✓ Experimental glial tumors were induced by weekly intravenous injections of N-nitrosomethylurea (NNMU) in rats. The tumors included low- and high-grade gliomas of the astrocytic series and mixed gliomas. The histology of the tumors did not vary significantly with serial passage through tissue culture, subcutaneous implantation, or freezing. These neoplasms provide reliable animal models of brain tumors common to man.

The sacral spine has received relatively little attention in the orthopedic and neurosurgical literature, in part because of the infrequency of developmental, degenerative, or neoplastic conditions of the sacrum requiring surgical intervention. This neglect is unwarranted in trauma, however, because sacral fracture and its associated neural deficit are both common and often complex problems. The sacrum and pelvis behave as a single functional unit; an understanding of the principles of sacropelvic stability has obvious relevance in planning the occasional resection of a sacral tumor and in dealing with the common problem of massive pelvic trauma. A classification of sacral fractures is reviewed along with the usual patterns of neurological involvement. Through analysis of an institutional series of cases, a specific attempt is made to correlate varying types of vertical sacral fractures with differing types of pelvic injury. The radiographic and physiological investigation of sacral fractures is reviewed, as are the various options for achieving the reduction, decompression, and stabilization of sacral fractures.

✓ Fifty-three cases of pineal and posterior-third ventricular tumors seen at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 1920 to 1972 are reviewed. This series includes 35 pathologically verified tumors and 18 cases accepted as pineal neoplasms on clinical and radiographic grounds. A plan of management is proposed based on a correlation between the clinical and pathological features and the response of each type of tumor to the currently available modes of therapy.

The authors discuss the gross and microscopic anatomy and the physiology of the cerebral venous system. Cerebral veins under pathological circumstances (hypercapnia, arterial hypertension, and increased intracranial pressure), pharmacological observations, the venous blood-brain barrier, and traumatic involvement are reviewed. Neoplastic involvement and radiological aspects are included. Surgical reconstruction of venous sinuses (including the Donaghy technique), tumor removal, sinus thrombectomy, and extraanatomical bypass of the transverse sinus are discussed.

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