Neurosurgery
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Craniopagus parasiticus is an extremely rare condition. The first attempt to separate such twins was performed in the Dominican Republic in 2004. The infant died 7 hours after surgery. The aim of this report is to present a case in which surgical separation was successfully performed on February 18, 2005. In February 2006, the child was still alive and in relatively good health. ⋯ This is the second case of craniopagus parasiticus in which separation was attempted. The first patient, operated on in the Dominican Republic, died 7 hours after surgery. In the present case, the child is still alive and without neurological deficit.
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A systematic approach to the consideration of various factors on outcome demands a comprehensive grading system for patients with intracranial aneurysms. We have previously identified potential patient- and lesion-specific factors that correlate strongly with outcome after treatment for intracranial aneurysms, and we have developed a comprehensive grading system based on these factors. In this study, we evaluate this grading system in a large series of aneurysm patients treated by surgery and endovascular therapy. ⋯ The MGH grade is a comprehensive grading system that is easily applied and that allows separation of patients with aneurysms into groups with markedly different outcomes. This information can potentially be helpful in making treatment decisions and when discussing projected outcome before surgical or endovascular intervention of both unruptured and ruptured aneurysms.
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Giant-cell tumors of bone are rare, benign neoplasms that occur infrequently in the spine above the sacrum, and their presence in the cervical vertebrae is even more exceptional. Although complete en bloc surgical resection is difficult in the cervical spine, treatment with adjuvant radiotherapy has been considered controversial because of a small risk of malignant transformation. The authors report two cases of giant-cell tumors in the cervical vertebrae that were treated successfully with surgical excision and postoperative radiation as well as long-term follow-up. ⋯ Radical resection of giant-cell tumors is generally agreed to be the best treatment option. However, complete resection is often not a feasible option for tumors in the cervical spine because of involvement of critical neurovascular structures. In these cases, the benefits of radiotherapy to reduce the risk of local recurrence may well outweigh concerns about the treatment's theoretical risks.
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Although the chemotherapy drug hydroxyurea (HU) and the antiprogesterone mifepristone (RU486) have been used to treat meningiomas for which surgical and radiation therapies have failed, results have been disappointing. The addition of calcium channel antagonists (CCAs) to chemotherapeutic drugs enhances tumor growth inhibition in other tumor types, and the authors demonstrated that CCAs can block meningioma growth in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of the addition of a CCA to HU or RU486 on meningioma growth. ⋯ The addition of diltiazem or verapamil to HU or RU486 augments meningioma growth inhibition in vitro by inducing apoptosis and G1 cell-cycle arrest. The combination of HU and diltiazem inhibited the growth of meningiomas in vivo by decreasing proliferation and microvascular density. These results suggest a possible role for these drugs as an additional adjuvant therapy for recurrent or unresectable meningiomas.
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Increasing systolic and pulse pressure with bradycardia and respiratory irregularity are signs of increased intracranial pressure, leading to cerebral herniation and fatal brainstem compression. This phenomenon, the vasopressor response, is generally known as the Cushing reflex based on Harvey Cushing's experimental work in Europe in 1901 and 1902. ⋯ Cushing initially failed to give credit to the work of these predecessors. Nonetheless, he studied the brain's reaction to compression more carefully than previous researchers and offered an improved explanation of the pathophysiology of the phenomenon named after him.