Journal of neurosurgery
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Case Reports Comparative StudyWhite matter fiber tractography: why we need to move beyond DTI.
Diffusion-based MRI tractography is an imaging tool increasingly used in neurosurgical procedures to generate 3D maps of white matter pathways as an aid to identifying safe margins of resection. The majority of white matter fiber tractography software packages currently available to clinicians rely on a fundamentally flawed framework to generate fiber orientations from diffusion-weighted data, namely diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This work provides the first extensive and systematic exploration of the practical limitations of DTI-based tractography and investigates whether the higher-order tractography model constrained spherical deconvolution provides a reasonable solution to these problems within a clinically feasible timeframe. ⋯ This comprehensive study shows that the most widely used clinical tractography method (diffusion tensor imaging-based tractography) results in systematically unreliable and clinically misleading information. The higher-order tractography model, using the same diffusion-weighted data, clearly demonstrates fiber tracts more accurately, providing improved estimates of safety margins that may be useful in neurosurgical procedures. We therefore need to move beyond the diffusion tensor framework if we are to begin to provide neurosurgeons with biologically reliable tractography information.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Case ReportsResting state magnetoencephalography functional connectivity in traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide. One mechanism by which blunt head trauma may disrupt normal cognition and behavior is through alteration of functional connectivity between brain regions. In this pilot study, the authors applied a rapid automated resting state magnetoencephalography (MEG) imaging technique suitable for routine clinical use to test the hypothesis that there is decreased functional connectivity in patients with TBI compared with matched controls, even in cases of mild TBI. Furthermore, they posit that these abnormal reductions in MEG functional connectivity can be detected even in TBI patients without specific evidence of traumatic lesions on 3-T MR images. Finally, they hypothesize that the reductions of functional connectivity can improve over time across serial MEG scans during recovery from TBI. ⋯ A rapid automated resting-state MEG imaging technique demonstrates abnormally decreased functional connectivity that may persist for years after TBI, including cases classified as "mild" by GCS criteria. Disrupted MEG connectivity can be detected even in some patients with normal findings on 3-T MRI. Analysis of follow-up MEG scans in a subgroup of patients shows that, over time, the abnormally reduced connectivity can improve, suggesting neuroplasticity during the recovery from TBI. Resting state MEG deserves further investigation as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for TBI.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Case ReportsIntraoperative flow cytometry analysis of glioma tissue for rapid determination of tumor presence and its histopathological grade: clinical article.
Intraoperative histopathological investigation plays an important role during surgery for gliomas. To facilitate the rapid characterization of resected tissue, an original technique of intraoperative flow cytometry (iFC) was established. The objective in this study was evaluation of this technique's efficacy for rapidly determining tumor presence in the surgical biopsy sample and WHO histopathological grade of the neoplasm. ⋯ Results of this study demonstrate that iFC with the determination of the MI may be feasible for rapidly determining glioma presence in a surgical biopsy sample.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Case ReportsNeurosurgical injuries resulting from the 2011 tornados in Alabama: the experience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center.
The April 27, 2011, tornados that affected the southeastern US resulted in 248 deaths in the state of Alabama. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center, the largest Level I trauma center in the state, triaged and treated a large number of individuals who suffered traumatic injuries during these events, including those requiring neurosurgical assessment and treatment. ⋯ The April 27, 2011, tornados in Alabama produced significant neurosurgical injuries that primarily involved the spine. There were a disproportionate number of patients with thoracolumbar fractures, a finding possibly due to the county medical examiner's postmortem findings that demonstrated a high prevalence of fatal cervical spine and traumatic brain injuries. The UAB experience can be used to aid other institutions in preparing for the appropriate allotment of resources in the event of a similar natural disaster.