Glial brain tumours with their poor prognosis, limited treatment modalities and unclear detailed pathophysiology represent a significant health concern. The purpose of the current study was to investigate and describe the possible role of the human polyomavirus JC as an underlying cancerogenic or co-cancerogenic factor in the complex processes of glial tumour induction and development. Samples from 101 patients with glial tumours were obtained during neurosurgical tumour resection. Small tissue pieces were taken from several areas of the histologically verified solid tumour core. Biopsies were used for DNA extraction and subsequent amplification reactions of sequences from the JC viral genome. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used for detection and quantification of its non-coding control region (NCCR) and gene encoding the regulatory protein Large T antigen (LT). An average of 37.6% of all patients was found to be LT positive, whereas only 6.9% tested positive for NCCR. The analysis of the results demonstrated significant variance between the determined LT prevalence and the rate for NCCR, with a low starting copy number in all positive samples and threshold cycles in the range of 36 to 42 representing viral load in the range from 10 to 1000 copies/μl. The results most probably indicate incomplete JC viral replication. Under such conditions, mutations in the host cell genome may be accumulated due to interference of the virus with the host cell machinery, and eventually malignant transformation may occur.
AIm:The study aimed to examine the position of three-dimensional (3D) neurosonography and the advantages and disadvantages of ultrasound-based neuronavigation in spinal cord tumour surgery. mAterIAl and methOds: During the period July, 2007-February 2011 patients with spinal cord tumours were operated in our neurosurgical clinic. All patients underwent intraoperative 3D neurosonography by means of SonoWandTM and SonoWand InviteTM ultrasound-based neuronavigation systems.results: Intraoperative 3D neurosonography was used for 6 intramedullary tumours (5 ependymomas and 1 astrocytoma) and 22 extramedullary tumours (8 neurinomas, 10 meningiomas and 4 filum terminale ependymomas). During the performed spinal tumour surgery, snapshots of the 3D images of the surgical situation were obtained. Post-operative results, based on the control MRI findings and the patients' score on Karnofsky Performance Scale, were evaluated during the third month after the surgery. COnClusIOn:Ultrasound-based neuronavigation is a promising tool in extramedullary tumour surgery, especially of meningiomas and neurinomas, ensuring better control on the extent of tumour excision. In patients with intramedullary tumours, however, the use of 3D neurosonography for more precise control on the extent of radical tumour excision is not possible. In general, ultrasound-based neuronavigation has not added much to the surgical management of spinal cord tumors. sOnuÇ: Ultrason tabanlı nöronavigasyon özellikle menenjiyomlar ve nörinomlar olmak üzere ekstramedüller tümör cerrahisinde ümit vadeden bir araçtır ve tümör eksizyonu miktarının daha iyi kontrolünü mümkün kılar. Ancak intramedüller tümörlü hastalarda 3D ultrasonografinin radikal tümör eksizyonunun daha iyi kontrol edilmesi için kullanılması mümkün değildir. Genel olarak ultrason tabanlı nöronavigasyon omurilik tümörlerinin cerrahi tedavisine fazla katkıda bulunmamıştır.AnAhtAr sÖZCÜKler: Omurilik cerrahisi, Omurilik tümörleri, İntraoperatif üç boyutlu (3D) nörosonografi, SonoWand ultrason tabanlı nöronavigasyon sistemi
First described by Miller in 1932, melanocytic schwannoma (MS) (melanotic schwannoma, pigmented schwannoma) is a rare variation of peripheral nerve sheet tumours with ectodermal origin occurring predominantly in somatic, but also in the autonomic peripheral system with around two hundred cases in the literature. Predominantly benign tumours, MS are still imaging and pathological challenge and can be easily misdiagnosed with more aggressive peripheral nerve tumours. We report a case of melanocytic schwannoma on L3 sensory rootlet with systematic literature review of nearly 200 cases presented in intracranial, paraspinal region, thoracic, abdominal or pelvic cavities and skin. Two-thirds of cases are part of Carney complex. We present a case of a 61-year-old male with a 3-month history of low back pain, progressive numbness and stiffness in the right thigh, shin and knee, tibial and peroneal paresis causing gait disturbance and neurological claudication. MRI findings present “sand clock” type intradural extramedullary tumour formation with extension to the L3 rootlet through right L3-L4 foramen, hypointense on T2 and hyperintense on T1. Pathological diagnosis of sporadic type melanocytic schwannoma was made via immunohistological and ultrastructural analysis. Thirteen months after total resection there was clinical and MRI evidence of recurrence of the tumour. Total resection and radiosurgery was performed with a recurrence free period of 14 months.A gold standard for melanocytic schwannoma treatment is gross total surgical resection. Despite being considered benign tumours, MS have a local or metastatic recurrence of around 13%. MRI imaging in most of the cases is insufficient and only exhaustive pathological and immunohistological examination is the key to diagnosis. Need of postoperative radiation therapy is still controversial. For the first time, a criterion for postoperative adjuvant therapy was established.
Introduction: Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) is the most common and difficult-to-treat extrathyroidal symptom of Graves’ disease. Though retraction of the upper eyelid is the most common clinical feature of GO, it can have a much more severe clinical manifesta-tion with symptoms such as conjunctival chemosis, keratopathy, extraocular muscle dysfunction, proptosis of the bulb and dysthyroid optic neuropathy. Treatment methods include control of the thyroid function, corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy as well as radiotherapy. These approaches are ineffective in one-third of cases, with patients being refractory to all aforementioned therapeutic modalities. In these cases, surgical decompression of the orbit is in order.The spectrum of surgical techniques is wide and varies from decompression of the lateral wall of the orbit to decompression via removal of all four orbital walls. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the results of superolateral orbital decompression. Patients and methods: The study is retrospective and covers the period from January 2009 to January 2019. During that period eight patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy underwent surgery and were followed up in the Department of Neurosurgery in the Mili-tary Medical Academy, Sofia. The mean age of the patients was 57 years, with the youngest being 30 years old and the oldest – 74 years old. The gender distribution was 1.6/1 with predominance in females (5 women and 3 men). The surgical approach we used is a com-bination of lateral and upper orbitotomy and was described in detail by Al-Mefty. All of patients underwent ophthalmic examinations in the pre- and postoperative period, with special attention to their visual acuity, the condition of the eyelid and the width of the ocular slit. Exophthalmometry was obtained via Hertel’s method. The participants in this study are followed for a period of six months after the operation. Results: All eight patients underwent superolateral orbitotomy. There were a total of ten orbital decompressions. Improvement of visual acuity and reduction of the proptosis were reported in all other surgically treated patients. The mean reported improvement of visual acuity (measured via Snellen’s method) was 0.27±0.17. The mean reported a reduction of proptosis was 7.53±2.58 mm. Conclusions: Although the surgical techniques for orbital decompression we used have significant disadvantages, they remain the only alternative in order to avoid the complication of severe GO.
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