A 35-year-old woman, previously treated for systemic metastases from retroperitoneal yolk sac tumor, presented with progressive painful paraparesis. Preoperative images showed severe cord compression by the metastatic infiltration of the lumbar vertebrae and epidural mass as well as a huge retroperitoneal mass. While performing unremarkable surgery in prone position, the patient abruptly fell into hypoxic insults and circulatory arrest. Intraoperative pulmonary tumor embolism was deemed a cause of death. When planning operative procedure for this dangerous malignancy, scrupulous manipulation is mandated and the possibility of fatal pulmonary tumor embolism should also be addressed and fully discussed preoperatively.
Adult* ; Cause of Death ; Endodermal Sinus Tumor* ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating* ; Paraparesis ; Prone Position ; Spinal Cord Compression* ; Spinal Cord* ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Yolk Sac*

OBJECTIVE: Prognostic factors of metastatic brain tumors have been widely reported and their operative indications also have been extended gradually even to the poor grade patients. Authors intended to analyze the causative factors for the clinical outcome of metastatic brain tumors, especially with relevant to the poor prognosis by one year follow-up evaluation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively studied the clinical characteristics of 46 cases(35 patients) with metastatic brain tumors among 466 cases(437 patients) which were operated on due to the brain tumor, during the period between January 1994 to June 1999. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 8.0(r). A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered clinically significant. RESULT: Among the variable clinical factors in patients with metastatic brain tumors, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score of less than 70(16 patients), uncontrolled primary tumor(8 patients), and surgical resection without further adjuvant therapy(9 patients) showed statistically significant poor prognosis; p value of 0.002, 0.032, and 0.001, respectively. Other tested variables, such as old age(greater than 65 years; 10 patients), gender(male; 20 patients), type of primary cancer(primary undefined; 6 patients, lung cancer; 15 patients), location(infratentorial; 9 patients, sellar; 5 patients), number of lesion(multiple; 12 patients), and number of operation(multiple craniotomy; 7 patients) were not related to the poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The most common primary site of distant metastasis was lung. The poorer prognosis was highly correlated with various factors including low KPS score(<70), no postoperative adjuvant therapy, and uncontrolled primary tumors.
Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Craniotomy ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by sudden-onset headache with focal neurologic deficit and prolonged but reversible multifocal narrowing of the distal cerebral arteries. Stroke, either hemorrhagic or ischemic, is a relatively frequent presentation in RCVS, but progressive manifestations of subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction in a patient is seldom described. We report a rare case of a 56-year-old woman with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome consecutively presenting as cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and cerebral infarction. When she complained of severe headache with subtle cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage, her angiography was non-specific. But, computed tomographic angiography showed typical angiographic features of this syndrome after four days. Day 12, she suffered mental deterioration and hemiplegia due to contralateral intracerebral hematoma, and she was surgically treated. For recurrent attacks of headache, medical management with calcium channel blockers has been instituted. Normalized angiographic features were documented after 8 weeks. Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome should be considered as differential diagnosis of non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and repeated angiography is recommended for the diagnosis of this under-recognized syndrome.
Angiography ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Cerebral Arteries ; Cerebral Hemorrhage* ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Headache ; Hematoma ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Stroke ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage* ; Vasoconstriction*

Post-clipping intraparenchymal hemorrhage of the contralateral hemisphere is a very unusual phenomenon in a patient with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, unless there is an underlying condition. We report a complicated case of 47-year-old man, who underwent uneventful clipping of ruptured aneurysm and experienced vasospasm two weeks later. Vasospasm was treated by intra-arterial nimodipine and systemic hyperdynamic therapy. One week thereafter, he became unconscious due to intraparenchymal hemorrhage on the anterior border-zone of contalateral hemisphere, but intraoperative and pathologic findings failed to disclose any vascular anomaly. We suggest that the anti-spastic regimens cause local hemodynamic redistribution through the vasodilatory effect and in turn, resulted in such an unexpected bleeding.
Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Ruptured ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Middle Aged ; Nimodipine ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Unconscious (Psychology)

We report two cases of consecutive 3 level compression fractures in two female previously treated for 1 level osteoporotic compression fracture with kyphoplasty after 1 month and 2 weeks, respectively. First patient showed T12, L1, L2 level compression fractures after kyphoplasty on L3, and second patient showed L2, L4, L5 level fractures after same prcedure on L3. Any other specific pathologic lesions were not seen on bone scan. Bone mineral density (BMD) showed severe osteoporsis of multiple levels. We suggest that patients with severe osteoporosis must be thoroughly informed of this infrequent, albeit troblesome acute new compression fractures adjacent to the previously augmented level occurred following such a short period of kyphoplasty.
Bone Density ; Female ; Fractures, Compression* ; Humans ; Kyphoplasty* ; Osteoporosis

We report a case of cervical ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament(OALL) that contributed to dysphagia with ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament. A 63-year-old man complained of progressive dysphagia for solid foods. Clinical and radiographical findings including barium esophagogram and computed tomography showed OALL in cervical vertebrae from C2 to C7. Magnetic resonance images demonstrated displacement of the trachea and esophagus by OALL. The patient underwent anterior ostectomy from C2 to C7 via anterior cervical approach with excellent relief of dysphagia.
Barium ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Esophagus ; Female ; Humans ; Longitudinal Ligaments* ; Middle Aged ; Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ; Trachea

No abstract available.
Arteries* ; Intracranial Aneurysm*

No abstract available.
Aneurysm*

A 64-year-old man with TBI was admitted to our institute. In following days, he showed unusual behavior of agitation, restlessness, emotional instability and inattention. Post-traumatic delirium was tentatively diagnosed, and donepezil was given for his cognitive dysfunction. Although there was partial relief of agitation, he sustained back pain despite medication. Lumbar magnetic resonance image revealed SDH along the whole lumbar spine, and surgical drainage was followed. Postoperatively, his agitation disappeared and further medication was discontinued. We report a unique case of post-traumatic delirium in a patient with concomitant TBI and spinal subdural hemorrhage (SDH) that resolved with operative drainage of spinal hemorrhage.
Back Pain ; Brain Injuries ; Delirium ; Dihydroergotamine ; Drainage ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Indans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Middle Aged ; Piperidines ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Spine

OBJECTIVE: Contrary to some clinical belief, there were quite a few studies regarding animal models of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in vivo suggesting that prior use of statins may improve outcome after ICH. This study reports the effect of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitor, simvastatin given before experimental ICH. METHODS: Fifty-one rats were subjected to collagenase-induced ICH, subdivided in 3 groups according to simvastatin treatment modality, and behavioral tests were done. Hematoma volume, brain water content and hemispheric atrophy were analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining for microglia (OX-42) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was performed and caspase-3 activity was also measured. RESULTS: Pre-simvastatin therapy decreased inflammatory reaction and perihematomal cell death, but resulted in no significant reduction of brain edema and no eNOS expression in the perihematomal region. Finally, prior use of simvastatin showed less significant improvement of neurological outcome after experimental ICH when compared to post-simvastatin therapy. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that statins therapy after ICH improves neurological outcome, but prior use of statins before ICH might provide only histological improvement, providing no significant impact on neurological outcome against ICH.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Brain ; Brain Edema ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Hematoma ; Inflammation ; Microglia ; Models, Animal ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Oxidoreductases ; Rats ; Simvastatin