Neurosurgery
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Lumbar interbody fusion has been extensively studied in the civilian population; however, data regarding its efficacy in the military are lacking. ⋯ Fifty-five percent of the service members who underwent a single-level lumbar interbody fusion returned to unrestricted full duty. Older age and higher rank were statistically significant positive predictors of a successful return to active duty.
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Previous hemorrhage, deep venous drainage, and deep location are established risk factors for arteriovenous malformation (AVM) hemorrhage. Although pregnancy is an assumed risk factor, there is a relative paucity of data to support this neurosurgical tenet. ⋯ Because of the increased risk of hemorrhage from AVMs during pregnancy, we recommend intervention in women who desire to bear children, particularly if the AVM has bled. If the AVM is discovered during pregnancy, we recommend early intervention if it has ruptured; if it is unruptured, we recommend comprehensive counseling, weighing risks of intervention against continuation of pregnancy without intervention.
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In patients with medically intractable epilepsy and diffuse unilateral hemispheric disease, functional or disconnective hemispherectomy is a widely accepted and successful treatment option. If recurrent seizures develop after disconnective hemispherectomy, management options become more complex and include conversion to anatomic hemispherectomy. ⋯ The possibility that residual epileptogenic tissue in the operated hemisphere remains connected should be considered after failed functional hemispherectomy because our data suggest that improvement in seizure frequency is possible after reoperative hemispherectomy, although the chance of obtaining seizure freedom is relatively low. The decision to proceed with reoperative hemispherectomy should be made after proper discussion with the patient and family and informed consent is given.