Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) are benign osteolytic lesions that are more common in young people than in adults and involve the skull only exceptionally. The origin of ABC is still debated; indeed, some authors consider ABC to be an anomalous bony reaction that is secondary to traumas or tumours. Conversely, others consider ABC to be a distinct entity. A case of a healthy young female affected by a left frontal ABC is reported here. The clinical onset was characterised by the sudden appearance of a tender and mildly painful frontal mass. Neuroradiological assessment showed a well-circumscribed lytic lesion of the frontal bone with predominantly outward extension. En bloc surgical removal of the lesion was successfully achieved; a reconstructive cranioplasty was also performed to repair the cranial defect. The rarity of the condition described, together with the absence of clear guidelines, prompted us to review the more recent literature with the twin goals of identifying radiological features and becoming able to address the diagnosis and rules for treatment of such a rare entity.

There is a high percentage of surgery and worsening on computed tomographic scans in patients with moderate head injury. Neuroworsening, seizures, and medical complications as outcome predictors were more strongly associated with a GCS score of 11 to 13, whereas a low motor GCS score was more outcome-related in patients with GCS scores of 9 and 10.

The city and University of Padua have a long tradition and a great reputation in anatomic studies, dating from the founding of the university in the year 1222. We present a historical review of the study of human anatomy, for which Padua was a most important center. The background for the development of this culture was represented by the scientific freedom and political wisdom of the Serenissima Republic of Venice, a liberal and tolerant state in the midst of a feudal, imperial, and pontifical Europe. During the second half of the 15th century, the flourishing trade and cultural, social, and political life of Venice attracted a great number of scientists and students from all over Europe who contributed to the establishment of Padua as an international center for culture and the sciences. Vesalio, Fabrizio d'Acquapendente, and Giovanni Battista Morgagni represent milestones in the history of anatomy as well as in medicine and surgery. History shows that anatomy and surgery evolved together, just as anatomy of the nervous system and neurosurgery developed in tandem. The tradition of neurosurgery in Padua is considered one the most important schools in Italy.