Neurosurgery
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The disciplines of microneurosurgery and cranial base surgery have reached maturity, and technical advances in the surgical management of aneurysms are limited. Although most aneurysms can be clipped microsurgically or coiled endovascularly, a subset of patients may require a combined approach. A consecutive series of patients with aneurysms in one surgeon's cerebrovascular practice was reviewed retrospectively to analyze strategies for integrating microsurgical and endovascular techniques in the management of complex aneurysms. ⋯ Evolving endovascular technologies need to be integrated into the microsurgical management of aneurysms. Multimodality approaches are best used with complex aneurysms in which conventional therapy with a single modality has failed. Revascularization remains a unique surgical contribution to the overall management of aneurysms with which current endovascular techniques cannot be used. Multimodality management should be considered an elegant addition to the therapeutic armamentarium that, through simplification and increased safety, improves the treatment of complex aneurysms beyond what is achievable by performing clipping or coiling alone.
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The technique of lateral mass screw and rod or plate fixation is a major advancement in the posterior instrumentation of the cervical spine. This technique provides rigid three-dimensional fixation, restores the dorsal tension band, and provides highly effective stabilization in patients with many types of traumatic injuries. ⋯ This technical note describes the successful placement of lateral mass screw and rod constructs with the use of a minimally invasive approach by means of a tubular dilator retractor system. This approach preserves the integrity of the muscles and ligaments that maintain the posterior tension band of the cervical spine.
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Hypomagnesemia frequently occurs in hospitalized patients, and it is associated with poor outcome. We assessed the frequency and time distribution of hypomagnesemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and its relationship to the severity of SAH, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and outcome after 3 months. ⋯ Hypomagnesemia is frequently present after SAH and is associated with severity of SAH. Hypomagnesemia occurring between Days 2 and 12 after SAH predicts DCI.
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Case Reports
Robot-assisted thoracoscopic resection of a benign mediastinal neurogenic tumor: technical note.
Robotic surgery systems were introduced recently with the objective of enhancing the dexterity and view during procedures that use a videoscope. The first case report of robot-assisted thoracoscopic removal of a benign neurogenic tumor in the thorax is presented. ