-We report our experience with a supraorbital eyebrow minicraniotomy. This technique is suitable to lesions situated in the region of the anterior fossa, suprasellar cisterns, parasellar region and Sylvian fissure. A 50 mm incision in the eyebrow and a supraorbital minicraniotomy is performed. Sixteem patients harboring different lesions were operated on with good postoperative and cosmetic results. We conclude that this approach is safe and useful in selected cases.KEY WORDS: tumor, aneurysm, skull base, minimally invasive, surgical approach.Abordagem supra-orbitária superciliar de lesões da base do crânio RESUMO -Reportamos nossa experiência com o uso de uma minicraniotomia supra-orbitária através do supercílio para tratamento de lesões situadas na fossa anterior, cisterna supra-selar, para-selar e fissura de Sylvius. Uma incisão de 50 mm é realizada no supercílio, seguida de minicraniotomia. Dezesseis pacientes portadores de diferentes lesões foram operados e apresentaram bom resultado pós-operatório e também estético. Concluímos que esse acesso é seguro e útil em casos selecionados PALAVRAS-CHAVE: tumor, aneurisma, base do crânio, abordagem minimamente invasiva, acesso cirúrgico. Usually tumors, aneurysms, and other lesions situated in the anterior or middle cranial fossae are approached by the standard classic pterional craniotomy [1][2][3] . Some other new techniques are also used to approach the orbit, anterior fossa and skull base 4-9 .Recently Perneczky et al. [10][11][12] have developed several supraorbital endoscopic "key-hole" approaches and demonstrated a good visualization of the socalled "suprasellar virtual pyramid". Combination of endoscopy and microneurosurgery permits the reduction of the size of the craniotomy required for good visualization of tumor or aneurysm and surrounding structures if compared to traditional techniques. We report our experience with a supraorbital eyebrow approach. We add to the description of our 16 cases some details on important landmarks. These landmarks are useful to preserve the frontotemporal branch of the facial nerve, the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves in order to prevent cosmetic sequela of this easy and time-sparing procedure.

Meningeal melanocytomas are rare benign pigmented tumors of the central nervous system. They are predominant in the posterior fossa and spinal cord and frequently mistaken for melanomas, especially on frozen sections. Orbital presentation is rare. The natural history is poorly defined.

-We analyze the results of surgical treatment of 60 patients presenting syringomyelia (SM) associated with Chiari malformation (CM) who were operated in the period 1982-2000. For each case, analysis covered 15 signs and 16 symptoms included in a protocol that separated SM signs and symptoms from those of CM. A score system was established in parallel with the protocol to make the evaluation of treatment results easier. All cases were submitted to craniovertebral decompression by C1 and eventually C2 laminectomy and cerebellar tonsillectomy with duramater graft. To evaluate the results, statistical proportion difference tests and variance analyses were made to a reliability index of 95% (p=0.05). We conclude that the statistical improvement of CM signs and symptoms was very significant (p=0). Syringomyelia signs and symptoms also improved significantly, except for "upper limb hyporeflexia", which did not improve. No statistical difference in the improvement of SM symptoms as compared to CM symptom was found. Syringomyelia signs improved statistically more than CM signs. In half of patients, the percent improvement of signs and symptoms ranged between 40% and 60%.KEY WORDS: syringomyelia, Chiari malformation, surgical treatment.Resultados do tratamento da siringomielia associada com malformação de Chiari: análise de 60 casos RESUMO -Analisamos os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico de 60 pacientes com a associação de siringomielia (SM) e malformação de Chiari (MC) operados no período de 1982 a 2000. Em cada caso foram analisados 15 sinais e 16 sintomas, incluídos em um protocolo que separou os sinais e sintomas decorrentes da SM dos sinais e sintomas decorrentes da MC. Paralelamente ao protocolo, foi elaborado um sistema de pontuação que facilitou a avaliação dos resultados do tratamento. Todos os casos foram submetidos à descompressão crânio vertebral com laminectomia de C1 e eventualmente de C2, e tonsilectomia cerebelar com plásti-ca de dura-máter. Para avaliação dos resultados, foram aplicados testes estatísticos de diferença de proporções e análise de variância com confiabilidade de 95% (p=0,05). Concluímos que os sinais e sintomas da MC apresentaram melhora estatística muito significativa (p=0). Os sinais e sintomas decorrentes da SM também apresentaram melhora significativa, sendo a exceção o sinal "hiporreflexia de membros superiores" que não melhorou. Não encontrada diferença estatística da melhora dos sintomas da SM quando comparados aos da MC. Os sinais na SM melhoraram estatisticamente mais que os sinais da MC. A metade dos pacientes apresentou percentual de melhora de seus sinais e sintomas na faixa entre 40 e 60%. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: siringomielia, malformação de Chiari, tratamento cirúrgico. Syringomyelia (SM) and Chiari malformation (CM) are two clinical syndromes showing a number of characteristics. The study of these two pathologies, when associated with each other, leads the researcher to face a high number of signs and symptoms, thus making the analysis of surgical treatment results of both...

