Neurosurgery
-
Surgical site infections (SSIs) affect 1% to 9% of all spine surgeries. Though previous work has found diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) to increase the risk for wound infection, the influence of perioperative hyperglycemia is poorly described. ⋯ Postoperative hyperglycemia and poor postoperative glucose control are independent risk factors for surgical site infection following surgery for degenerative spine disease. These data suggest that, particularly among high-risk diabetic patients, strict perioperative glucose control may decrease the risk of SSI.
-
Marijuana is increasingly utilized for the treatment of multiple medical problems, including back pain, in the United States. Although there is strong preclinical evidence supporting the promise of cannabinoids in the treatment of back pain, there is a paucity of clinical data supporting their use in clinical practice. ⋯ The significant risk of morbidity, mortality, and dependence secondary to opioid medications have increased the interest in nonopioid medications, including cannabinoid-based pain regimens, in treating back pain. This review will provide an overview on the pharmacology, drug delivery methods, clinical evidence, and safety considerations critical to understanding the potential role of cannabinoids in the treatment of back pain.
-
Review Historical Article
Fornicotomy for the Treatment of Epilepsy: An Examination of Historical Literature in the Setting of Modern Operative Techniques.
Fornicotomy has been used to treat intractable temporal lobe epilepsy with mixed success historically; however, modern advances in stereotactic, neurosurgical, and imaging techniques offer new opportunities to target the fornix with greater precision and safety. In this review, we discuss the historical uses and quantify the outcomes of fornicotomy for the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy, highlight the potential mechanisms of benefit, and address what is known about the side effects of the procedure. ⋯ More work is needed to address the true efficacy of fornicotomy in the modern surgical setting. This review is intended to serve as a framework for developing this approach.
-
Multicenter Study
Radiosurgery for Unruptured Intervention - Naïve Pediatric Brain Arteriovenous Malformations.
Long-term data regarding stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a standalone therapy for unruptured pediatric brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are incompletely defined. ⋯ Treatment of unruptured, intervention-naïve AVMs in the pediatric population with SRS carries an approximately 2% annual risk of morbidity and mortality, which appears to plateau after 10 yr. The poorly described natural history of pediatric AVMs renders any comparison of SRS vs conservative management imperfect.
-
Multicenter Study
Reconstructive vs Deconstructive Endovascular Approach to Intradural Vertebral Artery Aneurysms: A Multicenter Cohort Study.
Parent vessel sacrifice (PVS) has been a traditional way of treating complex aneurysms of the intradural vertebral artery (VA). Flow diversion (FD) has emerged as an alternative reconstructive option. ⋯ PVS was associated with comparable intraprocedural complications for VA aneurysms as compared to FD in the largest multicenter study to date. Both procedures have good long-term clinical and radiological outcomes.