Journal of neurosurgery
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A small percentage of patients will develop a completely new or de novo aneurysm after discovery of an initial aneurysm. The natural history of these lesions is unknown. The authors undertook this statistical evaluation a large cohort of patients with both ruptured and unruptured de novo aneurysms with the aim of analyzing risk factors for rupture and estimating a risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). ⋯ While rare, de novo aneurysms may have a risk for SAH that is comparatively higher than the risk associated with similarly sized, small, initially discovered unruptured saccular aneurysms. The authors therefore recommend long-term follow-up for all patients with aneurysms, and they consider a more aggressive treatment strategy for de novo aneurysms than for incidentally discovered initial aneurysms.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2013
Role of resection of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1.
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive sarcomas that often arise from major peripheral nerves. Approximately half of MPNSTs arise in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) who, in comparison with patients without NF1, present at younger ages and with larger tumors that are commonly associated with extensive plexiform neurofibromas. These tumors therefore pose a particularly difficult treatment challenge because of the morbidity often associated with attempted gross-total resection (GTR). Here, the authors aim to examine what role the extent of resection and other covariates play in the long-term survival of patients with NF1 in the setting of MPNST. ⋯ These findings suggest that GTR offers significant long-term benefit on survival in patients with NF1. Benefit on survival occurred independently of all other covariates, suggesting that complete resection should be the principal goal of treatment in this patient population.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2013
Cerebrospinal fluid volume-depletion headaches in patients with traumatic brachial plexus injury.
Patients with brachial plexus injury (BPI) present with a combination of motor weakness/paralysis, sensory deficits, and pain. Brachial plexus injury is generally not believed to be associated with headaches. However, CSF leaks may be associated with CSF volume-depletion (low-pressure) headaches and can occur in BPI secondary to nerve root avulsion. Only a few cases of headaches associated with BPI have been reported. It is unknown if headaches in patients with BPI occur so rarely, or if they are just unrecognized by physicians and/or patients in which the focus of attention is the affected limb. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CSF volume-depletion headaches in patients with BPI. ⋯ In this retrospective study, 15.2% of patients (22 of 145 patients) with traumatic BPI suffered from a new-onset headache. Seven of these patients (4.8%) experienced postural headaches clearly suggestive of CSF volume depletion likely secondary to a CSF leak associated with the BPI, whereas the other 15 patients (10.3%) suffered headaches that may have represented a variant of CSF depletion headaches without a postural characteristic or a headache from another cause. These data suggest that CSF volume-depletion headaches occur in a significant proportion of patients with BPI and have been underrecognized and underreported.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2013
Relationship between hospital surgical volume, lobectomy rates, and adverse perioperative events at US epilepsy centers.
Epilepsy surgery remains significantly underutilized. The authors recently reported that the number of lobectomies for localized intractable epilepsy in the US has not changed despite the implementation of clear evidence-based guidelines 10 years ago supporting early referral for surgery. To better understand why epilepsy surgery continues to be underused, the authors' objective was to carefully examine hospital-related factors related to the following: 1) where patients are being admitted for the evaluation of epilepsy, 2) rates of utilization for surgery across hospitals, and 3) perioperative morbidity between hospitals with low versus high volumes of epilepsy surgery. ⋯ Hospital volume is an important predictor of epilepsy surgery utilization and perioperative morbidity. Patients with medically refractory epilepsy should be referred to a comprehensive epilepsy treatment center for surgical evaluation by an experienced clinical team.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2013
Use of supramaximal stimulation to predict facial nerve outcomes following vestibular schwannoma microsurgery: results from a decade of experience.
The goal of vestibular schwannoma surgery is tumor removal and preservation of neural function. Intraoperative facial nerve (FN) monitoring has emerged as the standard of care, but its role in predicting long-term facial function remains a matter of debate. The present report seeks to describe and critically assess the value of applying current at supramaximal levels in an effort to identify patients destined for permanent facial paralysis. ⋯ In a large cohort of patients, the authors found that interrogating intraoperative FN function with SMS is safe and technically simple. It is useful for predicting which patients will ultimately have good facial function, but is very limited in identifying patients destined for long-term facial weakness. This test may prove helpful in the future in tailoring less than gross-total tumor removal to limit postoperative facial weakness.