• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.189-194
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• 2017

Objective : We evaluated the validity of bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation for treating malignant spinal metastases. Methods : Between 2011 and 2015, 14 patients (eight men and six women) who underwent bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation for malignant spinal metastases were enrolled in this study. Their life expectancy was considered to be more than one month and less than one year, based on the revised Tokuhashi scoring system. Clinical findings including the back pain scale score, functional outcome, procedure related complications, and survival were assessed preoperatively, postoperatively, and then six months after the procedure. Results : Twelve of the patients (86%) survived up to six months after the procedure. Three required mini-open decompressive laminectomy for severe epidural compression. Bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation was performed one level above, one level below, and at the pathologic level itself. The mean operation time was 60 minutes (45-180) and blood loss was less than 100 mL. Prior to surgery, the mean pain score on the visual analogue scale was 8.8, while one month after the procedure, it had reduced to 3.0; this improvement was maintained until the six-month assessment in the surviving patients. All patients were able to sit within the first two days after surgery, and no patient experienced neurological deterioration at the one-month follow up after the surgery. No patient experienced screw loosening during the six months of follow-up. Asymptomatic cement leakage into the epidural space was observed in two patients, but no major complications were observed. Conclusion : For selected patients with malignant spinal metastases, bone cement-augmented percutaneous screw fixation can provide significant pain relief and improve quality of life.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.91-93
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• 2012

Acute spontaneous subdural hematoma (SDH) of arterial origin is very rare. We report a case of acute spontaneous SDH that showed contrast media extravasation from cortical artery on angiograms. A 58-year-old male patient developed sudden onset headache and right hemiparesis. Brain CT scan demonstrated acute SDH at left convexity. The patient was drowsy mentality on admission. He had no history of head trauma. Cerebral angiography was performed and revealed a localized extravasation of the contrast media from distal cortical MCA branch. After angiography, the patient deteriorated to comatose mentality. Decompressive craniectomy for removal of SDH was performed. We verified the arterial origin of the bleeding and coagulated the bleeding focus. The histological diagnosis was aneurysmal artery. He recovered after surgery with mild disability. In a case of acute spontaneous SDH, the possibility of a cortical artery origin should be considered.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.39-42
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• 2009

We report a supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (sPNET) in 17-year-old primipara in the second trimester her pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a left frontoparietal mass with solid and cystic component. Gross-total resection was achieved via a left frontoparietal craniotomy. It was decided to suspend the radiotherapy and chemotherapy until the 30 weeks of gestation. But, a sudden uncal herniation was developed due to the reccurrence of the tumor and bleeding into the tumor at the 25 weeks of gestation and the patient died after urgent decompressive surgery. sPNETs is an extremely rare brain tumor in pregnancy and only two cases were reported in the literature to date. There is no universally agreed treatment protocol for sPNETs during pregnancy and a multidisciplinary approach is required in treatment. In the present study, the clinical, histopathological features and therapeutical difficulties of sPNETs diagnosed during pregnancy was discussed with the literature review.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.228-231
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• 2010

Posttraumatic syringomyelia may result from a variety of inherent conditions and traumatic events, or from some combination of these. Many hypotheses have arisen to explain this complex disorder, but no consensus has emerged. A 28-year-old man presented with progressive lower extremity weakness, spasticity, and decreased sensation below the T4 dermatome five years after an initial trauma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large, multi-septate syrinx cavity extending from C5 to L1, with a retropulsed bony fragment of L2. We performed an L2 corpectomy, L1-L3 interbody fusion using a mesh cage and screw fixation, and a wide decompression and release of the ventral portion of the spinal cord with an operating microscope. The patient showed complete resolution of his neurological symptoms, including the bilateral leg weakness and dysesthesia. Postoperative MRI confirmed the collapse of the syrinx and restoration of subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. These findings indicate a good correlation between syrinx collapse and symptomatic improvement. This case showed that syringomyelia may develop through obstruction of the subarachnoid CSF space by a bony fracture and kyphotic deformity. Ventral decompression of the obstructed subarachnoid space, with restoration of spinal alignment, effectively treated the spinal canal encroachment and post-traumatic syringomyelia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.sup1
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• pp.149-151
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• 2016

