Cranial burst fracture in infants: acute recognition and management

In the past, the diagnosis of growing skull fracture or diastatic fracture has included a subset of injuries better referred to as cranial burst fracture. Cranial burst fracture, typically associated with severe injury in infants less than 1 year of age, is a closed, widely diastatic skull fracture accompanied by acute cerebral extrusion outside the calvarium. We treated 11 such infants at the LeBonheur Children's Medical Center and 2 at the Children's National Medical Center from January 1986 through December 1994. Infants ranged in age from 1 to 17 months, with an average age of 5.7 months. All presented with marked scalp swelling and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 10 or less. Twelve had a history consistent with severe injury (motor vehicle accident, 7, abuse 5). The cause of injury in one patient remains unproven. Surgery (reduction of herniated cerebral tissue, repair of large dural laceration, and cranioplasty) was usually performed within 10 days of injury, a time period long enough to assure hemodynamic stability and resolution of acute cerebral swelling, yet sufficiently brief to avoid the chronic changes (scarring, parasitization of scalp vessels by damaged cortex) associated with a growing skull fracture. Prompt repair of cranial burst fracture may prevent ongoing brain injury such as has been neuropathologically demonstrated in patients with growing skull fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging establishes the diagnosis of cranial burst fracture in equivocal cases, rendering unnecessary a waiting period to see if scalp swelling resolves. Our experience, together with information in the neuropathological and neurosurgicla literature, suggests that cranial burst fracture is associated with severe trauma, requires expeditious treatment, and has been underdiagnosed in the past, leading to growing skull fracture, a condition requiring more extensive surgery.     

Metabolic base production and mucosal vulnerability during acid inhibition in a mammalian stomachin vitro

Acid inhibition increases gastric mucosal susceptibility to damage by luminal acid. This might be due to reduced metabolic CO₂ and bicarbonate whereas, during normal acid, secretion cytoprotective CO₂/HCO₃- production parallels acid production. Metabolic activity and mucosal damage caused by luminal acid perfusion was determined in anin vitro mouse stomach, with and without acid inhibition, and at 0%, 1%, or 5% serosal CO₂ supply. Without acid inhibition there was no mucosal damage at any level of serosal CO₂/HCO₃- supply. Acid inhibition reduced metabolic CO₂ production by 29% (P<0.004) and resulted in microscopic damage to 55% of the mucosal area and perforation in four of five stomachs (P<0.05). Although, 1% CO₂ supply completely replaced the reduction in metabolic CO₂, it did not protect against mucosal damage. Overreplacement by 5% serosal CO₂/HCO₃- was required to prevent damage. There was no correlation between luminal CO₂/HCO₃- output and mucosal damage. The protection by endogenous or exogenous CO₂/HCO₃- appears to act intracellularly rather than by intragastric or intercellular neutralization.This study was supported by Swiss National Foundation grants 32-26369.89 and 32-33626.92. The morphometry equipment was supported by a grant from the Osterreichische Nationalbank.     

Primary cranial vault lymphoma mimicking meningioma

Primary lymphomas of the cranial vault are rare; only six patients have been described in the literature. We report a 75-year-old woman who was admitted to our hospital after a focal seizure. CT showed a homogeneous mass which, on contrast enhancement, was similar to a meningioma. The tumour was excised and found to be a centroblastic, centrocytic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Treatment was completed with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.     

经去颧弓扩大颞下入路切除海绵窦,岩尖,上斜坡肿瘤

本文介绍采用改进的去颧弓扩大颞下入路手术治疗８例位于或累及海绵窦、岩骨尖部、上斜坡、天幕游离前外缘肿瘤患者。该方法的要点是断去颧弓，扇形形成颞肌瓣，翻向颧弓断段以下，咬除蝶骨嵴外侧部分，形成低位颞额骨窗，仅轻度上抬颞叶，则可充分暴露病变范围。由于手术空间扩大，更利于肿瘤切除。本组８例均达到全部或大部分切除，患者术后均得以康复，原有体征不同程度改善。     

孕酮对离体胎鼠头盖骨成骨细胞增殖与分化的影响

目的：从细胞、基因水平探讨孕酮对成骨细胞增殖及分化的影响。方法：胎鼠头盖骨成骨细胞在体外经不同浓度（１０－９ｍｏｌ／Ｌ～１０－６ｍｏｌ／Ｌ）的孕酮作用后，对其细胞增殖、碱性磷酸酶（ＡＬＰ）活性、骨钙素ｍＲＮＡ表达、骨钙素分泌及骨小结形成进行检测分析。结果：（１）孕酮对成骨细胞增殖无明显促进作用；（２）孕酮增加细胞ＡＬＰ活性；（３）孕酮提高骨钙素ｍＲＮＡ表达及骨钙素的分泌，孕酮对骨钙素基因表达的刺激作用呈剂量依赖性；（４）孕酮增加骨小结形成的数量及面积。结论：孕酮对离体胎鼠头盖骨成骨细胞的分化具有多重促进效果，但对细胞的增殖无影响。     

