Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2016
A matched cohort comparison of clinical outcomes following microsurgical resection or stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with small- and medium-sized vestibular schwannomas.
OBJECTIVE A randomized trial that compares clinical outcomes following microsurgery (MS) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for patients with small- and medium-sized vestibular schwannomas (VSs) is impractical, but would have important implications for clinical decision making. A matched cohort analysis was conducted to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients treated with MS or SRS. METHODS The records of 399 VS patients who were cared for by 2 neurosurgeons and 1 neurotologist between 2001 and 2014 were evaluated. ⋯ Facial function was excellent in both groups. Since patients were not randomly selected for surgery, different clinical outcomes may be of different value to individual patients. Both anticipated medical outcomes and patient goals remain the drivers of treatment decisions.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2016
Dosimetric effects of Onyx embolization on Gamma Knife arteriovenous malformation dose distributions.
OBJECTIVE Patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) subsequent to embolization suffer from elevated local failure rates and differences in adverse radiation effects. Onyx is a common embolic material for AVMs. Onyx is formulated with tantalum, a high atomic number (Z = 73) element that has been investigated as a source of dosimetric uncertainty contributing to the less favorable clinical results. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Onyx embolization appears to have a detectable effect on the delivered dose distribution. However, the small changes in dose metrics and high Gamma passing rates at 1.0%/1.0 mm tolerance suggest that these changes are unlikely to be clinically significant. Additional sources of delivery and biological uncertainty should be investigated to determine the root cause of the observed less favorable postembolization GKRS outcomes.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2016
Microinvasive tumor endoresection in combination with ocular stereotactic radiosurgery.
OBJECTIVE The use of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) as monotherapy in the treatment of uveal melanoma (UM) allows clinicians to achieve high local tumor control with low recurrence but does not prevent secondary enucleation due to glaucoma in cases of large tumors. The authors analyzed indications for tumor endoresection (ER), the time interval between irradiation and surgery, and the features and results of performing ER for UM after GKRS. METHODS Thirty-seven patients between 28 and 78 years of age (16 male and 11 female patients) with UM underwent GKRS with a dose of 70 to 80 Gy that was applied to the center of the tumor with complete immobilization of the eye during the procedure. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS As a result of this research, ER for UM after GKRS proved to be an effective method of combined eye-conserving treatment for large centrally localized or equatorial tumors at high risk of the emergence and development of toxic tumor syndrome. Perfect eye immobilization, timely ER, and multiple intraocular injections of inhibitors of angiogenesis saved not only the eye in all cases, but also useful vision in many cases. Close cooperation among radiosurgeons, ophthalmologists, and vitreoretinal surgeons is the key to effective treatment.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2016
Case ReportsTransulcal parafascicular minimally invasive approach to deep and subcortical cavernomas: technical note.
Cavernomas comprise 8%-15% of intracranial vascular lesions, usually supratentorial in location and superficial. Cavernomas in the thalamus or subcortical white matter represent a unique challenge for surgeons in trying to identify and then use a safe corridor to access and resect the pathology. Previous authors have described specific open microsurgical corridors based on pathology location, often with technical difficulty and morbidity. ⋯ In this series there was complete resection with no neurological complications. The transulcal parafascicular minimally invasive approach relies on image interpretation and trajectory planning, intraoperative navigation, cortical cannulation and subcortical space access, high-quality optics, and resection as key elements to minimize exposure and retraction and maximize tissue preservation. The authors applied this technique to 2 patients with cavernomas in eloquent locations with excellent outcomes.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2016
Clipping of previously coiled cerebral aneurysms: efficacy, safety, and predictors in a cohort of 111 patients.
OBJECTIVE With the increasing number of aneurysms treated with endovascular coiling, more recurrences are being encountered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of microsurgical clipping in the treatment of recurrent, previously coiled cerebral aneurysms and to identify risk factors that can affect the outcomes of this procedure. METHODS One hundred eleven patients with recurrent aneurysms whose lesions were managed by surgical clipping between January 2002 and October 2014 were identified. ⋯ An aneurysm size > 7 mm was a significant predictor of incomplete obliteration and retreatment (p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS Surgical clipping is safe and effective in treating recurrent, previously coiled cerebral aneurysms. Aneurysm size, location, and number of previous coiling procedures are important factors to consider in the management of these aneurysms.