Abstracts from other journals

S FROM OTHER JOURNALS A TRANSCERVICAL APPROACH TO THE VENTRAL SURFACE OF THE BRAIN STEM FOR REMOVAL OF A CLIVUS CHORDOMA: STEVENSON, G. c., STONEY, R. J., PERKINS, R. K. & ADAMS, J. E. (1966). J. Neurosurg. 24, 544· One of the most difficult locations for neurosurgical approach is the anterior aspect of the brain stem and the authors describe in detail how they developed a new approach through the neck of the clivus, aided by the use of a dissecting microscope. They then successfully removed a clivus chordoma in a 20-year-old man. The authors point out the advantages of this approach over others. VASCULAR MALFORMATIONS OF THE SPINAL CORD: HOUDART, R., DJINDJIAN R. & HURTH, M. (1966). Neurosurg. 24, 583. Using special radiological techniques and in particular angiography with the addition of subtraction, the authors describe the study of 15 patients seen over a period of three years. They were thus enabled to plan appropriate surgical treatment and found that the best operation was ligation of the arterial pedicles of the malformation. They point out that these lesions are not very uncommon and, in several of the patients presented with serious neurological disturbances at an early age, surgical treat­ ment might be of benefit in selected patients. A B S T R ACTS FR O M O T H E R JOU R N A LS 125 AN ANATOMICAL STUDY OF THE ROLE OF THE DENTATE LIGAMENTS IN THE CERVICAL SPINAL CANAL: STOLTMANN, H. F. & BLACKWOOD, W. (1966). J. Neurosurg. 24, 43· The authors describe anatomical studies to delineate more clearly the role of the dentate ligaments, especially in relation to myelopathy caused by cervical spondylosis. They show that the dentate ligaments do not limit movement of the spinal cord in an A.P. direction in the spinal canal, but they probably limit cephalo-caudal movements of the