World Neurosurg
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Posterior cerebral artery aneurysms are rare and often optimally treated with clip reconstruction.1-3 Complex cases may require aneurysm excision with in situ reanastomosis.4-6 A woman in her early 40s presented with 2 weeks of severe headache and received a diagnosis of a thrombotic, dolichoectatic, distal right P2 aneurysm. Clip reconstruction was recommended. After providing consent, the patient underwent a right subtemporal approach. ⋯ We elected to excise the bypass, trim both P2 ends back to healthy tissue, and perform a repeat end-to-end P2-P2 reanastomosis, which ultimately resulted in successful revascularization with indocyanine green confirmation. Postoperative angiography confirmed complete obliteration of the aneurysm with stable graft patency, and the patient remained intact at her neurologic baseline through last follow-up at 6 weeks after discharge from the hospital. Video 1 demonstrates microsurgical nuances for deep end-to-end reanastomosis, as well as intraoperative troubleshooting in the setting of a complex ruptured posterior circulation aneurysm.
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Hemangioblastomas are benign World Health Organization grade 1 tumors that are relatively rare.1 They may be sporadic or found in association with von Hippel-Lindau disease. Posterior fossa hemangioblastomas arise in the cerebellar hemisphere and, less commonly, at other sites such as medullary hemangioblastomas.2-4 Their characteristic radiologic features including solid-cystic morphology and prominent vessels aid in the preoperative diagnosis.5 In this operative video, we discuss the technical nuances and steps to avoid complications while operating on a large medullary hemangioblastoma. A 19-year-old lady presented with headache, vomiting, and visual deterioration of 2 months' duration. ⋯ The patient had a left lateral gaze (sixth nerve) palsy in the immediate postoperative period, which resolved over the next 3 months. Postoperative and follow-up imaging confirmed complete tumor excision. Modern microsurgical techniques and a thorough understanding of the tumor vasculature help in performing safe and complete excision of such tumors.1,2 En bloc excision remains the mainstay of surgery for hemangioblastomas.
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Ultrafast ultrasound Doppler imaging offers a new and advantageous intraoperative method for brain lesions. Compared to the conventional color Doppler ultrasound system, the ultrafast Doppler allows us to image hemodynamics in small vasculature in an unprecedented high spatio-temporal resolution without using contrast agent. ⋯ The image also demonstrates that no abnormal vessels infiltrated the eloquent gyrus as the piamatral small vessels outlined the intact boundary. Successful removal of the nidus with full language function preservation highlights the potentials of ultrafast Doppler imaging to improve diagnostic capabilities and surgical outcomes for patients with intracranial lesions.
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Vertebrobasilar insufficiency can lead to devastating brainstem and posterior cerebral infarction without timely treatment.1 A 56-year-old man with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus presented to the clinic with right hemiparesis due to previous left cerebral hemispheric stroke. He also harbored a giant asymptomatic parieto-occipital meningioma incidentally diagnosed 2 years ago. Neuroimaging showed old left cerebral infarcts and a tumor that had remained stable in size. ⋯ Most recent follow-up examination at 3 years after surgery revealed a patent bypass graft with no new adverse cerebrovascular events. The tumor remains asymptomatic without change in imaging characteristics. Cerebral bypasses remain useful tools in carefully selected patients for the treatment of complex aneurysms, complex tumors, and ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.2-7 We demonstrate an extracranial-to-extracranial high-flow bypass to revascularize the posterior cerebral circulation using a saphenous vein graft in a patient with vertebrobasilar insufficiency.
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To investigate the value of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging in evaluating the microstructural alteration of trigeminal nerve in patients with classic trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) and its correlation with the degree of vascular compression and patient pain. ⋯ Patients with NVC had significant decreases in FA and it negatively correlated with NVC and VAS scores.