Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2016
Review Meta AnalysisAssociation of traumatic brain injury with subsequent neurological and psychiatric disease: a meta-analysis.
Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, and other illnesses. This study's objective was to determine the association of prior mild TBI with the subsequent diagnosis (that is, at least 1 year postinjury) of neurological or psychiatric disease. ⋯ History of TBI, including mild TBI, is associated with the development of neurological and psychiatric illness. This finding indicates that either TBI is a risk factor for heterogeneous pathological processes or that TBI may contribute to a common pathological mechanism.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialA double-blind randomized trial on the clinical effect of different shunt valve settings in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.
The study aim was to examine the effect of gradually reducing the opening pressure on symptoms and signs in the shunt treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). ⋯ Gradual reduction of the valve setting from 20 to 4 cm H2O did not improve outcome compared with a fixed valve setting of 12 cm H2O. Improvement after shunt surgery in iNPH patients was evident within 3 months, irrespective of valve setting.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2016
Microendoscopy-guided percutaneous cordotomy for intractable pain: case series of 24 patients.
The aim of this study was to show that microendoscopic guidance using a double-channel technique could be safely applied during percutaneous cordotomy and provides clear real-time visualization of the spinal cord and surrounding structures during the entire procedure. ⋯ The use of percutaneous microendoscopic cordotomy with the double-channel technique is useful for specific manipulations of the spinal cord. It provides real-time visualization of the RF probe, thereby adding a degree of safety to the procedure.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 2016
The cerebral isthmus: fiber tract anatomy, functional significance, and surgical considerations.
The cerebral isthmus is the white matter area located between the periinsular sulcus and the lateral ventricle. Studies demonstrating the fiber tract and topographic anatomy of this entity are lacking in current neurosurgical literature. Hence, the authors' primary aim was to describe the microsurgical white matter anatomy of the cerebral isthmus by using the fiber dissection technique, and they discuss its functional significance. In addition, they sought to investigate its possible surgical utility in approaching lesions located in or adjacent to the lateral ventricle. ⋯ Using the fiber dissection technique along with coronal and axial cuts in cadaveric brain specimens remains a cornerstone in the acquisition of thorough anatomical knowledge of narrow white matter areas such as the cerebral isthmus. The surgical significance of the superior isthmus in approaching the frontal horn of the lateral ventricle is stressed, but further studies must be carried out to elucidate its role in ventricular surgery.