Biomedical subjects

L Távora

Publications and source records attributed to L Távora.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid fistula through the clivus: report of two cases.

There have been no previous reports of a spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid fistula through the clivus. We present two such cases, describe their management, and propose a physiopathological explanation. The pulsating effect of the basilar artery in Patient 1 and brisk increases in intracranial pressure through repeated Valsalva maneuvers, acting on a congenitally thin bone in Patient 2, seem to be the plausible causes for the clival leakage.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[Aneurysmal bone cysts of the spinal canal].

Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) are rare bone tumors of controversial pathogenesis. In 15% of cases, they are localized in the vertebrae. Despite the absence of anaplasia, their volume and localization are often responsible for incomplete surgical resection. The authors present 5 cases of primary vertebral ABC, 4 females and one male, localized in cervical (3 cases), dorsal (1 case) and lumbar (1 case) spine. Symptoms included rachialgia and torticollis. Radiological and histopathological examination disclosed the typical features of ABC. Pre-operative embolization (in 3 cases) and surgery (complete exeresis in all cases except one) were the therapeutic procedures. During a 39 month median period of follow-up, there was one local recurrence. The only case of incomplete exeresis show not did any evidence of progression until 36 months after operation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

[Central neurocytomas].

Central neurocytomas are a well-characterized group of neuronal tumors usually arising in the supratentorial ventricular cavities. We describe the anatomical and clinical study of seven of these neoplasms. Patients were in the first four decades of life, and tumors were usually located in one of the lateral ventricles. Surgical resection was subtotal in 6 cases. Light microscopic examination revealed predominantly benign lesions with morphological features similar to the so-called ependymoma of the foramen of Monro, of the oligodendrogliomas, and of the neuroblastomas. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy confirmed the diagnosis in each case, showing expression of neuron specific enolase and synaptophysin and containing microtubuli, neurosecretory granules, and presynaptic vesicles. In agreement with the literature, the authors stress the benign behaviour of most of these tumors and the need for systematic immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study. The actual roles of the extent of resection and of postoperative radiotherapy are still a matter of discussion.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the choroid plexus. Case report.

The case of an 18-year-old man with a tumor of the left lateral ventricle is reported. The mass was observed to be contiguous with the choroid plexus but could be totally removed. Pathological examination disclosed an inflammatory pseudotumor. The authors review the literature on this lesion and related disorders involving the central nervous system and stress the need for a morphological differential diagnosis. Inflammatory pseudotumor should be considered in any case of intraventricular tumor.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Neglect in children.

Three children developed neglect following right-hemispheric lesions. In the first, computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a striatoinsular infarction. In the second, CT revealed a large meningioma compressing the right hemisphere, and in the third, CT revealed two intracerebral hemorrhages in the right posterior parietal and occipital lobes. Neglect in these children produced a clinical picture comparable to that occurring in adults, but there was a rapid and complete recovery. The paucity of reports of neglect in children may be a function of the rapid recovery, the phenomenon being missed if not looked for in the acute stage. We conclude that, at least for children aged 6 years or more, the right hemisphere is dominant for directed selective attention.

Attention↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Benign isolated fibrohistiocytic tumor arising from the central nervous system. Considerations about two cases.

Benign fibrous histiocytomas (BFHs) are tumors with fibroblastic and histiocytic components without histological anaplasia. Intracerebral lesions are exceptional and to our knowledge a spinal location was not yet described. We describe 2 cases of BFHs of the neural axis: the first, a 22-month-old boy with Down's syndrome, presented with a paraparesis and the magnetic resonance (MR) of the spine disclosed an intradural extramedullary, thoracic mass, totally resected; the second, a 13-year-old boy with left partial motor seizures, in whom the MR of the brain showed an intracerebral, right frontal tumor, also surgically removed. Both patients are free of recurrence, 6 years and 15 months after surgery, respectively. Histological examination and immunoreactivity for vimentin and histiocytic markers favored the diagnosis of BFH. It is likely that these tumors may originate from spinal dura mater mesenchymal stem cells and from the intracerebral perivascular pial sheath or the brain vessel walls themselves, respectively. Other benign, isolated, intracranial fibrohistiocytic neoplasms, namely the juvenile xanthogranuloma, can harbor a clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical profile overlapping the one of the BFH. Intracranial germ cell tumors may be associated with Down's syndrome, although harboring an unusual, non-pineal and non-chiasmatic location. One can speculate that a similar, still unknown genetic mechanism responsible for this association, could also induce the growth of other type of tumors in patients with this syndrome. BFHs should be added to the differential diagnosis of intracerebral or spinal dural attached tumors. Furthermore, we propose to name these intracranial tumors "benign isolated fibrohistiocytic tumors of the CNS".

Adolescent↗