Neurosurgery
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Traumatic cerebrovascular injury (TCVI) is present in approximately 1% of all blunt force trauma patients and is associated with injuries such as head and cervical spine injuries and thoracic trauma. Increased recognition of patients with TCVI in the past quarter century has been because of aggressive screening protocols and noninvasive imaging with computed tomography angiography. Extracranial carotid and vertebral artery injuries demonstrate a spectrum of severity, from intimal disruption to traumatic aneurysm formation or vessel occlusion. ⋯ Data on the long-term natural history of TCVI are limited, and management of patients with TCVI is controversial. Although antithrombotic medical therapy is associated with improved neurological outcomes, the optimal medication regimen is not yet established. Endovascular techniques have become more popular than surgery for the treatment of TCVI; endovascular options include stenting of dissections, intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke caused by trauma, and embolization of traumatic aneurysms.
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Middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms are often considered unsuitable for endovascular coiling because of unfavorable morphological features. With improvements in endovascular techniques, several series have detailed the results and complications of endovascular treatment of MCA aneurysms. ⋯ Endovascular treatment of MCA aneurysms is feasible and effective in selected cases. The combined periprocedural mortality and morbidity is not negligible (5.1%) and the overall rate of complete or near-complete angiographic obliteration at follow-up approaches 82%.
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Brain surgery faces important challenges when trying to achieve maximum tumor resection while avoiding postoperative neurological deficits. ⋯ Interactive tractography can provide an intuitive way to inspect critical WM tracts in the vicinity of the surgical region, allowing the surgeon to have increased intraoperative WM information to execute the planned surgical resection.