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Biomedical subjects

R Jooma

Publications and source records attributed to R Jooma.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Rhinocerebral invasive mycosis: occurrence in immunocompetent individuals.

We report the computed tomographic appearance of invasive fungal disease of the paranasal sinuses in 13 patients. Coronal and axial computed tomographic images were obtained in each patient and data were analysed. Eight patients had Aspergillus flavus infection, four had Mucormycosis, and one had mixed Candida and Mucor. Our experience was different from that of other workers in many respects. All of our patients were immunocompetent. On radiological imaging by computed tomography, ethmoid sinuses were involved in 85% of our patients. In previously reported series maxillary sinuses were most frequently affected. Calcification in the inflammatory mass was not encountered in any of our patients, whereas this feature was present in many reported cases. Features in our patients that were similar to other studies were contrast enhancement, extension of the disease into the orbit and cranial cavity and a high mortality. The clinical course and radiological features of invasive mycosis simulate malignancy. Certain features that may help to differentiate invasive fungal infection from malignancy are discussed. We conclude that invasive fungal infection can affect immunocompetent individuals and should be considered in the differential diagnosis in appropriate clinical settings.

Adolescent

Lesionectomy versus electrophysiologically guided resection for temporal lobe tumors manifesting with complex partial seizures.

Complex partial seizures associated with tumors and other mass lesions are readily diagnosed by modern imaging techniques but their optimum surgical treatment remains unresolved. Lesionectomy has been reported to produce seizure outcomes equal to outcomes after resection that ablates the epileptogenic cortex with the lesion. However, some evidence suggests that when the lesion is in the temporal lobe, simple excision of the tumor or lesion more often fails to control seizures. After retrospectively reviewing the records of 30 patients with complex partial seizures and temporal lobe tumors who underwent surgical treatment at the University of Cincinnati hospitals (1985-1992), the authors divided them into two groups: Group A (16 patients) underwent lesionectomy only and Group B (14 patients) received surgical treatment for seizures with electroencephalographic delineation of the epileptogenic zone and resection of the lesion. Seizure control was best achieved in Group B patients with 13 (92.8%) seizure free at follow up (mean 52 months). Only three (18.8%) of the Group A patients became seizure free after lesionectomy at follow up (mean 33 months). In eight Group A patients, who underwent temporal lobectomy as a second procedure after lesionectomy failed to control seizures, five (62.5%) became seizure free. Group B patients had a longer duration of seizures and were more likely to have lesions smaller than 2.5 cm compared with Group A. Analysis of covariance demonstrated that the differences in outcome between the groups remained significant even with adjustment for the variation in duration of seizures (p = 0.0006) and size of tumor (p = 0.0001). Based on this study, the authors found that the probable relief from seizures caused by a temporal lobe lesion is greater if the region of epileptogenicity, usually the amygdalohippocampal complex, is resected along with the tumor in a temporal lobectomy.

Adolescent

Intimal dissection following percutaneous transluminal carotid angioplasty for fibromuscular dysplasia.

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is an unusual form of segmental arteriopathy and may affect the internal carotid artery (ICA). We report a case of carotid FMD in which percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) was complicated by an intimal tear and required surgical exploration. PTA is a useful form of treatment, but there is a risk of intimal dissection. If this occurs, it may be necessary to excise the intimal flap surgically.

Adult

Subependymomas of the fourth ventricle. Surgical treatment in 12 cases.

Subependymomas of the fourth ventricle are generally considered incidental postmortem findings, and have received scant attention from neurosurgeons. The authors present a surgical series of 12 cases of this disorder diagnosed over a 13-year period. The clinical and radiological findings were reviewed and correlations made with pathological studies. The subependymoma is a histologically benign tumor that tends to be calcified. It has a predilection for the fourth ventricle and a peak incidence in the fifth decade of life. It is usually of considerable size with extensive attachment at the time of its detection, and is associated with significant surgical morbidity. The authors believe that magnetic resonance imaging may be the best method of investigation. Intraoperative disturbance of circulatory or respiratory control should suggest to the surgeon that the operation be abandoned. A laser or ultrasonic aspirator may be very helpful in removing these tumors. Postoperative care must include monitoring for apnea.

Aged

Computed tomography in penetrating cranial injury by a wooden foreign body.

We present a case in which the skull and brain were pierced by a piece of wood, the low attenuation value of which, in a CT scan, simulated an intracerebral pneumatocoele. The risk of misinterpreting the CT appearance of intracranial wood is discussed, and the importance of thorough exploration of a penetrating cranial injury is stressed.

Brain Injuries

Intracranial tumors in neonates: a report of seventeen cases.

Seventeen patients with intracranial neoplasms that were symptomatic within the first 2 months of life were studied. Macrocrania was the commonest clinical feature, and radiologic studies including computed tomographic examination in five of the patients, showed that the tumors tended to be large, rapidly growing, and located along the neural axis. The outlook was poor, with a high operative and case mortality. The risks of irradiating young infants are discussed, and a conservative surgical approach with careful case selection is advocated.

