Intramuscular myxomas are rare, benign mesenchymal tumours, occurring predominantly in large skeletal muscles as large, slow-growing and painless masses. Spinal occurrence is rare, and may present incidentally, or diagnosed via localized symptoms secondary to local infiltration of surrounding structures. Differential diagnosis based on imaging includes sarcomas, meningiomas and lipomas. We discuss two contrasting cases presenting with well-circumscribed cystic paraspinal lesions indicative of an infiltrative tumour and discuss the radiological and histological differences that distinguish myxomas from similar tumours. Surgical resection of the tumour was performed in both cases, however one patient required surgical fixation due to bony erosion secondary to tumour infiltration. Immuno-histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of a cellular myxoma. Follow up imaging at 6 months confirmed no symptomatic or tumour recurrence in both cases. Histological analysis is the definitive means for diagnosis to differentiate myxomas from other tumours. Recurrence is rare if full resection is achieved.

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Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide. Evidence-based guidelines for managing severe TBI have been available for over 25 years. However, adherence to guidelines remains variable despite evidence highlighting improvement in outcomes with individual recommendations. There is limited evidence to support a superior outcome with compliance to whole sets of recommendations. The aim of this review was to determine whether adherence to TBI guidelines as a package improves outcomes in adults and paediatric patients with severe TBI. Methods A structured literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE®, Embase™, PubMed and CINAHL® (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) databases. Studies were considered eligible for inclusion in this review if they were quantitative studies investigating the use of TBI guidelines in relation to one or more of the following outcomes: mortality, functional outcome and length of hospital stay. Results Nine cohort studies were identified that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and answered the clinical question. A review of these papers was conducted. Conclusions Mortality after severe TBI improves with increasing adherence to evidence-based guidelines in both adults and children. The evidence also suggests that compliance with guideline recommendations results in improved functional outcomes and reduced length of hospital stay.

Objectives: The study aims to evaluate therapeutic strategies in the management of craniospinal tumours in pregnant patients and the factors that influence the management along with their influence on maternal & foetal outcomes. Materials and Methods:A retrospective single-centre cohort study was performed at a tertiary neurosurgical referral centre. Pregnant patients referred to neuro-oncology multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) with craniospinal tumour were included. Ten-year patient data were collected from hospital records and neuro-oncology MDM outcomes. A systematic review was performed on the available literature in PubMed as per PRISMA guidelines. Results:Thirty-three patients were identified with a mean age of 31 years. 91%(n=30) had cranial lesions and 9%(n=3) had spinal lesions. Most of the patients had WHO Grade I/II tumours. 33.3% underwent surgery when pregnant whilst in 24.2% this was deferred until after the due date. 27.2% patients did not require surgical intervention and were followed up with serial imaging in the MDM. Left Lateral/park bench position was the preferred position for the spinal and posterior fossa lesions. Systematic review identified 26 eligible articles. Treatment algorithms are proposed addressing the therapeutic strategy for management of cranio-spinal tumours during pregnancy and the challenges for maternal and foetal outcomes were tabulated. Conclusions:Craniospinal tumours presenting in pregnancy are challenging. The surgical management needs to be tailored individually and as part of a multidisciplinary team approach. Maternal and foetal outcomes are to be considered during patient counselling.