The improvement of surgical techniques as well as the introduction of new surgical instruments promoted the use of keyhole craniotomies in neurosurgery. We evaluated the technical aspects of the supra-orbital keyhole approach considering the indications, limitations, and complications of this approach to treat anterior cranial fossa and parasellar meningiomas. Twenty-four patients (21 females; mean age, 53±8.6 years) operated on between 2002 and 2006 through a supra-orbital eyebrow approach were studied. Maximal tumor diameter ranged from 1.6 to 6 cm. Gross total resection was done in 20 (83.3%). All tumors were histologically benign. Two patients (8%) experienced CSF rinorhea and another two patients suffered transitory diabetes insipidus (8%). One patient experienced transitory hemiparesis. There was one case of meningitis and one mortality. Follow-up ranged between 6 to 66 months (mean 31.5±20.1 months), with no recurrence. The supra-orbital keyhole craniotomy is a useful minimally invasive approach to treat selected anterior fossa and parasellar meningiomas.

-We report a case of a pleomorphic xantoastrocytoma which manifested itself as a cystic isodense lesion in the right fronto-temporal lobe in a 26 year-old woman. It appeared as a soft yellow tumor with cystic cavities on surgery. Five months after this surgery, the patient was submitted to a new operation, which revealed a friable tumor, easily differentiated from the normal parenchyma, with cystic components. The histopathological examination demonstrated pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma with malignant transformation. Histologically, the tumor at first procedure was composed of pleomorphic astrocytes with multinucleated and foamy cells. A rare case of malignant transformation in pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma is presented, discussed and illustrated in this paper.

RESUMO -Estudamos retrospectivamente 24 pacientes com espondilodiscite séptica de diferentes etiologias (hematogênica, primária e infantil) e os diferentes aspectos envolvidos em seu diagnóstico e tratamento. Constatamos que a velocidade de hemossedimentação é um bom parâmetro laboratorial para acompanhar a evolução da doença, mas deve ser sempre interpretada conjuntamente com o quadro clínico e os achados de neuroimagem. Biópsias devem ser reservadas para os casos de diagnóstico duvidoso e o tratamento clínico realizado sempre que afastadas as seguintes condições: sepse, déficit neurológico, deformidade severa, abscesso epidural e corpo estranho (discite primária). A abordagem cirúrgica deve ser planejada levando em conta o estágio da doença, sendo preferencialmente por via posterior nas fases supurativas e anterior nas demais. Baseados em nossa experiência e em revisão da literatura, propomos um algoritmo para orientar o diagnóstico e o tratamento das espondilodiscites sépticas.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: discite séptica, espondilodiscite séptica, osteomielite vertebral.Septic spondylodiscitis: diagnosis and treatment Septic spondylodiscitis: diagnosis and treatment Septic spondylodiscitis: diagnosis and treatment Septic spondylodiscitis: diagnosis and treatment Septic spondylodiscitis: diagnosis and treatment ABSTRACT -We studied retrospectively 24 patients with septic discitis of different etiologies (hematogenic, primary and infantile) and the different aspects involved in its diagnosis and treatment. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate proved to be a valuable parameter and should always be interpreted carefully along with the clinical and neuroimaging findings. Biopsies should be reserved for doubtful cases with atypical course. Clinical treatment should be initiated after the following situations have been ruled out: sepsis, neurological deficit, severe deformity, epidural abscess and foreign body (primary disease). The surgical approach may be chosen based on the stage of disease, being preferably posterior in suppurative forms and anterior in the nonsuppurative stage. Based on our experience and on information gathered by literature review, we propose an algorithm to guide diagnosis and treatment in patients with septic discitis. KEY WORDS: septic discitis, septic spondilodiscitis, vertebral osteomyelitis. A espondilodiscite séptica ainda representa um desafio ao médico, quanto ao seu diagnóstico e tratamento. A literatura neurocirúrgica é muito escassa sobre o assunto e a maioria das publicações está distribuída entre especialidades como ortopedia, clí-nica geral, reumatologia, pediatria e radiologia. Embora sua fisiopatologia não seja completamente esclarecida, a maioria dos trabalhos é retrospectiva, formas diferentes da doença sendo agrupadas das mais diversas maneiras. Termos como espondilodiscite, discite infantil e osteomielite vertebral são empregados como doenças diferentes, não se fazendo distinção entre adultos e crianças de diferentes idades e a inexistência de uma classificação universalmente aceita torna d...

Paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 55 meningiomas were immunostained after microwave processing using the streptavidin/peroxidase method and the monoclonal antibody (moAb) MIB-1 to the Ki-67 antigen. The authors assessed proliferative labelling index (LI) from a series of surgically removed meningiomas using immunohistochemical methods and MIB-1, and they correlated this index with clinical, radiological, and histological factors. No relationship was found between LI, sex, age, resection and histological grades, or volume. Symptoms, location, and peritumoural oedema did have a significant relationship to the MIB-1 LI. The symptomatic patients, i.e. those with tumours at the base of the skull and with GR3 peritumoural oedema (grade 3), had a greater chance of higher MIB-1 LI. It was proven that the increase of one unit in peritumoural oedema classification gave an increased risk of 3.312 and an LI greater than 3%. The authors also discuss the different methods of evaluating LIs in meningiomas, based on the available literature.

-Esthesioneuroblatoma (ENB) is a rare tumor arising from the olfactory epithelium of the nasal vault which frequently invades the cranial base, cranial vault and orbit. ENB has a bimodal age distribution between 11 and 20 years and between 51 and 60 years. ENB accounts for approximately 1 to 5% of intranasal cancers and no consensus has been reached regarding treatment of this tumor. We report on a 66 year old female patient with a Kadish stage C tumor with frontal lobe invasion submitted a total craniofacial resection with a combined head neck and neurosurgeon team. The purpose of this study is to analyze the natural history, treatment and prognosis of this tumor, based on the literature review.KEY WORDS: esthesioneuroblastoma, craniofacial surgery, skull base surgery. Estesioneuroblastoma: relato de casoRESUMO -Estesioneuroblastoma é um tumor raro originado do epitélio olfactivo, frequentemente invadindo a base do crânio e a região orbitaria. É tumor que pode ser encontrado em qualquer idade mas apresentando dois picos de frequência entre 11 e 21 anos e 51 e 60 anos, raros em criança. A distribuição por sexo é praticamente igual mas com uma pequena predominância masculina. O diagnostico histopatológico é feito de forma definitiva por métodos imunohistoquímicos. A sintomatologia clínica corresponde ao de uma neoplasia intranasal ou frontobasal. Devido a raridade destes tumores não se chegou ainda a um consenso em relação ao tipo de tratamento. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente 66 anos de idade com um tumor classificado como Kadish tipo C, com invasão dos seios da face e lobo frontal, que foi submetida a ressecção crânio facial por uma equipe multidisciplinar. A historia natural o tratamento e o prognóstico dos pacientes portadores destes tumores serão analisados baseando-se numa revisão da literatura. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: estesioneuroblastoma, cirurgia crânio facial, cirurgia da base do crânio.