Neurosurgery
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To identify easily applicable guidelines for the surgical and conservative management of spontaneous cerebellar hematomas. ⋯ Conscious patients with Grade III fourth ventricular compression should undergo urgent clot evacuation before deterioration. Surgical evacuation of the clot may not be required for large hematomas (>3 cm) if the fourth ventricle is not totally obliterated at the level of the clot.
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Review Comparative Study
Surgical and endovascular flow disconnection of intracranial pial single-channel arteriovenous fistulae.
Intracranial pial single-channel arteriovenous (AV) fistulae are rare vascular lesions of the brain. They differ from AV malformations in that they lack a true "nidus" and are composed of one or more direct arterial connections to a single venous channel. They often are associated with a venous varix because of their high-flow nature. The pathological aspects of pial AV fistulae arise from their high-flow dynamics; therefore, we think that disconnection of the AV shunt is enough to obliterate the lesion, and that lesion resection is unnecessary. Flow disconnection can be accomplished via surgical or endovascular means. Certain lesions have angiogeometric configurations, however, that are unfavorable for endovascular treatment. We reviewed the experience in our combined neurosurgical and neuroendovascular unit in the treatment of patients with pial single-channel AV fistulae. ⋯ Single-channel pial AV fistulae can be treated by a strategy of flow disconnection. Resection of the lesion is not necessary. Flow disconnection can be accomplished either surgically or endovascularly; however, certain angiogeometric configurations are more favorable for surgical treatment. An experienced combined neurosurgical and neuroendovascular team can carefully determine the most appropriate treatment modality on the basis of patient-specific and angiospecific factors.
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Case Reports
Meralgia paresthetica occurring 40 years after iliac bone graft harvesting: case report.
Meralgia paresthetica is an entrapment neuropathy involving the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. We describe an unusual case in which meralgia paresthetica occurred many years after iliac bone graft harvesting. ⋯ The etiology of meralgia paresthetica in this patient is considered to be heterotopic ossification on the anterosuperior iliac spine and pubic symphysis degeneration. A significant relationship between pubic symphysis degeneration with increasing age and meralgia paresthetica has been reported. One should be aware of meralgia paresthetica as a late complication of iliac bone graft harvesting.
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By use of serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we prospectively investigated the incidence of and the risk factors associated with infarction caused by vasospasm with or without a delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). ⋯ Analysis of the data confirmed the occurrence of asymptomatic infarcts due to vasospasm. These infarcts often developed in noneloquent areas representing perforator territory. MRI investigation of vasospastic lesions referable to intraparenchymal vessels such as perforators complements the study of extraparenchymal major vessel vasospasm in patients with SAH by computed tomographic angiography.
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Case Reports
Anterior decompression of the atlantoaxial vertebral artery to treat bow hunter's stroke: technical case report.
Bow hunter's stroke is a symptomatic vertebrobasilar insufficiency caused by stenosis or occlusion of the vertebral artery at the C1C2 level with head rotation. No case of anterior decompression of the vertebral artery for surgical treatment of bow hunter's stroke has been reported. ⋯ The patient was discharged without neurological deficits. We demonstrate that simple surgical untethering of the vertebral artery at the transverse foramen of the axis is an effective method of treatment that avoids the limitation of head rotation. The advantage of this procedure is that it does not result in postoperative restriction of the patient's neck movements. The anterior approach, with decompression of the transverse foramen of the axis, in the present case provided adequate exposure of the vertebral artery and resulted in a satisfactory outcome.