颅底恶性肿瘤切除术后组织缺损一期修复的探讨──附18例报告

目的：为解决颅底恶性肿瘤的广泛切除或根治性切除术后所致的颅底骨与软组织缺损，预防此缺损所致的颅内感染，脑脊液漏等并发症。方法：在术中应用了斜方肌下部岛状肌皮瓣，胸大肌下部岛状肌皮瓣，颞肌复合组织瓣等各种修复方法分别对18例患者进行了一期修复。结果：修复成功率73．2％（13例），术后并发症27．8％（5例）.结论：根据组织缺损的不同大小、范围、程度、部位和不同的手术入路来选择不同的修复方法，关系到手术成败。     

Facial nerve outcome in lateral skull base surgery for benign lesions

Objective: To statistically identify factors most important in affecting CN7 outcome in lateral skull base surgery for benign lesions. Study Design: A retrospective review of 217 nonmalignancy lateral skull base procedures from 1970 to 1995 at the Otology Group in Nashville. Methods: Charts were reviewed for epidemiology, histopathology, staging, type of CN7 mobilization (none, short, long, severance with reanastomosis, and resection), preoperative and postoperative CN7 function, surgery performed, and survival. Results: Average House-Brackman (HB) scores for mobilizations were as follows: short, 1.65: long, 2.74: and grafting, 4.33. Factors found to affect outcome in a statistically significant fashion were preoperative HB score, staging, type of CN7 manipulation, and surgical approach. Meningiomas were found to have a worse outcome than glomus tumors. Conclusions: Complete resection of tumors should be performed with minimal manipulation of the facial nerve based on regional anatomy and tumor anatomy. Laryngoscope, 108:1480–1484, 1998     

Intraosseous lipoma of the frontal bone. A case report

Intraosseous lipomas are among the most uncommon bone tumors. They arise most often in the appendicular skeleton. There are very few reported cases of intraosseous lipomas within the skull bones. We report a case of intraosseous lipoma of the frontal bone with conventional radiography and CT findings.     

Early Experiences of Haemostasis on Brain Tumour Surgery with Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC)

Summary  Objective. We first applied a novel haemostatic strategy involving Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC), an innovative no-touch electrocoagulation technique in which a high-frequency alternating current is delivered to the tissue through ionized argon gas, to brain tumour surgery, and report its usefulness and limitations.  Methods. The APC system we used comprised an APC 300 developed by ERBE Elektromedizin GmbH, Germany. We applied APC to 13 brain tumours in 12 patients (5 meningiomas, 4 sarcomas, 2 glioblastomas, and 2 pituitary adenomas). To avoid unnecessary thermal injury to the tissue as much as possible, power/gas flow settings of 20 and 40 W were used. The impact time was varied individually but was around several seconds per one impact. The argon jet (1.5–4.5 L/min) clears a field of pooled blood and evenly conducts electrical energy to the target tissue. A thin and flexible probe particularly increased the usefulness of APC for haemostasis on deep-seated skull base tumour operations under a microscope.  Conclusion. All patients were successfully treated and satisfied with the surgical results without any complications due to APC. APC appears to be an excellent alternative strategy for achieving haemostasis on vascular-rich brain tumour surgery, and may be valuable for the management of patients with coagulation defects.     

儿童颅骨生长性骨折

目的 探讨儿童颅骨生长性骨折(Growing skull fractwre，GSF)的发病机制、诊治方法。方法 对我院1992年1月2002年4月10年间收治的6例GSF患儿的临床资料进行回顾行分析。结果 6例均有明确颅脑损伤病史，平均发病年龄2．99岁，头部包块、颅骨缺损及神经功能障碍等症状常见，颅骨平片见以骨折线为长轴的梭形颅骨缺损，CT检查显示包块为蛛网膜囊肿或脑膨出，术中见硬脑膜缺损大于颅骨缺损；Goldstein分型：Ⅰ型2例，Ⅱ型2例，Ⅲ型2例；GOS5分者3例(2例Ⅰ型和1例Ⅱ型)，4分者2例(Ⅱ型和Ⅲ型各1例)，3分者1例(Ⅲ型)。结论 ①颅骨骨折致硬脑膜破损为GSF发病的病理基础，婴幼儿期颅脑发育、外伤后局部颅内压力增高、骨折缘缺血为发病的重要因素；②GSF患儿颅骨缺损范围与病程不呈正相关，颅脑CT在GSF的诊断方面优于颅骨平片；③GSF一经确诊即应手术治疗，扩大开颅术能显露硬脑膜残缘，严密修补硬脑膜是手术成功的关键，Medepor材料适用于GSF患儿。Goldstein分型对指导预后有一定意义。