World Neurosurg
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Case Reports
Epidural spinal cord stimulation: A novel therapy in the treatment of restless legs syndrome.
We report a unique finding of a patient whose restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms abated after the placement of a spinal cord stimulator for chronic neuropathic pain. RLS is a common disorder, with many patients unable to find sufficient relief from their symptoms. ⋯ Epidural stimulation may be an additional, alternative, or novel therapy in the treatment of RLS.
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To assess if modern management of extracranial malignant diseases has prolonged the survival times for patients with more than 2 brain metastases (BM). ⋯ Both the median and 10% survival times have increased in recent years among patients with more than 2 BM treated with GKS. Both linear and exponential regressions accurately expressed the increase in both median and 10% survival times during the years 1990-2010. Findings from other published data support the observation of longer survival times among patients treated more recently, independent of the patients being treated with GKS or with whole-brain radiation therapy with or without radiosurgery. Thus, earlier findings of short survival times for patients with multiple BM are no longer valid, at least not for patients deemed suitable for radiosurgery. Aggressive management is thus warranted for these patients.
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The anterior inferior cerebellar artery-posterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA-PICA) common trunk anomaly is reportedly one of the most common vessel variants in the posterior circulation, but reports of hemifacial spasm (HFS) associated with AICA-PICA common trunk are very rare. In the present study, we describe methods of microvascular decompression (MVD) for HFS caused by AICA-PICA common trunk compression. ⋯ Reports concerning decompression methods of AICA-PICA common trunk anomaly are very rare. The tortuosity of the common trunk and perforators from the offending vessel make the usual repositioning of the offending artery much more difficult, and adequate decompression techniques are required for successful MVD.
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Lumbar disc herniations at the L1-L2 and L2-L3 levels have unique characteristics that result in worse surgical outcomes after traditional microdiscectomy compared with herniation at L3-L4. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) at L1-L2 and L2-L3, compared with those who underwent PELD at L3-L4. ⋯ PELD is a safe and effective treatment for upper lumbar disc herniation and may compare favorably with the same procedure for lower lumbar disc herniation. In addition, the positive femoral stretch test was a relatively good diagnostic method for disc herniation at L1-L2 and L2-L3, compared with herniation at L3-L4.
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Supraglandular pituitary adenoma (SGPA) is one of the extraordinary pituitary adenomas and shows different clinical and radiologic features. We retrospectively reviewed our cases of SGPAs to elucidate the radiologic, anatomic, and clinical features. ⋯ SGPAs are rare and preoperative diagnosis is possible based on their distinct radiologic, clinical, and anatomic features. SGPAs can be divided into 2 groups according to the anatomic features. The origin of tumor, whether the superior surface of the gland or the pituitary stalk, determined the location, extent, and relationship with the diaphragma sellae. The surgical outcome via an endoscopic endonasal approach was favorable.