Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2003
Case ReportsFracture of S1-2 after L4-S1 decompression and fusion. Case report and review of the literature.
The author describes a woman in whom an S1-2 fracture developed after L4-S1 decompression and fusion. Osteoporosis was not present, but the lesion failed to respond to conservative therapy, necessitating surgical extension of the spinal fusion. ⋯ To date, only four cases of sacral stress fracture appear in the literature, all involving female patients and reportedly associated with osteoporosis. Unlike the present case, the fracture resolved satisfactorily in all cases with conservative treatment.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2003
Case ReportsWriting, calculating, and finger recognition in the region of the angular gyrus: a cortical stimulation study of Gerstmann syndrome.
In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the cerebral functions represented in the angular gyrus and to spare them during surgery, the authors studied patients with brain tumors located close to the angular gyrus and mapped cortical sites by using electrostimulation. ⋯ Symptoms of Gerstmann syndrome can be found during direct brain mapping in the angular gyrus region. In this series of patients, sites producing interferences in writing, calculating, and finger recognition were demonstrated in the angular gyrus, which may or may not have been associated with object-naming, color-naming, or reading sites.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2003
Comparative StudyOne-level one-sided lumbar disc surgery with and without microscopic assistance: 1-year outcome in 114 consecutive patients.
The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes following macrodiscectomy and microsurgery for one-level one-sided lumbar disc excision. ⋯ Microdiscectomy allows the surgeon good visualization and is less traumatic to the involved tissues. Interestingly, the results of this study indicated that microsurgery does not reduce hospitalization time, nor does it improve the overall surgery-related outcome. The main differences between the two procedures were length of the incision and operative time. The author found that lumbar microdiscectomy allows patients earlier return to work and/or normal life with less reliance on postoperative narcotic analgesic agents.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2003
Case ReportsSpinal intradural extramedullary cavernous angioma. Case report.
The spinal intradural extramedullary cavernous angioma is a rare clinical entity. Only 20 surgically treated cases have been reported. ⋯ Intradural extramedullary cavernous angiomas occur predominantly in males, in the lower thoracolumbar region, exhibit a relatively high association with subarachnoid hemorrhage, and mostly adhere to the nerve root or spinal cord. Because resection is possible without causing morbidity and because outcome depends on the severity of preoperative neurological dysfunction, precise diagnosis and timely treatment are mandatory.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2003
Case ReportsMagnetic resonance imaging-guided percutaneous fenestration of a cervical intradural cyst. Case report.
The authors describe the case of a high cervical, intradural extramedullary cyst located anterior to the spinal cord in a 13-year-old boy. The lesion was fenestrated percutaneously by using real-time magnetic resonance (MR) imaging guidance and a local anesthetic agent. ⋯ Nine months later, complete disappearance of the cyst was confirmed on MR imaging and computerized tomography myelography. Magnetic resonance imageing-guided fenestration can be considered a minimally invasive option for intradural cystic lesions.