Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2013
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyCognitive impairment after lacunar stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of incidence, prevalence and comparison with other stroke subtypes.
Cognitive impairment and dementia are common after stroke. It is unclear if risk differs between ischaemic stroke subtypes. Lacunar strokes might be less likely to affect cognition than more severe, larger cortical strokes, except that lacunar strokes are associated with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), which is the commonest vascular cause of dementia. ⋯ Cognitive impairment appears to be common after lacunar strokes despite their small size, suggesting that associated SVD may increase their impact. New prospective studies are required with accurate stroke subtyping to assess long term outcomes while accounting for confounders.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2013
Review Meta AnalysisCerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands in multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndromes: a meta-analysis of prevalence, prognosis and effect of latitude.
Oligoclonal bands (OCBs) unique to the cerebrospinal fluid are used in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The precise prevalence of OCBs in MS and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is unknown. The influence of OCBs on clinical outcomes has not been quantified. OCB prevalence has been associated with latitude in a single study, if confirmed this would provide avenues for further study. ⋯ This is the largest study of OCB prevalence in MS and CIS. OCB positivity strongly predicts conversion from CIS to MS. The relationship between latitude and OCBs is confirmed, and this finding warrants further investigation.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2013
Review Meta AnalysisGenetics of cerebral amyloid angiopathy: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is common in the ageing brain and is associated with dementia and lobar intracerebral haemorrhage. We systematically reviewed genetic associations with CAA to better understand its pathogenesis. ⋯ There is convincing evidence for a dose dependent association between APOE ε4 and sporadic CAA. Further work is needed to better understand the mechanism of this association and to further investigate other genetic associations with CAA.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2013
Review Meta AnalysisShort-term outcome of endoscopic versus microscopic pituitary adenoma surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery has become increasingly more popular for the removal of pituitary adenomas. It is also widely recognised that transsphenoidal microscopic removal of pituitary adenomas is a well-established procedure with good outcomes. Our objective was to meta-analyse the short-term results of endoscopic and microscopic pituitary adenoma surgery. ⋯ No difference was found between the two techniques in all other variables examined. Meta-analysis of the available literature reveals that endoscopic removal of pituitary adenoma, in the short term, does not seem to confer any advantages over the microscopic technique and the incidence of reported vascular complications was higher with endoscopic than with microscopic removal of pituitary adenomas. While we recognise the limitations of meta-analysis, our study suggests that a multicentre, randomised, comparative effectiveness study of the microscopic and endoscopic transsphenoidal techniques may be a reasonable approach towards establishing a true valuation of these techniques.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2013
ReviewCurrent concept of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and NMO spectrum disorders.
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) has been described as a disease clinically characterised by severe optic neuritis (ON) and transverse myelitis (TM). Other features of NMO include female preponderance, longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesions (>3 vertebral segments), and absence of oligoclonal IgG bands. In spite of these differences from multiple sclerosis (MS), the relationship between NMO and MS has long been controversial. ⋯ Pathological analyses of autopsied cases strongly suggest that unlike MS, astrocytic damage is the primary pathology in NMO, and experimental studies confirm the pathogenicity of AQP4-antibody. Importantly, therapeutic outcomes of some immunological treatments are different between NMO and MS, making early differential diagnosis of these two disorders crucial. We provide an overview of the epidemiology, clinical and neuroimaging features, immunopathology and therapy of NMO and NMO spectrum disorders.