Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2019
ReviewThe future of open vascular neurosurgery: perspectives on cavernous malformations, AVMs, and bypasses for complex aneurysms.
Despite the erosion of microsurgical case volume because of advances in endovascular and radiosurgical therapies, indications remain for open resection of pathology and highly technical vascular repairs. Treatment risk, efficacy, and durability make open microsurgery a preferred option for cerebral cavernous malformations, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and many aneurysms. In this paper, a 21-year experience with 7348 cases was reviewed to identify trends in microsurgical management. ⋯ Becoming an open vascular neurosurgeon will be intensely competitive. The microvascular practice of the future will require subspecialization, collaborative team effort, an academic medical center, regional prominence, and a large catchment population, as well as a health system that funnels patients from hospital networks outside the region. Dexterity and meticulous application of microsurgical technique will remain the fundamental skills of the open vascular neurosurgeon.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2019
Changes in language white matter tract microarchitecture associated with cognitive deficits in patients with presumed low-grade glioma.
The authors conducted a study to determine whether cognitive functioning of patients with presumed low-grade glioma is associated with white matter (WM) tract changes. ⋯ In patients with glioma, language deficits in repetition of speech, imprinting, and attention deficits are associated with changes in the microarchitecture of the arcuate and inferior frontooccipital fasciculi.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2019
The oculomotor-tentorial triangle. Part 2: a microsurgical workspace for vascular lesions in the crural and ambient cisterns.
Pathology in the region of the basilar quadrifurcation, anterolateral midbrain, medial tentorium, and interpeduncular and ambient cisterns may be accessed anteriorly via an orbitozygomatic (OZ) craniotomy. In Part 1 of this series, the authors explored the anatomy of the oculomotor-tentorial triangle (OTT). In Part 2, the versatility of the OTT as a surgical workspace for treating vascular pathology is demonstrated. ⋯ The OTT is an important anatomical triangle and surgical workspace for vascular lesions in and around the crural and ambient cisterns. The OTT can be used to approach a wide variety of vascular pathologies in the region of the basilar quadrifurcation and anterolateral midbrain.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2019
The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: an analysis of the senator's injuries and neurosurgical care.
On June 5, 1968, having won the Democratic Party presidential primary in California, Senator Robert F. Kennedy delivered a victory speech to supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Just after 12:15 am (Pacific daylight savings time), a lone assassin shot Kennedy 3 times at point-blank range. ⋯ Within the ensuing 26 hours, Kennedy was transported to 2 hospitals, underwent emergency surgery, and eventually died of severe brain injury. Although this story has been repeated in the press and recounted in numerous books, this is the first analysis of the senator's injuries and subsequent surgical care to be reported in the medical literature. The authors review eyewitness reports on the mechanism of injury, the care rendered for 3 hours prior to the emergency craniotomy, the clinical course, and, ultimately, the autopsy.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 2019
Continuous infusion of low-dose unfractionated heparin after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a preliminary study of cognitive outcomes.
Cognitive dysfunction occurs in up to 70% of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) survivors. Low-dose intravenous heparin (LDIVH) infusion using the Maryland protocol was recently shown to reduce clinical vasospasm and vasospasm-related infarction. In this study, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to evaluate cognitive changes in aSAH patients treated with the Maryland LDIVH protocol compared with controls. ⋯ This preliminary study suggests that the Maryland LDIVH protocol may improve cognitive outcomes in aSAH patients. A randomized controlled trial is needed to determine the safety and potential benefit of unfractionated heparin in aSAH patients.