Neurosurgery
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Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is the most consequential secondary insult after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). It is a multifactorial process caused by a combination of large artery vasospasm and microcirculatory dysregulation. Despite numerous efforts, no effective therapeutic strategies are available to prevent DCI. The trigeminal nerve richly innervates cerebral blood vessels and releases a host of vasoactive agents upon stimulation. As such, electrical trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) has the capability of enhancing cerebral circulation. ⋯ Our results suggest that TNS can enhance cerebral circulation at multiple levels, lessen the impact of cerebral ischemia, and ameliorate the consequences of DCI after SAH.
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Radiation-induced changes (RICs) in brain tissue, seen as increased perinidal T2-weighted hyperintensity on MRI, are commonly observed in patients with brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) within 2 years after Gamma Knife (Elekta) radiosurgery (GKRS). ⋯ Large BAVMs and neoangiogenesis were associated with moderate to severe RICs in treatment-naïve patients with BAVMs. Our findings may assist with the complication risk assessment for these patients.
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It remains unknown if the progressive loss of axonal conduction along sensorimotor tracts can be recovered after surgery in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and if subsequent adaptive microstructural changes are associated with the neurological improvement. ⋯ Recovery of microstructural integrity along the corticospinal tract and other sensorimotor pathways, together with supraspinal reorganization of microstructural connectivity within sensory and motor-related regions, was associated with neurological improvement after surgical decompression.
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The ventral intermediate (VIM) thalamic nucleus is the main target for the surgical treatment of refractory tremor. Initial targeting traditionally relies on atlas-based stereotactic targeting formulas, which only minimally account for individual anatomy. Alternative approaches have been proposed, including direct targeting of the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRTT), which, in clinical settings, is generally reconstructed with deterministic tracking. Whether more advanced probabilistic techniques are feasible on clinical-grade magnetic resonance acquisitions and lead to enhanced reconstructions is poorly understood. ⋯ DRTT reconstructed with probabilistic fiber tracking was superior in spatial proximity to the physiology-guided DBS lead and to the empirically chosen active contact. These data inform strategies for surgical targeting of the VIM.
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Machine learning (ML) approaches can significantly improve the classical Rout-based evaluation of the lumbar infusion test (LIT) and the clinical management of the normal pressure hydrocephalus. ⋯ This study successfully used the ML approach to predict the outcome of a 5-day external lumbar drainage and hence which patients are likely to benefit from permanent shunt implantation. Our automated ML model thus enhances the diagnostic utility of LIT in management.