Neurosurgery
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Rarely, corticotrophic pituitary tumors take on an aggressive form characterized by rapid growth, invasion into local structures, compression of cranial nerves, and possible spread to distant sites. When conventional surgery, radiation therapy, and hormones fail to control progression and symptoms, alternative therapies are needed. A novel chemotherapeutic regimen of capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM), originally designed in our laboratory, demonstrated dramatic antineoplastic effects against corticotrophic pituitary tumors. ⋯ This is the first report of prolonged antitumor response to and radiographic complete remissions as a result of CAPTEM in patients with aggressive pituitary tumors who had exhausted all other therapies.
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For cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) determined to be high risk for surgery or endovascular embolization, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is considered the mainstay of treatment. ⋯ High-risk AVMs can be safely treated with proton radiosurgery in the pediatric population. Because protons deposit energy more selectively than photons, there is the potential benefit of protons to lower the probability of damage to healthy tissue in the developing brain.
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Concussion remains a symptom-based diagnosis clinically, yet preclinical studies investigating traumatic brain injury, of which concussion is believed to represent a "mild" form, emphasize histological end points with functional assessments often minimized or ignored all together. Recently, clinical studies have identified the importance of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms, in addition to somatic concerns, following concussion. How these findings may translate to preclinical studies is unclear at present. ⋯ Future studies are needed to identify functional assessments, neurophysiologic techniques, and imaging assessments more apt to distinguish differences following so-called "mild" traumatic brain injury in preclinical models and determine whether these models are truly studying concussive or subconcussive injury. These studies are needed not only to understand the mechanism of injury and production of subsequent deficits, but also to rigorously evaluate potential therapeutic agents.