Cranial Meningiomas Requiring Cranioplasty

Aims Bone infiltration in association with intracranial meningioma (4.5% of cases) and primary intraosseous meningioma (2%) are rare. Management can be challenging, as cranial vault reconstruction may be required. This study aimed to examine the surgical techniques used and outcomes in this patient population. Method A single-centre, retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2010 and September 2020. All adult patients who required cranial reconstruction due to bone involvement of their meningioma were included. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics, operative details, complications, and outcomes were examined. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v24.0. Results There were 30 patients (17 female; 56.7%), median age 54 yrs (range 28-86 yrs), of whom 25 (83.3%) had bone infiltration, and 5 (16.7%) had primary intraosseous meningioma. Only 10 patients had a Simpson I or II resection. Twenty-eight had 'on-table' primary cranioplasties. Materials used were titanium (n=13; 43.3%), acrylic (n=10; 33.3%), PMMA (n=5; 16.7%), and hydroxyapatite (n=2; 6.7%). There were 9 (mostly minor) surgical complications and only one wound infection. Twelve patients had WHO grade II tumours, and 14 required radiotherapy. Ten patients (33.3%) had re-operation for recurrent tumour, with a median time to progression of 41 months. At 6 months, 24 patients had a performance score less than 2. Conclusion On-table cranioplasty provides a lower risk surgical option for patients with high risk meningiomas.

Gaucher Patient With Bilateral Total Femoral Lytic Lesion Mimicking Malignancy and Review of the Literature Case Report

IntroductionBone involvement in Gaucher disease can affect quality of life. Different bone involvements can be confused with hematological diseases, infections and malignancy.CaseOur patient with bilateral femur involvement presented to us with a pathological fracture. After the pathological fracture was treated with a long leg splint and healed, we performed biopsy on our patient because of suspicious radiological findings. The pathology results reported gaucher disease with bone infiltration, during the time in which conservative follow up was taking place, eventually leading to the patient’s mobilization again.ConclusionThe bone findings of gaucher disease portray a difficult process that requires follow-up and treatment. It is crucial to scan patients periodically for possible vertebral and extremity symptoms. Vertebral and extremity fractures are situations that undoubtly require experience as they can imitate malignant masses.

Spinal Intraosseus Schwannoma: A Case Report

Introduction: Schwannomas are the most frequent extramedullary intradural spinal tumors, accounting for approximately 24% of all nerve sheath tumors in adults. In a lower percentage of cases they may be extradural or transdural (1-19%). Intramedullary schwannomas and intraosseous schwannoma are quite rare tumors representing. Case Description: A 74-year-old woman presented intense low back pain for a few months, associated with left cruralgia and dysesthesia spread to both lower limbs. Magnetic resonance and computed tomography examination demonstrated an extramedullary intradural osteolytic lesion located in the posterior part of the vertebral body and pedicles of L1. The patient underwent a first surgery 4 years earlier with complete removal of the tumor but after about two years she had a recurrence. She was then subjected to a new intervention of decompression, removal of the tumor and arthrodesis. The histological findings were compatible with a classical schwannoma characterized by intraosseous growth and multifocal bone infiltration. Conclusion: We reported a rare case of intraosseous schwannoma presenting as a recurrence four years after radical surgical removal of a classic lumbar schwannoma. Only 25 cases of these tumors have been previously reported and none of them as an intraosseous recurrence.

Pelvic and Lumbar Pain Revealing Bone Sarcoidosis: A Case Report

A 54-years-old woman suffered from a bilateral pelvic and lumbar pain. She had a systemic investigation shows a diffuse bone lesions. A biopsy of iliac bone was done and revealed sarcoidosis. Bony manifestations of sarcoidosis are rare and challenging to diagnose. Our report shows that MRI with diffusion weighted sequences is a simple and non invasive technique to evaluate bone infiltration. It helps to distinguish inflammatory disease from metastatic lesions and to guide the osseous biopsy. Moreover, fluorodeoxyglucose PET scan, are useful in establishing the extent of damage and measuring disease activity.

Disseminated focal 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose uptake upon granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy mimicking malignant bone infiltration: case report of a patient with very severe aplastic anemia

Combined 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography ([18F]FDG-PET/CT) is increasingly used for the diagnostic and therapeutic management of hematologic and non-hematologic malignancies. Here, we describe a unique case of a patient presenting with very severe aplastic anemia and a mediastinal mass showing disseminated hypermetabolic lesions of the bones after receiving granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), highly suspicious for disseminated metastatic lesions. A 71-year-old patient presented with a 3 week history of dyspnea and fatigue. Blood tests showed severe pancytopenia and iliac crest bone marrow biopsy revealed an extensively hypoplastic bone marrow. Diagnostic work-up by histology, conventional cytogenetics and flow cytometry confirmed the diagnosis of very severe aplastic anemia. Besides blood transfusions, the patient was treated with G-CSF. Furthermore, computed tomography revealed a suspect mass in the anterior mediastinum, presenting with moderate glucose metabolism in the subsequent [18F]FDG-PET/CT scan. In addition, multiple disseminated and highly metabolic bone lesions of primarily the ribs were detected, suspicious of malignant bone infiltration. Since physiologic bone marrow activation by G-CSF-stimulation could not be ruled out, G-CSF therapy was interrupted to repeat the PET/CT scan 10 days later. On the second [18F]FDG-PET/CT the moderately hypermetabolic mediastinal mass persisted. However, the initially FDG-avid bone lesions almost completely resolved, rendering the diagnosis of G-CSF-induced bone marrow hypermetabolism very likely without the need for further invasive diagnostic procedures. The mediastinal mass was thereafter histologically verified as thymoma. Interpretation of [18F]FDG-PET/CT in patients with aplastic anemia may be complicated by the frequent therapeutic use of G-CSF. With G-CSF, islets of residual bone marrow activity can be visualized on [18F]FDG-PET/CT images that might be misinterpreted as malignant bone infiltration. Repeating PET/CT scan after G-CSF discontinuation can prevent unnecessary invasive diagnostic procedures in these patients.