Neurosurgery
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Flow diversion is increasingly used to treat intracranial aneurysms. In previous reports, patients were pretreated with aspirin and clopidogrel before the intervention for the prevention of thromboembolic complications. ⋯ A protocol of anticoagulation with tirofiban during flow diversion has an excellent safety profile. This protocol provides a reasonable alternative to pretreatment with aspirin and clopidogrel and is useful in patients with ruptured aneurysms or when the use of a stent is unexpected.
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Patients diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) are at risk of developing intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVM). However, the clinical manifestations and natural history of HHT-related AVMs remain unclear due to the rarity of these lesions. ⋯ HHT-related AVMs are smaller in size with lower Spetzler-Martin grade and less temporal lobe involvement than sporadic AVMs. Patients with HHT frequently present with multiple intracranial AVMs. Conservative management is generally recommended due to lesion multiplicity and relatively low hemorrhagic risk.
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Loss of axial rotation and lateral bending after atlantoaxial fusion reduces a patient's quality of life. Therefore, effective, nonfusion fixation alternatives are needed for atlantoaxial instability. ⋯ PAARNF restricted atlantoaxial flexion-extension but preserved axial rotation and lateral bending at the atlantoaxial joint in a type II odontoid fracture model. However, it should not be used clinically until further studies have been performed to test the long-term effects of this procedure.
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Corpus callosotomy is a palliative procedure especially for Lennox-Gastaut semiology without localization with drop attacks. ⋯ This preliminary study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of complete callosotomy with anterior, hippocampal, and posterior commissurotomy in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (drop attacks) with moderate to severe mental retardation.