Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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Comparative Study
Comparison of unilateral versus bilateral balloon kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.
Thirty-one patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) were treated with unilateral balloon kyphoplasty (BKP), and 31 patients were treated with bilateral BKP. The efficacy of unilateral and bilateral BKP was assessed by comparing operation time, X-ray exposure times, incidence of complications, vertebral height restoration, and improvement of the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. ⋯ Unilateral and bilateral BKP are safe and effective treatments for OVCF. Compared with bilateral BKP, patients undergoing unilateral BKP have shorter operations and receive lower X-ray radiation doses.
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Decompressive hemicraniectomy (DC) can save the lives of patients with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction. We proposed that postoperative midline shift is important for the long-term outcome of patients with MCA infarction. We conducted a retrospective study of DC in 38 patients with malignant MCA infarction. ⋯ Patients who had midline shift less than the optimal diagnostic cut-off point on the fourth postoperative day were classified as having a successful decompression and the remaining patients were classified in the failed decompression group. The successful decompression group mRS score was 4.20±0.89 one year after surgery and the failed decompression group mRS score was 5.11±0.76 (p<0.0001). Successful decompression, resulting in postoperative midline shift of less than 5mm, was a key factor for beneficial, long-term functional outcomes in patients with malignant MCA infarction.