Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 2018
Case ReportsSurgical removal of embolic material after its unexpected migration through extracranial-intracranial anastomosis in the treatment of Barrow Type D carotid-cavernous fistula: case report.
Endovascular occlusion via the transvenous route is the favored treatment for indirect carotid-cavernous fistulas (CCFs). However, transarterial embolization can be used as an alternative method in patients with an inaccessible venous route. The authors present the case of a 49-year-old woman with a 2-month history of chemosis and proptosis in her right eye. ⋯ Unexpected Onyx migrations to the cerebral arteries were detected while injecting the embolic material. Three hours after failed attempts to retrieve the Onyx cast endovascularly, it was microsurgically removed from the right middle cerebral artery. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the surgical removal of Onyx from a normal cerebral artery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 2018
Bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in primary Meige syndrome.
OBJECTIVE Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation has been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of primary Meige syndrome. However, assessments of its efficacy and safety have been limited to several case reports and small studies. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective study to assess the efficacy and safety of bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation in 15 patients with primary Meige syndrome who responded poorly to medical treatments or botulinum toxin injections. ⋯ The authors also found that bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus immediately improved patient symptoms after stimulation and required lower stimulation parameters than those needed for pallidal deep brain stimulation for primary Meige syndrome. Four adverse events occurred in 3 patients; all of these events resolved without permanent sequelae. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide further evidence to support the long-term efficacy and safety of subthalamic nucleus stimulation as an alternative treatment for patients with medically intractable Meige syndrome.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 2018
Aneurysm wall enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging as a risk factor for progression of unruptured vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms after reconstructive endovascular treatment.
OBJECTIVE The recurrence rate of vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms (VBDAs) after reconstructive endovascular treatment (EVT) is relatively high. The aneurysm wall enhancement on high-resolution MRI (HRMRI) reportedly predicts an unsteady state of an intracranial aneurysm. The authors used HRMRI to investigate the relationship between wall enhancement on HRMRI and progression of VBDAs after reconstructive EVT. ⋯ Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that both the maximum diameter of the VBDAs and wall enhancement were associated with recurrence (p < 0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that the maximum diameter of the VBDAs and wall enhancement on HRMRI were independent risk factors for aneurysm progression (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Aneurysm size and wall enhancement on HRMRI can predict the progression of VBDAs after reconstructive EVT.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 2018
Effect of intrathecal milrinone injection via lumbar catheter on delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
OBJECTIVE Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is an important complication after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Although intrathecal milrinone injection via lumbar catheter to prevent DCI has been previously reported to be safe and feasible, its effectiveness remains unknown. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether intrathecal milrinone injection treatment after aSAH significantly reduced the incidence of DCI. ⋯ However, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups with respect to their 90-day functional outcomes (46% vs 36%, p = 0.31). The likelihood of chronic secondary hydrocephalus, meningitis, and congestive heart failure as complications of intrathecal milrinone injection therapy was also similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS In propensity score-matched groups, the intrathecal administration of milrinone via lumbar catheter showed significant reduction of DCI following aSAH, without an associated increase in complications.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 2018
Reoperation and readmission after clipping of an unruptured intracranial aneurysm: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis.
OBJECTIVE Although reoperation and readmission have been used as quality metrics, there are limited data evaluating the rate of, reasons for, and predictors of reoperation and readmission after microsurgical clipping of unruptured aneurysms. METHODS Adult patients who underwent craniotomy for clipping of an unruptured aneurysm electively were extracted from the prospective National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry (2011-2014). Multivariable logistic regression and recursive partitioning analysis evaluated the independent predictors of nonroutine hospital discharge, unplanned 30-day reoperation, and readmission. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS In this national analysis, patient age greater than 65 years, Class II or III obesity, preoperative hyponatremia, and anemia were associated with adverse events, highlighting patients who may be at risk for complications after clipping of unruptured cerebral aneurysms. The preponderance of early readmissions highlights the importance of early surveillance and follow-up after discharge; the frequency of readmission for seizure emphasizes the need for additional data evaluating the utility and duration of postcraniotomy seizure prophylaxis. Moreover, readmission was primarily associated with preoperative characteristics rather than metrics of perioperative care, suggesting that readmission may be a suboptimal indicator of the quality of care received during the surgical hospitalization in this patient population.