Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2005
Case ReportsTemporary symptomatic swelling of meningiomas following gamma knife surgery. Report of two cases.
In two patients in whom gamma knife surgery was performed for meningiomas clinically significant volume increases were observed in the first 3 months after treatment. Clinical examination and various imaging studies form the basis of the report in these patients. In each case, the volume increase was temporary.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2005
Case ReportsGlossopharyngeal neuralgia treated with gamma knife surgery: treatment outcome and failure analysis. Case report.
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is a rare condition in which patients present with intractable deep throat pain. Similar to trigeminal neuralgia (TN), treatment with microvascular decompression (MVD) has been successful in both. Because gamma knife surgery (GKS) has also been shown to be effective in treating TN, it seemed reasonable to apply it to GPN. The authors present the first report of GKS-treated GPN in a patient who presented with severe, poorly controlled GPN and who refused MVD.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2005
Analyzing 3-tesla magnetic resonance imaging units for implementation in radiosurgery.
The limiting factor affecting accuracy during gamma knife surgery is image quality. The new generation of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging units with field strength up to 3 teslas promise superior image quality for anatomical resolution and contrast. There are, however, questions about chemical shifts or susceptibility effects, which are the subject of this paper. ⋯ The 3-tesla imaging unit showed superior anatomical contrast and resolution in comparison with the established 1-tesla and 1.5-tesla units; however, due to the high field strength the field within the head coil is very sensitive to inhomogeneities and therefore 3-tesla imaging data will have be handled with care.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2005
Microsurgical anatomy of cerebral revascularization. Part II: posterior circulation.
Revascularization is an important component of treatment for complex aneurysms, skull base tumors, and vertebrobasilar ischemia in the posterior circulation. In this study, the authors examined the microsurgical anatomy related to cerebral revascularization in the posterior circulation and demonstrate various procedures for bypass surgery. ⋯ Although a clear guideline for cerebral revascularization procedures has not yet been established, it is important to understand various microsurgical techniques and their related anatomical structures. This will help surgeons consider surgical indications for treatment of patients with vertebrobasilar ischemia caused by aneurysms, tumors, or atherosclerotic diseases in the posterior circulation.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2005
Gamma knife surgery for vestibular schwannoma: 10-year experience of 195 cases.
The authors conducted a study to determine the optimal radiation dose for vestibular schwannoma (VS) and to examine the histopathology in cases of treatment failure for better understanding of the effects of irradiation. ⋯ Radiosurgery had a long-term radiation effect on VSs for up to 5 years. A margin 12-Gy dose with homogeneous distribution is effective in preventing tumor progression, while posing no serious threat to normal cranial nerve function.