World Neurosurg
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Conventional craniotomy approaches involve substantial soft tissue manipulation that can cause complications. The transciliary supraorbital keyhole approach was developed to avoid these complications. The aim of this review is to evaluate the safety and the effectiveness of the transciliary supraorbital keyhole approach. ⋯ This approach may represent a safe, effective, and less invasive alternative to conventional craniotomies in experienced hands and for a well-selected subset of patients. However, higher-level evidence is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
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Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) and lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) are commonly used approaches for lumbar spine fusion surgery, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. ALIF requires mobilization of the great vessels and peritoneum, and dissection of the psoas muscle in the LLIF technique is associated with postoperative neurologic complications in the proximal lower limb. The anterior-to-psoas (ATP) or oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) technique is the proposed solution to accessing the L1-L5 levels without the issues encountered with ALIF and LLIF. In this review, the technical nuances, operative outcomes, and complications with the ATP/OLIF technique in the current literature are summarized. ⋯ Early results on the ATP/OLIF technique are promising and warrant further investigation with well-designed prospective randomized studies to provide high-level evidence of the potential advantages over the ALIF and LLIF approaches.
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Stimulus-evoked electromyography (EMG) has been developed to increase the safety of transpedicular placement of screws. There is more consensus about this monitoring method in open surgery. Alarm thresholds for minimally invasive surgery are based on referential value for open surgery. Nevertheless, there are no uniform alarm criteria on this modality for minimally invasive surgery. Using an analysis of alarm threshold, methodology and clinical effectiveness on stimulus-evoked EMG monitoring for minimally invasive transpedicular implantation of screws in the lumbosacral spine, this study aims to reflect and recommend for optimizing accuracy. ⋯ In minimally invasive surgery, continuous stimulation of instrumentation devices is recommended. A minimum 5-mA threshold should be used for stimulation of the pedicle access needle. Use of higher-stimulation thresholds during tapping and incorporation of an adapted continuous suction system may optimize the accuracy of stimulus-evoked EMG.
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Review
Radiation-induced sarcomas of the central nervous system: an exhaustive review of the literature.
Radiation-induced sarcomas (RISs) of the central nervous system are an uncommon late risk of irradiation. We conducted a systematic review of individual patient data to characterize RISs. ⋯ The risk of secondary sarcomas in patients treated with cranial radiotherapy warrants longer follow-up periods beyond the standard time frame typically designated for determining the risk of primary tumor relapse. Moreover, chemotherapy should be considered a potential treatment option for RISs.
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Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic brain condition involving the trigeminal nerve and characterized by severe and recurrent facial pain. Although the cause of TN has been researched extensively, there is a lack of convergence on the physiologic processes leading to pain symptoms. This review seeks to better elucidate the underlying pathophysiology of TN by analyzing the outcomes of studies that use magnetic resonance structural imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging to examine nerve damage in patients with TN. ⋯ A review of the studies included indicates that neural differences exist between the affected and unaffected sides in patients as well as between patients and controls in both structural and diffusion metrics. The amalgamated data suggest that damage of the trigeminal nerve tissue is commonly found in patients with TN and could be a primary factor in TN pathophysiology.