Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2009
Comparative StudyUse of the h index in neurosurgery. Clinical article.
Assessing academic productivity through simple quantification may overlook key information, and the use of statistical enumeration of academic output is growing. The h index, which incorporates both the total number of publications and the citations of those publications, has been recently proposed as an objective measure of academic productivity. The authors used several tools to calculate the h index for academic neurosurgeons to provide a basis for evaluating publishing by physicians. ⋯ The h index appears to be a robust statistic for comparing academic output of neurosurgeons. Within the field of academic neurosurgery, clear differences of h indices between academic ranks exist. On average, an increase of the h index by 5 appears to correspond to the next highest academic rank, with the exception of chairperson. The h index can be used as a tool, along with other evaluations, to evaluate an individual's productivity in the academic advancement process within the field of neurosurgery but should not be used for comparisons across medical specialties.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2009
Surgical and anatomical landmarks for the perineal branch of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve: implications in perineal pain syndromes. Laboratory investigation.
The perineal branch of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve (PBPFCN) has received little attention in the literature. Because perineal pain syndromes can be disabling and pudendal nerve surgical decompression/block is often not efficacious, an anatomical study of this cutaneous nerve of the perineum seemed warranted. ⋯ Entrapment of the PBPFCN may be the cause of some forms of the perineal pain syndrome. Specific knowledge of the PBPFCN may assist surgeons in releasing and anesthetizing this cutaneous nerve of the perineum.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2009
Anatomy of the lateral intermuscular septum of the arm and its relationships to the radial nerve and its proximal branches. Laboratory investigation.
Other than very simple descriptions of the existence of the lateral intermuscular septum (LIS), the literature offers almost nothing about its detailed anatomy, relationships to the radial nerve, and proximal branches. To further elucidate its morphological characteristics, the present cadaveric study was performed. ⋯ To the authors' knowledge, the details regarding the LIS and its relationships to the radial nerve have not been reported. Such information may be of use to surgeons who operate in this region, for example, during neural repair or entrapment procedures.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2009
Long-term seizure outcomes in adult patients undergoing primary resection of malignant brain astrocytomas. Clinical article.
Seizures are a common presenting symptom and cause of morbidity for patients with malignant astrocytomas. The authors set out to determine preoperative seizure characteristics, effects of surgery on seizure control, and factors associated with prolonged seizure control in patients with malignant astrocytomas. ⋯ The identification and consideration of factors associated with prolonged seizure control may help guide treatment strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for patients with malignant astrocytomas.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2009
Case ReportsVascularized temporoparietal fascial flap for the treatment of a traumatic cerebrospinal fluid fistula in the middle cranial fossa. Technical note.
The temporoparietal fascial flap (TPFF) is a vascularized pedicle flap commonly used in head and neck reconstructions. The authors describe the use of a TPFF in repairing a large traumatic middle cranial fossa CSF fistula via a middle cranial fossa approach. ⋯ The authors recommend the use of a TPFF in treating recurrent or large middle cranial fossa CSF fistulas. The flap provides a well-vascularized thin layer that can be ideal in middle cranial fossa repair, and its proximity to the operation site is perfect as well.