Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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This study investigated the safety, effectiveness, and clinical and radiological outcomes of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) for recurrent lumbar disc herniation (rLDH) following previous lumbar spine surgery. Seventy-three consecutive patients treated for rLDH between June 2005 and May 2012 were included in the study. The previous surgical procedures included percutaneous discectomy, discectomy with laminotomy, discectomy with unilateral laminectomy, and discectomy with bilateral laminectomy. ⋯ The fusion rate at the final follow-up was 93.2%. There were no major complications. These results indicate that TLIF can be considered an effective, reliable, and safe alternative procedure for the treatment of rLDH.
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Gangliogliomas are rare primary central nervous system tumours that characteristically contain both neuronal and glial neoplastic components. They usually present as solitary, slow growing tumours that are frequently associated with pharmacologically refractory epilepsy. Multicentric variants of the tumour are exceedingly rare. ⋯ MRI revealed three large, distinct tumours with striking cyst formation. Stereotactic craniotomy and excision of the temporal and occipital tumours confirmed ganglioglioma. The coincidence of three distinct gangliogliomas involving the right frontal, temporal and occipital lobes has not been reported to our knowledge.
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Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt malfunctions are common and can result in significant consequences for patients. Despite the prevalence of breast augmentation surgery and breast surgery for other pathologies, few breast related VP shunt complications have been reported. A 54-year-old woman with hydrocephalus post-subarachnoid hemorrhage returned 1 month after VP shunt placement complaining of painful unilateral breast enlargement. ⋯ The breast enlargement was the result of cerebrospinal fluid retention. We detail this unusual case and review all breast related VP shunt complications reported in the literature. To avoid breast related complications related to VP shunt procedures, it is important to illicit pre-procedural history regarding breast implants, evade indwelling implants during catheter tunneling and carefully securing the abdominal catheter to prevent retrograde catheter migration to the breast.
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Although past studies have confirmed that chronic dust exposure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the relationship between it and cerebrovascular disease is still unclear. We aimed to determine whether pneumoconiosis is related to increased incidence of ischemic stroke in the following 5 to 11 years. We selected 1238 patients with pneumoconiosis from Taiwan's National Health Insurance database as our study cohort. ⋯ After statistically adjusting for age, sex, and medical comorbidities, the hazard of developing stroke was 1.36 times greater for those with pneumoconiosis compared to those without. Even in those with pneumoconiosis excluding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the hazard of developing stroke was still 1.31 times greater than those without pneumoconiosis. Our study revealed that pneumoconiosis patients are at a higher risk of ischemic stroke, and primary prevention of stroke is particularly important in this group of patients.