World Neurosurg
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Case Reports
Microsurgery and radiosurgery for brainstem cavernomas: effective and complementary treatment options.
To evaluate treatment options for brainstem cavernous malformations (BSCMs) using the results from a center with long-standing experience in microsurgical resection and Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) treatment of BSCMs. ⋯ In the treatment of BSCM, patient selection and timing of surgery are crucial. If applied in a multidisciplinary neurosurgical center, microsurgery and radiosurgery are complementary treatment options that both result in reduced bleeding rates and improvement of clinical outcome.
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Observational Study
Endoscopic vascular decompression for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia: clinical outcomes and technical note.
This study sought to describe the operative technique and clinical outcomes in a series of 57 patients with trigeminal neuralgia treated with endoscopic vascular decompression (EVD) alone without the use of microscopy at any point. ⋯ EVD is a safe and highly effective alternative to the more traditional open microvascular decompression or the more recently developed endoscopically assisted microvascular decompression.
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Ninety-five percent of the Hong Kong population is Chinese, and no previous epidemiological study has focused on spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in Hong Kong. These data would have significant public health implications and can guide future resource allocations and service development in Hong Kong. The aim of this study was to investigate the local incidences of spontaneous SAH and 1-year mortality rates in Hong Kong, with the respective time trends in recent years. ⋯ The Hong Kong SAH incidence was 7.5 per 100,000 person-years in 2010, and an increasing trend over time was noted. The 1-year mortality rates decreased from 43% in 2002 to 19% in 2010, in accordance with the worldwide trend.
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The relationship between metrics, such as the h-index, and the ability of researchers to generate funding has not been previously investigated in neurosurgery. This study was performed to determine whether a correlation exists between bibliometrics and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding data among academic neurosurgeons. ⋯ Bibliometric indices are higher for those with NIH funding compared to those without, but only the contemporary h-index was shown to be predictive of NIH funding. Among neurosurgeons with NIH funding, higher bibliometric scores were associated with greater total amount of funding, number of grants, duration of grants, and earlier acquisition of their first grant.
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Higher benchmarks in safety for patients undergoing neurosurgery have been introduced. With these principles, new tools and techniques were established, including intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM). Current trends as a function of patient-, surgeon-, and procedure-related factors and complication rates in the utilization of IONM as an adjunct to the practice of pediatric neurosurgery have not been investigated previously. ⋯ The percent of procedures performed with IONM increased. However, these trends do not seem governed by improvement to patient outcomes because the complication rates were higher in the IONM cohort than the non-IONM cohort.