World Neurosurg
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Isolated cerebral aspergillosis (ICA) traditionally has been associated with immunocompromised patients with dismal outcomes. Cases of ICA in immunocompetent patients are very rare and poorly described. We describe our experience of 5 immunocompetent patients with ICA and compare our experience with the literature. ⋯ ICA in otherwise healthy immunocompetent hosts seems to have a more favorable prognosis than what is reported for immunocompromised hosts.
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Cervical anterior fusion with autologous bone grafts (Williams-Isu method) is a modified, accepted method to treat spinal degenerative disease. Here we report minimum 10-year outcomes. ⋯ The long-term results after the Williams-Isu method were good. The fused segment angle loss of approximately 6° did not affect long-term outcomes although it did affect sagittal cervical alignment. Postoperative worsening of the fused segment angle and hyper ROM changes in the adjacent level were not related to the need for reoperation in our study.
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There are many factors associated with the symptom presentation of lumbar disc herniation (LDH). However, there are only few reports regarding the clinical feature of LDH in military medicine. The objective of this study is to determine the factors that affected the symptoms of LDH in young Korean soldiers. ⋯ Our data showed that the military rank was associated with the symptom presentation of LDH and reflected the characteristics of military life.
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Single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a common adjuvant therapy for hormonally active pituitary adenomas when surgical resection fails to control tumor growth or normalize hypersecretory activity. Marginal doses of 20-24 Gy are used at many centers and here we report our outcome data in patients treated with a higher marginal dose of 35 Gy. ⋯ Time to endocrine remission was more rapid in patients treated with 35 Gy, as compared to previously reported literature using marginal doses of 20-24 Gy. Rates of endocrine remission and relapse, post-SRS hypopituitarism, and radiation-induced sequelae were not increased following higher dose treatment.
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The management of patients with brain metastases is typically dependent on their prognosis. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) is the most commonly used method for prognosticating survival, but has limitations for patients in the intermediate class. The aims of this study were to ascertain preoperative risk factors associated with survival, develop a preoperative prognostic grading system, and evaluate the utility of this system in predicting survival for RPA class 2 patients. ⋯ The present study devised a preoperative grading system that may provide prognostic information for RPA class 2 patients, which may also guide medical and surgical therapies before any intervention is pursued.