Advances and technical standards in neurosurgery
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Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg · Jan 2009
ReviewDeep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders--state of the art.
A substantial number of patients suffering from severe neuropsychiatric disorders do not respond to conventional therapeutic approaches. Results from functional neuroimaging research and the development of neuromodulatory treatments lead to novel putative strategies. Recently, one of those methods, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been applied in selected patient with major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depression. ⋯ Different targets have been chosen in a hypothesis-guided way and first results have demonstrated that DBS might be able to modulate dysfunctional neural networks in both major depression and OCD. Although DBS is a unique and promising method for otherwise treatment resistant psychiatric patients, mandatory treatment standards have to be applied for patient and target selection. Therefore, a distinct focus of this review lies on ethical aspects for DBS in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg · Jan 2008
ReviewExtended endoscopic endonasal approach to the midline skull base: the evolving role of transsphenoidal surgery.
The evolution of the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal technique, which was initially reserved only for sellar lesions through the sphenoid sinus cavity, has lead in the last decades to a progressive possibility to access the skull base from the nose. This route allows midline access and visibility to the suprasellar, retrosellar and parasellar space while obviating brain retraction, and makes possible to treat transsphenoidally a variety of relatively small midline skull base and parasellar lesions traditionally approached transcranially. We report our current knowledge of the endoscopic anatomy of the midline skull base as seen from the endonasal perspective, in order to describe the surgical path and structures whose knowledge is useful during the operation. ⋯ Epistaxis and airway difficulties were never observed. It is difficult todav to define the boundaries and the future limits of the extended approaches because the work is still in progress. Such extended endoscopic approaches, although at a first glance might be considered something that everyone can do, require an advanced and specialized training.
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Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg · Jan 2008
ReviewTumor-biology and current treatment of skull-base chordomas.
Chordomas are rare, slow growing tumors of the axial skeleton, which derive from the remnants of the fetal notochord. They can be encountered anywhere along the axial skeleton, most commonly in the sacral area, skull base and less commonly in the spine. Chordomas have a benign histopathology but exhibit malignant clinical behavior with invasive, destructive and metastatic potential. ⋯ The outcome is dictated primarily by the intrinsic biology of the tumor and treatment seems only to have a secondary impact. To date we only have a limited understanding this biology; however better understanding is likely to improve treatment outcome. Hereby we present a review of the current knowledge and experience on the tumor biology, diagnosis and treatment of chordomas.
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Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg · Jan 2007
ReviewSpinal cord stimulation for ischemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease.
Ischemic disease (ID) is now an important indication for electrical neuromodulation (NM), particularly in chronic pain conditions. NM is defined as a therapeutic modality that aims to restore functions of the nervous system or modulate neural structures involved in the dysfunction of organ systems. One of the NM methods used is chronic electrical stimulation of the spinal cord (spinal cord stimulation: SCS). ⋯ In PVD the majority of the patients show significant reduction in pain and more than half of the patients show improvement of circulatory indices, as shown by Doppler, thermography, and oximetry studies. Limb salvage studies show variable results depending on the stage of the trophic changes. The underlying mechanisms of action of SCS in PVD require further elucidation.
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Adv Tech Stand Neurosurg · Jan 2007
ReviewSurgical anatomy of the petrous apex and petroclival region.
Surgical exposure of the clivus, the ventral or lateral aspect of the brain stem, and all the intradural structures of the petroclival area remains difficult because of the presence of the petrous apex and peripetrous complex. However, a lateral skull base approach to the petroclival area is the most suitable approach if the lesion to be resected lies medial to the fifth nerve, in front of the acousticofacial bundles, extending towards the midline. The purpose of this study is to review the topographic anatomy of the petrous apex and peripetrous structures, with emphasis on the relationships important to the lateral approaches to the petroclival area. Such anatomical knowledge allows us to study the surgical technique, exposure, and pitfalls of the main lateral transpetrosal skull base approaches used to reach the petroclival area.