Thyroid follicular carcinoma metastasized to the lung, skull, and brain 12 years after initial treatment for thyroid gland--case report.
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A 65-year-old woman presented with multiple metastases from thyroid follicular carcinoma to the lung, skull, and brain. The skull and brain tumors had been successfully treated by surgery, thyroxine supplementation, and radiosurgery until she died of sudden intracerebral hemorrhage which had no connection with tumor treatment. The lung tumor was treated by conventional irradiation and radioactive ablation. Well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma is a slowly progressive tumor. Follicular carcinoma is thought to have the most optimistic prognosis even with metastases to the lymph nodes and lung. Radioactive ablation using iodine-131 is widely used to treat the primary and/or metastatic lesion. However, the prognosis for patients with brain metastases is poor. Intracranial metastasis of this tumor is rare, but has a mean posttreatment survival of around 12 months. Surgical excision of the metastatic intracranial lesion may be the only effective treatment. (+info)
A fourth hominin skull from Dmanisi, Georgia.
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Newly discovered Homo remains, stone artifacts, and animal fossils from Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia, provide a basis for better understanding patterns of hominin evolution and behavior in Eurasia ca. 1.77 million years ago. Here we describe a fourth skull that is nearly complete, lacking all but one of its teeth at the time of death. Both the maxillae and the mandible exhibit extensive bone loss due to resorption. This individual is similar to others from the site but supplies information about variation in brain size and craniofacial anatomy within the Dmanisi paleodeme. Although this assemblage presents numerous primitive characters, the Dmanisi skulls are best accommodated within the species H. erectus. On anatomical grounds, it is argued that the relatively small-brained and lightly built Dmanisi hominins may be ancestral to African and Far Eastern branches of H. erectus showing more derived morphology. (+info)
A nodular calcification of the alar ligament simulating a fracture in the craniovertebral junction.
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We report a case of an incidental nodular calcification of the alar ligament simulating a fracture in the craniovertebral junction of a previously healthy 24-year-old man. Three-dimensional CT and MR imaging revealed a 7.2 x 7.6 x 4.0 mm nodular calcification in the right alar ligament with normal adjacent bony structures. Serial cervical dynamic radiographs and open-mouth views showed that the cervical spine was stable without any change in the calcification. (+info)
Concomitant fracture of bilateral occipital condyle and inferior clivus: what is the mechanism of injury?
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With the routine use of multi-slice high resolution computed tomography, increasing number of occipital condyle fractures have been reported in the last decade. The authors report a very rare case of bilateral occipital condyle fracture complicated by the fracture of the inferior clivus and discuss the possible mechanisms of injury. (+info)
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the occipital bone with intracranial extension--case report.
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The authors present a rare case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma originating in the cranial bone. A 72-year-old male was admitted with a diffuse painless swelling in the left occipital region but no neurological abnormality. Plain skull x-ray films and computed tomographic scans showed a large tumor in the left temporo-occipital bone. The tumor invading subcutaneous tissue was totally excised and histologically diagnosed as malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Postoperatively, 40-Gy irradiation was given to the left temporo-occipital region. Several months later, however, the tumor recurred in the posterior fossa. Neuroradiological examination showed tumor extension into the occipital bone and muscle and the subdural space of the posterior fossa. A second operation extirpated all tumors except in the cerebellum. He died of pneumonia on the 14th postoperative day. Autopsy revealed malignant fibrous histiocytoma invading into the bilateral cerebellar hemispheres. Radiation and chemotherapy should be given as soon as possible following extensive surgery for malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the cranial bone. (+info)
Unusual occipital condyles of the skull: an osteological study with clinical implications.
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CONTEXT: The occipital condyles of the skull articulate with the superior articular facets of the atlas vertebra and form an important junction between the cranium and the vertebral column. The morphological features of occipital condyles are relevant in biomechanical, anatomical and clinical studies. OBJECTIVE: To describe the anatomical profile of unusual occipital condyles detected in a bone specimen. CASE REPORT: The present osteological study provides a detailed morphological description of unusual occipital condyles showing uneven and serrated surfaces and also displaying longitudinal and transverse grooves on the left and right sides respectively. The case study also discusses the clinical importance of such anomalies. Precise anatomical knowledge of the occipital condyles is important for any craniovertebral operative procedures such as resection of the occipital condyles. (+info)
Collet-Sicard syndrome associated with occipital condyle fracture and epidural hematoma.
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A 31-year-old male was presented with a very rare case of ipsilateral palsies of the nerves IX through XII (Collet-Sicard syndrome) after a closed head injury. An occipital condyle fracture that was associated with epidural hematoma was diagnosed by computed tomography. The patient was conservatively managed, and following the treatment, partial neurological recovery ensued. The phenomenon of occipital condyle fracture involving the last four cranial nerve palsies is relatively rare. Although 3 cases of Collet-Sicard syndrome that were caused by an occipital condyle fracture has been reported, the association between condyle fracture and epidural hematoma has never been described before. (+info)
Diagnosis of right-to-left shunt with transcranial Doppler and vertebrobasilar recording.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Right-to-left shunt (RLS) due to patent foramen ovale is a well-established risk factor for cryptogenic stroke and is highly prevalent in cases of migraine, cluster headache, and obstructive apnea. It can be diagnosed by gaseous-contrast transcranial Doppler, yet in a small percentage of cases it cannot be done owing to an insufficient temporal window. The aim of the study was to compare transtemporal with transoccipital approaches for gaseous-contrast transcranial Doppler for RLS diagnosis. METHODS: We evaluated 183 subjects with a standard protocol for RLS diagnosis by simultaneously monitoring the right middle cerebral and vertebrobasilar circulations. RESULTS: Vertebrobasilar recording reached high specificity (100%) and good sensitivity (83.72%) for the diagnosis of RLS after the Valsalva maneuver. For only medium and large shunts, both sensitivity and specificity reached 100%. Time to bubble appearance after injection was higher in the vertebrobasilar circulation (4.36+/-1.7 vs 6.77+/-2.5 seconds; P<0.001). There was a positive correlation between the number of bubbles in the right middle cerebral and vertebrobasilar circulation (kappa=0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Transcranial Doppler with vertebrobasilar monitoring is highly sensitive and specific in detecting RLS, particularly when medium or large. It can be proposed for subjects with an insufficient temporal bone window. (+info)