World Neurosurg
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Sporadic spinal hamartomas in adults are extremely rare tumor-like lesions, without defined guidelines of treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate the peculiar features of this pathologic entity to support a more accurate diagnosis and management. ⋯ Spinal hamartomas in adults may sometimes account for progressive worsening of neurologic symptoms and lead to potentially irreversible neurologic deficit; therefore, prompt and adequate diagnosis and treatment are mandatory. Surgical resection represents the only curative treatment and is indicated for symptomatic lesions to achieve neurologic symptoms restoration or arrest/prevent their progressive deterioration.
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Meta Analysis
Publication Trends of Research on Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature.
The objective of this study was to analyze the trends in publications on intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy. ⋯ The rising number of ITB articles and citations indicates growing interest and expanding knowledge in this field. However, there's a notable scarcity of research from low- and middle-income countries, particularly those with high prevalence of ITB-treatable diseases. The need for more evidence to overcome potential barriers to ITB implementation is emphasized. Despite an increasing number of publications, a large proportion presented low levels of evidence, such as case reports and narrative reviews, highlighting the need for more rigorous research methods to solidify the evidence base for ITB therapy.
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Case Reports
Cervical Conjoined Nerve Root During Posterior Percutaneous Endoscopic Cervical Discectomy.
Cervical conjoined nerve root is rare, and medical imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, cannot give an accurate preoperative diagnosis.1 Treatment of cervical radiculopathy with root anomaly can be challenging. We report here a case of cervical conjoined nerve root with a 2-dimensional video. A 41-year-old woman without systemic disease presented with a 2-month history of neck and bilateral shoulder pain, upper back tightness, and left upper limb painful numbness, especially of the first to third fingers. ⋯ The 3-month postoperative follow-up Neck Disability Index was 1. Posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical diskectomy has become a favored treatment for cervical disk herniation because it offers sufficient decompression, smaller incisions, minimal blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and less postoperative pain.2,3 Nonetheless, if unexpected variation of the nerve root is noted during decompressive procedures, iatrogenic nerve root injury is a risk. Seven cases of cervical nerve root anomalies have been reported; all were found during posterior cervical surgery, which may indicate that the posterior approach provides better visualization of nerve root variants, especially in endoscopic surgery.4.
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Multicenter Study
Extent of Surgical Resection as a Predictor of Tumor Progression in Skull Base Chordomas: A Multi-Center Volumetric Analysis.
Skull-base chordomas are aggressive tumors with a propensity for recurrence/progression. Even with standard of care (SoC), 5-year recurrence rates are variable (19%-54%). This high recurrence/progression rate correlates with increased morbidity and mortality. We sought to analyze a multicenter cohort of skull base chordomas to identify predictors of progression in patients receiving SoC. ⋯ Skull base chordomas can be challenging to resect. Even though maximal resection and radiotherapy improve rate of tumor progression, many of these lesions eventually recur. We have identified a postoperative tumor volume of ≥4.9 cm3 and extent of resection of ≤81.3% in this cohort as predictors of progression in patients receiving SoC.
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Postcraniotomy pain is a common problem frequently encountered by neurosurgeons. This is typically managed with opioids; however, opioids have been shown to increase intracranial pressure by way of hypercapnia and straining from the associated constipation. Additionally, opioids can confound and mask the neurologic examination of postcraniotomy patients, as well as be the nidus for a potential opioid addiction. ⋯ Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) present as a potential solution due to their nonaddictive and analgesic properties, but utilization of NSAIDs in neurosurgical patients has been controversial given that NSAIDs alter platelet function. The degree to which NSAIDs alter platelet function and bleeding time to a clinically relevant manner has remained controversial, although several well-designed studies concluded that the utilization of NSAIDs in post-craniotomy patients does not increase the risk of postoperative bleeding. Herein, we review the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of NSAIDs with a particular emphasis on NSAID use for postintracranial neurosurgical procedure pain management.