Journal of neurosurgery
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2024
The influence of prior percutaneous rhizotomy on outcomes following microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia.
Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective intervention in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). How prior rhizotomy can impact long-term pain outcomes following MVD is not well understood. In this study, the authors sought to compare pain outcomes in patients who had undergone primary MVD versus those who had undergone secondary MVD after a single or multiple rhizotomies. ⋯ Percutaneous rhizotomy does not complicate outcomes following subsequent MVD for TN pain. However, patients undergoing rhizotomy before MVD may have an increased risk of postoperative facial numbness compared to that in patients undergoing primary MVD.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2024
Minimally invasive keyhole approach for supramaximal frontal glioma resections: technical note.
The authors aimed to review the frontal lobe's surgical anatomy, describe their keyhole frontal lobectomy technique, and analyze the surgical results. ⋯ Keyhole approaches enabled successful SMR of frontal gliomas without added risks. Robust anatomical knowledge and meticulous surgical technique are paramount for obtaining successful resections.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2024
Clinical outcomes after MRI connectivity-guided radiofrequency thalamotomy for tremor.
Radiofrequency thalamotomy (RF-T) is an established treatment for refractory tremor. It is unclear whether connectivity-guided targeting strategies could further augment outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MRI connectivity-guided RF-T in severe tremor. ⋯ RF-T guided by connectivity-derived segmentation is a safe and effective option for severe tremor in both PD and ET.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2024
The story of dexamethasone and how it became one of the most widely used drugs in neurosurgery.
Dexamethasone, a long-acting potent glucocorticoid, is one of the most widely used medications in neurosurgery. In this paper, the authors recount the history of dexamethasone's rise in neurosurgery and discuss its use in brain tumors in the context of emerging neuro-oncological immunotherapies. In 1958, Glen E. ⋯ As neuro-oncological treatments evolve to include immunotherapy, the immunosuppressive effects of dexamethasone are becoming an unwanted effect. The question then becomes: how does one treat the patient's symptoms if the only drug that has been used throughout history may become a detriment to their oncological treatment? Since its discovery, dexamethasone has maintained an impressive staying power in the field, acting as a standard drug for cerebral edema for more than 60 years. However, with the advent of immunotherapy, research is warranted to evaluate ways of treating symptomatic edema in the context of modern neuro-oncological therapies.
-
Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2024
Quantitative noninvasive measurement of cerebrospinal fluid flow in shunted hydrocephalus.
Standard MRI protocols lack a quantitative sequence that can be used to evaluate shunt-treated patients with a history of hydrocephalus. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI), a quantitative MR sequence, to measure CSF flow through the shunt and demonstrate PC-MRI as a useful adjunct in the clinical monitoring of shunt-treated patients. ⋯ The PC-MRI sequence provided accurate and reliable clinical measurements of CSF flow in shunt-treated patients. This work provides the necessary framework to include PC-MRI as an immediate addition to the clinical setting in the noninvasive evaluation of shunt function and in future clinical investigations of CSF physiology.