Eosinophilic granuloma of the spine: early spontaneous disappearance of tumor detected on magnetic resonance imaging

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikio Kamimura ◽  
Tetsuya Kinoshita ◽  
Hidehiro Itoh ◽  
Yohei Yuzawa ◽  
Jun Takahashi ◽  
...  

✓ Two cases of eosinophilic granuloma (EG) of the spine associated with neurological deficits are presented. The patients were treated conservatively by using external fixation with a brace as well as bed rest. Neurological deficits and pain diminished and finally disappeared as the tumor mass decreased in size, as seen on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. During the 5-year follow-up period no recurrence of the tumors was detected on MR images. Surgical treatment for spinal EG in children presenting with typical vertebra plana is not recommended except for those with severe or progressive palsy and for those in whom the disease requires differential diagnosis.

1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 1044-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce E. Pollock ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
John C. Flickinger ◽  
Atul K. Patel ◽  
David J. Bissonette ◽  
...  

✓ To determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in comparison to cerebral angiography after radiosurgery for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), the authors reviewed the records of patients who underwent radiosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center before 1992. All patients in the analysis had AVMs in which the flow-void signal was visible on preradiosurgical MR imaging. One hundred sixty-four postradiosurgical angiograms were obtained in 140 patients at a median of 2 months after postradiosurgical MR imaging (median 24 months after radiosurgery). Magnetic resonance imaging correctly predicted patency in 64 of 80 patients in whom patent AVMs were seen on follow-up angiography (sensitivity 80%) and angiographic obliteration in 84 of 84 patients (specificity 100%). Overall, 84 of 100 AVMs in which evidence of obliteration was seen on MR images displayed angiographic obliteration (negative predictive value, 84%). Ten of the 16 patients with false-negative MR images underwent follow-up angiography: in seven the lesions progressed to complete angiographic obliteration without further treatment. Exclusion of these seven patients from the false-negative MR imaging group increases the predictive value of a negative postradiosurgical MR image from 84% to 91%. No AVM hemorrhage was observed in clinical follow up of 135 patients after evidence of obliteration on MR imaging (median follow-up interval 35 months; range 2–96 months; total follow up 382 patient-years). Magnetic resonance imaging proved to be an accurate, noninvasive method for evaluating the patency of AVMs that were identifiable on MR imaging after stereotactic radiosurgery. This imaging modality is less expensive, more acceptable to patients, and does not have the potential for neurological complications that may be associated with cerebral angiography. The risk associated with follow-up cerebral angiography may no longer justify its role in the assessment of radiosurgical results in the treatment of AVMs.


2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaijayantee Kulkarni ◽  
Vedantam Rajshekhar ◽  
Lakshminarayan Raghuram

Object. The authors studied whether cervical spine motion segments adjacent to a fused segment exhibit accelerated degenerative changes on short-term follow-up magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Methods. Preoperative and short-term follow-up (mean duration 17.5 months, range 10–48 months) cervical MR images obtained in 44 patients who had undergone one- or two-level corpectomy for cervical spondylotic myelopathy were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The motion segment adjacent to the fused segment and a segment remote from the fused segment were evaluated for indentation of the thecal sac, disc height, and sagittal functional diameter of the spinal canal on midsagittal T2-weighted MR images. Thecal sac indentations were classifed as mild, moderate, and severe. New indentations of the thecal sac of varying severity (mild in 17 patients [38.6%], moderate in 10 [22.7%], and severe in six [13.6%]) had developed at the adjacent segments in 33 (75%) of 44 patients. The degenerative changes were seen at the superior level in 11 patients, inferior level in 10 patients, and at both levels in 12 patients and resulted from both anterior and posterior element degeneration in the majority (23 [69.6%]) of patients. The remote segments showed mild thecal sac indentations in seven patients and moderate indentations in two patients (nine [20.5%] of 44). Compared with the changes at the remote segment, the canal size was significantly decreased at the superior adjacent segment by 0.9 mm (p = 0.007). No patient sustained a new neurological deficit due to adjacent-segment changes. Conclusions. On short-term follow-up MR imaging, levels adjacent to the fused segment exhibited more pronounced degenerative changes (compared with remote levels) in 75% of patients who had undergone one- or two-level central corpectomy.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 892-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford ◽  
Robert J. Coffey ◽  
David J. Bissonette ◽  
John C. Flickinger

