British journal of neurosurgery
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Effective treatment of medical conditions relies on proper diagnosis. Clinical trials show the safety and effectiveness of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion in patients with chronic SI joint dysfunction. To what extent is the condition under recognised? ⋯ Lack of knowledge of the role of the SIJ in chronic low back pain probably results in diagnostic confusion and may lead to misdirected treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A dose-response relationship study of hypertonic saline on brain relaxation during supratentorial brain tumour craniotomy.
Background: A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was designed to assess differences in brain relaxation between 2 doses of 3% HS during elective supratentorial brain tumour surgery. Methods: 60 patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy for tumour resection were enrolled to receive either 3 mL/kg (group L) or 5 mL/kg (group H) of 3% HS administered at skin incision. Brain relaxation was assessed after dura opening on a scale ranging 1-4 (1 = perfectly relaxed, 2 = satisfactorily relaxed, 3 = firm brain, 4 = bulging brain). ⋯ No significant differences in perioperative outcome, mortality and length of PCU and hospital stay were observed. Conclusion: 3 mL/kg of 3% HS result in similar brain relaxation scores as 5 mL/kg in patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial brain tumour. This study reveals that both high and low doses of 3% HS may be less effective on intraoperative brain relaxation in patients with midline shift.
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Observational Study
Cerebrospinal fluid untargeted metabolomic profiling of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: an exploratory study.
Despite advancements in medical and surgical therapies, clinical outcomes of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) continue to be poor. Currently, aSAH pathophysiology remains poorly understood. No aSAH biomarkers are commonly used in the clinical setting. This exploratory study used metabolomics profiling to identify global metabolic changes and metabolite predictors of long-term outcome using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of aSAH patients. ⋯ Our preliminary study suggests that specific metabolite changes occur in the brain during the course of aSAH and that quantification of specific CSF metabolites may be used to predict long-term outcome in patients with aSAH. This is the first study to implicate 2-hydroxyglutarate, a known marker of tissue hypoxia, in aSAH pathogenesis.
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Tenosynovial giant cell tumor of diffuse type is a locally aggressive neoplasm that most commonly arises in the lower extremities. Herein, we report for the first time a case of an extra-articular tenosynovial giant cell tumor of diffuse type in the temporal region with brain parenchymal invasion. Imaging studies revealed an intracranial expansile mass in the temporal bone without involvement of the temporomandibular joint. The unusual location of the tumor without involvement of the joint and the presence of brain parenchymal invasion made this case challenging to diagnose.
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It is becoming well-established that increasing extent of resection with decreasing residual volume is associated with delayed recurrence and prolonged survival for patients with glioblastoma (GBM). These prior studies are based on evaluating the contrast-enhancing (CE) tumour and not the surrounding fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) volume. It therefore remains unclear if the resection beyond the CE portion of the tumour if it translates into improved outcomes for patients with GBM. ⋯ In this study, the volume of CE tumour remaining after resection is more important than FLAIR volume in regards to recurrence and survival for patients with GBM.