Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2013
Long-term ongoing cortical remodeling after contralateral C-7 nerve transfer.
Contralateral C-7 nerve transfer was developed for the treatment of patients with brachial plexus avulsion injury (BPAI). In the surgical procedure the affected recipient nerve is connected to the ipsilateral motor cortex, and the dramatic peripheral alteration may trigger extensive cortical reorganization. However, little is known about the long-term results after such specific nerve transfers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term cortical adaptive plasticity after BPAI and contralateral C-7 nerve transfer. ⋯ The authors believe that the cortical remodeling may last for a long period after peripheral rearrangement and that the successful cortical transfer is the foundation of the independent motor recovery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2013
Gamma Knife thalamotomy for tremor in the magnetic resonance imaging era.
The surgical management of disabling tremor has gained renewed vigor with the availability of deep brain stimulation. However, in the face of an aging population of patients with increasing surgical comorbidities, noninvasive approaches for tremor management are needed. The authors' purpose was to study the technique and results of stereotactic radiosurgery performed in the era of MRI targeting. ⋯ Gamma Knife thalamotomy in the MRI era was a safe and effective noninvasive surgical strategy for medically refractory tremor in the elderly or those with contraindications to deep brain stimulation or stereotactic radiofrequency (thermal) thalamotomy.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2013
Predictors of cranioplasty complications in stroke and trauma patients.
Decompressive craniectomy mandates subsequent cranioplasty. Complications of cranioplasty may be independent of the initial craniectomy, or they may be contingent upon the craniectomy. Authors of this study aimed to identify surgery- and patient-specific risk factors related to the development of surgical site infection and other complications following cranioplasty. ⋯ Cranioplasty complications are common. Cranioplasty infection rates are predicted by reoperation following craniectomy and therapeutic indication (stroke). These variables may be associated with patient-centered risk factors that increase cranioplasty infection risk.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2013
Inhibition of glioblastoma and enhancement of survival via the use of mibefradil in conjunction with radiosurgery.
The survival of patients with high-grade gliomas remains unfavorable. Mibefradil, a T-type calcium channel inhibitor capable of synchronizing dividing cells at the G1 phase, has demonstrated potential benefit in conjunction with chemotherapeutic agents for gliomas in in vitro studies. In vivo study of mibefradil and radiosurgery is lacking. The authors used an intracranial C6 glioma model in rats to study tumor response to mibefradil and radiosurgery. ⋯ Mibefradil response is schedule dependent and enhances survival and reduces glioblastoma when combined with ionizing radiation.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2013
Correlation of expression levels of ANXA2, PGAM1, and CALR with glioma grade and prognosis.
Biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of gliomas are lacking. To elucidate new diagnostic and prognostic targets, a routine method is used to evaluate differences between the protein profile of normal and tumor cells. The object of the current study was to investigate novel differentially expressed proteins and their roles in gliomas. ⋯ Protein expression alterations in ANXA2, PGAM1, and CALR were found in gliomas, and ANXA2 provided a novel prognostic value.