Neurosurgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial of Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Using Triangular Titanium Implants Vs Nonsurgical Management for Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: 12-Month Outcomes.
Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction is a prevalent cause of chronic, unremitting lower back pain. ⋯ This Level 1 study showed that minimally invasive SIJ fusion using triangular titanium implants was more effective than nonsurgical management at 1 year in relieving pain, improving function, and improving quality of life in patients with SIJ dysfunction caused by degenerative sacroiliitis or SIJ disruptions. Pain, disability, and quality of life also improved after crossover from nonsurgical to surgical treatment.
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The current neurosurgical goal for patients with malignant gliomas is maximal safe resection of the contrast-enhancing tumor. However, a complete resection of the contrast-enhancing tumor is achieved only in a minority of patients. One reason for this limitation is the difficulty in distinguishing viable tumor from normal adjacent brain during surgery at the tumor margin using conventional white-light microscopy. ⋯ Consequently, 5-ALA FGS has become an indispensable surgical technique and standard of care at many neurosurgical departments around the world. We conducted an extensive literature review concerning the surgical benefit of using 5-ALA for FGS of malignant gliomas. According to the literature, there are a number of reasons for the neurosurgeon to perform 5-ALA FGS, which will be discussed in detail in the current review.
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Surgery for symptomatic spinal metastases aims to improve quality of life, pain, function, and stability. Complications in the postoperative period are not uncommon; therefore, it is important to select appropriate patients who are likely to benefit the greatest from surgery. Previous studies have focused on predicting survival rather than quality of life after surgery. ⋯ Data from the largest prospective surgical series of patients with symptomatic spinal metastases revealed that tumor type, the number of spinal metastases, and the presence of visceral metastases are the most useful predictors of survival and that quality of life is best predicted by preoperative Karnofsky, Frankel, and EQ-5D scores. The Karnofsky score predicts quality of life and survival and is easy to determine at the bedside, unlike the EQ-5D index. Karnofsky score, tumor type, and spinal and visceral metastases should be considered the 4 most important prognostic variables that influence patient management.
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Large format (i.e., >25 cm) cranioplasty is a challenging procedure not only from a cosmesis standpoint, but also in terms of ensuring that the patient's brain will be well-protected from direct trauma. Until recently, when a patient's own cranial flap was unavailable, these goals were unattainable. Recent advances in implant computer-aided design and 3-dimensional (3-D) printing are leveraging other advances in regenerative medicine. ⋯ Implants may be cultured in a bioreactor along with recombinant growth factors to produce implants coated with bone progenitor cells and extracellular matrix that appear to the body as a graft, albeit a tissue-engineered graft. The growth factors would be left behind in the bioreactor and the graft would resorb as new host bone invades the space and is remodeled into strong bone. As we describe in this review, such advancements will lead to optimal replacement of cranial defects that are both patient-specific and regenerative.