Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B I Devi.
Abscesses involving the cavum septum pellucidum are rare and, owing to their location, detection may be difficult with routine conventional computed tomography (CT). Only a few isolated cases have been reported and mostly in children. We report a case of abscess involving the cavum septum pellucidum in an adult and its appearance on multi-slice spiral CT.
Haemorrhage in low-grade glioma is rare. A 4-year-old boy presented with sudden loss of consciousness. CT scan of his head revealed anterior third ventricular tumour with bleeding, intraventricular haemorrhage and hydrocephalus. The boy expired within 26 h of the onset of his illness, and an autopsy revealed a haemorrhagic juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma arising from the lateral hypothalamus with intraventricular haemorrhage. Intracranial tumour as the cause of sudden death and tumour with bleeding are discussed.
Intramedullary epidermoid cysts of the spinal cord are rare tumours, especially those not associated with spinal dysraphism. Around 50 cases have been reported in the literature. Of these, only seven cases have had magnetic resonance imaging studies. We report two cases of spinal intramedullary epidermoid cysts with MR imaging. Both were not associated with spina bifida. In one patient the tumour was located at D4 vertebral level, while in other within the conus medullaris. The clinical features, MR imaging characteristics and surgical treatment of such rare intramedullary benign tumours are discussed, and the relevant literature reviewed.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Facial nerve neurinomas are rare. The tumours arising from the geniculate ganglion may grow anteriorly and superiorly and present as a mass in the middle cranial fossa. Only a few cases of facial nerve neurinomas presenting as middle cranial fossa mass have so far been reported. These tumours present with either long standing or intermittent facial palsy along with cerebellopontine angle syndrome.
CSF rhinorrhoea is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Bone and dural defects may result from trauma or enlarging 'pitholes' or breach in lateral recess of sphenoid sinus. Unless surgically corrected, they tend to cause meningitis and rhinorrhoea. Unusually delayed rhinorrhoea is a diagnostic problem.
Ventricles can be involved in different ways in neurotuberculosis, however, the occurrence of intraventricular abscess has been rarely reported. We report a young woman who had intraventricular tubercular abscess. Cranial computed tomographic scan showed hypodense ring enhancing lesion in the right lateral ventricle with unilateral hydrocephalus. She underwent parasagittal craniotomy with total excision of the lesion. The pus obtained from the lesion was teeming with acid fast bacilli.
A 46 year old male presented with a cerebellopontine angle syndrome. CT scan and MRI revealed a cystic mass with a solid nodule in the cerebellopontine angle. At surgery, a vascular lesion was encountered which was totally excised in two stages. The histopathology was consistent with that of a cavernous malformation. Only four such cases have been reported so far in the English literature. The clinical and radiological features and the surgical management are discussed.
Symptomatic canal stenosis at the level of atlas (C1) without atlantoaxial dislocation is thought to be very rare in children. Though common, anomalies of the arch of atlas are generally incidental findings in X-rays. High cord compression due to a narrow canal from a bifid posterior arch, or an absent posterior arch, is a very rare condition. We report 5 children with high cord compression from stenosis of C1 arch.
Spontaneous haemorrhage in association with a brain abscess is a very rare occurrence and may confuse the CT diagnosis. A case of cerebral abscess with haemorrhage into the abscess cavity, the surrounding brain parenchyma, the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system is reported. The differential diagnosis, pathogenesis and the management of such a case are discussed and the literature reviewed.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
An 11-year-old boy presented with pain in the back, urinary retention, paraplegia and loss of sensations below L1. Investigations revealed an intramedullary lesion. An intramedullary spinal cord abscess was found at surgery. The pus was evacuated and abscess was excised. Minimal recovery was seen following surgery. Early intervention and a high index of suspicion is required in such cases.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A patient with an uncommonly situated congenital intradural arachnoid cyst is reported. The cyst extended from the cervical spinal canal into the posterior cranial fossa and was posterolateral to the spinal cord. The patient's initial complaint was urinary hesitancy. The location of the cyst is unique and the presenting complaint rare.
Infectious complications of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) are rare. We report here a case in which pyogenic meningitis and multiple cerebral abscesses developed after a session of EIS. The patient was successfully treated with a combination of parenteral antibiotics and repeated bedside pus aspirations. Prophylactic antibiotics may be considered in such situations for subsequent sessions of EIS.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.