Acta neurochirurgica. Supplement
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Acta Neurochir. Suppl. · Jan 2011
Delayed intracranial hemorrhage associated with antiplatelet therapy in stent-assisted coil embolized cerebral aneurysms.
Administration of oral clopidogrel plus aspirin is the most important regimen to reduce thromboembolic complications in stent-assisted coil embolization of cerebral aneurysm. However, such therapy may increase the risk of hemorrhage. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of two different antiplatelet regimens on hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complication rates around the stent-assisted coil embolization period. ⋯ The thromboembolic complication rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Oral administration of routine antiplatelet drugs for 3 days before stent-assisted coil embolization possibly increases the risk of delayed intracranial hemorrhage, compared to loading group. Symptomatic thromboembolic complications have no significant difference in the two different regimens.
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Acta Neurochir. Suppl. · Jan 2011
Treatment of discogenic low back pain with Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET): 24 months follow-up in 50 consecutive patients.
Degeneration of the intervertebral disc can be the source of severe low back pain. Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) is a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with symptomatic internal disc disruption nonresponsive to conservative medical care. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest that durable clinical improvements can be realized after IDET in highly selected patients with mild disc degeneration, confirmatory imaging evidence of annular disruption and concordant pain provocation by low pressure discography.
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Acta Neurochir. Suppl. · Jan 2011
Case ReportsEndoscopic surgical treatment for pituitary apoplexy in three elderly patients over the age of 80.
As the population continues to live longer, the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma-induced apoplexy becomes more common in the elderly. The standard treatment options for pituitary apoplexy are debatable. Although there is little information regarding the treatment of pituitary apoplexy in elderly patients, the optimal treatment needs to be determined for this age group. The current study examined the surgical treatment of pituitary apoplexy in three patients over the age of 80. ⋯ Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery has the advantage of visualization of the structures surrounding the pituitary gland. Moreover, the complication rate is relatively low because stress on the pituitary gland can be reduced by using this procedure. Even in patients over 80 years of age during the subacute phase, endoscopic surgical management is a good treatment candidate for pituitary apoplexy with mass lesion extension into the cavernous sinus.
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Acta Neurochir. Suppl. · Jan 2011
Neuromonitoring in intensive care: a new brain tissue probe for combined monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygenation.
the benefits of monitoring cerebral blood flow (CBF) in stroke patients are apparent. New techniques combining near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and indocyanine green (ICG) dye dilution to estimate cerebral hemodynamics are available. However, with transcutaneous NIRS and optodes applied over the skin, the signal is contaminated by extracerebral tissues. The objective is to develop a new brain tissue probe for combined monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP), CBF and cerebral blood volume (CBV). ⋯ NIR spectroscopy allows the synchronous determination of multiple parameters with one single device. By measurements in parallel with the NeMo Probe and NIRS optodes placed over the skin, new algorithms can be developed to subtract the extracerebral contamination from the NIRS signal.
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Regardless of numerous efforts there is no prophylactic treatment proven to be effective in the prevention of cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). As systemic administration of vasoactive drugs has been associated with significant side effects and insufficient efficacy, intrathecal administration of nicardipine prolonged-release implants (NPRI) has been developed. At the time of surgical clipping of the ruptured aneurysm, NPRIs are positioned next to the large cerebral arteries. ⋯ A separate patient series demonstrated the efficacy of fewer NPRIs in the perichiasmatic cistern. Further investigations were performed in comparison to coiled patients and with intraventricular implantation of NPRIs, which had a less pronounced effect. Overall, NPRIs are a most promising option for the prevention of cerebral vasospasm after SAH and large controlled trials are needed to further confirm these results.