INTRODUCTION Giant intradural extramedullary schwannomas of the thoracic spine are not common. Schwannomas, that is, tumors derived from neoplastic Schwann cells, and neurofibromas represent the most common intradural extramedullary spinal lesions. We report the case of a patient with a giant thoracic schwannoma presenting unusually with acute abdominal pain and with delayed neurological impair...

AIM To clarify the usefulness of supracondylar transjugular tubercle approach for treatment intradural lesions anterior and anterolateral to foramen magnum, in which the posterior portion of the jugular tubercle is removed extradurally through the condylar fossa with the atlanto-occipital joint intact. MATERIAL AND METHODS The supracondylar transjugular tubercle approach was applied to 28 cra...

The purposes of this study were to review historical changes in the classification of spinal arteriovenous (AV) shunts and to propose a practical classification system. The associated literature regarding the classification of spinal AV shunts was reviewed in the angiography era between 1967 and 2015. The classification systems of spinal AV shunts and a proposed classification system were prese...

OBJECTIVE To study the therapeutic effect of endovascular treatment for intradural hemorrhage from ruptured spontaneous vertebral artery dissections (SVAD) using Guglielmi detachable coils and mechanical coils. METHODS The retrospective study was carried out in the Department of Interventional Radiology, Rizhao People`s Hospital, Rizhao, China from January 2008 to December 2011. Twelve patien...

BACKGROUND Capillary hemangioma is a rare tumor in spinal intradural location. Despite the rarity, early recognition is important because of the risk of hemorrhage. This is a case report of a woman who had capillary hemangioma of cauda equina. CASE DESCRIPTION A 54 -year-old woman presented with a low backache, radiating to the left leg for 2 months. She had left extensor hallucis weakness, s...

We aim to describe the technical details of the transzygomatic approach to intracranial surgery. The incision begins at the level of the inferior border of the zygomatic arch, anterior to the tragus, and extends towards the contralateral pupillary line. A subgaleal and interfascial dissection is performed. Then, the zygomatic arch is vertically sectioned twice and mobilized downwards, together ...

Total laminectomy for the removal of intradural-extramedullary spinal cord tumors has been used widely, but postoperative complications often develop, such as kyphosis, spinal instability, and persistent back pain. In this study, we evaluated seven patients with intradural-extramedullary spinal cord tumors with respect to the value of unilateral limited laminectomy. Our cases included six schwa...

We tested the hypothesis that 5 cm H2O of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) reduces the incidence of pneumocephalus in patients who undergo spinal intradural tumor surgery. Fifty-three ASA I to III patients who underwent thoracolumbar intradural tumor surgery between the years 2003 and 2006 were included in this study. All patients received propofol, fentanyl, and cisatracurium for induct...