Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2018
Multicenter StudyAssociations between endothelin polymorphisms and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, clinical vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and functional outcome.
OBJECTIVE Endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor, and its receptors may be involved in the pathogenesis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), clinical vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and functional outcome following aSAH. In the present study, common endothelin single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their relation to aSAH were evaluated. METHODS Blood samples from all patients enrolled in the Cerebral Aneurysm Renin Angiotensin System (CARAS) study were used for genetic evaluation. ⋯ Endothelin SNPs were not associated with DCI or functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS Common endothelin SNPs were found to be associated with presentation with aSAH and clinical vasospasm. Further studies are required to elucidate the relevant pathophysiology and its potential implications in the treatment of patients with aSAH.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2018
Multicenter StudyClinical outcomes of an endoscopic transclival and transpetrosal approach for primary skull base malignancies involving the clivus.
OBJECTIVE The endoscopic endonasal approach for treating primary skull base malignancies involving the clivus is a formidable task. The authors hypothesized that tumor involvement of nearby critical anatomical structures creates hurdles to endoscopic gross-total resection (GTR). The aim of this study was to retrospectively review the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent an endoscopic endonasal approach to treat primary malignancies involving the clivus and to analyze prognostic factors for GTR. ⋯ In addition, the laterality of the tumor was found to be a statistically significant predictor in multivariate analysis (OR 41.16, 95% CI 1.12-1512.65; p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS An endoscopic endonasal approach can provide favorable clinical and surgical outcomes. However, the tumor laterality should be considered as a potential obstacle to total removal.