World Neurosurg
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Quality Improvement (QI) is essential for improving health care delivery and is now a required component of neurosurgery residency. However, neither a formal curriculum nor implementation strategies have been established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. ⋯ A formal didactic curriculum and practical application of QI methodologies adds value to resident training. Further, it has the potential to positively impact practice. Consideration should be given to adopting a formal QI curriculum by other neurosurgery departments and perhaps standardization on national level.
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Lumbar interbody spacers are widely used in lumbar spinal fusion. The goal of this study is to analyze the biomechanics of a lumbar interbody spacer (Clydesdale Spinal System, Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, Tennessee, USA) inserted via oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) or direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF) approaches, with and without posterior cortical screw and rod (CSR) or pedicle screw and rod (PSR) instrumentation. ⋯ OLIF alone significantly reduced mobility during flexion-extension while maintaining axial compressive stiffness compared with the intact condition. Adding posterior instrumentation to the interbody spacer increased the construct stability significantly, regardless of cage insertion trajectory or screw type.
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The involved carotid forks in moyamoya disease (MMD) will show decreases in both luminal caliber and outer diameter. The present study aimed to clarify the changes in the outer diameter associated with luminal stenosis/occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) in patients with MMD. ⋯ The results of our study have shown that the involved PCA demonstrates, not only luminal stenosis, but also arterial shrinkage in MMD. This finding strongly suggests that the underlying mechanism in the development of MMD is common in both the carotid fork and PCA.
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Stiff neck or nuchal rigidity is a significant clinical sign of neurologic disease. It is commonly associated with meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and posterior fossa tumors. It may also occur as a result of tonsillar impaction following pressure in the infratentorial compartment from an expanding posterior fossa mass. It is, however, not commonly known to be associated with uncal herniation. ⋯ In the presence of stiff neck or nuchal rigidity in a patient with clinical signs of uncal herniation from a temporal arachnoid cyst, this unusual association could possibly be owing to the effect of increased pressure in the posterior fossa from massive shift of brain tissue posteriorly following a rapid rise in middle cranial fossa pressure consequent on an acute enlargement of the cyst. A false impression of acute meningeal irritation in such a situation could be quite misleading, resulting in late diagnosis and subsequently a delay in timely intervention.
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We report the experience of the FlowGate2 (FG2) as a new balloon guide catheter in endovascular stroke intervention. ⋯ Endovascular stroke intervention with the FG2 is safe and effective with good accessibility and less occurrence of distal emboli. Its trackability, stability, and luminal size make the FG2 suitable for stroke intervention.