Neurosurgery
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Glioblastoma (GBM) preferred to infiltrate into white matter (WM) beyond the recognizable tumor margin. ⋯ The FD and structural brain connectome in this study provide a new insight into glioma infiltration and a different consideration of their clinical application in neuro-oncology.
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Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) assesses revascularization in pediatric moyamoya patients after surgery, but MRI and angiography (MRI/A) may provide comparable data. ⋯ Using DSA to follow moyamoya patients after indirect revascularization is generally safe but associated with a low rate of minor complications and a 6.5-fold greater financial cost relative to MRI/A. These data support changing practice to eliminate the use of DSA when following routine bilateral moyamoya cases in the absence of clinical symptoms or specific concerns. Using MRI/A as the primary postoperative follow-up modality in this select population provides noninferior care and greater patient access, while reducing cost and potentially decreasing risk.
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Congenital obstructive hydrocephalus generates progressive irreversible fetal brain damage by ventricular enlargement and incremental brain tissue compression that leads to maldevelopment and poor clinical outcomes. Intrauterine treatments such as ventriculo-amniotic shunting have been unsuccessfully tried in the eighties. ⋯ Despite the inherent difficulties arising from ovine brain anatomy, this study shows that innovative fetal ETV is technically feasible in hydrocephalic fetal lambs.
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Few studies have established the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in patients undergoing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) for physical function and pain. ⋯ Patients undergoing MIS-TLIF had a wide range of MCID values. The receiver operating characteristic curve was selected as the most clinically appropriate method. The corresponding MCID values were 4.2 for PROMIS-PF, 6.8 for SF-12 PCS, 1.8 for VAS back, and 2.4 for VAS leg.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a highly efficacious treatment for appropriately selected patients with advanced, medically refractory Parkinson's disease (PD). It is severely underutilized in Black patients-constituting a major treatment gap. The source of this disparity is unknown, but its identification and correction are necessary to provide equitable care. ⋯ The known underuse of DBS in Black patients with PD was replicated in this sample from a center in a racially diverse metropolitan area, but was not attributable to the presurgical workup. Future work should examine the transition from medical management to surgical evaluation where drivers of disparity are potentially situated. Surgical practices should increase outreach to physicians managing PD in underserved areas.