Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been performed increasingly to control medically refractory intracranial hypertension in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although DC is a potentially life-saving procedure and technically straightforward, it is associated with some significant complications that include subdural hygroma (SDG) and posttraumatic hydrocephalus (PTH). A retrospective analysis of 143 TBI patients who underwent unilateral DC was undertaken to investigate the incidence and risk factors of PTH and investigate the relationship between the types of SDG and PTH. ⋯ The patients with PTH had a significantly unfavorable outcome (p < 0.0001). After stepwise logistic regression analyses, only age (p = 0.004, odds ratio [OR] = 1.036, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.011-1.061) and contralateral SDG (p < 0.0001, OR = 5.613, 95% CI = 2.232-14.115) remained independently associated with PTH development, and PTH development rate increased by 3.6% with every 1-year increase in age. Close surveillance is indicated in older TBI patients with contralateral SDG after unilateral DC to prompt early detection and timely management of PTH.
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Patient-reported outcome measures are increasingly used to access pain, disability, physical function, and mental status to quantify effectiveness of surgical intervention in cervical myelopathy, yet each score has little meaning without established thresholds linked to clinical benefit. We set out to develop thresholds for substantial clinical benefit (SCB) in patients undergoing surgery for cervical myelopathy and to evaluate the effect of length of follow-up on SCB thresholds. Thirty-five patients undergoing spinal surgery for progressive cervical myelopathy were tracked from 2005 to 2015. ⋯ Stratification of thresholds by length of time revealed a significant effect of follow-up time with NDI but not PCS. NDI and PCS thresholds have significantly strong discriminatory value in identifying patients receiving substantial clinical benefit with regard to cervical myelopathy. When NDI is used to predict outcome, choosing thresholds calibrated for follow-up time is recommended to maximize predictive power.
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Spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) comprise a group of complex vascular lesions whose treatment with microsurgery or transarterial embolization can be challenging. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a well-established treatment for intracranial AVMs, and spinal radiosurgery and fractionated radiotherapy are common treatments for spinal tumors of both primary and metastatic origin. The use of radiosurgery and fractionated radiotherapy for the treatment of spinal arteriovenous malformations, however, has been infrequently reported. ⋯ In aggregate, good outcomes were reported in 92.2% with no instances of post-treatment hemorrhage over a mean follow-up time of 46.8 months. Angiographic follow-up showed the nidus to be obliterated in 16%, decreased in 44.6%, and unchanged in 39.3%. Stereotactic radiosurgery for spinal arteriovenous malformations holds promise as a safe and potentially effective option in the treatment of these rare but complex lesions.
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Neurosurgeons are faced with the challenge of planning, performing, and learning complex surgical procedures. With improvements in computational power and advances in visual and haptic display technologies, augmented and virtual surgical environments can offer potential benefits for tests in a safe and simulated setting, as well as improve management of real-life procedures. This systematic literature review is conducted in order to investigate the roles of such advanced computing technology in neurosurgery subspecialization of intracranial tumor removal. The study would focus on an in-depth discussion on the role of virtual reality and augmented reality in the management of intracranial tumors: the current status, foreseeable challenges, and future developments.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Dolenc and pterional approach in the microsurgery for blood blister-like aneurysms (BBAs) of internal carotid artery.
Blood blister-like aneurysms (BBAs) were considered a great therapeutic challenge with high morbidity and mortality. A variety of microsurgical techniques to treat BBAs had been proposed, but few had investigated the optimal surgical approach toward the exposure of BBAs. In this study, we aimed to compare the advantages and disadvantages of Dolenc and pterional approach in the microsurgery of BBAs. ⋯ Dolenc approach and pterional approach were both applicable craniotomies for supraclinoid BBAs of ICA. Dolenc approach provided more exposure of ICA trunk, which ensured reliable proximal control but might also bring higher risk of oculomotor paralysis. Choice of approach should be based on the location of BBA and the available form of proximal control.