Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2013
Risk of very early recurrent cerebrovascular events in symptomatic carotid artery stenosis.
The risk of recurrence of cerebrovascular events within the first 72 hours of admission in patients hospitalized with symptomatic carotid artery (CA) stenoses and the risks and benefits of emergency CA intervention within the first hours after the onset of symptoms are not well known. Therefore, the authors aimed to assess (1) the ipsilateral recurrence rate within 72 hours of admission, in the period from 72 hours to 7 days, and after 7 days in patients presenting with nondisabling stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or amaurosis fugax (AF), and with an ipsilateral symptomatic CA stenosis of 50% or more, and (2) the risk of stroke in CA interventions within 48 hours of admission versus the risk in interventions performed after 48 hours. ⋯ The in-hospital recurrence of cerebrovascular events was quite low, but all recurrent strokes occurred within 72 hours. The risk of stroke associated with a CA intervention performed within the first 48 hours was not increased compared with that for later interventions. This raises the question of the optimal timing of CA intervention in symptomatic CA stenosis. To answer this question, more data are needed, preferably from large randomized trials.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2013
Decompressive craniectomy for severe traumatic brain injury: is life worth living?
The object of this study was to assess the long-term outcome and quality of life of patients who have survived with severe disability following decompressive craniectomy for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ Substantial physical recovery beyond 18 months after decompressive craniectomy for severe TBI was not observed; however, many patients appeared to have recalibrated their expectations regarding what they believed to be an acceptable quality of life.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2013
Comparative StudyStereotactic radiosurgery versus stereotactic radiotherapy for patients with vestibular schwannoma: a Leksell Gamma Knife Society 2000 debate.
By definition, the term "radiosurgery" refers to the delivery of a therapeutic radiation dose in a single fraction, not simply the use of stereotaxy. Multiple-fraction delivery is better termed "stereotactic radiotherapy." There are compelling radiobiological principles supporting the biological superiority of single-fraction radiation for achieving an optimal therapeutic response for the slowly proliferating, late-responding, tissue of a schwannoma. It is axiomatic that complication avoidance requires precise three-dimensional conformality between treatment and tumor volumes. ⋯ Aggressive advertising and marketing from some of these centers even paradoxically suggests biological superiority of hypofractionation approaches over single-dose radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas. At the same time these centers continue to use the term radiosurgery to describe their hypofractionated radiotherapy approach in an apparent effort to benefit from a GKS "halo effect." It must be reemphasized that as neurosurgeons our primary duty is to achieve permanent tumor control for our patients and not to eliminate complications at the expense of potential late recurrence. The answer to minimizing complications while maintaining maximum tumor control is improved conformality of radiosurgery dose planning and not resorting to homeopathic radiosurgery doses or hypofractionation radiotherapy schemes.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2013
Cavitation-based third ventriculostomy using MRI-guided focused ultrasound.
Transcranial focused ultrasound is increasingly being investigated as a minimally invasive treatment for a range of intracranial pathologies. At higher peak rarefaction pressures than those used for thermal ablation, focused ultrasound can initiate inertial cavitation and create holes in the brain by fractionation of the tissue elements. The authors investigated the technical feasibility of using MRI-guided focused ultrasound to perform a third ventriculostomy as a possible noninvasive alternative to endoscopic third ventriculostomy for hydrocephalus. ⋯ This is the first study to suggest that it is possible to perform a completely noninvasive third ventriculostomy using ultrasound. This may pave the way for future studies and eventually provide an alternative means for the creation of CSF communications in the brain, including perforation of the septum pellucidum or intraventricular membranes.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2013
Intraventricular and lumbar intrathecal administration of antibiotics in postneurosurgical patients with meningitis and/or ventriculitis in a serious clinical state.
To date, reports on the clinical efficacy of intraventricularly and intrathecally administered antibiotics for the treatment of neurosurgical ventriculitis and meningitis in adults are limited. The authors aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the intraventricular (IVT) and lumbar intrathecal (IT) administration of antibiotics in critically ill neurosurgical patients. ⋯ Intraventricular/lumbar intrathecal antibiotics can lead to very quick CSF sterilization in postneurosurgical patients with meningitis and ventriculitis. The relapse rate of meningitis and/or ventriculitis is also very low among patients treated by IVT/IT antibiotics. Intraventricular/lumbar intrathecal administration of antibiotics appears to be an effective and safe treatment for infections of the CNS caused by multidrug-resistant organisms. In patients with signs of ventriculitis, the authors prefer the IVT route of antibiotics. This study did not prove a lower efficacy of administration of antibiotics via lumbar drainage compared with the ventricular route in patients with meningitis.