Clinical neurology and neurosurgery
-
Clin Neurol Neurosurg · Aug 2013
Multicenter StudyProtecting facet joints post-lumbar discectomy: Barricaid annular closure device reduces risk of facet degeneration.
Lumbar discectomy is an effective treatment for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Although the majority of patients experience successful outcomes, a significant fraction will experience a recurrence of their back pain due to facet joint degeneration. Facet joint degeneration after discectomy may be the result of excessive nuclear removal, disc space narrowing, and annular injury. ⋯ CT interpretations were collected preoperatively and 12 months post-discectomy. Patients implanted with Barricaid had significantly reduced rates and grades of facet degeneration than patients without Barricaid. Reinforcing the annulus fibrosus with Barricaid during lumbar discectomy may slow the progression of facet joint degeneration.
-
Clin Neurol Neurosurg · Nov 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyDo women benefit more from systemic thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke? A Serbian experience with thrombolysis in ischemic stroke (SETIS) study.
The female sex is associated with increased stroke severity and relatively poor functional recovery. Several studies have demonstrated that women with stroke benefit more from intravenous thrombolysis compared with men, while others found the nullification of gender effect among women treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). The purpose of our study was to determine any gender differences in the efficacy and safety of systemic thrombolysis among patients with acute ischemic stroke in Serbia. ⋯ There were no sex differences in functional outcome at 90 days after the stroke among patients treated with IV rtPA. This finding might confirm that thrombolytic therapy nullifies usual sex differences in stroke outcome and suggests that women with stroke may benefit more from rtPA treatment.