World Neurosurg
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New therapeutic option for drop foot with the ActiGait peroneal nerve stimulator - A technical note.
A drop foot occurs in up to 20% of stroke patients and leads to an increased risk of falls. Until recently, only a foot orthosis or surface stimulation was able to improve the gait of these patients. ⋯ The application of this therapeutic option is restricted to patients with a drop foot attributable to a lesion of the first motor neuron caused by stroke, multiple sclerosis, or tumors. In this paper, we present the first technical note with possible pitfalls of the surgical procedure and the perioperative care after implantation of ActiGait drop foot stimulators in 50 patients.
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Complete surgical resection is known to provide the best prognosis when treating complex tumors of the spine. The anatomy of the cervical spine and the extensive involvement often present by the time these lesions are discovered can make total resection challenging. A novel technique combining preoperative and intraoperative imaging for intraoperative navigation can serve as an additional tool for facilitating tumor resection. ⋯ Preoperative MRI coregistered and merged with intraoperative CT may serve as a useful intraoperative imaging modality for facilitating safe and complete resection of complex spine tumors.
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Perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage (PMSAH) is a well-defined subtype of angiogram-negative SAH, characterized by a benign natural history and a virtually nonexistent risk of recurrence. Few case reports of recurrent PMSAH exist in the literature, all occurring after relatively short time intervals ranging from 5 days to 31 months, mostly in patients on antithrombotic therapy. We present a unique case of ultra-late PMSAH recurrence after 12 years, in a patient not receiving antithrombotic medications. ⋯ Although exceptional, recurrence of PMSAH is not impossible. If the 2 events are assumed to be random and independent of each other, binomial statistics yield approximately a 79 per billion chance of 2 or more episodes occurring over an 80-year lifetime. However, other possibilities should be kept in mind, including tiny and radiographically occult vascular lesions or particular venous anatomy predisposing patients to recurrent bouts of PMSAH. Patients should not be told that the risk of recurrence is zero, but that it is close to zero.
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The middle fossa (MF) approach is one of the treatment options for patients with intracanalicular vestibular schwannomas. This study investigated whether enlargement of the internal auditory canal (IAC) represents a risk factor for hearing loss in the MF approach. ⋯ Enlargement of the IAC on coronal reconstruction computed tomography scan before surgery can predict hearing preservation using the MF approach. Patients without IE may represent good surgical candidates for the MF approach.