Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2014
Historical ArticleFrom Pergamon to Army Base Hospital No. 5: the history and significance of the galea aponeurotica in the evolution of neurosurgery.
The authors trace the etymology and historical significance of galea or epicranial aponeurosis. In ancient Greece, galea referred to a helmet worn by soldiers, typically made of animal hide or leather. Throughout antiquity, physicians referred to all soft tissue between the skin and the skull as panniculus, a standard established by Galen of Pergamon. ⋯ Not until 1724 would the tendinous sheath connecting the frontalis and occipitalis muscles be defined as "Galea tendinosa cranii." By 1741, the convention of referring to the galea as an aponeurosis was well established. Harvey Cushing's wartime experiences at Army Base Hospital No. 5 reinforced the surgical significance of the galea. Operative mortality was significantly diminished due to "closure of the wounds with buried sutures in the galea." This operative nuance was then passed from teacher to pupil and has now become one of the tenets of modern neurosurgical practice.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2014
Editorial CommentEditorial: traumatic brain injury and postoperative CT.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2014
Phase I/II study of resection and intraoperative cesium-131 radioisotope brachytherapy in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases.
Resected brain metastases have a high rate of local recurrence without adjuvant therapy. Adjuvant whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) remains the standard of care with a local control rate > 90%. However, WBRT is delivered over 10-15 days, which can delay other therapy and is associated with acute and long-term toxicities. Permanent cesium-131 ((131)Cs) implants can be used at the time of metastatic resection, thereby avoiding the need for any additional therapy. The authors evaluated the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of a novel therapeutic approach with permanent (131)Cs brachytherapy at the resection for brain metastases. ⋯ The use of postresection permanent (131)Cs brachytherapy implants resulted in no local recurrences and no radiation necrosis. This treatment was safe, well tolerated, and convenient for patients, resulting in a short radiation treatment course, high response rate, and minimal toxicity. These findings merit further study with a multicenter trial.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2014
ReviewRace against the clock: overcoming challenges in the management of anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage.
Patients receiving anticoagulation therapy who present with any type of intracranial hemorrhage--including subdural hematoma, epidural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)--require urgent correction of their coagulopathy to prevent hemorrhage expansion, limit tissue damage, and facilitate surgical intervention as necessary. The focus of this review is acute ICH, but the principles of management for anticoagulation-associated ICH (AAICH) apply to patients with all types of intracranial hemorrhage, whether acute or chronic. A number of therapies--including fresh frozen plasma (FFP), intravenous vitamin K, activated and inactivated prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs), and recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa)--have been used alone or in combination to treat AAICH to reverse anticoagulation, help achieve hemodynamic stability, limit hematoma expansion, and prepare the patient for possible surgical intervention. ⋯ However, in April 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Kcentra (a 4-factor PCC) for the urgent reversal of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation in adults with acute major bleeding. Plasma is the only other product approved for this use in the United States. (1) Inconsistent recommendations, significant barriers (e.g., clinician-, therapy-, or logistics-based barriers), and a lack of approved treatment pathways in some institutions can be potential impediments to timely and evidence-based management of AAICH with available therapies. Patient assessment, therapy selection, whether to use a reversal or factor repletion agent alone or in combination with other agents, determination of site-of-care management, eligibility for neurosurgery, and potential hematoma evacuation are the responsibilities of the neurosurgeon, but ultimate success requires a multidisciplinary approach with consultation from the emergency department (ED) physician, pharmacist, hematologist, intensivist, neurologist, and, in some cases, the trauma surgeon.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2014
Comparative Study Observational StudyA reduction in errors is associated with prospectively recording them.
Error recording and monitoring is an important component of error prevention and quality assurance in the health sector given the huge impact of medical errors on the well-being of patients and the financial loss incurred by health institutions. With this in mind, assessing the effect of reporting errors should be a cause worth pursuing. The object in this study was to examine the null hypothesis that recording and publishing errors do not affect error patterns in a clinical practice. ⋯ Data in this study showed that the act of recording errors might alter behaviors, resulting in fewer errors.