A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube was inserted in a 59-year-old man who was undergoing craniotomy due to subarachnoid hemorrhage, because it was estimated that he could not have oral intake for a period of 4 weeks. Seventy days after the insertion, the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube was replaced because of its accidental removal by the patient. Two months after the second insertion, the tube had to be replaced due to nonfunctioning. The buried bumper syndrome was diagnosed on physical examination, and was confirmed by endoscopy, with findings of mucosal dimpling and nonvisualization of the internal bumper. The tube was removed by external traction without any abdominal incision, and the same site was used for the insertion of a replacement tube over a guidewire. The patient remained symptom-free during 18 months of follow-up.

These findings suggest a relationship between recurrence of craniopharyngiomas and angiogenesis. New treatment modalities with selective PDGFR-alpha blockers may represent a novel and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of craniopharyngiomas.

Although the healing time is longer, the open technique is more advantageous with respect to shorter operating time, less discomfort in the early postoperative period, and lower morbidity rate.

This study, for the first time, provides experimental semiquantitative data to compare the angiogenic potentials of embolized and gamma knife-treated AVM tissues. Embolization may increase angiogenic activity, and gamma knife radiosurgery may decrease it when compared with activity in previously untreated AVMs. These data can be useful to understand why recurrence of AVMs after angiographically demonstrated endovascular occlusion is common but after gamma knife occlusion is rare.

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Cavernous angiomas are vascular malformations that occur most frequently in the supratentorial area of the central nervous system (CNS). Spinal epidural occurrence is rare. This article describes 2 cases of spinal epidural cavernous angioma. The lesions were hypo- to isointense on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs) and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Both were enhanced homogenously with intravenous contrast. Total resection was achieved in both cases, and the lesions were histopathologically diagnosed as cavernous angiomas. The patients' symptoms regressed postsurgery. Although the MRI features of cavernous angiomas are well known, spinal epidural occurrence is rare and many differential diagnoses have similar clinical and imaging findings. It is important to definitively diagnose these lesions prior to surgery in order to prevent possible intraoperative complications such as massive bleeding and to maximize chances for complete resection. In addition to case descriptions, this article includes a thorough literature review to raise clinical awareness about this well-known but rare spinal entity.

PEG is a safe and well-tolerated gastrostomy method for neurosurgical ICU patients with depressed neurologic state or severe lower cranial nerve palsies.

Spinal stabilization with fusion is the widely used method for traumatic or pathologic fracture of spine, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis. Complications may emerge during or after the operations. Infection, hematoma and neurological deficits are early noticed findings. Screw and/or rod fractures present in long-term after surgery. Rod migration in out of the spinal column is a rare entity. A 67-year-old woman was visited our clinic for right leg pain. She had a previous spinal instrumentation surgery for spondylolisthesis in another center 6 years before. After radiological work-up, a distally migrated rod piece was observed in the retroperitoneal portion. The patient was operated for degenerative change; old instruments were replaced and extended to the L2 level with posterior spinal fusion. After the operation, her right leg pain improved. The asymptomatic migrated rod piece has regularly been followed clinically and radiologically, since then. Although it has rarely been reported, migration of the instrumentation material should be kept in mind. Spinal fixation without fusion makes the mechanical system vulnerable to motion effects of spine, especially in a degenerative and osteoporotic background. Long-term, even life-long follow-up is necessary for late term complications.