Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2019
Prognostic factors in the surgical treatment of intracanalicular primary optic nerve sheath meningiomas.
Although meningiomas frequently involve the optic nerve, primary optic nerve sheath meningiomas (ONSMs) are rare, accounting for only 1% of all meningiomas. Given the high risk of vision loss with these tumors, surgical intervention is seldom considered, and radiation or observation is commonly applied. Here, the authors describe the visual outcomes for a series of patients who were treated with surgery aiming at maximal tumor resection and highlight their prognostic factors. ⋯ Surgery can play a beneficial role in the primary treatment of ONSM, especially lesions located in the posterior third of the nerve. Total removal can be achieved with vision preservation or improvement, without major surgical complications, especially at early stages of the disease. Patients with good preoperative vision and CSF flow in the optic sheath have better chances of a favorable outcome than those with poor vision.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2019
Case ReportsA single case of MRI-guided focused ultrasound ventro-oral thalamotomy for musician's dystonia.
Musician's dystonia (MD) is a type of focal hand dystonia that develops only while playing musical instruments and interferes with skilled and fine movements. Lesioning of the ventro-oral (Vo) nucleus of the thalamus (Vo-thalamotomy) using radiofrequency can cause dramatic improvement in MD symptoms. Focused ultrasound (FUS) can make intracranial focal lesions without an incision. ⋯ The TMDS scores before; at 0 and 1 week after; and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after MRgFUS Vo-thalamotomy were 1, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, and 5, respectively. No complications were observed. Focused ultrasound Vo-thalamotomy can be an effective treatment for MD.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2019
Case ReportsPercutaneous endovascular biopsy in the diagnosis of venous sinus lesions: technical note.
Intracranial hypertension (IH) may be misdiagnosed owing to the lack of typical imaging features and pathological confirmation of the sinus lesions. The authors report the use of percutaneous endovascular biopsy (PEB) for the diagnosis of IH in patients with venous sinus lesions. A total of 9 patients (age 46 ± 9 years) underwent PEB between June 2016 and August 2017. ⋯ The confirmed lesions were meningioma in 2 patients and fibrous thrombus in 4 patients. All patients received individualized treatment. PEB of venous sinus lesions is a safe and efficient method to establish an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment in patients with IH.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2019
Differences between patient- and professional-reported modified Rankin Scale score in patients with unruptured aneurysms.
Clinical trials forming the basis of current guidelines for the management of intracranial aneurysms have relied on patient-reported modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores to assess functional outcome. The effect of patient demographics on perception of disability and, by extension, patient-reported mRS score, is not well understood. ⋯ The results suggest that patient demographics may influence perception of disability. These findings should be considered when using patient-reported mRS scores to determine functional outcome.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2019
Early postsurgical diffusivity metrics for prognostication of long-term pain relief after Gamma Knife radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is an important treatment modality for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Current longitudinal assessment after GKRS relies primarily on clinical diagnostic measures, which are highly limited in the prediction of long-term clinical benefit. An objective, noninvasive, predictive tool would be of great utility to advance the clinical management of patients. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the authors' aim was to determine whether early (6 months post-GKRS) target diffusivity metrics can be used to prognosticate long-term pain relief in patients with TN. ⋯ The authors demonstrate that early postsurgical target diffusivity metrics have a translational, clinical value and permit prediction of long-term pain relief in patients with TN treated with GKRS. Importantly, an association was found between the footprint of radiation and clinical effectiveness, where a sufficient level of microstructural change at the radiosurgical target is necessary for long-lasting pain relief. DTI can provide prognostic information that supplements clinical measures, and thus may better guide the postoperative assessment and clinical decision-making for patients with TN.