scanning demonstrated a vascular lesion compatible with an arteriovenous malformation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 424-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Murai ◽  
Ryo Takagi ◽  
Yukio Ikeda ◽  
Yasuhiro Yamamoto ◽  
Akira Teramoto

Object. The authors confirm the usefulness of extravasation detected on three-dimensional computerized tomography (3D-CT) angiography in the diagnosis of continued hemorrhage and establishment of its cause in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).Methods. Thirty-one patients with acute ICH in whom noncontrast and 3D-CT angiography had been performed within 12 hours of the onset of hemorrhage and in whom conventional cerebral angiographic studies were obtained during the chronic stage were prospectively studied. Noncontrast CT scanning was repeated within 24 hours of the onset of ICH to evaluate hematoma enlargement.Findings indicating extravasation on 3D-CT angiography, including any abnormal area of high density on helical CT scanning, were observed in five patients; three of these demonstrated hematoma enlargement on follow-up CT studies. Thus, specificity was 60% (three correct predictions among five positives) and sensitivity was 100% (19 correct predictions among 19 negatives). Evidence of extravasation on 3D-CT angiography indicates that there is persistent hemorrhage and correlates with enlargement of the hematoma.Regarding the cause of hemorrhage, five cerebral aneurysms were visualized in four patients, and two diagnoses of moyamoya disease and one of unilateral moyamoya phenomenon were made with the aid of 3D-CT angiography. Emergency surgery was performed without conventional angiography in one patient who had an aneurysm, and it was clipped successfully.Conclusions. Overall, 3D-CT angiography was found to be valuable in the diagnosis of the cause of hemorrhage and in the detection of persistent hemorrhage in patients with acute ICH.


1997 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Imai ◽  
Kounosuke Tsujiguchi ◽  
Chiaya Toda ◽  
Ki-Chul Sung ◽  
Sadao Tajima ◽  
...  

✓ The benign osteoblastoma is rarely seen as a tumor of the facial bone in infancy or early childhood. Only five cases with nasal involvement have been reported in the literature. The authors present a case of osteoblastoma of the nasal cavity, the nasal bone, the ethmoid sinus, and the anterior cranial base. This 3-year-old girl presented with a tumor surrounding the left medial canthus. Imaging studies, including x-ray films, computerized tomography scans, magnetic resonance images, a 99mTc-scintigram, and angiograms, confirmed the location of the tumor. A biopsy specimen of tumor was obtained intranasally and the pathological diagnosis was an osteoblastic tumor suggestive of osteoblastoma. Although the tumor margin was well defined on the radiological images, it was difficult to determine the exact margin during the operation. Therefore, it is important to show how to excise the tumor completely under direct view. With the use of a “dismasking flap,” it was possible to resect the benign osteoblastoma completely from the nasal cavity, even though it extended into the orbit, the maxilla, and the anterior cranial base.


1978 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Judith Donovan Post ◽  
Fredie P. Gargano ◽  
Donald Q. Vining ◽  
Hubert L. Rosomoff

✓ With the advent of computerized tomography (CT), a new method of visualizing the spinal canal in cross-section has been created. Before the introduction of CT scanning, evaluation of the cross-sectional anatomy of the spinal canal was accomplished chiefly by the Toshiba unit. This study compares these two forms of tomography and discusses their relative effectiveness in diagnosing constrictive lesions of the spinal canal.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk W. Mauser ◽  
Robert A. P. Ravijst ◽  
Arthur Elderson ◽  
Jan van Gijn ◽  
Cees A. F. Tulleken

✓ The nonsurgical treatment of a case of interhemispheric subdural empyema is reported. At the time of diagnosis, the patient had a mild decrease in consciousness and only moderate focal neurological deficits. Computerized tomography (CT) confirmed the limited (interhemispheric) extent of the intracranial infection. After drainage of the nasal sinuses and antibiotic treatment, the patient recovered, although the lesion was initially increased in size on CT scanning.


1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Dell ◽  
S. Ramaiah Ganti ◽  
Abe Steinberger ◽  
James McMurtry

✓ A group of eight cystic meningiomas is considered, with particular reference to preoperative radiological evaluation. Computerized tomography (CT) scanning alone is inadequate for diagnosis, and the authors offer an assessment of the current methods for preoperative identification of cystic supratentorial tumors, while reviewing the multiple etiologies suggested for the CT appearance. No single process explains all the aspects of peri- or intratumoral cyst formation in meningiomas.


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