Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2016
Age-related outcomes following intracranial aneurysm treatment with the Pipeline Embolization Device: a subgroup analysis of the IntrePED registry.
OBJECT The association between age and outcomes following aneurysm treatment with flow diverters such as the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) have not been well established. Using the International Retrospective Study of the Pipeline Embolization Device (IntrePED) registry, the authors assessed the age-related clinical outcomes of patients undergoing aneurysm embolization with the PED. METHODS Patients with unruptured aneurysms in the IntrePED registry were divided into 4 age groups: ≤ 50, 51-60, 61-70, and > 70 years old. ⋯ On multivariate logistic regression analysis, increasing age was associated with higher odds of combined neurological morbidity and mortality (odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.05; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Increasing age is associated with higher neurological morbidity and mortality after Pipeline embolization of intracranial aneurysms. However, the overall complication rates of PED treatment in this group of highly selected elderly patients (> 70 years) were acceptably low, suggesting that age alone should not be considered an exclusion criterion when considering treatment of intracranial aneurysms with the PED.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2016
Comparative StudyEffects of intracranial meningioma location, size, and surgery on neurocognitive functions: a 3-year prospective study.
OBJECT Current recommendations stress the need for cognitive parameters to be integrated in the evaluation of outcomes for intracranial meningioma surgery. The aim of this prospective study was to examine neurocognitive function in meningioma patients pre- and postoperatively. METHODS Patients with skull base (anterior and middle fossa) and convexity (anterior and posterior) meningiomas (n = 54) underwent neuropsychological examination prior to and 1 year after surgery. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS According to the authors' findings, intracranial meningiomas may cause neurocognitive deficits in patients. Surgery does not cause a deterioration in cognitive function; instead, it may lead to improvements in some functions. Permanent neuropsychological postoperative deficits should be interpreted as tumor-induced rather than due to surgery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2016
Review Meta AnalysisSeizures in supratentorial meningioma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECT Meningioma is the most common benign intracranial tumor, and patients with supratentorial meningioma frequently suffer from seizures. The rates and predictors of seizures in patients with meningioma have been significantly under-studied, even in comparison with other brain tumor types. Improved strategies for the prediction, treatment, and prevention of seizures in patients with meningioma is an important goal, because tumor-related epilepsy significantly impacts patient quality of life. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Seizures are common in supratentorial meningioma, particularly in tumors associated with brain edema, and seizure freedom is a critical treatment goal. Favorable seizure control can be achieved with resection, but evidence does not support routine use of prophylactic anticonvulsants in patients without seizures. Limitations associated with systematic review and meta-analysis should be considered when interpreting these results.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2016
The burden and risk factors of ventriculostomy occlusion in a high-volume cerebrovascular practice: results of an ongoing prospective database.
OBJECT Ventriculostomy occlusion is a known complication after external ventricular drain (EVD) placement. There have been no prospective published series that primarily evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for EVD occlusion. These phenomena are investigated using a prospective database. ⋯ Therapeutic anticoagulation and use of small EVD catheters were statistically significant predictors of permanent occlusion (p = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS EVD occlusion is frequent and imparts a significant burden in terms of patient morbidity, physician upkeep, and cost. This study suggests that developing strategies or devices to prevent EVD occlusion, such as the preferential use of larger diameter catheters, may be beneficial in reducing the burden associated with ventriculostomy malfunction.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2016
Case ReportsDural arteriovenous fistula-induced thalamic dementia: report of 4 cases.
Nonhemorrhagic neurological deficits are underrecognized symptoms of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) having cortical venous drainage. These symptoms are the consequence of cortical venous hypertension and portend a clinical course with increased risk of neurological morbidity and mortality. One rarely documented and easily misinterpreted type of nonhemorrhagic neurological deficit is progressive dementia, which can result from venous hypertension in the cortex or in bilateral thalami. ⋯ The radiographic abnormalities and presenting symptoms rapidly resolved after dAVF obliteration in all 4 cases. Detailed descriptions of these 4 cases are presented along with a critical review of 15 previously reported cases. In our analysis of these 19 published cases, the following were emphasized: 1) the clinical and radiographic differences between dAVF-induced thalamic versus cortical dementia syndromes; 2) the differential diagnosis and necessary radiographic workup for patients presenting with a rapidly progressive thalamic dementia syndrome; 3) the frequency at which delays in diagnosis occurred and potentially dangerous and avoidable diagnostic procedures were used; and 4) the rapidity and completeness of symptom resolution following dAVF treatment.