As another cause for a symptomatic carpal tunnel syndrome the persistence of the median artery is postulated. This was observed by the authors in three cases all of whom presented a typical carpal tunnel syndrome. As the only cause in all three cases a persistent median artery was observed. The embryological facts and the possible pathogenetic causes discussed.

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Lumbar stenosis is a disease of the elderly which is due, in the majority of cases, to degenerative changes. This disease causes considerable disability which cannot be ameliorated well by conservative treatment. Surgery is usually the treatment of choice, although long-term results have been reported in only a few publications. We attempted a reevaluation of our patients one to seven years after intervention. Overall results indicate that about 80% of our patients benefited from surgery in varying degrees. Only 10% showed post-operative deterioration. One third of operated cases achieved complete working or functional capacity, while in the remaining cases disability persisted. Since long-term results are similar in patients over and under 65 years of age, intervention is recommended even in the older patient if his general condition is good enough to allow surgery.

Spontaneous intracerebellar hematomas are very rare during childhood and vascular malformations are almost always the cause. We recently had the opportunity to observe and treat two children with this problem. Problems in locating the exact site of the hemorrhage were minimal thanks to the CT studies performed in both cases. The presence of a tumor was proved histologically and the diagnosis of spongioblastoma was made.