Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2024
ReviewManagement of growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas causing acromegaly: a practical review of surgical and multimodal management strategies for neurosurgeons.
This review aimed to highlight the history, diagnostic criteria, preoperative prognostic factors, surgical management, and multimodal adjuvant therapies recommended to provide a comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of and clinical approach to treating growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas (GHPAs) in patients with acromegaly. The authors collated and reviewed published studies, many written by skull base neurosurgeons, endocrinologists, and radiation oncologists with expertise in pituitary adenoma management, to produce a practical and contemporary update pertaining to the optimal management of acromegaly for neurosurgeons. Acromegaly is a debilitating disease for which surgery can be curative in more than two-thirds of patients. ⋯ Repeat surgery can be safely performed in most cases if needed, whereas stereotactic radiosurgery is usually reserved for medically resistant tumors in surgically inaccessible compartments. The neurosurgeon has a primary and often definitive role in the management of acromegaly. The involvement of an integrated and multidisciplinary team consisting of experts from neurosurgery, otolaryngology, endocrinology, and radiation oncology optimizes the chances for a biochemical cure, even in large and aggressive GHPAs.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2024
ReviewTranscriptomics of intracranial aneurysms: current state and opportunities in flow diversion.
Over the last 2 decades, the field of transcriptomics has emerged as a major subdiscipline in biology. Transcriptomic techniques have been used by many groups over this time to better understand intracranial aneurysm development, rupture, and treatment. However, only a few studies have applied transcriptomics to understand the mechanisms behind flow diversion (FD) specifically, despite its increasing importance in the neurointerventional armamentarium. ⋯ In this review, the authors focus on the current understanding of FD biology, the recent advances in transcriptomics, and what future studies could be performed to deepen the understanding of FD. They propose the new concept of the FD microenvironment to be studied, which may unlock a deeper biological understanding. This review provides the background for prospective studies into the development of targeted aneurysm therapy, whether by modified devices or by medical adjuncts.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2024
Comparative StudyMicroelectrode recording and hemorrhage in functional neurosurgery: a comparative analysis in a consecutive series of 645 procedures.
Functional stereotactic neurosurgery including deep brain stimulation (DBS) and radiofrequency lesioning is well established and widely used for treatment of movement disorders and various other neurological and psychiatric diseases. Although functional stereotactic neurosurgery procedures are considered relatively safe, intracranial hemorrhage resulting in permanent neurological deficits may occur in 1%-3% of patients. Microelectrode recording (MER) has been recognized as a valuable tool for refining the final target in functional stereotactic neurosurgery. Moreover, MER provides insight into the underlying neurophysiological pathomechanisms of movement disorders and other diseases. Nevertheless, there is an ongoing controversy on whether MER increases the risk for hemorrhage. The authors aimed to compare the risk of hemorrhage in functional stereotactic neurosurgical procedures with regard to the use of MER. ⋯ Intraoperative MER did not increase the overall risk of hemorrhage in the authors' experience using primarily a single MER trajectory and a guiding cannula.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2024
Anterior clinoid meningiomas: surgical results and proposed scoring system to predict visual outcomes.
The authors report a single-surgeon experience with anterior clinoid meningiomas (ACMs) and propose a novel scoring system to predict visual outcomes based on preoperative risk factors. ⋯ The authors have designed a practical and novel scoring system to predict visual outcomes in patients with ACMs. This scoring system may guide preoperative discussions with patients and timely surgical intervention to yield optimal visual function outcomes. Although most patients have excellent neurosurgical outcomes, severe baseline visual deficits, ON encasement, and characteristic OCT abnormalities are associated with unfavorable visual function after ACM resection.