World Neurosurg
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Review Case Reports
Bilateral Choroid Plexus Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. It has an indolent clinical course and favorable prognosis. Brain metastasis is uncommon and complicates about 0.1%-5% of PTCs. Metastasis to the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricles has been reported in 7 cases of thyroid malignancies, all of which were unilateral. ⋯ Metastases to the choroid plexus from extracranial tumors are very rare, with only a few cases reported thus far. A demographic analysis of these cases suggests there may be a tropism of some extracranial carcinomas, such as renal cell carcinoma, for choroid plexus, especially in the lateral ventricles. We report the eighth case of choroid plexus metastasis, but it is the first bilateral one arising from thyroid cancer.
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Affective symptoms are frequent in patients with brain tumors. The origin of such symptoms is unknown; either focal brain injury or reactive emotional distress may be responsible. This cross-sectional pilot study linked depressive symptoms and anxiety to white matter integrity. The objective was to test the hypothesis of a relationship between tissue damage and brain function in patients with brain tumors and to provide a basis for further studies in this field. ⋯ Our results suggest that neurobiologic mechanisms related to the integrity of tissue in specific white matter tracts may influence affective symptoms in patients with brain tumors, and these mechanisms can be investigated with diffusion tensor imaging. However, prospective observational studies are needed to investigate further the links between brain structures and the severity of affective symptoms in this patient population.
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There is a dearth of information on operated cases of spinal tumors in patients in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to evaluate the histologic pattern, anatomic distribution, and extent and outcome of surgery of Nigerian patients with spinal tumors. ⋯ Metastasis was the most common histologic type of spinal tumor in this study, and the most common location was extradural. The outcome was satisfactory in most cases with neurologic function remaining the same or improving after surgery in most patients.
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To quantitatively study the degree of posterior fossa crowdedness (PFC) in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) and to further investigate whether overcrowding in posterior fossa affects the efficacy and safety of microvascular decompression. ⋯ Patients with HFS had more PFC. PFC potentially leads to cranial nerve and vascular structure crowding, which may increase HFS risk. PFC was significantly associated with poor short-term outcomes and greater incidence of early complications but not long-term outcomes and complications.
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Most methods currently used to assess surgical skill are rather subjective or not adequate for microneurosurgery. Objective and quantitative microneurosurgical skill assessment systems that are capable of accurate measurements are necessary for the further development of microneurosurgery. ⋯ These results show the potential contribution of the system to microsurgical skill assessment. Quantitative and detailed analysis of surgical tasks helps surgeons better understand the key features of the required skills.