World Neurosurg
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Educational simulators provide a means for students and experts to learn and refine surgical skills. Educators can leverage the strengths of medical simulators to effectively teach complex and high-risk surgical procedures, such as placement of an external ventricular drain. ⋯ The ventricular simulacrum can improve learning in a medical education environment. Rapid prototyping and multi-material casting techniques can produce patient-derived models for cost-effective and realistic surgical training scenarios.
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Hemodynamic stress, conditioned by the geometry and morphology of the vessel trees, plays an important role in the formation of intracranial aneurysms. The aim of this study was to identify image-based location-specific morphologic parameters that are associated with posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms. ⋯ Larger PCoA diameters are associated with the presence of PCoA aneurysms. These parameters may provide objective metrics to assess aneurysm formation and growth risk stratification in high-risk patients.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Treatment Options for Single Brain Metastasis.
Brain metastases (BMs) occur in up to 30% of patients with cancer. Treatments include surgery, whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), alone or in combination. Although guidelines exist, data to inform individualized approaches to therapy remain sparse. We sought to compare semiquantitatively the effectiveness of various modalities in the treatment of single brain metastasis. ⋯ The choice of strategy must be individualized for patients with a single BM. Our CEA and decision model combines empirical data with patient priorities to produce a ranking of alternate management strategies.
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Review Biography Historical Article
Robert H. Pudenz: (1911-1998) and Ventriculoatrial Shunt: Historical Perspective.
Robert H. Pudenz was a renowned neurosurgeon in North America in the 20th century, famous for his contributions in the evolution of the shunt valve and ventriculoatrial shunt surgery. ⋯ He also contributed to various experimental studies on the brain, especially the electrical response of different neural structures. This historical vignette focuses on the work of Robert Pudenz and the evolution of the ventriculoatrial shunt.
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Review Biography Historical Article
Understanding the Influence of Parkinson's Disease on Adolf Hitler's Decision-Making during World War II.
Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies and a reduction in the number of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia. Common symptoms of PD include a reduction in control of voluntary movements, rigidity, and tremors. Such symptoms are marked by a severe deterioration in motor function. ⋯ We purport that Germany's defeat in World War II was influenced by Hitler's questionable and risky decision-making and his inhumane and callous personality, both of which were likely affected by his condition. Likewise his paranoid disorder marked by intense anti-Semitic beliefs influenced his treatment of Jews and other non-Germanic peoples. We also suggest that the condition played an important role in his eventual political decline.