Clinical neurology and neurosurgery
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Clin Neurol Neurosurg · May 2016
Molecular and clinical prognostic factors for favorable outcome following surgical resection of adult intramedullary spinal cord astrocytomas.
Intramedullary spinal cord astrocytomas are uncommon but important entities. Aggressive surgical resection is believed to be critical to prevent subsequent neurological deterioration; however, the prognostic significance of numerous patient and molecular variables remains unclear. We sought to investigate the clinical and molecular factors associated with outcomes following surgical resection of adult spinal cord astrocytomas. ⋯ Age was the only patient variable found to have a statistically significant association with profession-free survival and no other factors were significantly associated with postoperative outcomes. These findings were limited by a relatively small sample size; thus, future studies with increased power investigating the prognostic effects of molecular characteristics could provide further clarity in identifying patients most likely to benefit from surgical resection.
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Clin Neurol Neurosurg · May 2016
The incidence of dural tears after complete resection of lumbar synovial cysts and the relation to the outcome.
Synovial cysts in the lumbar spine are uncommon causes of radicular pain. In cases where conservative treatment fails, surgical resection is recommended. Dural adhesions are common intraoperative findings; therefore, the removal of the cyst may sometimes result in dural tears. The frequency of dural tears is greater with synovial cysts than in other lumbar surgeries. Clinical parameters and characteristics seen on magnetic resonance imaging were assessed to investigate the correlation between the outcome after surgery of lumbar synovial cysts and dural tears. ⋯ Dural tears were found significantly more often in patients without a good outcome; they appear to portend a poorer prognosis. The level L5/S1 was significantly more often affected. During surgery, it should be considered whether to remove the cyst completely and risk a dural tear, or to leave residuals of the cyst wall if otherwise a good decompression is achieved.