Abstract Stereotactic radiosurgery has been shown to treat successfully angiographically demonstrated arteriovenous malformations of the brain. Angiographic obliteration has represented cure and eliminated the risk of future hemorrhage. The role of radiosurgery in the treatment of angiographically occult vascular malformations (AOVMs) has been less well defined. In the initial 32 months of operation of the 201-source cobalt-60 gamma knife at the University of Pittsburgh, 24 patients meeting strict criteria for high-risk AOVMs were treated. Radiosurgery was used conservatively; each patient had sustained two or more hemorrhages and had a magnetic resonance imaging-defined AOVM located in a region of the brain where microsurgical removal was judged to pose an excessive risk. Venous angiomas were excluded by performance of high-resolution subtraction angiography in each patient. Fifteen malformations were in the medulla, pons, and/or mesencephalon, and 5 were located in the thalamus or basal ganglia. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 24 months. Nineteen patients either improved or remained clinically stable and did not hemorrhage again during the follow-up interval. One patient suffered another hemorrhage 7 months after radiosurgery. Five patients experienced temporary worsening of pre-existing neurological deficits that suggested delayed radiation injury. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated signal changes and edema surrounding the radiosurgical target. Dose-volume guidelines for avoiding complications were constructed. Our initial experience indicates that stereotactic radiosurgery can be performed safely in patients with small, well-circumscribed AOVMs located in deep, critical, or relatively inaccessible cerebral locations. Because cerebral angiography is not useful in following patients with AOVMs, long-term magnetic resonance imaging and clinical studies will be necessary to determine whether the natural history of such lesions is changed by radiosurgery.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Novak ◽  
Thomas Czech ◽  
Daniela Prayer ◽  
Wolfgang Dietrich ◽  
Wolfgang Serles ◽  
...  

Object. The concept of selective amygdalohippocampectomy is based on pathophysiological insights into the epileptogenicity of the hippocampal region and the definition of the clinical syndrome of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging allows correlation of the site of histologically conspicuous tissue with anatomical structure. The highly variable sulcal pattern of the basal temporal lobe, however, definitely complicates the morphometric analysis of histomorphologically defined subdivisions of the hippocampal region. The goal of this study was to define individual variations in the sulcal anatomy on the basis of preoperative MR images obtained in patients suffering from TLE. Methods. The authors analyzed coronal MR images obtained in 50 patients for the presence of and intrinsic relationships among the rhinal, collateral, and occipitotemporal sulci. The surface relief of consecutive sections of 100 temporal lobes was graphically outlined and the resulting maps were used for visual analysis. The sulci were characterized by measurement of their depth, distance to the temporal horn, and laterality. The anatomical measurements and frequencies of sulcal patterns were assessed for statistical correlation with patients' histories and the lateralization of the seizure focus. Conclusions. Statistical assessment shows that patient sex is a significant factor in sulcal patterns. Anatomical measurements are significantly decreased on the side of the seizure origin, which relates to loss of white matter, a known morphological abnormality associated with TLE. Magnetic resonance imaging allows for accurate preoperative knowledge of individual sulcal patterns and facilitates intraoperative orientation to anatomical landmarks.


1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 657-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvey S. Levin ◽  
Stephen C. Lippold ◽  
Arnold Goldman ◽  
Stanley Handel ◽  
Walter M. High ◽  
...  

✓ In a prospective investigation of neurobehavioral functioning in young boxers, 13 pugilists and 13 matched control subjects underwent tests of attention, information-processing rate, memory, and visuomotor coordination and speed. The results disclosed more proficient verbal learning in the control subjects, whereas delayed recall and other measurements of memory did not differ between the two groups. Reaction time was faster in the boxers than in the control subjects, but no other differences were significant. Ten subjects in each group were retested 6 months later and exhibited improvement in their neuropsychological performance as compared to baseline measurements. However, there were no differences in scores between the boxers and the control subjects at the follow-up examination or in the magnitude of improvement from baseline values. Magnetic resonance imaging, which was performed in nine of the boxers, disclosed normal findings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-420
Author(s):  
Ping Hou ◽  
Katherine H. Zhu ◽  
Peter C. Park ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
Anita Mahajan ◽  
...  

Purpose: Proton therapy is increasingly used to treat pediatric brain tumors. However, the response of both tumors and healthy tissues to proton therapy is currently under investigation. One way of assessing this response is magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which can measure molecular mobility at the cellular level, quantified by the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). In addition, DTI may reveal axonal fiber directional information in white matter, quantified by fractional anisotropy (FA). Here we report use of DTI to assess tumor and unexposed healthy brain tissue responses in a child who received proton therapy for juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma. Materials and Methods: A 10-year-old boy with recurrent juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma of the left thalamus received proton therapy to a dose of 50.4Gy (RBE) in 28 fractions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to select beam angles for treatment planning. Over the course of the 7-year follow-up period, magnetic resonance imaging including DTI was done to assess response. The MR images were registered to the treatment-planning computed tomography scan, and the gross tumor volume (GTV) was mapped onto the MR images at each follow-up. The GTV contour was then mirrored to the right side of brain through the midline to represent unexposed healthy brain tissue. Results: Proton therapy delivered the full prescribed dose to the target while completely sparing the contralateral brain. The MR ADC images obtained before and after proton therapy showed that enhancement corresponding to the GTV had nearly disappeared by 25 months. The ADC and FA measurements confirmed that contralateral healthy brain tissue was not affected, and the GTV reverted to clinically normal ADC and FA values. Conclusion: Use of DTI allowed quantitative evaluation of tumor and healthy brain tissue responses to proton therapy.