Brain Neoplasms

Upward spinal coning: impaction of occult spinal tumours following relief of hydrocephalus.

Neurological deterioration sometimes follows removal of cerebro-spinal fluid by lumbar puncture below a spinal block caused by a tumour. Experience has shown that similar impaction of a spinal intradural tumour may occur following the draining of hydrocephalus. We have used the term "upward spinal coning " to describe this and report four cases in which impaction of an intradural metastasis occurred when the obstructive hydrocephalus caused by the primary intracranial tumour was relieved. The possible mechanisms are discussed. Awareness of the syndrome is important for early diagnosis and treatment and motor power should be assessed regularly following the relief of hydrocephalus caused by a tumour known to seed in the spinal subarachnoid space.

Adolescent

Intracranial neoplasms during the first year of life: analysis of one hundred consecutive cases.

One hundred infants with intracranial tumors symptomatic during the 1st year of life were studied. They differed from older children in having a higher percentage of supratentorial tumors and in the fact that 90% of the tumors were of neuroectodermal origin. Vomiting, alteration of psychomotor development, and macrocrania were the most common presenting features. The "diencephalic syndrome" was seen in 5 infants, and subarachnoid hemorrhage due to tumor was diagnosed in 4. Computed tomography as the primary investigation is increasing the number of neoplasms diagnosed in this age group, although review of the skull roentgenograms in the series disclosed an abnormality in 92%. Eighty of the tumors were verified, 68 by a cranial operation and the rest at autopsy. Of the verified neoplasms, 20% were medulloblastomas, 12.5% were choroid plexus papillomas, and 10% were cerebellar astrocytomas. The cumulative average survival was 27 months but, for those who underwent a tumor operation, the average survival was 37 months. The operative mortality was 30%. Thirty-nine patients were irradiated, and this subset had a 5-year survival rate of 43%. The morbidity was high irrespective of radiotherapy; 60% of those who survived 1 year were moderately or severely disabled. Those infants receiving more than 5000 rads of whole brain radiation tended to have greater deficits in the long term. When analyzed separately, patients treated after 1970 had greatly improved mortality and morbidity rates.

Age Factors

Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and intraventricular pneumocephalus due to intermittent shunt obstruction.

Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea and intraventricular pneumocephalus occurred in an adolescent with aqueduct stenosis whose ventriculoperitoneal shunt occluded repeatedly due to a faulty on-off control. The possible mechanisms are discussed, the urgency of treatment is stressed, and the risk of pneumocephalus when a shunt is used to treat cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea is pointed out.

Adolescent

Third ventricle choroid plexus papillomas.

Choroid plexus papillomas are only infrequently located in the third ventricle. Two infants with such lesions are presented and the diagnosis by computed tomography described. The transcallosal approach to the third ventricle was employed in both cases and led to successful excision. This approach is recommended for lesions in the anterior third ventricle in children, and the occurrence of subdural effusions as a complication is pointed out.

Cerebral Ventricle Neoplasms

Diagnosis and management of pineal tumors.

The management of pineal region tumors remains controversial. Advocates of a conservative approach emphasize the excellent results of radiotherapy, particularly with germinomas, while a number of recent reports have demonstrated the safety of direct surgery. In order to improve treatment planning, attempts have been made to distinguish the various tumor types by computerized tomography (CT) and by the use of markers for germ-cell tumors. This paper reports a study of 35 patients with pineal tumors including two ectopic germinomas. Pretreatment CT was performed in all 35 patients, and human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein levels were assayed in 11. Histological verification was available for 33 tumors; the other two were characterized by clinical and CT features plus tumor markers. Of the 27 tumor operations, 21 were for a pineal mass and six for ectopic germinoma or metastasis. There was no operative mortality. Morbidity was minimal, and surgery did not increase the incidence of subarachnoid seeding. Each histological type of tumor has a typical appearance on CT scanning, although, in the individual case, a firm diagnosis is not always possible. However, consideration of CT scans together with the clinical features, cerebrospinal fluid cytology, tumor markers, and (if there is still doubt) response to a small dose of irradiation will generally allow a specific diagnosis with a high degree of probability. In this way, germinomas may be selected for radiotherapy and the tumors less likely to respond may be subjected to primary surgery.

Adolescent

Intracranial tumours in the first year of life.

Twenty-five infants with histologically verified brain tumours presenting during the first year of life and diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) were studied. The clinical features are presented, the results of surgery assessed and the CT findings analysed and compared with the macroscopic appearance of the tumours. Since the introduction of CT, the number of intracranial tumours diagnosed in infancy has increased, particularly in the supratentorial location. In our study, astrocytomas were the most common, followed by choroid plexus papillomas, ependymomas and primitive glial tumours. At diagnosis, many tumours had become large, but usually had a well-defined edge, suggesting expansion rather than infiltration. The CT features generally corresponded to the macroscopic appearance of the tumours. The operative mortality in the series was 20%.

Astrocytoma