BACKGROUND: Chondrosarcoma is an uncommon spinal tumor that can present as an extraskeletal mass. Rarely, these tumors present as dumbbell tumors through the neural foramina, mimicking schwannomas or neurofibromas.
METHODS: A 46-year-old female presented with 2 years of worsening right-arm radiculopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine revealed a peripherally enhancing extramedullary mass through the right T1 foramen and compressing the spinal cord. Computed tomography showed the mass to be partially calcified. She underwent C7-T2 laminectomy and C6-T3 posterior instrumented fusion with gross-total resection of an extradural mass. Pathology revealed a grade I chondrosarcoma. Her symptoms improved postoperatively, with some residual right-arm radicular pain.
CONCLUSIONS: Intraspinal extradural dumbbell conventional chondrosarcoma is rare, with only 9 cases, including ours, reported. Patient ages range from 16 to 72 years old, and male sex is more common in these cases. The most common location is the thoracic spine, and our case is the only reported one in the cervicothoracic junction. These tumors often mimic schwannomas on imaging, but chondrosarcoma should remain in the differential diagnosis, because management of these tumors differs. Chondrosarcoma may benefit from more aggressive resection, including en bloc resection, and may require adjuvant radiotherapy.

Cranial and spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are associated with opposite CSF fluid dynamics. The differing pathophysiology between spontaneous cranial and spinal CSF leaks are, therefore, mutually exclusive in theory.
A 66-year-old female presented with tension pneumocephalus. The patient underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning, which demonstrated left-sided tension pneumocephalus, with an expanding volume of air directly above a bony defect of the tegmen tympani and mastoideum. The patient underwent a left middle fossa craniotomy for repair of the tegmen CSF leak. In the week after discharge, she developed a recurrence of positional headaches and underwent head CT. Further magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and thoracic spine showed bilateral subdural hematomas and multiple meningeal diverticula.
Cranial CSF leaks are caused by intracranial hypertension and are not associated with subdural hematomas. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for intracranial hypotension due to spinal CSF leak whenever \"otogenic\" pneumocephalus is found. Close postoperative follow-up and clinical monitoring for symptoms of intracranial hypotension in any patients who undergo repair of a tegmen defect for otogenic pneumocephalus is recommended.

BACKGROUND: The Belonidae family of fish has been implicated in various penetrating injuries; to date, however, there have been limited reports of brain injury due to this species.
METHODS: The authors present the case of a young patient who suffered an ocular penetrating injury from a needlefish with a resultant cavernous sinus thrombosis and concomitant carotid-cavernous fistula. This case highlights the interdisciplinary management of this rare condition through a strategy of anticoagulation titration to the endpoint of fistula closure.
CONCLUSIONS: Through this report the importance of a high index of suspicion for neurovascular injury and fistula formation in penetrating ocular injuries is highlighted as well as the importance of interdisciplinary management of patients with such injuries and their sequelae.

OBJECTIVE: Choroid plexus carcinoma (CPC) is a rare, primarily intraventricular neoplasm. Extent of resection correlates with improved outcomes but is limited due to tumor vascularity and size. Evidence on optimal surgical management and molecular drivers of recurrence remains limited. Here the authors characterize a case of multiply recurrent CPC treated with sequential endoscopic removals over 10 years and highlight its genomic properties.
METHODS: Five years after standard treatment, a 16-year-old female presented with a distant intraventricular recurrence of CPC. Whole exome sequencing revealed NF1, PER1, and SLC12A2 mutations, FGFR3 gain, and no TP53 alterations. Repeat sequencing on recurrences 4 and 5 years later showed persistent NF1 and FGFR3 alterations. Methylation profiling was consistent with plexus tumor, subclass pediatric B. Short-term magnetic resonance imaging detected four total isolated recurrences, all treated with complete endoscopic resections at 5, 6.5, 9, and 10 years after initial diagnosis. Mean hospital stay for all recurrences was 1 day with no complications.
CONCLUSIONS: The authors describe a patient with four isolated recurrences of CPC over a decade, each treated with complete endoscopic removal, and identify unique molecular alterations that persisted without TP53 alterations. These outcomes support frequent neuroimaging to facilitate endoscopic surgical removal following early detection of CPC recurrence.

BACKGROUND: A three-column osteotomy results in dural buckling, which may appear concerning upon intraoperative visualization because it may appear that the neural elements may also be buckled. The authors presented an intraoperative view after intentional durotomy of the neural elements and the relaxed state of the dura after three-column osteotomy.
METHODS: A 52-year-old woman with adult tethered cord syndrome and previous untethering presented with worsening leg pain and stiffness, urinary incontinence, and unbalanced gait. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an arachnoid web at T6 and spinal cord tethering. Spinal column shortening via three-column osteotomy was performed with concomitant intradural excision of the arachnoid web. Dural buckling was observed intraoperatively after spinal column shortening. After the durotomy, the spinal cord was visualized without kinking or buckling.
CONCLUSIONS: Dural buckling after spinal column shortening of 15 mm via three-column osteotomy at T6 did not result in concomitant buckling of the underlying neural elements.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) influences cavernous malformation (CM) formation or hemorrhage risk.
METHODS: The authors present the case of a 31-year-old patient who developed a hemorrhagic, de novo CM in the setting of a developmental venous anomaly within 3 months of COVID-19 respiratory disease. The authors speculate that COVID-19 disease stimulated formation of the CM through TLR4 inflammatory pathways and subsequently led to the hemorrhagic presentation because of hypercoagulability related to the disease.
CONCLUSIONS: This case raises the possibility that COVID-19 may be a risk factor for de novo development of CMs in predisposed patients.

