Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2012
Case ReportsClinical outcomes following brachialis to anterior interosseous nerve transfers.
The surgical management of lower brachial plexus injuries remains a challenging problem. Although nerve transfers have improved clinical outcomes following brachial plexus injuries, the majority of work has focused on upper trunk injuries. Complete lower plexus injuries often lack suitable donors for either nerve or tendon transfers. The authors describe their experience with isolated lower trunk injuries utilizing the nerve to the brachialis to reinnervate the anterior interosseous nerve.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2012
Comparative StudyEffects of aging on behavioral assessment performance: implications for clinically relevant models of neurological disease.
Despite the role of aging in development of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, the effects of age are often disregarded in experimental design of preclinical studies. Functional assessment increases the clinical relevance of animal models of neurological disease and adds value beyond traditional histological measures. However, the relationship between age and functional impairment has not been systematically assessed through a battery of functional tests. ⋯ This study demonstrates clear differences between naive young adult and older animals, which may have implications in functional assessment for preclinical models of neurological disease.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2012
Identification of high-risk carotid artery stenosis: motion of intraplaque contents detected using B-mode ultrasonography.
Identification of the risk of rupture and vulnerability of arterial plaque is not yet clearly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical features of the motion of intraplaque contents (MIC) detected by B-mode ultrasonography. The MIC is characterized by the peculiar movement of the intraplaque contents that is not synchronized with the heartbeat; however, the movement of the carotid artery (CA) wall depends on the heartbeat. ⋯ The MIC is one of the findings of vulnerable plaques. The MIC is more useful in predicting the recurrence of TIAs or ischemic events in patients with symptomatic CA stenosis.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2012
Intraoperative subcortical electrical mapping of optic radiations in awake surgery for glioma involving visual pathways.
Preservation of the visual field in glioma surgery, especially avoidance of hemianopia, is crucial for patients' quality of life, particularly for driving. Recent studies used tractography or cortical occipital stimulation to try to avoid visual deficit. However, optic radiations have not been directly mapped intraoperatively. The authors present, for the first time to their knowledge, a consecutive series of awake surgeries for cerebral glioma with intrasurgical identification and preservation of visual pathways using subcortical electrical mapping. ⋯ Online identification of optic radiations by direct subcortical electrostimulation is a reliable and effective method to avoid permanent hemianopia in surgery for gliomas involving visual pathways.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2012
Comparative StudyA novel tissue engineering approach using an endothelial progenitor cell-seeded biopolymer to treat intracranial saccular aneurysms.
Recurrence after endovascular coiling of intracranial aneurysms is reported in up to 42% of cases and is attributed to the lack of endothelialization across the neck. In this study the authors used a novel tissue engineering approach to promote endothelialization by seeding endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) within a fibrin polymer injected endovascularly into the aneurysm. ⋯ This novel technique may address reasons for the limited durability of standard coil embolization and provides further avenues for the development of improved devices for the care of patients with aneurysms.