SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Extracranial metastases of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are rare due to the short survival experienced by the patients. Therefore, the natural history of GBM metastases remains elusive. The identification of clinical factors promoting GBM metastases may help elucidate the mechanisms of tumor cell invasion in the brain. The aims of this study were to perform a meta-analysis evaluating the survival, characteristics, prognostic factors, and predictors of treatment outcome in patients with metastatic GBM and describe a case of metastatic extracranial GBM. METHODS: We report the case of a patient diagnosed with GBM metastatic to the lungs and the results of a meta-analysis of 114 other cases of metastatic GBM identified through a MEDLINE and BIREME search. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 38.2±16.1 years and 70.4% were male. The time elapsed between the identification of the metastasis and death was significantly increased in patients undergoing surgery (p=0.019), whereas the time from the diagnosis of the primary tumor to death was significantly increased in patients receiving radiation therapy (p=0.050). The time elapsed from metastasis to death and diagnosis to death was significantly longer in patients receiving chemotherapy (p<0.001 and p=0.027, respectively). The liver was the metastatic site associated with the shortest time elapsed from diagnosis to death (p=0.024). CONCLUSIONS: In GBM, surgical resection is important in reducing the risk of metastasis, and chemotherapy and radiation therapy help to prolong survival in metastatic GBM. Metastases to the liver are associated with shorter survival compared with metastases to other sites.

The information provided through this project must be assessed and criticized by the physician responsible for the conduct that will be adopted, depending on the conditions and the clinical status of each patient. The impact of the neurosurgery in elderly patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is still unclear. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the overall survival of patients over 65 years old submitted to GBM surgical treatment and analyze the rates of postoperative complications in this population. A search on the Medline, Cochrane e Google Scholar electronic databases between January 2005 and April 2018 identified seven studies that evaluated the neurosurgical treatment of patients older than 65 years with GBM. Surgical procedures included complete or partial resection or tumor biopsy. In elderly GBM patients, total surgical resection of the tumor was associated with longer overall postoperative survival when compared with the partial resection or biopsy. Based on this study, neurosurgery is recommended to increase the overall survival of elderly patients with GBM and a good overall preoperative condition. The high rate of complications in this population should be taken into consideration for the surgical decision. The details of the methodology of this guideline are set out in Annex I.

Strictly intraventricular craniopharyngiomas are a rare topographical variety of craniopharyngiomas. The correct diagnosis is important in order to define the surgical planning, as the surgical access is different for suprasellar tumors with secondary invasion of the third ventricle. An image diagnosis may be difficult, though suggestive patterns exist. The aim of the present case report and literature review is to add to the scarce literature on strictly intraventricular craniopharyngiomas, as well as to remind the neurosurgeon of this rare diagnosis so that the proper treatment is provided.

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Objectives To analyze the epidemiological aspects of primary and metastatic tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) among patients operated on by a single surgeon dedicated to neuro-oncology at Hospital Regional do Oeste, in Chapecó (Santa Catarina, Brazil), between 2013 and 2016. Methods Cross-sectional, retrospective, and observational analysis of 347 patients undergoing surgery due to intracranial tumors. The patients' data were obtained from the hospital registry, medical records, and pathology reports. Results Primary CNS tumors comprised 72.1% of the sample. There was a predominance of females (52.7%), and the mean age was 49.3 years, with a peak of incidence between the ages of 25 and 64 years. Gliomas were the most common primary brain tumors (23.7%), followed by meningiomas (17.0%). Lung cancer (15.3%), breast cancer (4.9%), and melanoma (3.5%) were, in descending order, the most frequent primary sites of metastases, which were recorded in 97 cases (27.9%). Conclusion The lack of standardization in the process of notification of tumor diseases imposes challenges in the establishment of estimates close to the real ones, preventing improvement of public health care policies to protect patients with neuro-oncological conditions. Based on the current model, regionalization of the data seems to be the best option in the management of this subgroup of patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the complications of anterior approach to the cervical spine in patients who underwent cervical arthrodesis with instrumentation. METHODS: Prospective and descriptive study was conducted from January 2009 to April 2010. All patients who underwent arthrodesis of the cervical spine by anterior approach were included, regardless the diagnosis. Access was made by the anterior approach on the right side. We evaluated the number of operated levels (1, 2 or 3 levels) and, the type of procedure performed: discectomy and placement of cage and plate (D+C+P), discectomy with placement of a cage (D+C) or corpectomy with placement of cage and plate (C+C+P). All complications related to surgical approach were reported. RESULTS: We studied 34 patients, 70% male. The average age was 50 years and mean follow-up was 8 months. Eighteen percent of patients had complications, distributed as follows: dysphasia (33%) and dysphonic (67%). Among patients who developed complications, most underwent to D+C+P (83%) and no complications were found in patients where no cervical plate was used. Regarding levels, both complications were identified in patients operated to one or two levels. However, in patients operated on three levels, only dysphonia was identified. CONCLUSION: The most frequent complication was dysphonia. Patients who presented more complications were those undergoing discectomy and fusion with cage and anterior cervical plate. All cases of dysphonia were in this group. The number of accessible levels does not seem to have affected the incidence of complications.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a incidência de trauma raquimedular causado por projétil de arma de fogo nos pacientes atendidos no pronto socorro de um hospital de Curitiba (PR). MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo, realizado no período de fevereiro de 2005 a julho de 2008, incluindo todos os pacientes, vitimas de lesão na coluna vertebral causada por projétil de arma de fogo (n = 54). RESULTADOS: A grande maioria dos pacientes acometidos é do sexo masculino e em idade produtiva, com média de 27,18 anos. O segmento mais afetado foi a coluna torácica, com ferimentos transfixantes e lesão ASIA A (lesão completa). A maioria dos casos foi tratada de forma conservadora. O período da semana em que houve maior incidência foi o fim e semana, com predomínio do sábado e da sexta-feira. O motivo mais comum foi assalto. CONCLUSÃO: São lesões com alto impacto no custo de saúde pública e de previdência, uma vez que são lesões de alta taxa de morbidade e acometimento predominante de pessoas em faixa etária produtiva.