Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2010
Does the Gamma Knife dose rate affect outcomes in radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia?
The object of this study was to determine whether the radiation dose rate affects clinical outcomes in patients who undergo stereotactic Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) to manage typical trigeminal neuralgia (TN). ⋯ The authors found that the GKS dose rate did not affect pain control or morbidity within the range of 1.21-3.74 Gy/minute. Cobalt 60 source decay did not affect outcomes of GKS for TN pain management, even for dose rates approximating a 2-half-life decay of the isotope.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialA closer look at unilateral versus bilateral deep brain stimulation: results of the National Institutes of Health COMPARE cohort.
In this paper, the authors' aim was to examine reasons underpinning decisions to undergo, or alternatively forgo, a second-sided deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). ⋯ Unilateral DBS is an effective treatment for a subset of patients with PD. Baseline asymmetry is an important factor in the effectiveness and decision-making process between unilateral and bilateral DBS. Patients with GPi DBS in this cohort were more likely to choose to remain with unilateral implantation.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2010
Case ReportsDisruption of cigarette smoking addiction after posterior cingulate damage.
The authors describe the case of a 35-year-old woman with a history of an addiction to cigarette smoking who presented with an intracerebral hemorrhage from a ruptured arteriovenous malformation. The patient reported an immediate and complete disruption of her addiction to cigarette smoking following her stroke. ⋯ Neuropsychological tests showed intact cognitive functioning. This observation suggests that the posterior cingulate cortex may play a role in the addiction to cigarette smoking.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2010
Interhemispheric hygroma after decompressive craniectomy: does it predict posttraumatic hydrocephalus?
The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of posttraumatic hydrocephalus in severely head-injured patients who required decompressive craniectomy (DC). Additional objectives were to determine the relationship between hydrocephalus and several clinical and radiological features, with special attention to subdural hygromas as a sign of distortion of the CSF circulation. ⋯ Hydrocephalus was observed in 27.4% of the patients with severe traumatic brain injury who required DC. The presence of IHHs was a predictive radiological sign of hydrocephalus development within the first 6 months of DC in patients with severe head injury.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2010
Comparative StudyMemory outcome after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery: corticoamygdalohippocampectomy versus selective amygdalohippocampectomy.
The aim of this study was to compare IQ and memory outcomes at the 1-year follow-up in patients with medically refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) due to hippocampal sclerosis. All patients were treated using a corticoamygdalohippocampectomy (CAH) or a selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SelAH). ⋯ Both CAH and SelAH can lead to several cognitive impairments depending on the side of the surgery. The authors suggest that the optimal type of surgical approach should be decided on a case-by-case basis.