Acta neurochirurgica
-
Acta neurochirurgica · Jan 1998
ReviewMeningioma surgery in the elderly: a case-control study assessing morbidity and mortality.
To assess the morbidity and mortality of meningioma surgery in patients over age 65 and compare our results with matched controls and with the present literature on meningioma surgery in the elderly. ⋯ Our lower morbidity and mortality rates after meningioma surgery in the elderly may be a result of patient selection, surgical technique, or excellent pre- and post-operative care by the resident staff, anesthesiologists, and nurses. It suggests, however, that elderly patients can have meningioma surgery safely.
-
Acta neurochirurgica · Jan 1998
Review Case ReportsCerebral aneurysm associated with persistent primitive olfactory artery aneurysm.
Persistent primitive olfactory artery is a rare vascular anomaly but has a clinical importance because of its high association with cerebral aneurysm. We describe a patient with bilateral persistent primitive olfactory arteries associated with an unruptured saccular aneurysm on the left persistent primitive olfactory artery. Seven reported cases with this anomalous artery including ours are reviewed and classified into two variants. ⋯ The aneurysm in variant 1 is located on the hair-pin curve at which an apparent arterial branch is sometimes absent. Two patients suffer from anosmia. Persistent primitive olfactory artery should be kept in mind because of its high association with intracranial saccular aneurysms and unique clinical presentation.
-
Acta neurochirurgica · Jan 1998
Review Case ReportsOccipito-cervical fusion with the cervical Cotrel-Dubousset rod system.
Diseases and conditions which cause instability of the craniocervical junction and the adjacent upper cervical spine are relatively common and potentially life-threatening. Direct internal occipitocervical fusion (OCF) is a modern means of surgical treatment in such cases, and has some advantages over simple immobilization of the affected segments. The present study was designed to evaluate surgical handling, results, and complications with a recently developed instrumentation for OCF, the Cotrel-Dubousset rod-and-hook system (CD). ⋯ The long-term effects were, however, beneficial to most patients, as the fusion alleviated neck pain in 13 cases and improved neurological deficits in 3 of the 4 cases with pre-operative motor weakness or paraesthesia. In conclusion, internal OCF with the CD system, an implant which is easy to handle and safe for the patient, is a technique with a high rate of successful bony fusion. Since no halo placement is needed after surgery, patients have considerable gain of quality of life as compared to other standard surgical techniques.