Acta neurochirurgica
-
Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a non-ablative technique designed to resolve the neurovascular conflict responsible for typical idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN). ⋯ MVD represents the gold standard first line treatment for TN; its aim is to free the nerve from any contact.
-
Acta neurochirurgica · Jun 2012
The impact of timing of cranioplasty in patients with large cranial defects after decompressive hemicraniectomy.
It is unclear how soon after a decompressive hemicraniectomy that cranioplasty be safely performed in a patient in whom the ICP has been normalized. Early surgery has been associated with infection, intracerebral hematoma, and complications due to persistent or recurrent brain edema. Delayed cranioplasty of large cranial defects exposes the patient to different conditions known in the literature as the syndrome of the sinking skin flap. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that timing of cranioplasty after decompressive hemicraniectomy influences outcome and complications. ⋯ Our study suggests that many patients with large cranial defects after decompressive craniectomy can safely undergo cranioplasty in an early stage; direct answers to these questions of timing of cranioplasty are best addressed by prospective studies. Nevertheless, the present study provides a basis for decision-making in certain patients and for the design of future investigations.
-
Acta neurochirurgica · Jun 2012
Effects of darbepoetin-α in spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury in the rabbit.
Darbepoetin-alpha (DA) is a novel erythropoiesis-stimulating agent developed for treating anemia. In animal models, recombinant human erythropoietin has been reported to be beneficial for neuroprotection. In this study, we determined whether DA would protect the spinal cord against ischemia-reperfusion injury in a rabbit model. ⋯ Although further studies considering different dose regimens and time intervals are required, DA was shown to be at least as effective as methylprednisolone in spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion model.