Orbital neoplasms with associated bone erosions and intracranial extension are generally considered suspicious for malignancies. Here, we describe the clinical and radiological findings, as well as the surgical management of two extraordinary cases, in which such bony perforations with subsequent intracranial tumor growth resulted from benign angiomatous orbital neoplasms. Two female patients, ...

A six-month old boy from Ragama was admitted with vomiting and a bulging anterior fontanelle for three days. Symptoms started one day after receiving a vitamin A megadose. The child was on food containing carrots, but had no carotenaemia. He had no papilloedema. He had no vomiting after admission to hospital, and the fontanelle settled within 24 hours. Ultrasound scan (USS) of the brain was nor...

Usually considered benign tumors, meningiomas can display aggressive behavior characterized by multiple recurrences and invasion of the brain, dura, and adjacent bone. The aggressive or malignant phenotype is difficult to characterize due to the broad spectrum of behaviors exhibited by meningiomas. Recent classification schemes based on features of anaplasia rather than histopathology have been...

Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) is a headache syndrome characterised by (1) raised cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure in the absence of an intracranial mass lesion or ventricular dilatation; (2) normal spinal fluid composition; (3) usually normal findings on neurological examination except for papilloedema and an occasional VI nerve palsy; and (4) normal level of consciousness. The appel...

Ventricular volumes have been measured from CT scans of patients with benign intracranial hypertension both at initial presentation and at a later date. Volumes initially were smaller than normal, but at review five patients showed a significant increase in ventricular size. Persisting small ventricular volume correlated with persisting symptoms and signs and with persisting obesity. This suppo...

Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) (also known as pseudotumor cerebri and empty sella syndrome) remains a diagnostic challenge to most physicians. The modified Dandy criteria consist of, the classic findings of headache, pulsatile tinnitus, papilledema, and elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, however, these are rarely collectively present in any one patient. Furthermore, these find...

Fibromatosis encompasses a broad group of benign fibroblastic proliferations of similar microscopic appearance whose biologic behavior is intermediate between that of benign fibroblastic lesion and fibrosarcoma. Like fibrosarcoma, fibromatosis is characterized by infiltrative growth and frequent recurrences. But, unlike fibrosarcoma, fibromatosis never metastasizes. Fibromatosis can occur in va...

Meningioma is a prime example of a tumor requiring a multimodality approach. This tumor is usually benign and often grows slowly. Under many circumstances, such a benign tumor would never attract the attention of the oncologist or even require treatment at all. However, a meningioma is a benign tumor in a malignant location. In the closed space of the skull, there is no room for expansion of ev...

Spatial Contrast Sensitivity (CS) was studied in 20 patients with benign intracranial hypertension (BIH). At presentation CS loss was found in 43% of the eyes, and impairment of visual acuity attributed to BIH in only 16%. Nine patients had blurred vision or visual obscurations, all of whom had abnormal CS. The clinical application of CS measurement in BIH for monitoring the progression or regr...

Two sisters developed benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) two weeks following the resolution of a major depressive episode. The association of BIH and a major affective disorder in genetically related individuals has not been previously reported to our knowledge. Both conditions are associated with disturbances in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Falling corticosteroid levels in a re...