Chiari malformations are a congenital anomaly of the hindbrain. The most common, Chiari malformation type I (CM-I), is characterized by herniation of the cerebellar tonsils extending at least 3 mm below the plane of the foramen magnum. Consequently, CM-I is associated with hydrocephalus and symptoms involving compression of the cervicomedullary junction by ectopic tonsils. Several studies have reported the clinical symptoms associated with CM-I, including suboccipital headache, weakness in the upper extremities, facial numbness, loss of temperature sensation, ataxia, diplopia, dysarthria, dysphagia, vomiting, vertigo, nystagmus, and tinnitus. Syncope is one of the rarest presentations in patients with CM-I. There are many hypotheses regarding the causes of syncope in patients with CM-I; however, the mechanisms are not clearly understood. Although surgical decompression for CM-I in patients with syncope has yielded good clinical results in some studies, such cases are rarely reported. We report a case of orthostatic syncope in a patient with CM-I who was treated with surgical intervention.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.127-134
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• 2012

Objective: To analyze the prognostic factors thought to be related with survival time after a spinal metastasis operation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 217 patients who underwent spinal metastasis operations in our hospital from 2001 to 2009. Hematological malignancies, such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma, were excluded. The factors thought to be related with postoperative survival time were gender, age (below 55, above 56), primary tumor growth rate (slow, moderate, rapid group), spinal location (cervical, thoracic, and lumbo-sacral spine), the timing of radiation therapy (preoperative, postoperative, no radiation), operation type (decompressive laminectomy with or without posterior fixation, corpectomy with anterior fusion, corpectomy with posterior fixation), preoperative systemic condition (below 5 points, above 6 points classified by Tomita scoring), pre- and postoperative ambulatory function (ambulatory, non-ambulatory), number of spinal metastases (single, multiple), time to spinal metastasis from the primary cancer diagnosis (below 21 months, above 22 months), and postoperative complication. Results: The study cohort mean age at the time of surgery was 55.5 years. The median survival time after spinal operation and spinal metastasis diagnosis were 6.0 and 9.0 months. In univariate analysis, factors such as gender, primary tumor growth rate, preoperative systemic condition, and preoperative and postoperative ambulatory status were shown to be related to postoperative survival. In multivariate analysis, statistically significant factors were preoperative systemic condition (p=0.048) and postoperative ambulatory status (p<0.001). The other factors had no statistical significance. Conclusion: The factors predictive for postoperative survival time should be considered in the surgery of spinal metastasis patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.348-352
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• 2014

Objective : Management guidelines for single intracranial hematomas have been established, but the optimal management of multiple hematomas has little known. We present bilateral traumatic supratentorial hematomas that each has enough volume to be evacuated and discuss how to operate effectively it in a single anesthesia. Methods : In total, 203 patients underwent evacuation and/or decompressive craniectomies for acute intracranial hematomas over 5 years. Among them, only eight cases (3.9%) underwent operations for bilateral intracranial hematomas in a single session. Injury mechanism, initial Glasgow Coma Scale score, types of intracranial lesions, surgical methods, and Glasgow outcome scale were evaluated. Results : The most common injury mechanism was a fall (four cases). The types of intracranial lesions were epidural hematoma (EDH)/intracerebral hematoma (ICH) in five, EDH/EDH in one, EDH/subdural hematoma (SDH) in one, and ICH/SDH in one. All cases except one had an EDH. The EDH was addressed first in all cases. Then, the evacuation of the ICH was performed through a small craniotomy or burr hole. All patients except one survived. Conclusion : Bilateral intracranial hematomas that should be removed in a single-session operation are rare. Epidural hematomas almost always occur in these cases and should be removed first to prevent the hematoma from growing during the surgery. Then, the other hematoma, contralateral to the EDH, can be evacuated with a small craniotomy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 2018

Objective : Massive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and major infarction (MI) are devastating cerebral vascular diseases. Decompression craniectomy (DC) is a common treatment approach for these diseases and acceptable clinical results have been reported. Author experienced the postoperative intracranaial pressure (ICP) trend is somewhat different between the ICH and MI patients. In this study, we compare the ICP trend following DC and evaluate the clinical significance. Methods : One hundred forty-three patients who underwent DC following massive ICH (81 cases) or MI (62 cases) were analyzed retrospectively. The mean age was $56.3{\pm}14.3$ (median=57, male : female=89 : 54). DC was applied using consistent criteria in both diseases patients; Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score less than 8 and a midline shift more than 6 mm on brain computed tomography. In all patients, ventricular puncture was done before the DC and ICP trends were monitored during and after the surgery. Outcome comparisons included the ictus to operation time (OP-time), postoperative ICP trend, favorable outcomes and mortality. Results : Initial GCS (p=0.364) and initial ventricular ICP (p=0.783) were similar among the ICH and MI patients. The postoperative ICP of ICH patients were drop rapidly and maintained within physiological range if greater than 80% of the hematoma was removed. While in MI patients, the postoperative ICP were not drop rapidly and maintained above the physiologic range (MI=18.8 vs. ICH=13.6 mmHg, p=0.000). The OP-times were faster in ICH patients (ICH=7.3 vs. MI=40.9 hours, p=0.000) and the mortality rate was higher in MI patients (MI=37.1% vs. ICH=17.3%, p=0.007). Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that if greater than 80% of the hematoma was removed in ICH patients, the postoperative ICP rarely over the physiologic range. But in MI patients, the postoperative ICP was above the physiologic range for several days after the DC. Authors propose that DC is no need for the massive ICH patient if a significant portion of their hematoma is removed. But DC might be essential to improve the MI patients' outcome and timely treatment decision.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1399-1405
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• 2001

Objectives : Gliomatosis cerebri is an uncommon primary brain tumor characterized by diffuse neoplastic proliferation of glial cells, with the preservation of the underlying cytoarchitecture. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical features, outcome of surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy of gliomatosis cerebri. Methods : Between Jan. 1990 and Dec. 2000, 12 patients were diagnosed with gliomatosis cerebri based on characteristic radiological and histological findings. The patients' age ranged from 18 to 77(mean 44) years and the male to female ratio was 7 : 5. Nine patients underwent decompressive surgery and three, biopsy only. Postoperative radiation therapy was given in all cases except three. In addition to radiation therapy, four patients received chemotherapy. The mean duration of follow-up period was 18.8 months. Results : The most common presenting symptom were seizure and motor weakness. The mean duration of symptom was 5.9 months. There was 5 bilateral lesions and tumor involved corpus callosum in 5, basal ganglia-thalamus in 4, and brain stem in 2. There was no operative mortality but four patients died during the follow-up. The mean survival period for 11 patients was 20.5 months from the time of diagnosis. In univariate analysis, the lesion involving corpus callosum, basal ganglia-thalamus and brain stem correlated significantly with the short length of survival(p<0.05). Also, postoperative radiation as a adjuvant therapy prolonged the patient's survival(p<0.05). Conclusions : In the management of gliomatosis cerebri patients, early detection by MR imaging, active management of increased intracranial pressure, decompressive surgical removal and postoperative adjuvant therapy such as radiation is thought to be a good treatment modality.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.642-646
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• 2001

A 12-years-old female admitted to the hospital with the complaint of pain on the right upper chest area which persisted about 1 month prior to admission. $Caf{\acute{e}}$-au-lait spots of various size laying on a whole body and freckling on the axilla were found on physical examination. A huge mass was found on the plain chest X-ray and on chest MRI. The mass encroached thoracic spine, posterior rib, back muscles, and then into the neural canal and compressed thoracic spinal cord. On the 5th day of hospitalization, the patient complained tingling on the both legs and 2 days later, monoparesis on the right leg. Open thoracotomy and decompressive laminectomy was done to remove mass. Pathologic reports confirmed rhabdomyosarcoma, embryonal type.