Asian journal of neurosurgery
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Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a syndrome characterized by increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in the absence of an identifiable cause, and if untreated, can result in permanent vision loss. In symptomatic IIH patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion can lower ICP and protect vision; however, currently used CSF diversion systems are prone to malfunction in this population. ⋯ This technique may hold promise as an alternative shunting strategy in IIH patients with numerous proximal shunt failures or who are poor candidates for ventricular and lumbar shunts.
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Induced hypothermia for treatment of traumatic brain injury is controversial. Since many pathways involved in the pathophysiology of secondary brain injury are temperature dependent, regional brain hypothermia is thought capable to mitigate those processes. The objectives of this study are to assess the therapeutic effects and complications of regional brain cooling in severe head injury with Glasgow coma scale (GCS) 6-7. ⋯ Data from this pilot study imply direct regional brain hypothermia appears safe, feasible and maybe beneficial in treating severely head-injured patients.