Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2016
Probabilistic machine learning for the evaluation of presurgical language dominance.
OBJECTIVE Providing a reliable assessment of language lateralization is an important task to be performed prior to neurosurgery in patients with epilepsy. Over the last decade, functional MRI (fMRI) has emerged as a useful noninvasive tool for language lateralization, supplementing or replacing traditional invasive methods. In standard practice, fMRI-based language lateralization is assessed qualitatively by visual inspection of fMRI maps at a specific chosen activation threshold. ⋯ RESULTS Concordant results between fMRI and Wada lateralization were observed in 89% of patients. Bilateral and right-dominant groups showed similar fMRI lateralization patterns differentiating them from the left-dominant group but still allowing classification in 82% of patients. CONCLUSIONS These findings present the utility of a semi-supervised probabilistic learning approach for presurgical language-dominance mapping, which may be extended to other cognitive domains such as memory and attention.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2016
Surgical outcomes following encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis in adult moyamoya disease associated with Type 2 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE Debate exists regarding the merits and shortcomings of an indirect bypass procedure for treating adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). Considerable variation in neovascularization occurs among different organs in patients with diabetes mellitus. Here, the effect of encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis on MMD associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is evaluated. ⋯ Late postoperative stroke and posterior cerebral artery involvement were identified as predictors of unfavorable clinical outcome in both groups, while T2DM was associated with a favorable clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS Encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis is an efficacious treatment for adult patients with MMD. Patients with T2DM could achieve better collateral circulation and clinical improvement following surgery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2016
Insufficient platelet inhibition and thromboembolic complications in patients with intracranial aneurysms after stent placement.
OBJECT Insufficient platelet inhibition has been associated with an increased incidence of thromboembolic complications in cardiology patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Data regarding the relationship between insufficient platelet inhibition and thromboembolic complications in patients undergoing neurovascular procedures remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of insufficient platelet inhibition and thromboembolic complications in patients with intracranial aneurysm undergoing stent treatment. ⋯ The maximum amplitude and ADP inhibition percentage were independent risk factors for thromboembolic complications during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS The ADP inhibition percentage is related to thromboembolic complications after stent placement for intracranial aneurysms. The increase of the ADP inhibition may decrease the risk of thromboembolic complications.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2016
Hemodynamic and morphological characteristics of unruptured posterior communicating artery aneurysms with oculomotor nerve palsy.
OBJECT Unruptured posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms with oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) have a very high risk of rupture. This study investigated the hemodynamic and morphological characteristics of intracranial aneurysms with high rupture risk by analyzing PCoA aneurysms with ONP. METHODS Fourteen unruptured PCoA aneurysms with ONP, 33 ruptured PCoA aneurysms, and 21 asymptomatic unruptured PCoA aneurysms were included in this study. ⋯ No morphological or hemodynamic parameters differed between the ONP group and the ruptured group. CONCLUSIONS Unruptured PCoA aneurysms with ONP demonstrated a distinctive morphological-hemodynamic pattern that was significantly different compared with asymptomatic unruptured PCoA aneurysms and was similar to ruptured PCoA aneurysms. The larger size, more irregular shape, and lower WSS might be related to the high rupture risk of PCoA aneurysms.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2016
A cadaveric microanatomical study of the fascicular topography of the brachial plexus.
OBJECT Mapping of the fascicular anatomy of the brachial plexus could provide the nerve surgeon with knowledge of fascicular orientation in spinal nerves of the brachial plexus. This knowledge might improve the surgical outcome of nerve grafting in brachial plexus injuries by anastomosing related fascicles and avoiding possible axonal misrouting. The objective of this study was to map the fascicular topography in the spinal nerves of the brachial plexus. ⋯ Overall, 4% of the plexus supplies the suprascapular nerve, 31% supplies the medial cord (comprising the ulnar nerve and medial root of the median nerve [MN]), 27.2% supplies the lateral cord (comprising the musculocutaneous nerve and lateral root of the MN), and 37.8% supplies the posterior cord (comprising the axillary and radial nerves). CONCLUSIONS The fascicular dissection and definitive anatomical localization of fascicular groups is feasible in plexal spinal nerves. The knowledge of exact fascicular location might be translatable to the operating room and can be used to anastomose related fascicles in brachial plexus surgery, thereby avoiding the possibility of axonal misrouting and improving the results of plexal reconstruction.