World Neurosurg
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Review
Enhancing Reality: A Systematic Review of Augmented Reality in Neuronavigation and Education.
Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly being explored as an adjunct to conventional neuronavigation systems. AR affords the ability to superimpose 3-dimensional images onto the real environment. A natural extension of this technology is to help guide neurosurgical planning and a means of stereotactic planning and guidance. Here we review the literature on the use of AR in neurosurgery with a focus on current technologies and limitations. Furthermore, we discuss this technology in the context of neurosurgical training as an educational tool. ⋯ Although various AR systems have been successfully utilized across many neurosurgical disciplines, more research is needed to improve accuracy in registration and to assess whether AR-assisted surgery is safe and effective for widespread adoption.
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Review Case Reports
The Natural History of a Patient with Sacral Chordoma: Case Report and Literature Review.
Chordomas are rare, slow-growing, locally aggressive, malignant tumors of the spine. Chordomas are conventionally treated with surgical resection with or without radiation. There is an absence of literature documenting the natural history of a primary sacral chordoma. ⋯ To our knowledge, the patient is the only documented case in the literature of an untreated biopsy-proven sacral chordoma. The patient's tumor was intended for resection, and therefore comparable with data from treated chordomas. The patient's survival is similar to the median survival in treated chordomas. The patient's survival was despite negative prognosticators, such as advanced age of the patient and high sacral location above S2.
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Neurologic complications are common complications encountered by patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). This single-center retrospective study aims to identify the incidence and risk factors of neurologic complications and interventions in patients supported with LVADs and define the associated anticoagulation management. ⋯ Neurologic complications were observed in 25% of patients supported with LVADs, of which 20% required neurosurgical intervention. Anticoagulation can be safely withheld in patients with hemorrhagic complications. Patients with ischemic complications can continue to be anticoagulated with no significant risk of hemorrhagic transformation. Length of LVAD implantation was directly related to the risk of neurologic complication. Finally, our study adds to existing literature that mechanical thrombectomy and even intravenous tissue plasminogen activator are options for LVAD patients with ischemic complications.
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Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of care for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion. However, the true safety and efficacy of MT in medium-size vessel occlusions such as the M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery have yet to be completely defined. In this study, we analyze the safety and efficacy of MT in M2 occlusions compared with M1 occlusions. ⋯ MT for M2 occlusions has similar overall efficacy to that for M1 occlusions, but with higher first-pass successful recanalization rates. MT for M2 occlusions has a higher risk of associated subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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A 49-year-old woman presented with sudden-onset headache and meningismus. Computed tomography scan revealed a posterior fossa subarachnoid hemorrhage extending from the foramen magnum to the ambient cistern. Angiography showed a pial extramedullary arteriovenous malformation (AVM) at the lateral ventral surface of the cervicomedullary junction with primary supply from the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) and dominant drainage into the anterior median perimedullary vein. ⋯ Intraoperative indocyanine green video angiography was used to define the AVM and critical en passant vessels before disconnection and to demonstrate no residual early venous filling after the in situ occlusion. Postoperative angiography demonstrated no residual arteriovenous shunting or nidiform vessels, with preservation of patency of the left PICA. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged with no significant neurologic deficits.