World Neurosurg
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Review Case Reports
Atypical Course of Vertebral Artery Outside the Cervical Spine: Case Report and Review of the Literature.
The vertebral arteries are branches of the subclavian arteries supply blood to the posterior part of the encephalon, forming vertebrobasilar circulation. Disorders of vertebrobasilar circulation have significant clinical implications. Symptoms of these disorders include dizziness, vomiting, collapse, vision and cerebellar disorders. The vertebral artery usually ascends in the transverse foramina of the cervical vertebrae to reach the posterior cranial cavity by entering the magnum foramen. Although most often the vertebral artery enters the C6 transverse process, anatomic variation may occur. ⋯ Variability of the vertebral arteries may have clinical implications, and knowledge of its topography is important for mechanism of vertebrobasilar circulatory disorder understanding and for surgical approach to the cervical spine and neck anatomic structures.
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Review Biography Historical Article
The Life and Death of Lord Nelson: The Leader, the Patient, the Legend.
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson is perhaps the most renowned naval commander, who allowed Britain to have dominion over the sea for 100 years after his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was able to do so despite suffering from a multitude of communicable diseases and traumatic injuries, including the functional loss of his right eye, amputation of his right arm, scalp laceration, head injury, and finally a spinal injury. These injuries had permanent consequences but did not stop him from leading the charge and allowing the British to defeat the French and Spanish fleets in the decisive Battle of Trafalgar.
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Review Case Reports
Endoscopic Spine Surgery in Athletes: Case Series and Review of Literature.
Degenerative spine disease is common in athletes and can progress to requiring surgical intervention. Traditional open surgical techniques necessitate prolonged recovery time and time away from play. Newly developed endoscopic surgical techniques may promote faster healing and recovery, and increased return to play. The goal of this paper is to summarize the current evidence in return to play after spine surgery and to present our series of 3 athletes who underwent endoscopic spine surgery. ⋯ Although return to play can vary widely, case-based evidence as well as biomechanical principles support endoscopic spine surgery as a viable surgical modality for the treatment of spinal pathologies in athletes.
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Review Case Reports
Slow-Growing Pituitary Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma: Literature Review.
Tumor metastasis to the pituitary is rare, most commonly reported with either breast or lung cancer metastasizing to the neurohypophysis. Pituitary metastases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are by contrast infrequently described even within this scarce literature. We present an illustrative case of RCC pituitary metastasis 15 years after radical nephrectomy for primary disease and a review of the published literature. ⋯ We highlight the potential for delayed metastasis to the pituitary to masquerade as a macroadenoma. Imaging consistent with rich vascularity should bring the diagnosis of RCC metastasis into the differential and is important to note when planning surgical resection in such cases.
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Review Case Reports
Unstable Hangman Fracture Complicated by Vertebral-Venous Fistula: Surgical Considerations and Review of Literature.
Hangman fracture or traumatic spondylolisthesis of the axis associated with a traumatic vertebral venous fistula (VVF) is a rare entity and sparsely reported in literature. Standard recommendations for management of such rare and complex scenarios are not available and hence the strategy has to be individualized on a case-by-case basis. ⋯ This case report emphasizes the need for timely recognition and management of a VVF, which can rarely coexist with hangman fracture, and discusses the interesting surgical paradigms in the management. We also present a review of literature.