Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2020
Optimal access route for pontine cavernous malformation resection with preservation of abducens and facial nerve function.
The aim of this study was to analyze the differences between posterolateral and posteromedial approaches to pontine cavernous malformations (PCMs) in order to verify the hypothesis that a posterolateral approach is more favorable with regard to preservation of abducens and facial nerve function. ⋯ The authors' results suggest favoring a posterolateral over a posteromedial access route to PCMs in patients in whom a lesion is encountered that can be removed via either surgical approach. In the present series, the authors have found such a constellation in 57% of all patients. This retrospective analysis confirms their hypothesis in a large patient cohort. Additionally, the authors demonstrated that 4 types of PCMs can be distinguished by preoperatively evaluating whether only one reasonable or two alternative surgical approaches are available to access a specific lesion. The rates of postoperative sixth and seventh nerve palsies in this series are substantially lower than those in the majority of other published reports.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2020
Dual regeneration of muscle and nerve by intravenous administration of human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells regulated by stromal cell-derived factor-1α in a sciatic nerve injury model.
Human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AFMSCs) have been shown to promote peripheral nerve regeneration. The expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) in the injured nerve exerts a trophic effect by recruiting progenitor cells that promote nerve regeneration. In this study, the authors investigated the feasibility of intravenous administration of AFMSCs according to SDF-1α expression time profiles to facilitate neural regeneration in a sciatic nerve crush injury model. ⋯ Amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells can be recruited by expression of SDF-1α in muscle and nerve after nerve crush injury. The increased deposition of AFMSCs paralleled the expression profiles of SDF-1α and its receptor CXCR-4 in either muscle or nerve. Administration of AFMSCs led to improvements in neurobehavior and expression of regeneration markers. Intravenous administration of AFMSCs may be a promising alternative treatment strategy in peripheral nerve disorder.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2020
One hundred years of neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (1919-2019).
The Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019. It was founded by C. C. ⋯ Harold Young oversaw the transition from division to department and expanded the practice base of the program. In 2015, Alex Valadka assumed leadership and established international collaborations for research and education. In its first 100 years, VCU Neurosurgery has distinguished itself as an innovator in clinical research and an incubator of compassionate and service-oriented physicians.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2020
Pituitary gland recovery following fully endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma: results of a prospective multicenter study.
Recovery from preexisting hypopituitarism after transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma is an important outcome to investigate. Furthermore, pituitary function has not been thoroughly evaluated after fully endoscopic surgery, and benchmark outcomes have not been clearly established. Here, the authors characterize pituitary gland outcomes with a focus on gland recovery following endoscopic transsphenoidal removal of clinically nonfunctioning adenomas. ⋯ Fully endoscopic pituitary surgery resulted in improvement of pituitary gland function in a substantial minority of patients. The deficiency from which patients were most likely to recover was adrenal insufficiency. Overall rates of postoperative permanent diabetes insipidus were low. This study provides multicenter benchmark neuroendocrine clinical outcome data for the endoscopic technique.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2020
Surgical strategy for focal cortical dysplasia based on the analysis of the spike onset and peak zones on magnetoencephalography.
The aim of this study was to elucidate the surgical strategy for focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) based on the interictal analysis on magnetoencephalography (MEG). For this purpose, the correlation between the spike onset zone (Sp-OZ) and the spike peak zone (Sp-PZ) on MEG was evaluated to clarify the differences in the Sp-OZ and its correlation with Sp-PZ in FCD subtypes to develop an appropriate surgical strategy. ⋯ The Sp-OZ detected by MEG using GMFT and its correlation with Sp-PZ were related to FCD subtypes. A discordant distribution between Sp-OZ and Sp-PZ in type I and IIa FCD indicated an extensive epileptogenic zone and a complex epileptic network. Type IIb showed a restricted epileptogenic zone with the smaller Sp-OZ and concordance between Sp-OZ and Sp-PZ. Complete resection of the Sp-OZ provided significantly better seizure outcomes than incomplete resection. Complete resection of the Sp-PZ was not related to seizure outcomes. There was a definite difference in the epileptogenic zone among FCD subtypes; hence, an individual surgical strategy taking into account the correlation between the Sp-OZ and Sp-PZ should be considered.