Object Decompressive craniectomy has defined this era of damage-control wartime neurosurgery. Injuries that in previous conflicts were treated in an expectant manner are now aggressively decompressed at the far-forward Combat Support Hospital and transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda for definitive care. The purpose of this paper is to examine the baseline characteristics of those injured warriors who received decompressive craniectomies. The importance of this procedure will be emphasized and guidance provided to current and future neurosurgeons deployed in theater. Methods The authors retrospectively searched a database for all soldiers injured in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom between April 2003 and October 2008 at WRAMC and NNMC. Criteria for inclusion in this study included either a closed or penetrating head injury suffered during combat operations in either Iraq or Afghanistan with subsequent neurosurgical evaluation at NNMC or WRAMC. Exclusion criteria included all cases in which primary demographic data could not be verified. Primary outcome data included the type and mechanism of injury, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score and injury severity score (ISS) at admission, and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at discharge, 6 months, and 1–2 years. Results Four hundred eight patients presented with head injury during the study period. In this population, a total of 188 decompressive craniectomies were performed (154 for penetrating head injury, 22 for closed head injury, and 12 for unknown injury mechanism). Patients who underwent decompressive craniectomies in the combat theater had significantly lower initial GCS scores (7.7 ± 4.2 vs 10.8 ± 4.0, p < 0.05) and higher ISSs (32.5 ± 9.4 vs 26.8 ± 11.8, p < 0.05) than those who did not. When comparing the GOS scores at hospital discharge, 6 months, and 1–2 years after discharge, those receiving decompressive craniectomies had significantly lower scores (3.0 ± 0.9 vs 3.7 ± 0.9, 3.5 ± 1.2 vs 4.0 ± 1.0, and 3.7 ± 1.2 vs 4.4 ± 0.9, respectively) than those who did not undergo decompressive craniectomies. That said, intragroup analysis indicated consistent improvement for those with craniectomy with time, allowing them, on average, to participate in and improve from rehabilitation (p < 0.05). Overall, 83% of those for whom follow-up data are available achieved a 1-year GOS score of greater than 3. Conclusions This study of the provision of early decompressive craniectomy in a military population that sustained severe penetrating and closed head injuries represents one of the largest to date in both the civilian and military literature. The findings suggest that patients who undergo decompressive craniectomy had worse injuries than those receiving craniotomy and, while not achieving the same outcomes as those with a lesser injury, did improve with time. The authors recommend hemicraniectomy for damage control to protect patients from the effects of brain swelling during the long overseas transport to their definitive care, and it should be conducted with foresight concerning future complications and reconstructive surgical procedures.
Object Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) is a heritable tumor predisposition syndrome that leads to the development of multiple intracranial tumors, including meningiomas and schwannomas. Because the natural history of these tumors has not been determined, their optimal management has not been established. To define the natural history of NF2-associated intracranial tumors and to optimize management strategies, the authors evaluated long-term clinical and radiographic data in patients with NF2. Methods Consecutive NF2 patients with a minimum of 4 years of serial clinical and MRI follow-up were analyzed. Results Seventeen patients, 9 males and 8 females, were included in this analysis (mean follow-up 9.5 ± 4.8 years, range 4.0–20.7 years). The mean age at initial evaluation was 33.2 ± 15.5 years (range 12.3–57.6 years). Patients harbored 182 intracranial neoplasms, 164 of which were assessable for growth rate analysis (18 vestibular schwannomas [VSs], 11 nonvestibular cranial nerve [CN] schwannomas, and 135 meningiomas) and 152 of which were assessable for growth pattern analysis (15 VSs, 9 nonvestibular CN schwannomas, and 128 meningiomas). New tumors developed in patients over the course of the imaging follow-up: 66 meningiomas, 2 VSs, and 2 nonvestibular CN schwannomas. Overall, 45 tumors (29.6%) exhibited linear growth, 17 tumors (11.2%) exhibited exponential growth, and 90 tumors (59.2%) displayed a saltatory growth pattern characterized by alternating periods of growth and quiescence (mean quiescent period 2.3 ± 2.1 years, range 0.4–11.7 years). Further, the saltatory pattern was the most frequently identified growth pattern for each tumor type: meningiomas 60.9%, VSs 46.7%, and nonvestibular schwannoma 55.6%. A younger age at the onset of NF2-related symptoms (p = 0.01) and female sex (p = 0.05) were associated with an increased growth rate in meningiomas. The identification of saltatory growth in meningiomas increased with the duration of follow-up (p = 0.01). Conclusions Neurofibromatosis Type 2–associated intracranial tumors most frequently demonstrated a saltatory growth pattern. Because new tumors can develop in NF2 patients over their lifetime and because radiographic progression and symptom formation are unpredictable, resection may be best reserved for symptom-producing tumors. Moreover, establishing the efficacy of nonsurgical therapeutic interventions must be based on long-term follow-up (several years).
In this selected group of patients who underwent bilateral or bicompartmental craniectomy, 60% are independent at long-term follow-up. Patients with bifrontal injury fared best. Systemic infection and cerebrovascular injury corresponded with a worse outcome.
Background and Importance We present a unique case of an anterior skull base von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)-associated microcystic neoplasm. To determine the lesion’s relationship with VHL and its appropriate management, we discuss its salient clinical, pathologic, and molecular features. Clinical Presentation A 36-year-old female with VHL presented with a 3-month history of phantosmia. Serial magnetic resonance imaging studies revealed a lesion within the ethmoid and frontal sinus region that was first evident 18 months before symptom development and demonstrated progressive growth over the interval period. The lesion was resected through a transbasal approach. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical analysis revealed a microcystic lesion composed of bland clear cells and underlying endothelial cells consistent with a VHL-associated microcystic neoplasm that are not known to metastasize. Molecular testing demonstrated loss of heterozygosity of the VHL locus, verifying the tumor as a VHL related neoplasm. Conclusion Because primary VHL-associated microcystic tumors in the anterior skull base have not been described previously, the natural history of these tumors remains unclear. Based on the benign features of these lesions, they can be managed conservatively with close observation and surgical intervention reserved for those that produce symptoms.
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