Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2018
Exosomes as a biomarker platform for detecting epidermal growth factor receptor-positive high-grade gliomas.
OBJECTIVE High-grade glial brain tumors are often characterized by an elevated expression of the tumorigenic epidermal growth factor receptor variant III ( EGFRvIII). The authors sought to establish a clinically adaptive protocol as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for EGFRvIII detection through serum exosomes. METHODS Purity of serum exosome/RNA was confirmed by electron microscopy and flow cytometry and through an RNA bioanalyzer profile. ⋯ Age, sex, tumor location, and side of the body on which the tumor was located had no effect on the detection rate of exosomal EGFRvIII transcript. EGFRvIII expression either in exosomes or tissue correlated with poor survival. CONCLUSIONS The authors established a serum-based method for detection of EGFRvIII in high-grade brain tumors that might serve as an optimal noninvasive method for diagnosing EGFRvIII-positive high-grade gliomas.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2018
Evaluation of surgical treatment for neuropathic pain from neuroma in patients with injured peripheral nerves.
OBJECTIVE Chronic neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury is a major clinical problem. Its management is difficult, and therapeutic approaches vary and include oral medication, neurostimulation, and surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the adequacy of surgical nerve revision in a large series of patients with long-term follow-up. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Bearing in mind that medication achieves satisfying pain relief in only 30%-40% of patients with neuropathic pain, surgery must be considered as an effective alternative therapy. No objective criteria were shown to be factors of poor prognosis. Systematic preoperative clinical mapping of the injured nerves and diagnostic nerve blocks could improve the primary success rate of the surgery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2018
Improved operative efficiency using a real-time MRI-guided stereotactic platform for laser amygdalohippocampotomy.
OBJECTIVE MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) is a minimally invasive method for thermal destruction of benign or malignant tissue that has been used for selective amygdalohippocampal ablation for the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy. The authors report their initial experience adopting a real-time MRI-guided stereotactic platform that allows for completion of the entire procedure in the MRI suite. METHODS Between October 2014 and May 2016, 17 patients with mesial temporal sclerosis were selected by a multidisciplinary epilepsy board to undergo a selective amygdalohippocampal ablation for temporal lobe epilepsy using MRgLITT. ⋯ The mean anesthesia time was significantly shorter in the MRI cohort (327.2 ± 79.9 minutes) than in the OR cohort (435.8 ± 78.4 minutes, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The real-time MRI platform for MRgLITT can be adopted in an expedient manner. Completion of MRgLITT entirely in the MRI suite may lead to significant advantages in procedural times.
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OBJECTIVE Despite a hemorrhagic presentation, many patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) do not require emergency resection. The timing of definitive management is not standardized in the cerebrovascular community. This study was designed to evaluate the safety of delaying AVM treatment in clinically stable patients with a new hemorrhagic presentation. ⋯ The present data are useful in that the findings quantify the risk of the authors' treatment strategy. These findings indicate that delaying intervention for at least 4 weeks after the initial hemorrhage subjects the patient to a low (< 1%) risk of rehemorrhage. The authors modified the treatment paradigm when a high-risk feature, such as an associated intracranial aneurysm, was identified.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2018
Case ReportsDe novo giant posterior cerebral artery aneurysm developing 25 years after basilar bifurcation aneurysm treatment using a Drake tourniquet: case report and implications for aneurysm follow-up.
The objective of this paper was to report a rare complication of basilar artery (BA) tourniquet treatment of a giant basilar tip aneurysm, and to discuss possible causes for the formation of a de novo giant posterior cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm. A 34-year-old woman underwent satisfactory treatment of a ruptured giant basilar bifurcation aneurysm by BA ligation (Drake tourniquet) in 1985. ⋯ To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of de novo aneurysm formation on a PCA, and the first de novo aneurysm reported as a complication of BA ligation therapy by Drake tourniquet. Long-term follow-up is necessary in patients with treated cerebral aneurysms, particularly those occurring in young patients, those with multiple aneurysms, those with complex posterior circulation aneurysms, and those undergoing flow diversion or flow-altering therapies.