Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2017
CommentTrigeminal neuralgia and neuropathy in large sporadic vestibular schwannomas.
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, presentation, and treatment outcomes of trigeminal nerve-mediated symptoms secondary to large vestibular schwannomas (VSs) with trigeminal nerve contact. Specifically, the symptomatic results of pain, paresthesias, and numbness after microsurgical resection or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) were examined. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective review of a database for concomitant diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) or trigeminal neuropathy and VS between 1994 and 2014 at a tertiary academic center. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Overall, resection of large VSs provided improved outcomes for patients with concomitant TN, facial paresthesia, and numbness compared with SRS. However, caution should be used when counseling surgical candidates because a number of patients did not experience improvement. This was especially true in patients with preoperative facial numbness and paresthesias, who frequently reported that these symptoms were unchanged following surgery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2017
Venous sinus stenting for reduction of intracranial pressure in IIH: a prospective pilot study.
OBJECTIVE Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) may cause blindness due to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Venous sinus stenosis has been identified in select patients, leading to stenting as a potential treatment, but its effects on global ICP have not been completely defined. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the effects of venous sinus stenting on ICP in a small group of patients with IIH. ⋯ Patients presenting with optic atrophy had optic nerve thinning on follow-up OCT, but improved visual fields. CONCLUSIONS For selected patients with IIH and venous sinus stenosis with an elevated pressure gradient and elevated ICP, venous sinus stenting results in resolution of the venous pressure gradient, reduction in ICP, and functional, neurological, and ophthalmological improvement. As patients are at risk for stent-adjacent stenosis, further follow-up is necessary to determine long-term outcomes and gain an understanding of venous sinus stenosis as a primary or secondary pathological process behind elevated ICP.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2017
CommentCortical plasticity of motor-eloquent areas measured by navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with glioma.
OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying cerebral plasticity. Coupled with noninvasive detection of its occurrence, such an understanding has huge potential to improve glioma therapy. The authors aimed to demonstrate the frequency of plastic reshaping, find clues to the patterns behind it, and prove that it can be recognized noninvasively using navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS). ⋯ Overall, 9 of 16 (56%) patients with high-grade glioma and 3 of 6 (50%) patients with low-grade glioma showed a functional shift > 10 mm at the cortical level. CONCLUSIONS Despite the small size of this series, analysis of these data showed that cortical functional reorganization occurs quite frequently. Moreover, nTMS was shown to detect such plastic reorganization noninvasively.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2017
Contribution of the straightening effect of the parent artery to decreased recanalization in stent-assisted coiling of large aneurysms.
OBJECTIVE The durability of embolization of large aneurysms is enhanced by use of the neck-bridging stent. However, it remains unclear what factors contribute to decreased recanalization. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the contribution of the straightening effect of the parent artery to the durability of stent-assisted coiling for large aneurysms. ⋯ In Group S, recanalization was found in 14.3% of 35 stented aneurysms without a significant angular change when a significant angular change was defined as more than 20°. In contrast, all 17 aneurysms with ≥ 20° of angular change remained occluded. CONCLUSIONS Significant angular change of ≥ 20° most likely leads to decreased recanalization following stent-assisted embolization of large aneurysms.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2017
Predictive factors for recurrence and clinical outcomes in patients with chronic subdural hematoma.
OBJECTIVE Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common type of intracranial hemorrhage in elderly patients. Many studies have suggested various factors that may be associated with the recurrence of CSDH. However, the results are inconsistent. ⋯ Independent risk factors for recurrence were as follows: age > 75 years (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.03-2.88; p = 0.039), obesity (body mass index ≥ 25.0 kg/m2), and a bilateral operation. CONCLUSIONS This study determined the risk factors for recurrence of CSDH and their effects on outcomes. Further studies are needed to account for these observations and to determine their underlying mechanisms.