Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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The purpose of this study was to find whether excessive distraction of the disc space for cage insertion was a risk factor for adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) after anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF). One hundred and sixteen consecutive patients who underwent ACDF for single-level cervical disc herniation between June 2006 and November 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative, postoperative and final follow-up disc height (DH), sagittal segmental alignment (SSA), and sagittal alignment of the cervical spine (SACS) were measured and compared between the ASD group and non-ASD group. ⋯ The clinical outcomes of ACDF for single-level degenerative cervical disc disease were satisfactory. Postoperative DH (the distracted distance) had the greatest impact on the incidence of ASD. Excessive disc space distraction is a considerable risk factor for the development of radiographic ASD.
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The effect of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) on rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is not well known. We evaluated the change in the incidence of probable RBD after bilateral STN DBS in PD patients. Ninety patients with PD treated with bilateral STN DBS underwent retrospective assessment of RBD by interview before and after DBS. ⋯ The sum of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) axial score for the "on" state was lower in the RBD group than in the non-RBD group after DBS (p = 0.029). Comparing the de novo RBD group and non-RBD group, the UPDRS Part III and total score and the levodopa equivalent daily doses for the "on" states decreased more in the de novo RBD group than in the non-RBD group (p < 0.05). The incidence of clinical RBD increased after bilateral STN DBS because de novo RBD developed and pre-existing RBD persisted after DBS.
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Medial posterior frontal and parietal gliomas extending to the peri-atrial region are difficult to reach surgically because of the working angle required to expose the lateral aspect of the tumor and the proximity of the tumor to the sensorimotor lobule; retraction of the sensorimotor cortex may lead to morbidity. The interhemispheric transfalcine approach is favorable and safe for resection of medial hemispheric tumors adjacent to the falx cerebri, but the literature on this approach is scarce. Awake cortical mapping using this operative route for tumors associated with the sensorimotor cortex has not been previously reported to our knowledge. ⋯ Gross total tumor resection was accomplished without any intraoperative or postoperative deficits. Awake cortical mapping using the contralateral transfalcine approach allows a "cross-court" operative route to map functional cortices and resect peri-atrial low-grade gliomas. This technique can minimize the otherwise necessary retraction on the ipsilateral hemisphere through an ipsilateral craniotomy.
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Remote intracerebral haemorrhage (rICH) is defined as intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) post thrombolysis in brain regions without visible ischaemic changes. There is uncertainty that clinical outcomes and risk factors for rICH are different to those for local ICH. We investigated the morbidity, mortality and factors associated with rICH. ⋯ The 3 month mortality rate was 22.2% (2/9) in the rICH group and 36% (27/75) in the local ICH group (OR 0.53, 95%CI 0-2.51, p = 0.703). rICH was an infrequent complication after intravenous thrombolysis in our series. The clinical outcome of rICH was significantly better than local ICH. Of note, previous episodes of transient ischaemic attack were significantly higher in the rICH group, suggesting previous ischaemic injury as an underlying mechanism.
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Review Comparative Study
Comparison of the different surgical approaches for lumbar interbody fusion.
This review will outline the history of spinal fusion. It will compare the different approaches currently in use for interbody fusion. A comparison of the techniques, including minimally invasive surgery and graft options will be included. ⋯ Studies show less intraoperative blood loss for minimally invasive techniques, but there is no long-term data. Iliac crest is the gold standard for bone graft, although adjuncts such as bone morphogenetic proteins are being used more frequently, despite their controversial history. More high-level studies are needed to make generalisations regarding the outcomes of one technique compared with another.