Neurosurgery
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A majority of patients with insular tumors present with seizures. Although a number of studies have shown that greater extent of resection improves overall patient survival, few studies have documented postoperative seizure control after insular tumor resection. ⋯ Maximizing the extent of resection in insular gliomas portends greater seizure freedom after surgery. Seizure recurrence is associated with tumor progression, and repeat operation can provide additional seizure control.
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Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) enables preoperative mapping of the motor cortex (M1). The combination of nTMS with diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking (DTI-FT) of the corticospinal tract (CST) has been described; however, its impact on surgery of motor-eloquent lesions has not been addressed. ⋯ nTMS-based mapping enables a tailored surgical approach for motor-eloquent lesions. It may improve the risk/benefit analysis, EOR and outcome, particularly when nTMS-based DTI-FT is performed.
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Prospective studies of unruptured aneurysms have shown very low rates of rupture for small aneurysms (<10 mm) and suggested that the risk of treatment outweighs benefit. However, common clinical practice shows that patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) frequently have small aneurysms. ⋯ Ruptured small and very small aneurysms represent a majority and increasing share of aSAH. Identification and prophylactic treatment of these aneurysms remains an important clinical role for cerebrovascular neurosurgery.
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Limited midline myelotomy targets the midline nociceptive pathway for intractable visceral pain. Multiple techniques are available for limited midline myelotomy; however, outcome data for each technique are sparse. ⋯ In our preliminary experience, outcomes for open limited thoracic myelotomy were superior to percutaneous approaches. Given the limited utilization of this technique, multicenter registries are needed to further evaluate the best surgical technique for limited midline myelotomy.
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In degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), the dynamics of disease progression and the outcome after surgical decompression vary interindividually and do not necessarily correlate with radiological findings. ⋯ Based on these results, we propose a new concept for functional compensation for DCM on the cortical and spinal level, ie corticospinal reserve capacity. nTMS is a useful tool to noninvasively characterize the pattern of functional impairment and compensatory reorganization in patients suffering from DCM. The change in nTMS parameters might serve as a valuable prognostic factor in these patients in the future.