Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2014
Hemorrhagic complications of ventriculostomy: incidence and predictors in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
Ventriculostomy--the placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD)--is a common procedure performed in patients with acute neurological injury. Although generally considered a low-risk intervention, recent studies have cited higher rates of hemorrhagic complications than those previously reported. The authors sought to determine the rate of postventriculostomy hemorrhage in a cohort of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and to identify predictors of hemorrhagic complications of EVD placement. ⋯ Advanced age is predictive of EVD-related hemorrhage in patients with ICH. While postventriculostomy hemorrhage is common, it appears to be of minor clinical significance in the majority of patients.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2014
Review Meta AnalysisStereotactic radiosurgery of brainstem cavernous malformations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Over the last two decades, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has arisen as a promising approach in the management of brainstem cavernous malformations (CMs). In the present study, the authors report a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available published data regarding the radiosurgical management of brainstem CMs. ⋯ The present meta-analysis for the radiosurgical management of brainstem CMs shows that SRS can decrease the rate of repeat hemorrhage and has a low rate of adverse effects compared with surgery. The authors suggest that SRS may be considered as an alternative treatment for brainstem CMs that are inoperable or have a high operative risk.