BACKGROUND: Dural reconstruction to achieve expansion duraplasty is important in suboccipital decompression for Chiari malformation type 1 (CM1). Although various dural substitutes are available, including synthetic collagen matrix grafts and dural xenografts, they have the potential to induce an inflammatory response. In this case series, the authors present their experience and discuss the incidence and possible mechanism of aseptic meningitis after the use of bovine collagen matrix graft as a dural substitute in patients with CM1 after suboccipital decompression.
METHODS: Three consecutive adult female patients who underwent suboccipital decompression at a single institution by a single neurosurgeon were retrospectively reviewed. They all presented with signs of aseptic meningitis in a delayed fashion, responded well to steroid administration, but had recurrence of their symptoms. Bovine collagen dural substitutes are resorbed in a process that induces an inflammatory response manifesting with signs of aseptic meningitis and is only alleviated with removal of the dural substitute.
CONCLUSIONS: DuraMatrix Suturable, a dural xenograft derived from bovine dermis, though a viable choice for dural repair, is a potential cause of chemical meningitis after duraplasty in Chiari decompression surgery. In patients presenting with delayed and persistent aseptic meningitis after intervention, removal of this dural substitute led to improved symptomatology.

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is a neurocutaneous autosomal dominant disorder that predisposes patients to develop intracranial low-grade gliomas (LGGs). Most LGGs in patients with NF-1 involve the optic pathway but can arise anywhere throughout the central nervous system. NF-1-related disseminated pediatric LGG (dPLGG) in the absence of a dominant optic pathway glioma has not been described.
METHODS: The authors discussed a case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with consideration for biopsy with nonoptic pathway PLGG with craniospinal dPLGG in the setting of NF-1. The patient\'s primary lesion, located in the right medulla, was initially treated with surveillance before induction chemotherapy with carboplatin and vincristine was initiated. However, surveillance imaging demonstrated significant increase in size and enhancement, and subsequent craniospinal imaging demonstrated extensive nodular dissemination in the cervicothoracic spine. A biopsy and molecular testing were subsequently performed to further evaluate the tumor, and the patient was diagnosed with dPLGG with CDKN2A deletion.
CONCLUSIONS: Thorough craniospinal magnetic resonance imaging evaluation and biopsy in nonoptic pathway-dominant brain lesions in NF-1 are warranted in patients with atypical clinical and radiological findings in whom standard chemotherapeutic therapy fails.

BACKGROUND: Sectioning the C2 nerve root is increasingly utilized during posterior C1-2 fusion, as the nerve overlies the entry point for C1 lateral mass screws and the C1-2 joint. Nerve sectioning improves visualization for screw placement and enables joint decortication for arthrodesis. While rare, vascular injury is a devastating complication of atlantoaxial fusion. Anomalous vascular anatomy at C1-2 greatly increases risk of iatrogenic injury.
METHODS: A 78-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis and prior C2-7 fusion presented with myelopathy from a compressive pannus at C1-2. She underwent C1 laminectomy and C1-2 posterior instrumented fusion. Intraoperatively, arterial bleeding occurred as the right C2 nerve root was sectioned. Vertebral artery injury was suspected, and tamponade was performed while vascular control was established. The artery passed aberrantly beneath the nerve root in the C1-2 foramen. It was repaired microsurgically, and patency was confirmed using indocyanine green. The remainder of the fusion was aborted. The patient wore a cervical collar and was treated with aspirin for 6 weeks before undergoing instrumented fusion. The patient suffered no deficits.
CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, anomalous vertebral artery anatomy increases risk of injury at time of C2 nerve root sectioning. Preoperative assessment of the vasculature is vital.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) tuberculomas are a feared complication of tuberculosis (TB) infection. These lesions can present in varying manners and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of the lesion and the underlying infection are critical in the care of these patients. The authors presented a case of a 45-year-old Yemeni immigrant presenting with a 3-month history of severe right temporo-occipital headaches with photophobia and night sweats. Imaging showed a rim-enhancing lesion in the right cerebellar hemisphere.
METHODS: Laboratory tests were unremarkable and within normal limits. QuantiFERON testing was negative, ruling out latent TB infection. The patient received a suboccipital craniotomy, and resection of the cerebellar lesion showed caseating granuloma formation, which was positive for acid-fast bacilli and Fite stain.
CONCLUSIONS: CNS tuberculomas are an important differential to consider in patients with a history of primary TB, regardless of active disease or immunocompetent status. Resection of these lesions remains a viable treatment option that is safe and effective.