Neurosurgery
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The occurrence of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) is not uncommon. The surgical excision of symptomatic benign PNSTs along with preservation of the affected nerve and its function is an ideal treatment option. ⋯ Benign PNSTs have excellent clinical outcome, and the goal for surgical treatment is total to gross total excision of the tumor with neural preservation.
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Imaging is paramount to the diagnosis and management of ischemic stroke, offering a battery of structural and functional probes of cerebrovascular physiology. The technical underpinnings of stroke imaging continue to evolve, bringing the neuroscience community increasingly closer to high-resolution, tissue-level biomarkers of brain perfusion, metabolism, and viability. The rapid expansion of neuroimaging in this domain has met with controversies, and in many respects, a lack of generalizable conclusions regarding optimized use in cerebrovascular disease. This review aims to provide the reader with the depth and scope of both established and emerging techniques, and an overview of prevailing viewpoints regarding neuroimaging in acute ischemic stroke.
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Cerebral bypass has been an important tool in the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. The recent advent of flow-diverting stents (FDS) has expanded the capacity for endovascular arterial reconstruction. ⋯ After the introduction of FDS, cerebral bypass was performed in a lower proportion of patients with aneurysms. Patients selected for bypass in the flow-diverter era had worse preoperative modified Rankin Scale scores indicating a greater complexity of the patients. Cerebral bypass in well-selected patients and revascularization remains an important technique in vascular neurosurgery. It is also useful as a rescue technique after failed FDS treatment of aneurysms.
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Cases of post carotid endarterectomy (CEA) Horner's syndrome have been reported, with symptoms attributed to manipulation of the sympathetic plexus situated along the carotid artery; however, these patients presented with the typical constricted pupil. We report the first 3 cases to our knowledge of mydriasis following CEA. ⋯ We suggest that these cases are secondary to an ischemic phenomenon, specifically to parasympathetic structures such as the ciliary ganglion and/or oculomotor nerve, resulting in autonomic dysfunction manifested by pupillary dilation. A similar finding of mydriasis occurring subsequent to other carotid pathology has been reported, with ischemia to parasympathetic structures also proposed as the underlying etiology. Although pupillary dilation often represents a worrisome neurosurgical sign indicating herniation, it should be recognized that after CEA this finding may be a transient, benign occurrence.