Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2025
Impact of disease duration and surgical intervention on arousal networks in temporal lobe epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a common neurological disease affecting nearly 1% of the global population, and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type. Patients experience recurrent seizures and chronic cognitive deficits that can impact their quality of life, ability to work, and independence. These cognitive deficits often extend beyond the temporal lobe and are not well understood. It has been proposed in the extended network inhibition hypothesis that repeated spread of seizure activity to the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) may contribute to these deficits. Disease duration has been associated with other network changes in patients with TLE, but few studies have investigated the relationship between disease duration, ARAS connectivity, and cognitive deficits in TLE. Furthermore, epilepsy surgery can result in seizure freedom and cognitive improvement in some patients, but it is unclear how the surgery affects ARAS connectivity. ⋯ These findings suggest that recurrent seizures may contribute to isolation of critical subcortical activating structures, possibly impacting cognitive function. Furthermore, some ARAS functional connectivity abnormalities can be reversed if seizure freedom is achieved after epilepsy surgery. These results provide support for the extended network inhibition hypothesis, may lend insight into the progressive effect of recurrent seizures on arousal networks, and may lead to improved interventions to halt or reverse network impairments in patients with TLE.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2025
Development and validation of a radiomics-visual evoked potential nomogram for preoperative prediction of visual outcome after endoscopic craniopharyngioma resection.
Craniopharyngiomas are rare, benign brain tumors that are primarily treated with surgery. Although the extended endoscopic endonasal approach (EEEA) has evolved as a more reliable surgical alternative and yields better visual outcomes than traditional craniotomy, postoperative visual deterioration remains one of the most common complications, and relevant risk factors are still poorly defined. Hence, identifying risk factors and developing a predictive model for postoperative visual deterioration is indeed necessary. However, there is still a lack of research on these topics. Therefore, the authors used the largest known case series of EEEA for craniopharyngioma to determine pertinent risk factors and develop a nomogram for the noninvasive preoperative prediction of visual outcome. ⋯ Intraoperative VEP monitoring was proven to help reduce postoperative visual deterioration, while tight adherence and larger maximum tumor diameter were confirmed as independent risk factors. The radiomic model allowed a noninvasive prediction of the adherence strength between the optic nerves and craniopharyngioma. The nomogram showed a promising performance for noninvasively predicting postoperative visual deterioration and may serve as a useful tool for clinical decision-making and patient counseling.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2025
Posterior extent of left anterior temporal lobectomy and picture naming decline.
Recent voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) studies have identified a critical region for picture naming, located 3.4 to 6.1 cm from the temporal pole. Its resection during left temporal lobe epilepsy surgery led to postoperative decline in picture naming. However, postoperative anomia has been reported after classic left temporal lobectomy, which rarely extends so posteriorly. The aim of the present study was to evaluate patients' postoperative picture naming outcome on the basis of their precise surgical cavities in light of the recent findings from VLSM studies. ⋯ Keeping a surgical cavity anterior to the limits identified by recent VLSM studies does not protect patients from postoperative picture naming decline. Interindividual anteroposterior variability of the basal temporal language area could complete the explanation offered by VLSM.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2025
Competing pathways of intracranial aneurysm growth: linking regional growth distribution and hemodynamics.
The complex mix of factors, including hemodynamic forces and wall remodeling mechanisms, that drive intracranial aneurysm growth is unclear. This study focuses on the specific regions within aneurysm walls where growth occurs and their relationship to the prevalent hemodynamic conditions to reveal critical mechanisms leading to enlargement. ⋯ Two primary mechanisms seem to influence aneurysm growth: high-flow impingement jets in the neck, body, and inflow zones leading to wall degeneration/thinning, mainly in ACom aneurysms; and slow, oscillatory flow conditions in the dome and central flow zones promoting wall remodeling/thickening, mainly in MCA aneurysms. This latter mechanism is also observed as secondary flows in ACom aneurysms. These findings emphasize the need to understand the distinct and sometimes concurrent mechanisms of aneurysm growth, advocating for targeted monitoring and interventions that mitigate rupture risks by considering the unique hemodynamic environments within different aneurysm regions and locations.