Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2019
Clinical outcomes of normal pressure hydrocephalus in 116 patients: objective versus subjective assessment.
Objective assessment tests are commonly used to predict the response to ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Whether subjective reports of improvement after a lumbar drain (LD) trial can predict response to VP shunting remains controversial. The goal in this study was to compare clinical characteristics, complication rates, and shunt outcomes of objective and subjective LD responders who underwent VP shunt placement. ⋯ Reports of subjective improvement after LD trial in patients with NPH can be a reliable predictor of shunt response. The currently used objective assessment scales may not be sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in symptomatology after LD trial.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2019
Percutaneous glycerol rhizotomy for trigeminal neuralgia in patients with multiple sclerosis: a long-term retrospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVEThe prevalence of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS-TN) is higher than in the general population (idiopathic TN [ITN]). Glycerol rhizotomy (GR) is a percutaneous lesioning surgery commonly performed for the treatment of medically refractory TN. While treatment for acute pain relief is excellent, long-term pain relief is poorer. ⋯ The presence of periprocedural hypesthesia was highly predictive of pain-free survival (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONSPatients with MS-TN achieve meaningful pain relief following GR, with an efficacy comparable to that following GR in patients with ITN. Initial and subsequent GR procedures are equally efficacious.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2019
Cognitive performance in patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformation
A cerebral arteriovenous malformation (cAVM) can change over time and cause symptoms, but clinical studies tend to define only the patients with ruptured cAVMs as symptomatic and do not consider neurocognitive aspects prior to neurosurgical intervention. The objective of this study was to describe the neurocognitive function of patients with ruptured and unruptured cAVMs according to the Spetzler-Martin (SM) grade, flow status, and anatomical topography. ⋯ This study indicates that patients with untreated cAVMs, either ruptured or unruptured, already exhibit neurocognitive deficits, even the patients without other neurological symptoms. However, the scales used to evaluate disability in the main clinical studies, such as A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (ARUBA), do not assess neurocognitive alterations and therefore disregard any deficits that may affect quality of life. The authors' finding raises an important question about the effects of interventional treatment because it reinforces the hypothesis that cognitive alterations may be preexisting and not determined by interventions.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2019
Radiation dose to neuroanatomical structures of pituitary adenomas and the effect of Gamma Knife radiosurgery on pituitary function.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) provides a safe and effective management option for patients with all types of pituitary adenomas. The long-term adverse effects of targeted radiation to the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in relationship to radiation dose remain unclear. In this retrospective review, the authors investigated the role of differential radiation doses in predicting long-term clinical outcomes and pituitary function after GKRS for pituitary adenomas. ⋯ GKRS offers a low rate of delayed pituitary insufficiency for pituitary adenomas. Doses to the hypothalamus are low and generally do not portend endocrine deficits. Patients who are treated with a high dose to the pituitary stalk relative to the normal gland are at higher risk of post-GKRS endocrinopathy. Point dosimetry to specific neuroanatomical structures revealed that a ratio of stalk-to-gland radiation dose of 0.8 or more significantly increased the risk of endocrinopathy following GKRS. Improvement in the gradient index toward the stalk and normal gland may help preserve endocrine function.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2019
Cerebral blood flow augmentation using a cardiac-gated intracranial pulsating balloon pump in a swine model of elevated ICP.
Augmenting brain perfusion or reducing intracranial pressure (ICP) dose is the end target of many therapies in the neuro-critical care unit. Many present therapies rely on aggressive systemic interventions that may lead to untoward effects. Previous studies have used a cardiac-gated intracranial balloon pump (ICBP) to model hydrocephalus or to flatten the ICP waveform. The authors sought to sought to optimize ICBP activation parameters to improve cerebral physiological parameters in a swine model of raised ICP. ⋯ The preliminary results indicate that optimized protocols of ICBP activation may have beneficial effects on cerebral physiological parameters, with minimal effect on systemic parameters. Further studies are warranted to explore whether ICBP protocols may be of clinical benefit in patients with brain injuries with increased ICP.