World Neurosurg
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Anticoagulant therapy is common and complicates the operative management of acute and mixed-density subdural hematomas (SDHs). The risk of reoperation inferred by anticoagulant (AC) medication and the ability of reversal agents to reduce hemorrhagic complications in patients presenting with AC-associated SDHs are not fully understood. ⋯ Anticoagulant use was not associated with an increased reoperation rate, suggesting that reversal of AC may have eliminated the hemorrhagic risk conferred by these medications. Patients on ACs were significantly older, harbored more medical comorbidities, and had a worse functional outcome at discharge.
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Although the safety and feasibility of awake craniotomy are well established for epilepsy and brain tumor surgery, its application for resection of vascular lesions, including arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and cavernomas, is still limited. Apart from the usual challenges of awake craniotomy, vascular lesions pose several additional problems. Our goal is to determine the safety and practicality of awake craniotomy in patients with cerebral vascular malformations located near the eloquent areas, using a refined anesthetic protocol. ⋯ Awake craniotomy for excision of intracranial vascular malformations located near the eloquent areas, in carefully selected patients, can facilitate resection by allowing close neuromonitoring and direct functional assessment. A balanced combination of sedative and analgesic medications can provide both adequate sedation and rapid wakeup, facilitating the necessary patient interaction and tolerance of the procedure.
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Cases of primary central nervous system lymphoma manifesting with hemorrhage are very rare, with only a few previous studies available. ⋯ We report a very rare case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma manifested with intratumoral hemorrhage. This case indicates the importance of regular clinical and radiologic follow-up, histopathologic examination, and combined treatment with high-dose methotrexate and whole-brain radiation therapy.
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Low-pressure hydrocephalus (LPH) is a relatively rare condition, and its presentation is similar to the classically seen high-pressure hydrocephalus, with headaches, cranial nerve dysfunction, ataxia, and disturbances of consciousness. Cerebral cerebrospinal fluid loss in the presence of altered brain viscoelastic properties has previously been suggested as the pathophysiologic process leading to ventriculomegaly, despite low or negative intracranial pressures and patent shunts. More recently, cerebral venous overdrainage has been proposed as a possible explanation in the pathogenesis of LPH, although its connection to lumbar punctures in patients with shunts has not been contemplated yet. The effectiveness of epidural blood patch in the management of post-lumbar puncture LPH has been shown in children but has not been reported in adults. ⋯ A blood patch can be efficient in adults with post-lumbar puncture LPH. Some symptoms may be explained by brainstem compression caused by enlarged cerebrospinal fluid spaces at the skull base. The role of cerebral venous overdrainage in the setting of post-lumbar puncture LPH is further supported.
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Dorsal arachnoid web (DAW) is a rare clinical entity with unknown etiology, and it can mimic other conditions on imaging.1,2 We present a surgical video of a patient with DAW that was misdiagnosed as ventral cord herniation. A 35-year-old woman presented with upper back pain and progressive bilateral lower extremity weakness and numbness for a few months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracic spine (T) showed ventral cord displacement with a syrinx that extended from T2-4. ⋯ On 4-month follow-up, the patient examination had demonstrated progressive improvement of her previous symptoms (weakness, numbness, and urinary retention), and the repeat MRI scan showed a significant reduction in the size of the syrinx. DAW can mimic other pathologies on preoperative imaging, such as ventral cord herniation and arachnoid cyst. The presence of "scalpel sign" and a syrinx on MRI with no arachnoid cyst on myelography support the diagnosis of DAW.