Month: August 2018

Case courtesy of Dr Alexandra Stanislavsky.

This is a CT head demonstrating agenesis, or absence, of the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is a broad band of axons interconnecting the two hemispheres of the brain. Agenesis of the corpus callosum, although rare, is one of the most common brain malformations in human beings. It can be completely asymptomatic, or it can be associated with autism, seizures, and motor, auditory and/or speech symptoms. The anterior corpus callosum has been noted to be more pronounced in musicians and left handed and ambidextrous people.

Case courtesy of Dr Roberto Schubert

Baastrup’s syndrome (aka “kissing spines”) results from osteoarthritis of spinous processes (usually lumbar). The spinous processes rub up against each other which leads to hypertrophy and sclerosis. This can cause a patient pain that is exacerbated with extension and relieved with flexion. The disease is named after Christian Ingerslev Baastrup, a Danish radiologist (1855-1950).

Case courtesy of Radswiki.

This is an axial FLAIR MRI sequence of a third ventricle colloid cyst. These cysts are benign in nature, however they can quickly cause a deadly hydrocephalus by blocking the foramina of Monro and CSF flow out of the lateral ventricles. The hydrocephalus, or ballooning, of the lateral ventricles can cause herniation of the medial temporal lobes across the tentoirum cerebelli, and eventually herniation of the brainstem through the foramen magnum, resulting in death. Treatment includes placement of an external ventricular drain (“EVD”) in the lateral ventricle to relieve hydrocephalic pressure on the brain, followed by endoscopic surgical removal of the colloid cyst.