Neurosurgery
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Studies examining patient-reported outcomes in subjects with vestibular schwannoma (VS) and "excellent" hearing are lacking. ⋯ Patients with VS and bilateral class A hearing report significantly poorer hearing handicap than control subjects without tumor but better hearing than those with unilateral deafness. When patients with bilateral class A hearing are counseled, it should be noted that one-third of patients experience self-perceived hearing handicap.
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Patients with moyamoya disease are frequently encountered with improved symptoms related to anterior cerebral artery territory (ACAt) and middle cerebral artery territory (MCAt) after bypass surgery at MCAt. ⋯ Combined bypass surgery at MCAt resulted in hemodynamic improvements in ACAt and MCAt, especially in patients with preoperative ACAt symptoms.
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As publically promoted by all stakeholders in health care reform, prospective outcomes registry platforms lie at the center of all current evidence-driven value-based models. ⋯ Spine treatments that on average are cost-effective may have wide variability in value at the individual patient level. The variability demonstrated here represents an opportunity, through registries, to identify specific care that may be less effective, and refine patient-specific care delivery and indications to drive overall group-level treatment value. Understanding value of spine care at an individualized as well as population level will allow clinicians, and eventually payers, to better target resources for improving care for nonresponders, ultimately driving up the average health for the whole population.
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Over the past decade, stenting of lateral sinus stenosis has been used to treat idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Two types of stenoses have been identified: extrinsic and intrinsic. ⋯ Irrespective of the type of stenosis, stenting of lateral sinus stenoses is an effective treatment for intracranial hypertension symptoms. At our institution, this treatment has replaced draining of cerebrospinal fluid when treatment with acetazolamide has proved to be ineffective.