World Neurosurg
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Observational Study
Antithrombotic medication use and misuse among patients with intracranial hemorrhage: a 16-year Lebanese single-center experience.
The use of antithrombotic medication (ATM) frequently is reported in patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and is associated with increased mortality. Unfortunately, ATMs sometimes are prescribed and/or used inappropriately. We sought to determine the rate of ATM misprescription/misuse among patients with ICH in a single-center retrospective study. ⋯ In this Lebanese cohort of patients with ICH, the 24.5% rate of ATM misprescription and/or misuse is highly alarming and the origin of this problem is likely multifactorial. Immediate measures should be undertaken, and efforts should be focused on regaining tight control of ATM prescription and fulfillment, ensuring good patient education, and offering more vigilant oversight on physician licensure.
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Anterolateral skull base surgery in the sellar and parasellar regions has always represented a technical challenge for neurosurgeons. The microscopic endoscope-assisted transmaxillosphenoidal approach (MEMSA) affords a direct surgical corridor free from critical skull base structures. Here we describe and critically evaluate the use of MEMSA to access the sellar and parasellar areas, in terms of surgical exposure and operability. ⋯ MEMSA is a safe and effective technique that provides access to the sellar, suprasellar, and contralateral parasellar areas via a direct, minimally disruptive surgical corridor. The preservation of nasal anatomy ensures the availability of mucosal flaps for use in further reconstruction.
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Resection of heavily calcified craniopharyngioma is quite challenging. The stretched optic nerves, perforators, and stalk are likely to be jeopardized further during attempts to break the calcified chunks, especially through narrow corridors. We describe a surgical technique to mobilize bilateral optic nerves and drill the calcified chunk to crumple it. ⋯ Mobilizing bilateral optic nerves improves the exposure and allows dissection of arachnoid from calcified craniopharyngiomas. Its drilling through widened corridors helps to shatter it. Using the technique, the neurovascular structures can possibly be better preserved while achieving maximal resection.
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Bilateral segmental agenesis of the internal carotid artery is a rare congenital anomaly. We present a case of bilateral internal carotid artery segmental agenesis in an asymptomatic 18-year-old man. Embryology, common collateral pathways, clinical presentation, and clinical importance of this condition are discussed. According to our review of the literature, this report is the first to describe bilateral internal carotid artery segmental agenesis in a patient studied with magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, Doppler ultrasonography, and digital subtraction angiography. ⋯ Bilateral segmental agenesis of internal carotid artery may be completely asymptomatic and harmless, but associated conditions, such as cerebral aneurysms or abnormal collateral circulation, should alert clinicians to the possibilities of subarachnoid hemorrhage or cerebral ischemia.
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We evaluated the radiologic features of 75 patients with group B basilar invagination who exhibited no evidence of atlantoaxial instability based on the conventional parameter of an abnormal increase in the atlantodental interval. We specifically studied the variability and possible significance of the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within and outside the confines of neural tissues. ⋯ In cases of basilar invagination, various musculoskeletal and neural alterations seem to have a common functional role in protecting the craniocervical cord and delaying or stalling neurologic dysfunction.