Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2011
Case ReportsTemporizing treatment of hyperacute subdural hemorrhage by subdural evacuation port system placement.
An acute subdural hematoma (SDH) requiring surgical intervention is treated with craniotomy or craniectomy, in part because it is generally accepted that coagulated blood present in the acute phase cannot be adequately evacuated by less-invasive means such as bur hole drainage. However, a hyperacute SDH in the first few hours after trauma can have mixed-density components on CT scans that are thought to represent subdural blood that is not yet fully coagulated. The authors report a case in which a hyperacute SDH in a patient receiving antiplatelet therapy was treated with the novel technique of temporizing subdural evacuation port system (SEPS) placement. ⋯ After initial SEPS-induced stabilization, the patient underwent operative treatment of the SDH by craniotomy. The combined approach of emergency SEPS placement followed by craniotomy resulted in a dramatic recovery, with improvement from coma and extensor posturing to a normal status on neurological evaluation 5 weeks later. In appropriately selected cases, patients with a hyperacute SDH may benefit from SEPS placement to quickly treat elevated ICP, as a bridge to definitive surgical treatment by craniotomy.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2011
Generation of chordoma cell line JHC7 and the identification of Brachyury as a novel molecular target.
Chordoma is a malignant bone neoplasm hypothesized to arise from notochordal remnants along the length of the neuraxis. Recent genomic investigation of chordomas has identified T (Brachyury) gene duplication as a major susceptibility mutation in familial chordomas. Brachyury plays a vital role during embryonic development of the notochord and has recently been shown to regulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in epithelial-derived cancers. However, current understanding of the role of this transcription factor in chordoma is limited due to the lack of availability of a fully characterized chordoma cell line expressing Brachyury. Thus, the objective of this study was to establish the first fully characterized primary chordoma cell line expressing gain of the T gene locus that readily recapitulates the original parental tumor phenotype in vitro and in vivo. ⋯ This report represents the first xenograft model of a sacral chordoma line described in the literature and the first cell line established with stable Brachyury expression. The authors propose that Brachyury is an attractive therapeutic target in chordoma and that JHC7 will serve as a clinically relevant model for the study of this disease.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2011
Intraoperative confocal microscopy in the visualization of 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence in low-grade gliomas.
Greater extent of resection (EOR) for patients with low-grade glioma (LGG) corresponds with improved clinical outcome, yet remains a central challenge to the neurosurgical oncologist. Although 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced tumor fluorescence is a strategy that can improve EOR in gliomas, only glioblastomas routinely fluoresce following 5-ALA administration. Intraoperative confocal microscopy adapts conventional confocal technology to a handheld probe that provides real-time fluorescent imaging at up to 1000× magnification. The authors report a combined approach in which intraoperative confocal microscopy is used to visualize 5-ALA tumor fluorescence in LGGs during the course of microsurgical resection. ⋯ Intraoperative confocal microscopy can visualize cellular 5-ALA-induced tumor fluorescence within LGGs and at the brain-tumor interface. To assess the clinical value of 5-ALA for high-grade gliomas in conjunction with neuronavigation, and for LGGs in combination with intraoperative confocal microscopy and neuronavigation, a Phase IIIa randomized placebo-controlled trial (BALANCE) is underway at the authors' institution.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2011
Bilateral subfrontal approach for tuberculum sellae meningiomas in long-term postoperative visual outcome.
Various surgical approaches, such as uni- and bifrontal, frontolateral, and pterional approaches, have been advocated for tuberculum sellae meningiomas. The authors retrospectively reviewed the effectiveness of a bilateral subfrontal approach for tuberculum sellae meningiomas with special attention to ophthalmological outcomes and complications. ⋯ The bilateral subfrontal approach was previously avoided because of the relatively high rate of complications in earlier surgical series of tuberculum sellae meningiomas. However, after developments in microsurgical techniques in recent years, the bilateral subfrontal approach can now provide satisfactory visual outcomes with minimal postoperative complications. Careful preservation of the blood supply to optic apparatus and early unroofing of the optic canal using a bilateral subfrontal approach led to further improvement in long-term postoperative visual outcome.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 2011
Immunoliposomal drug-delivery system targeting lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 for carotid plaque lesions in rats.
Targeted drug delivery with immunoliposomes has been applied to various in vivo animal models and is newly focused as a novel therapeutic target. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX1) is a potent regulator of systemic atherosclerosis, and the authors focused on its effect on carotid plaques. The authors developed a LOX1-targeted liposomal rho-kinase inhibitor and examined the therapeutic effect on carotid intimal hypertrophy in rats. ⋯ Liposomes conjugated with anti-LOX1 antibody effectively reached carotid artery lesions, and liposomal rho-kinase significantly inhibited intimal hypertrophy. The new liposomal drug delivery system targeting LOX1 may become a therapeutic strategy for atherosclerotic diseases.