Over a period of eight years (1985-1992) 79 children who fulfilled NINDS criteria for GB Syndrome were evaluated at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. There were 58 boys and 21 girls constituting 29.2percent of the total cases of GB Syndrome seen during the same period. One third of them were below 5 years of age. Antecedent events were noted in 41.9 percent and peak motor deficit was reached in over 90 percent cases within tow weeks. At admission besides quadripareresis and hyproflexia, facial (49.4 percent), bulbar (32.9 percent) and respiratory muscle weakness(8.9 percent) sensory disturbances (32.1 percent) and autonomic dysfunction (11.5 percent) of varying severity were also noted. Two elve patients needed ventilators assistance at the peak of illness and there were five deaths. Albuminocytological dissociation was present in 61.7 percent. Electrophysiological abnormalities were almost universal, involved motor and sensory nerves and were observed even in first week of illness. Comparison with adults with GB Syndrome revealed that bulbar and respiratory muscle weakness and sensory and autonomic disturbances were more common in adults, however CSF and electrophysiological abnormalities were equally frequent in both the groups. GB Syndrome constitute an important cause of flaccid paralysis in children. Clinical profile in children, but for minor variations is essentially the same as in adults. High incidence of sensory conduction abnormalities even during early part of illness may be useful in differentiating it from other causes of neuroparalytic illness in childhood.

This study comprised of 340 cases of extradural haematomas (EDHs) treated during a period of 10 years (1984-1994) in the division of Neurosurgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi. Majority of them were rural patients (55.9 percent). The commonest mode of injury was blunt impact to the head mainly by lathi in rural India (48.4 percent), and road traffic accidents in urban population (60 percent). Only 12 percent of patients reached hospital within 6 hours of injury. Outcome is better in rural cases (11.5 percent) inspite of late reporting to the hospital. Such cases are not usually associated with other injuries as impact is focal. Clot with less than 50 ml, 50-100 ml and more than 100 ml had mortality rate 0 percent, 12.5 percent and 18.7 percent respectively; similarly outcome became poorer with increasing midline shift in computed tomography scan (1-4 mm: 0 percent, 5-9 mm: 9.2 percent and 10 mm or more: 29.8 percent). The common site of EDH is temporal (42.2 percent) in urban and parietal (51.6 percent) in rural patients.

Fifteen patients with thoracic disc prolapse were treated at our institution over a 23 year period. The clinical presentation, investigations, surgical treatment and results of these cases are analysed retrospectively in this report. Lower dorsal region disc prolapse formed the majority of cases. Local and radicular pain, motor weakness, bladder and bowel involvement were the principal presenting features. Five cases had acute presentation while the rest had chronic and progressive symptomatology. All cases were treated by posterior decompressive laminectomy operation and in five discoidectomy was performed. It was observed on long term follow up than patients who underwent discoidectomy faired better than those in whom only laminectomy was performed.

Despite a high clinical prevalence rate of Parkinson's disease in India, autopsy studies have not been reported in the country, till date. Two autopsied cases clinically diagnosed as Parkinson's disease in our Institute were neuropathologically evaluated. Clinically, they presented with the classical features typical of the disease like tremors, rigidity, mask-like facies and bradykinesia. A distinct loss of melanin-containing neurons of the substantia-nigra in the midbrain and in the locus ceruleus was observed. Characteristic single and multiple intraneuronal Lewy bodies were seen in the substantia nigra, locus ceruleus and occasionally in the basal nucleus of Meynert, posterior thalamic nucleus and neurons of occulomotor nucleus. Immunohistochemically, these classical Lewy bodies were ubiquitin in positive, showing two morphological forms: one, as a homogenous dense body and the other, as a peripheral dense staining with a central lucent zone. These bodies failed to react with the neurofilament antibodies. The neuronal loss in the midbrain was associated with gliosis, confirmed by PTAH and GFAP immunostaining. There were no features of dementia, either clinically or neuropathologically in both cases.

Past traumatic chronic subdural haematoma infected by Salmonella typhi is reported in a 34 years old lady. The isolate was resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and co-trimoxazole. Treatment involved subdural drainage and course of ofloxacin. The patient ultimately recovered. Only eight such cases of Salmonella infected subdural haematoma have been reported in the world literature. The mode of infection is presumed to have been haematogenous.

Primary spinal melanoma is uncommon, with only 36 cases reported in the available literature. These lesions usually occur as diffuse melanomatosis. Solitary lesions are rare. Extradural locations is extremely rare, with only tow case reports in the literature. One such patient is reported and relevant literature reviewed.

Bilateral pseudotumour with intracranial extension is extremely rare. We report on a 45 year old male, who presented with progressive painless visual loss, without any sign of endocrine disorder. CT scan showed a large hyperdense enhancing mass in both orbits and all around the sella turcica. Repeated biopsy of this mass revealed sclerosing pseudotumour.

Corpus callossal lipoma is a rare benign congenital disorder. These lesions may be associated with various congenital and acquired disorders. Lipoma of the corpus callosum with frontal encephalocele has not been described in the literature so far. We are reporting one such case and the relevant literature is reviewed.