World Neurosurg
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Review Meta Analysis
Neurotrauma outside the high-income setting: a review of audit and data-collection strategies.
To review the sparse literature that exists on the topic of head injury assessment and management outside high-income settings and attempt to: 1) identify strengths and weaknesses of the currently published clinical data relating to head injuries in lower-income countries; and 2) consider specific objectives for future head injury research in the resource-limited setting. If levels of excellence in neurosurgery are to be sustainably achieved outside high-income countries, there must be good systems of research and audit in place both to identify where development is needed and to evaluate the efficacy of development projects already in progress. ⋯ The use of standardized scoring systems and outcome measures is likely to improve the comparability of data between studies. A multicenter collaborative approach towards data collection in resource-limited settings may be the most efficient and productive strategy for future research.
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Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS), a nonspecific chronic inflammation of the cavernous sinus, is a rarely needed surgical manipulation, even for diagnosis, because corticosteroid therapy is markedly effective against this condition. ⋯ This article presents details of surgical findings of THS that have not been demonstrated in any previous reports.
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Conventionally, the practice of neurosurgery has been characterized by the removal of pathology, congenital or acquired. The emerging complement to the removal of pathology is surgery for the specific purpose of restoration of function. Advents in neuroscience, technology, and the understanding of neural circuitry are creating opportunities to intervene in disease processes in a reparative manner, thereby advancing toward the long-sought-after concept of neurorestoration. ⋯ One of the most exciting prospects in neurosurgery is the technologically driven field of brain-machine interface, also known as brain-computer interface, or neuroprosthetics. The successful development of this technology will have far-reaching implications for patients suffering from a great number of diseases, including but not limited to spinal cord injury, paralysis, stroke, or loss of limb. This article provides an overview of the issues related to neurorestoration using implantable devices with a specific focus on brain-machine interface technology.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparisons of 30-day mortalities and 90-day functional recoveries after first and recurrent primary intracerebral hemorrhage attacks: a multiple-institute retrospective study.
The aim of this study was to determine and compare 30-day mortalities and 90-day functional recoveries after first and recurrent primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PICH) attacks. The investigators sought to identify factors predisposing 30-day mortality and functional recovery and to compare patients after first and recurrent PICH attacks. ⋯ The factors found to predispose clinical outcome were similar in the two groups. This study shows that given optimal treatment, recurrent PICH patients can achieve the same clinical outcomes as first PICH patients.