World Neurosurg
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To recalculate biological effective dose values (BED) for radio-surgical treatments of acoustic neuroma from a previous study. BEDs values were previously overestimated by only using beam-on times in calculations, so excluding the important beam-off-times (when deoxyribonucleic acid repair continues) which contribute to the overall treatment time. Simple BED estimations using a mono-exponential approximation may not always be appropriate but if used should include overall treatment time. ⋯ BED values should be estimated by including beam-on and beam-off times. Suggestions are provided for more accurate BED estimations in future studies.
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Skull base chordoma is a rare and locally destructive malignancy which presents unique therapeutic challenges. While achieving gross total resection (GTR) confers the greatest survival advantage, the role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for patients who receive GTR remains unclear in the absence of prospective trials. Here, we aim to assess the effect of RT on survival outcomes in skull base chordoma patients who receive GTR by utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. ⋯ It remains unclear whether RT after GTR of chordoma improved survival outcomes among SEER database patients.
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To establish a new method for fast exposure of the facial nerve and hypoglossal nerve during facial nerve anastomosis surgery. ⋯ The facial nerve and hypoglossal nerve can be rapidly identified using the PBD as an anatomical landmark. The end-to-end facial-descendens hypoglossi anastomosis is a reliable facial nerve reconstruction method for patients whose facial nerve was damaged during operation.
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Cerebral myxomatous aneurysms (CMA) are intracranial aneurysms caused by cardiac myxoma. The exact mechanism underlying their development has not yet been elucidated. And an optimal treatment method has not yet been established because of rarity of the disease. In addition, most existing reports have had a short follow-up period or lack of follow-up imaging test results. The aim of this study was to provide better insights into the course and treatment options of CMAs. ⋯ Even though the natural course of unruptured, benign-looking CMAs appears to be favorable, the presence or absence of viable tumor cells in the aneurysm may promote an unfavorable disease course. In the case of large, symptomatic, and enlarging CMAs, surgical, endovascular, or combined treatment should be considered as the mortality and morbidity due to rupture might be high.
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The Internet is a source of health information for patients. Quality of information available to patients is varied and uncontrolled. Physicians should be familiar with the overall quality of the information. This review provides an evaluation of YouTube's current patient accessible health information on the topic of lumbar disc herniation (LDH). ⋯ YouTube videos pertaining to LDH were found to have low overall quality. Physicians should be cognizant about information sources readily available to patients as they may influence patient expectations and preconceptions.