Background:
This study provides a comprehensive overview of the management of postoperative vasospasm after skull base surgeries. This phenomenon is rare but can be of serious sequelae.
Methods:
Medline, Embase, and PubMed Central were searched, along with examining the references of the included studies. Only case reports and series that reported vasospasm following a skull base pathology were incorporated. Cases with pathologies other than skull base, subarachnoid hemorrhage, aneurysm, and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome were excluded from the study. Quantitative data were presented as mean (Standard Deviation) or median (range), accordingly, while qualitative data were presented as frequency (percentage). Chi- square test and one-way analysis of variance were used to assess for any association between the different factors and patient outcomes.
Results:
We had a total of 42 cases extracted from the literature. The mean age was 40.1 (±16.1) with approximately equal males and females (19 [45.2%] and 23 [54.8%], respectively). The time to develop vasospasm after the surgery was 7 days (±3.7). Most of the cases were diagnosed by either angiogram or magnetic resonance angiography. Seventeen of the 42 patients had pituitary adenoma as the pathology. Anterior circulation was nearly affected in all patients. For management, most patients received pharmacological with supportive management. Twenty-three patients had an incomplete recovery as a result of vasospasm.
Conclusion:
Vasospasm following skull base operations can affect males and females, and most patients in this review were middle-aged adults. The outcome of patients varies; however, most patients did not achieve a full recovery. There was no correlation between any factors and the outcome.
Background:
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a malignant childhood tumor that most commonly involves the skeletal muscles of the head and neck, genitourinary tract, limbs, and, rarely, the spine.
Case Description:
A 19-year-old male presented with cauda equina symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a C7/T1 homogeneously enhancing lesion, causing pathological fracture of the T1. Similar lesions were found on T3 and S1-S2 levels. CT-guided biopsy and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of highly malignant alveolar RMS. He underwent multi-level laminectomies with partial tumor debulking but was paraplegic postoperatively.
Conclusion:
Spinal RMS rarely involves the soft tissues of the spine and should be surgically resected if feasible. Nevertheless, the long-term prognosis is poor regarding tumor recurrence and metastases.
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