Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2014
Neuro-ophthalmic effects of stenting across the ophthalmic artery origin in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms.
OBJECT.: The benefits of treating intracranial aneurysms in the region of the anterior visual pathways are well understood. However, the adverse effects of endovascular stenting across the ophthalmic artery have received little attention. The authors reviewed their experience with patients who had stents deployed across the ophthalmic artery origin. ⋯ Deployment of stents across the ophthalmic artery origin for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms appears to be relatively safe with regard to visual outcomes. Neuro-ophthalmic complaint resolution rates were comparable to endovascular procedures that do not employ stents, with headache resolution rates comparable to coil-only aneurysm obliteration and low rates of retinal ischemic events. For patients presenting with mass effect, stent-assisted coiling appears to be less effective than microsurgery with decompression for relief of compressive symptoms.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2014
Case ReportsBrain involvement by leprosy presenting as a frontal cystic lesion.
Leprosy has a predilection for peripheral nerves and is not considered to involve the CNS. The idea that the CNS is exempt from Mycobacterium leprae bacilli has been suspected from a clinical perspective or CSF study in leprosy patients. However, there has been no direct evidence for CNS involvement by leprosy in a living patient. ⋯ Fite acid-fast stain displayed red granular inclusions that were suggestive for fragmented M. leprae. M. leprae-specific nested polymerase chain reaction amplification showed positive bands, and DNA sequencing also demonstrated homology with the M. leprae genome. This case supports the notion that M. leprae can involve the cerebral cortex regardless of cranial nerve engagement.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2014
Brain shift during bur hole-based procedures using interventional MRI.
OBJECT.: Brain shift during minimally invasive, bur hole-based procedures such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode implantation and stereotactic brain biopsy is not well characterized or understood. We examine shift in various regions of the brain during a novel paradigm of DBS electrode implantation using interventional imaging throughout the procedure with high-field interventional MRI. ⋯ Brain shift is continual and unpredictable and can render traditional stereotactic targeting based on preoperative imaging inaccurate even in deep brain structures such as those used for DBS.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2014
Neuronavigation using susceptibility-weighted venography: application to deep brain stimulation and comparison with gadolinium contrast.
Careful trajectory planning on preoperative vascular imaging is an essential step in deep brain stimulation (DBS) to minimize risks of hemorrhagic complications and postoperative neurological deficits. This paper compares 2 MRI methods for visualizing cerebral vasculature and planning DBS probe trajectories: a single data set T1-weighted scan with double-dose gadolinium contrast (T1w-Gd) and a multi-data set protocol consisting of a T1-weighted structural, susceptibility-weighted venography, and time-of-flight angiography (T1w-SWI-TOF). Two neurosurgeons who specialize in neuromodulation surgery planned bilateral STN DBS in 18 patients with Parkinson's disease (36 hemispheres) using each protocol separately. ⋯ The authors' results show that trajectories planned on T1w-SWI-TOF successfully avoided the cerebral vasculature imaged by conventional T1w-Gd and did not suffer from missing vascular information or imprecise data set registration. Furthermore, with appropriate planning and visualization software, trajectory corridors planned on T1w-SWI-TOF intersected significantly less fine vasculature that was not detected on the T1w-Gd (p < 0.01 within 2 mm and p < 0.001 within 4 mm of the track centerline). The proposed T1w-SWI-TOF protocol comes with minimal effects on the imaging and surgical workflow, improves vessel avoidance, and provides a safe cost-effective alternative to injection of gadolinium contrast.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2014
Comparative inpatient resource utilization for patients undergoing endoscopic or microscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary lesions.
OBJECT.: An increasingly important measure in the health care field is utilization of hospital resources, particularly in the context of emerging surgical techniques. Despite the recent widespread adoption of the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach for pituitary lesion surgery, the health care resources utilized with this approach have not been compared with those utilized with the traditional microscopic approach. The purpose of this study was to determine the drivers of resource utilization by comparing hospital charges for patients with pituitary tumors who had undergone either endoscopic or microscopic transsphenoidal surgery. ⋯ Study findings suggest that adoption of the endoscopic transsphenoidal technique for pituitary lesions does not adversely affect utilization of resources for inpatients. The primary drivers of hospital charges, in order of importance, were length of stay, a diagnosis of Cushing's disease, and, to a lesser extent, use of the endoscopic technique. This study also highlights the influence of individual surgeon practice patterns on resource utilization.