Neurosurg Focus
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Medical management of adult spasticity, a condition of increased muscle tone and deep tendon reflexes, is often challenging and complex. Oral medications such as baclofen often have unacceptable supraspinal side effects at effective doses. Intrathecal baclofen delivered by an implanted catheter and pump system provides good relief of spasticity while overcoming these limitations. In this paper the authors survey the use of oral and intrathecal baclofen therapy, detail the surgical process, and explain the risks and benefits of the procedure.
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Review Comparative Study
Update on evidence for a genetic predisposition to cerebral vasospasm.
Considerable evidence links cerebral vasospasm to the decreased bioavailability of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In recent studies from the cardiology literature, researchers have suggested that a genetic predisposition to coronary vasospasm might develop as the result of a T-786C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the eNOS gene. The authors of this study attempted to determine if there may be a similar genetic predisposition toward cerebral vasospasm. ⋯ The findings from this preliminary study support similar findings in the coronary vasospasm literature as well as the hypothesis that a predisposition toward cerebral vasospasm may be related partially to genetic factors, which needs to be confirmed in a larger study. Such gene-based information may be important in rapidly identifying patients at increased risk of vasospasm after SAH, independent of their Fisher grade. In this article, the authors review key studies in this area.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of acute treatment with statins on cerebral autoregulation in patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The authors previously have demonstrated that acute treatment with pravastatin after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) can ameliorate vasospasm-related delayed ischemic neurological deficits (DINDs). In the current study, they test the hypothesis that these effects are associated with improvement in indices describing autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. ⋯ The neuroprotective effects of acute treatment with pravastatin following aneurysmal SAH are associated with enhancement of autoregulation. A routine and daily assessment of cerebral autoregulation by using the THRT may help identify patients at high risk of DINDs.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Image-guided resection of high-grade glioma: patient selection factors and outcome.
In patients with glioma, image-guided surgery helps to define the radiographic limits of the tumor to maximize safety and the extent of resection while minimizing damage to eloquent brain tissue. The authors hypothesize that image-guided resection (IGR) techniques are associated with improved outcomes in patients with malignant glioma. ⋯ Selection bias occurs regarding patients who receive IGR; these biases include younger age, presentation with seizure and normal level of consciousness, tumor diameter less than 4 cm, and non-GBM on histopathological studies. Outcome appears to be improved in patients who undergo IGRs of high-grade gliomas. It is unclear if these improved outcomes are due to the selection of a more favorable patient population or to the IGR techniques themselves. It is likely that the full potential of image guidance in glioma surgery will not be realized until it is applied to a wider range of patients.
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Despite the implementation of increasingly aggressive surgery, chemotherapy, and fractionated radiotherapy for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), most therapeutic regimens have resulted in only modest improvements in patient survival. Gamma knife surgery (GKS) has become an indispensable tool in the primary and adjuvant management of many intracranial pathologies, including meningiomas, pituitary tumors, and arteriovenous malformations. ⋯ Despite these encouraging results, enthusiasm for radiosurgery as a primary treatment for GBM is significantly tempered by the failure of the only randomized trial that has been conducted to yield any benefit for patients with GBM who were treated with radiosurgery. In this paper, the authors review the pathophysiological mechanisms of GKS and its applications for GBM management.