Choroid plexus papilloma of the cerebellopontine angle,with special reference to vertebral angiographic study

This report deals with 9 cases of choroid plexus papilloma of the cerebellopontine angle, 8 of which were verified by operation. In the ninth case, a choroid plexus papilloma was removed from the roof of the fourth ventricle 14 years prior to a recurrence in the cerebellopontine angle. Vertebral arteriography undertaken in 3 patients demonstrated the anterior inferior cerebellar artery as the main feeding vessel of the tumor and provided strong evidence to support the diagnosis of choroid plexus papilloma. Since no other report on this topic has been found in the literature available to me, a presentation of my experience appears justified.     

Etiological study of spinal ligament ossification with special reference to dietary habits and serum sex hormones

We studied the relationship between dietary habits and the ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligaments (OPLL) in 55 patients. We analyzed carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of the patients' hair in order to measure the intake of various types of food. Two sets of questionnaire on the patients' food preference and the intake are also analyzed. The patients showed a tendency to prefer vegetable protein to animal protein, in comparison with the control. In 23 OPLL male patients, level of the estrogen in the serum was higher than in the control. The results suggest that the dietary habits of OPLL patients and the sex hormone imbalance are responsible for the development of OPLL.     

Treponemal depigmentation, with special reference to yaws.

Depigmentation of the skin at characteristic sites occurs in all the treponematoses, but it is seen most commonly in older persons who have had yaws in infancy or childhood, especially when treatment has been inadequate to prevent this tertiary manifestation. A total of 689 cases are recorded from the former Belgian Congo.     

Fanconi's anaemia, with special reference to erythrokinetic features

Serial haematological investigations were carried out in 5 patients with Fanconi's anaemia over periods of 6 months--11 years. All the patients were pancytopenic with a depression of the granulocytic and megakaryocytic elements of the bone marrow throughout the greater part of their illnesses. Erythropoietic acitvity was variable. The initial bone marrow examination revealed depressed erythroid function in 3 patients. The erythroid hypoplasia persisted in 2 of them, while in the third, erythroid activity increased with time, possibly as the result of therapy with oxymetholone. Erythroid hyperplasia was present in the remaining 2 patients, both at presentation and throughout the course of the illness. This could not be attributed to treatment in either patient. Six erythrokinetic studies were carried out in the 5 patients at variable intervals after the diagnosis had been made. In 2 studies erythroid activity was unequivocally depressed, while in a further 3 a significant, though probably suboptimal, erythroid marrow response was present. In the final study erythropoiesis was increased but was markedly ineffective in terms of the delivery of viable red cells into the circulation. In vivo counting suggested that some degree of ineffective erythropoiesis was also present in the other patients and studies with 51Cr indicated a shortened red cell survival in all subjects studied. In 2 of them significant splenic sequestration was present. Leukaemic transformation occurred in 2 patients. In 1 of them its development was heralded by the appearance of micromegakaryocytes in the bone marrow.     

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: surgical results and factors affecting outcome with special reference to age differences

OBJECTIVE: A variety of factors may affect the surgical outcome in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. The aim of this study is to analyze the prognostic factors by comparing younger and elderly patient groups on the basis of preoperative radiological and clinical data. METHODS: To assess the prognostic factors after surgery had been performed, the clinical and radiological data of 64 patients who underwent expansive laminoplasty were reviewed. Patients were classified into two groups, a younger patient group (<65 yr of age; n = 29) and an elderly patient group (>/=65 yr of age; n = 35). The neurological status of the patients was assessed by use of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale. Radiological features were examined with computed tomographic myelography and magnetic resonance imaging. The effects of the clinical and radiological findings on neurological outcome were investigated. RESULTS: The preoperative and postoperative mean Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores in elderly patients were significantly lower than those in younger patients. For elderly patients, the transverse area of the spinal cord at the level of maximum compression and symptom duration were the factors that predicted an excellent recovery. In contrast, the transverse area was the only predictor of excellent recovery in younger patients. Age, preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, canal diameter, and an intensity change on the spinal cord were not predictive in either age range. CONCLUSION: The transverse area of the spinal cord may be a reliable predictor of excellent recovery in both younger and elderly patient groups. Shorter symptom duration was an important factor in the excellent recovery of elderly patients.