World Neurosurg
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Review Case Reports
Delayed Pipeline embolization of a ruptured true internal carotid artery aneurysm presenting with epistaxis: Case report and review of the literature.
Massive epistaxis from rupture of an intracavernous internal carotid artery aneurysm is a potentially fatal event. Although rare, this presentation is seen most often in patients after trauma or iatrogenic injury secondary to transsphenoidal surgery or radiation therapy. ⋯ Our case highlights the importance of evaluating for intracranial pathological conditions in patients who present with refractory epistaxis. In selected patients, the use of flow-diversion technology as an adjunct or alternative to primary coil embolization for treatment should be considered.
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Brain metastases occur in a large portion of patients with cancer. Although advances in radiotherapy have helped to improve survival, they have also raised questions regarding the best modality for retreatment in the context of recurrent disease. ⋯ We have comprehensively reviewed the existing data on the efficacy and toxicity of the various reirradiation treatment modalities. We examined the key clinical considerations that guide patient selection, such as dose, tumor size, interval to retreatment, and local control and survival rates.
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This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) in older patients (≥65 years) compared with younger patients (age <65 years). ⋯ SRS achieves obliteration in most older patients with dAVF, with an acceptable rate of complication. There was no increased risk of postradiosurgery complications in the older cohort compared with the younger patients.
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Pneumoperitoneum after surgical manipulation of the abdomen implies a perforation. Rare cases of nonoperated cancer patients, largely with gastrointestinal or genitourinary cancers, have been noted to have radiologic findings of pneumatosis intestinalis and/or pneumoperitoneum as a complication of molecular-targeted therapy (MTT) without confounding factors for perforation. We present a patient with a cranial malignancy treated with bevacizumab who subsequently manifested with pneumatosis intestinalis. ⋯ With increasing utilization of MTTs in brain tumor management, we raise MTT as a potential cause for pneumoperitoneum in neurosurgical patients. Pneumoperitoneum after extracranial procedures still requires workup and management for potential bowel perforation, but alternative causes such as bevacizumab should also be considered. Pneumatosis intestinalis patients on MTT can have benign physical examinations and will resolve, in the majority of cases, on discontinuation of the drug.
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Although microvascular decompression (MVD) is the primary treatment for hemifacial spasm (HFS), the postoperative course is variable. This study aimed to develop a prediction model of the outcome of MVD in patients with HFS by investigating influential factors. ⋯ Male sex, mild degree of preoperative spasm, intraoperative indentation on the facial nerve, and postoperative delayed facial palsy were better favorable prognostic factors of MVD in patients with HFS. This novel algorithm may be useful to predict the outcome of MVD in these patients.