Neurosurgery
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The optimal management of nonacute subdural fluid collections in infantile abusive head trauma (AHT) remains controversial. ⋯ Based on our experience to date, burr hole with controlled external subdural drainage is an effective and preferred treatment for traumatic hematohygromas; complications and need for additional intervention is low.
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Studies suggest a higher prevalence of cervical deformities in Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients who predispose to cervical myelopathy (CM). Despite the profound effect of CM on function and quality of life, no study has assessed the influence of PD on costs and outcomes of fusion procedures for CM. ⋯ PD may increase risk for certain adverse outcomes depending on procedure type. This study provides data with implications in healthcare delivery, policy, and research regarding a patient population that will grow as our population ages and justifies further investigation in future prospective studies.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been considered for patients with intractable pain syndromes since the 1950s. Although there is substantial experience reported in the literature, the indications are contested, especially in the United States where it remains off-label. Historically, the sensory-discriminative pain pathways were targeted. More recently, modulation of the affective sphere of pain has emerged as a plausible alternative. ⋯ DBS outcomes for chronic pain are heterogeneous thus far. Future studies may focus on specific pain diagnosis rather than multiple syndromes and consider randomized placebo-controlled designs. DBS targeting the affective sphere of pain seems promising and deserves further investigation.
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The "Volume Pledge" aims to centralize carotid artery stenting (CAS) to hospitals and surgeons performing ≥10 and ≥5 procedures annually, respectively. ⋯ Most patients receive CAS by hospitals and providers meeting the Volume Pledge threshold for CAS. Surgeons but not hospitals who met the policy's volume standards were associated with superior outcomes across all measured outcomes.
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Traditional moyamoya disease (MMD) classification relies on morphological digital subtraction angiography (DSA) assessment, which do not reflect hemodynamic status, clinical symptoms, or surgical treatment outcome. ⋯ The Berlin MMD grading system is able to stratify preoperative hemispheric symptomatology. Furthermore, it correlated with postoperative new ischemic changes on MRI, and showed a strong trend in predicting clinical postoperative stroke.