World Neurosurg
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Review Case Reports
Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor after in-vitro fertilization: illustrative case report and systematic literature review.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is increasingly used for the treatment of infertile couples worldwide. The association between IVF and cancer risk in offspring is conflicting. We present a case of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) in a girl conceived by IVF and present results of systematic review of literature of primary intracranial neoplasms diagnosed in children conceived by IVF. ⋯ IVF-associated brain tumors are usually malignant and associated with high mortality. Future studies investigating possible causal relationship between IVF and brain tumor risk are encouraged.
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Review Case Reports
Endovascular Treatments in Combination with Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass for Complex Intracranial Aneurysms.
Although most intracranial aneurysms can be treated with microsurgery or endovascular procedure alone, a subset of aneurysms may require a combined approach. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of endovascular interventions combined with bypass surgery for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. ⋯ Combined endovascular and surgical bypass procedures are useful for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms when conventional surgical or endovascular techniques are not feasible and show acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality.
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Review Historical Article
Neurosurgery on a pregnant woman with post-mortem fetal extrusion: an unusual case from Medieval Italy.
Trepanation is one of the most ancient and applied surgical treatments; several archaeologically documented cases are known, dated back from prehistory to the Middle Ages. This case study reports the anthropologic analysis of the skeletal remains of a young medieval woman and a fetus (Imola, Italy). The fetal remains were laid between her pelvis and lower limbs. ⋯ The lesion seems commensurate with a surgical intervention; signs of an osteogenic reaction were detected at its edges. It can be hypothesized that the survival of the woman undergoing the surgery was approximately 1 week and the fetus extruded after the burial. Thus, this case represents a unicum, spreading more light on the history of neurosurgery during the Early Middle Ages in Europe.
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As the second of 3 articles in this series, the aim of this article is to provide readers with an understanding of the development of neurosurgery in East Africa (foundations), the challenges that arise in providing neurosurgical care in developing countries (challenges), and an overview of traditional and novel approaches to overcoming these challenges and improving health care in the region (innovations). Recognizing the challenges that need to be addressed is the first step to implementing efficient and qualified surgery delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries. We reviewed the major challenges facing health care in East Africa and grouped them into 5 categories: 1) burden of surgical disease and workforce crisis; 2) global health view of surgery as "the neglected stepchild"; 3) need for recognizing the surgical system as an interdependent network and importance of organizational and equipment deficits; 4) lack of education in the community, failure of primary care systems, and net result of overwhelming tertiary care systems; 5) personal and professional burnout as well as brain drain of promising human resources from low- and middle-income countries in East Africa and similar regions across the world. Each major challenge was detailed and analyzed by authors who have worked or are currently working in the region, providing a personal perspective.
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Review Case Reports
Delayed post-traumatic subacute lumbar subarachnoid hematoma: Case report and review of the literature.
Traumatic spinal subarachnoid hematoma, associated or not with a concurrent subdural hematoma, has rarely been described. The evolution of such hematomas is heterogeneous. This study aims at defining the most accurate management, which is currently not standardized. ⋯ Six weeks after surgery, the neurologic examination revealed only a slight tactile hypoesthesia of the left thigh. With only 4 reported cases, purely subarachnoid spinal hematomas remain widely rarer than epidural hematomas. The reported case possesses a certain number of peculiarities: young age, pure subarachnoid location, lumbar location, occurrence after a car accident, subacute onset, and excellent neurologic recovery. In our opinion, a symptomatic subarachnoid spinal hematoma should be surgically evacuated at the early phase so neurologic recovery can be expected.