During each cardiac cycle pulsatile arterial blood inflates the vascular bed of the brain, forcing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and venous blood out of the cranium. Excessive arterial pulsatility may be part of a harmful mechanism causing cognitive decline among elderly. Additionally, restricted venous flow from the brain is suggested as the cause of multiple sclerosis. Addressing hypotheses deriv...

PURPOSE To investigate the long-term effects of vertebral-body-sparing proton craniospinal irradiation (CSI) on the spine of young patients with medulloblastoma. METHODS AND MATERIALS Six children between the ages of 3 and 5 years with medulloblastoma were treated with vertebral-body-sparing proton CSI after maximal safe resection. Radiation therapy was delivered in the supine position with p...

Two adults, 31 and 20 years of age, developed supratentorial metastasis 3½ years and 11 months, respectively, after gross total removal of their posterior fossa medulloblastoma. The first case developed spinal metastasis as well. Both had undergone craniospinal irradiation. Case 1 underwent laminectomy and case 2 underwent craniotomy because their presenting symptoms required so.

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) causes poor prognosis. Our three cases show that CNS can be involved at the first hematological recurrence, but predicting this is difficult. Triple intrathecal treatment and craniospinal irradiation were effective, while arsenic oxide failed to prevent and improve CNS involvement.

PURPOSE To determine whether hemangioblastomas, highly vascular tumors requiring surgery that is potentially complicated by excessive bleeding, can be embolized safely by using interventional techniques that furnish a more avascular surgical field. METHODS Nine hemangioblastomas involving either the cerebellum or the spinal cord were embolized preoperatively. In each case the feeding artery w...

RATIONALE The present study evaluates the effect of pre-irradiation chemotherapy in pediatric patients with high risk medulloblastoma. Twenty-four (24) pediatric patients attended the pediatric unit of Kasr-El-Aini Center of Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK) from January 2000 to January 2003. PATIENTS AND METHODS Our patients were 13 boys and 11 girls aged 3-12 years with a me...