Journal of neurosurgery
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2004
Effectiveness of the head-shaking method combined with cisternal irrigation with urokinase in preventing cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The head-shaking method combined with cisternal irrigation has been proposed to be effective in preventing cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) by facilitating rapid washout of the clot from the subarachnoid space. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this method. ⋯ The head-shaking method significantly reduced the incidence of symptomatic vasospasm, cerebral infarction, and permanent ischemic neurological deficit and improved the clinical outcomes in patients who underwent cisternal irrigation therapy after aneurysmal SAH.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2004
In-hospital mortality rates after ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures in the United States, 1998 to 2000: relation to hospital and surgeon volume of care.
Death after ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery is uncommon, and therefore it has been difficult to study. The authors used a population-based national hospital discharge database to examine the relationship between annual hospital and surgeon volume of VP shunt surgery in pediatric patients and in-hospital mortality rates. ⋯ Pediatric shunt procedures performed at high-volume hospitals or by high-volume surgeons were associated with lower in-hospital mortality rates, with no significant difference in LOS or hospital charges.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2004
Failure of autologous bone-assisted cranioplasty following decompressive craniectomy in children and adolescents.
The authors have routinely performed primary autologous cranioplasty to repair skull defects after decompressive craniectomy. The high rates of subsequent bone resorption occurring in children prompted this study. ⋯ The use of autologous bone to reconstruct skull defects in pediatric patients after decompressive craniectomy is associated with a high incidence of bone resorption. The use of autologous bone should be reevaluated in light of the high rate of reoperation in this pediatric population.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2004
Immunotoxin treatment targeted to the high-molecular-weight melanoma-associated antigen prolonging the survival of immunodeficient rats with invasive intracranial human glioblastoma multiforme.
The aim of this study was to target immunotoxin treatment to the high-molecular-weight melanoma-associated antigen (HMW-MAA) and thereby examine any changes in the survival of immunodeficient rats with human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). ⋯ Targeted treatment of highly invasive GBMs proved effective, and these results emphasize the clinical relevance of this antigen as a target molecule for immunotoxin treatment of human GBMs.