1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Vaquero ◽  
Roberto Martínez ◽  
Alicia Arias

✓ Thirty patients with syringomyelia-Chiari complex who underwent posterior fossa decompression or syringosubarachnoid shunting were studied clinically and by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to assess the changes in the syrinx and in their clinical picture after surgery. When symptoms of posterior fossa compression were present, posterior fossa decompression was performed; however, when symptoms of posterior fossa compression were absent, the choice of posterior fossa decompression or syringosubarachnoid shunting depended, respectively, on whether the syrinx was narrow or wide on MR imaging. At least 1 year after surgery, subjective improvement or arrest of disease was recorded in 73% of the patients. The present study suggests that: 1) the symptoms attributed to spinal cord damage have no significant relationship to the size of the syrinx on MR images; 2) the surgical techniques employed in this series (posterior fossa decompression or syringosubarachnoid shunt) were equally useful in inducing syrinx collapse; and 3) when posterior fossa decompression is performed, plugging of the obex is not necessary for syrinx collapse.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 824-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshio Imaizumi ◽  
Yoshifumi Horita ◽  
Toshimi Honma ◽  
Jun Niwa

Object. The cause and indication for enlargement of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs) have remained unresolved. The authors observed a black band on the inner membrane of a CSDH on T2*-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained in patients with symptoms. After surgical treatment, the band disappeared. The T2*-weighted sequence of MR imaging is an excellent diagnostic tool for detecting ferromagnetic substances, but it is rarely performed in cases of a CSDH. The authors speculate that the black band may be associated with the development of CSDH. Methods. To investigate how the black band observed on T2*-weighted MR images contributes to the development of a CSDH, 59 lesions in 50 patients with CSDH (41 men and nine women, mean age 70 ± 11 years [range 48–93 years]) were investigated prospectively. The incidence of black bands on the first T2*-weighted MR image obtained in patients with symptomatic CSDH was 97% (31 of 32 CSDHs), which was significantly higher than that associated with asymptomatic CSDH (11% [three of 27 CSDHs], p < 0.001). The black bands associated with symptomatic CSDH disappeared soon after surgical treatment in 31 CSDHs and became fainter in another. In two instances the CSDH recurred with reappearance of the band. Twenty-four of 27 asymptomatic CSDHs had no accompanying black band. Follow-up MR images demonstrated a later formation of bands in two of 24 asymptomatic CSDHs that enlarged to symptomatic size. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the heterogeneity and thickness of the CSDH on computerized tomography scans were independently and significantly associated with the black band. Conclusions. The dynamics of the black band may depend on the enlargement or shrinkage of the CSDH.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 852-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Alan Crockard ◽  
Ahmed Tammam ◽  
Nigel Mendoza

✓ Posterior cervical stabilization was accomplished in 30 patients (19 females and 11 males) by using sublaminar titanium cables and a new titanium bullet-shaped implant. Seventeen patients underwent occipitocervical fixation and 13 others were treated subaxially. These patients have been followed for 18 to 52 months (mean 36 months), and no implant has failed during the follow-up period.


2013 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
José F. Alén ◽  
Alfonso Lagares ◽  
Igor Paredes ◽  
Jorge Campollo ◽  
Pedro Navia ◽  
...  

Object Microarteriovenous malformations (micro-AVMs) are a rare subgroup of brain AVMs characterized by a nidus smaller than 1 cm. The authors' purpose in this study was to assess the clinical presentation, radiological features, therapeutic management, and outcome of these lesions. Methods All angiography studies performed at the authors' institution since 2000 for the diagnosis of AVM were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicoradiological findings, therapeutic management, and outcome were evaluated. Results Twenty-eight patients had presented with AVMs having a nidus diameter smaller than 1 cm or no clearly identifiable nidus but an early draining vein. All patients, except 2, presented with intracranial hemorrhage, and 12 patients had a focal deficit. Supratentorial hematomas were large (mean volume 25 ml), and in 8 patients hematomas were evacuated urgently. In 6 patients cerebral digital subtraction angiography studies were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging and dynamic MR angiography revealed an AVM in 4 of these 6 patients. Treatment of the AVM consisted of surgery in 16 cases, radiosurgery in 6, and endovascular embolization in 2, and there were no posttreatment deficits. Four patients received no treatment because of their poor condition. The AVM was occluded at the follow-up in all patients treated with surgery or embolization and in 4 of the 6 patients treated with radiosurgery. The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score was good (GOS 4–5) in 23 patients (82%) and poor (GOS 3–2) in 5 (18%). Conclusions Patients with micro-AVMs generally present with large intracranial hemorrhages and neurological deficits. If the initial angiography is negative, then delayed or superselective angiography is recommended. Magnetic resonance imaging may reveal the existence of these lesions. Surgery is the treatment of choice for superficial micro-AVMs, and radiosurgery or embolization can be considered for deep lesions.


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