Journal of neurosurgery
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2016
Long-term outcomes of intradural cervical dorsal root rhizotomy for refractory occipital neuralgia.
OBJECT Occipital neuralgia (ON) causes chronic pain in the cutaneous distribution of the greater and lesser occipital nerves. The long-term efficacy of cervical dorsal root rhizotomy (CDR) in the management of ON has not been well described. The authors reviewed their 14-year experience with CDR to assess pain relief and functional outcomes in patients with medically refractory ON. ⋯ The most common acute postoperative complications were infections in 9% (n = 5) and CSF leaks in 5% (n = 3); chronic complications included neck pain/stiffness in 16% (n = 9) and upper-extremity symptoms in 5% (n = 3) such as trapezius weakness, shoulder pain, and arm paresthesias. CONCLUSIONS Cervical dorsal root rhizotomy provides an efficacious means for pain relief in patients with medically refractory ON. In the appropriately selected patient, it may lead to optimal outcomes with a relatively low risk of complications.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2016
Does immunotherapy increase the rate of radiation necrosis after radiosurgical treatment of brain metastases?
OBJECT Radiation necrosis (RN), or its imaging equivalent, treatment-related imaging changes (TRIC), is an inflammatory reaction to high-dose radiation in the brain. The authors sought to investigate the hypothesis that immunotherapy increases the risk of developing RN/TRIC after stereotactic Gamma Knife (GK) radiosurgery for brain metastases. METHODS A total of 180 patients who underwent GK surgery for brain metastases between 2006 and 2012 were studied. ⋯ The timing of development of RN/TRIC was not different between patients who received IT and those who received CT. CONCLUSIONS Patients who receive IT alone may have an increased rate of RN/TRIC compared with those who receive CT or TT alone after stereotactic radiosurgery, whereas receiving any CT may in fact be protective against RN/TRIC. As the use of immunotherapies increases, the rate of RN/TRIC may be expected to increase compared with rates in the chemotherapy era.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2016
Treatment of ruptured complex and large/giant ruptured cerebral aneurysms by acute coiling followed by staged flow diversion.
OBJECT Flow-diversion treatment has been shown to be associated with high rates of angiographic obliteration; however, the treatment is relatively contraindicated in the acute phase following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) as these patients require periprocedural dual antiplatelet therapy. Acute coiling followed by flow diversion has emerged as an intriguing and feasible treatment option for ruptured complex and giant aneurysms. In this study the authors report outcomes and complications of patients with ruptured aneurysms undergoing coiling in the acute phase followed by planned delayed flow diversion. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Staged treatment of ruptured complex and giant intracranial aneurysms with coiling in the acute phase and flow-diverter treatment following recovery from SAH is both safe and effective. In this series, no cases of rebleeding occurred during the interval between coiling and flow diversion. This strategy should be considered as a valid option in patients presenting with these challenging ruptured aneurysms.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2016
Application of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI-based 3D reconstruction of the dural tail sign in meningioma resection.
OBJECT The goal of this study was to investigate the significance of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1W) MRI-based 3D reconstruction of dural tail sign (DTS) in meningioma resection. METHODS Between May 2013 and August 2014, 18 cases of convexity and parasagittal meningiomas showing DTS on contrast-enhanced T1W MRI were selected. Contrast-enhanced T1W MRI-based 3D reconstruction of DTS was conducted before surgical treatment. ⋯ The distance of tumor cell invasion was 1.0-21.6 mm (5.4 ± 4.41 mm [mean ± SD]). Tumor cell invasion was not observed at the dural resection margin in all 36 specimens. CONCLUSIONS Contrast-enhanced T1W MRI-based 3D reconstruction can intuitively and accurately reveal the size and shape of DTS, and thus provides guidance for designing meningioma incisions.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 2016
Assessment of the "July Effect": outcomes after early resident transition in adult neurosurgery.
OBJECT Each July, 4th-year medical students become 1st-year resident physicians and have much greater responsibility in making management decisions. In addition, incumbent residents and fellows advance to their next postgraduate year and face greater challenges. It has been suggested that among patients who have resident physicians as members of their neurosurgical team, this transition may be associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality, a phenomenon known as the "July Effect." In this study, the authors compared morbidity and mortality rates between the initial and later months of the academic year to determine whether there is truly a July Effect that has an impact on this patient population. ⋯ In addition, there was an increased rate of reoperation (1.73% in Q4 to 2.19% in Q1; p < 0.0001) observed mainly among senior (5th- to 7th-year) residents in the early academic months and not paralleled in our community cohort. CONCLUSIONS There is minimal evidence for a significant July Effect in adult neurosurgery. Our results suggest that, overall, the current resident training system provides enough guidance and support during this challenging transition period.