Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2016
Case ReportsA preliminary study of the clinical application of optic pathway diffusion tensor tractography in suprasellar tumor surgery: preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative assessment.
OBJECT Visual impairments are the most common objective manifestations of suprasellar lesions. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a noninvasive MRI modality that depicts the subcortical white matter tracts in vivo. In this study the authors tested the value of visual pathway tractography in comparison with visual field and visual acuity analyses. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Visual pathway DTI tractography appears to be a promising adjunct to the standard clinical and paraclinical visual examinations in patients with suprasellar mass lesions. The intraoperative findings, in particular the distance between optic tract fibers, can predict visual outcome after tumor resection. Furthermore, postoperative application of this technique may be useful in following anterior optic pathway recovery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2016
Case ReportsStratification of risk to the surgical team in removal of small arms ammunition implanted in the craniofacial region: case report.
In cases of penetrating injury with implantation of small arms ammunition, it can often be difficult to tell the difference between simple ballistics and ballistics associated with unexploded ordnances (UXOs). In the operative environment, where highly flammable substances are often close to the surgical site, detonation of UXOs could have catastrophic consequences for both the patient and surgical team. There is a paucity of information in the literature regarding how to evaluate whether an implanted munition contains explosive material. ⋯ Clinical risk factors for UXOs include assassination attempts and/or wartime settings. Specific radiological features suggestive of a UXO include projectile size greater than 7.62-mm caliber, alterations in density of the tip, as well as radiological evidence of a hollowed-out core. If an implanted UXO is suspected, risks to the surgical and anesthesia teams can be minimized by notifying the nearest military installation with EOD capabilities and following clinical practice guidelines set forth by the Joint Theater Trauma System.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialSerum biomarkers as predictors of long-term outcome in severe traumatic brain injury: analysis from a randomized placebo-controlled Phase II clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE There has been increased interest in the potential importance of biochemical parameters as predictors of outcome in severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). METHODS Of 107 patients with sTBI (age 18-65 years with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 4-8 presenting within 8 hours after injury) who were randomized for a placebo-controlled Phase II trial of progesterone with or without hypothermia, the authors serially analyzed serum biomarkers (S100-B, glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], neuron-specific enolase [NSE], tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 [IL-6], estrogen [Eg], and progesterone [Pg]). This analysis was performed using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique at admission and 7 days later for 86 patients, irrespective of assigned group. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS Serial Pg, GFAP, and IL-6 monitoring could aid in prognosticating outcomes in patients with acute sTBI. A cause and effect relationship or a mere association of these biomarkers to outcome needs to be further studied for better understanding of the pathophysiology of sTBI and for choosing potential therapeutic targets. Clinical trial registration no.: CTRI/2009/091/000893 ( http://www.ctri.nic.in ).
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2016
The falling rates of hospital admission, case fatality, and population-based mortality for subarachnoid hemorrhage in England, 1999-2010.
OBJECTIVE In this study, the authors examined trends in population-based hospital admission rates, patient-level case fatality rates (CFRs), and population-based mortality rates for nontraumatic (spontaneous) subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in England. METHODS Population-based admission and mortality data (59,599 people admitted to a hospital with SAH, 1999-2010; 37,836 people whose death certificates mentioned SAH, 1995-2010) were analyzed. RESULTS Hospital admission rates for SAH per million population declined by 18.3%, from 100.4 (95% CI 97.6-103.1) in 1999 to 82.0 (95% CI 79.7-84.4) in 2010. ⋯ It is also, in part, attributable to increased survival after SAH. The available data do not allow us to compare the effects of different treatment methods for SAH on case fatality and mortality. During the period of study, mortality rates declined by almost 40%, and it is likely that there are a number of factors contributing to this substantial improvement in outcomes for SAH patients in England.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 2016
Outcomes after surgical treatment of meningioma-associated proptosis.
OBJECTIVE Meningioma-associated proptosis (MAP) can be cosmetically and functionally debilitating for patients with sphenoorbital and other skull base meningiomas, and there is limited information on the quantitative improvement in proptosis after surgery. Because less extensive removals of tumor involving the orbit fail to reduce proptosis, the senior author has adopted an aggressive surgical approach to the removal of tumor involving the periorbita and orbit. The authors of this study retrospectively reviewed outcomes of this surgical approach. ⋯ Surgical complications were uncommon. Study results suggest that aggressive resection of MAP is well tolerated and offers superior proptosis elimination with infrequent recurrence at the orbit. Importantly, no cases of enophthalmos were noted despite the lack of formal reconstruction of the orbit.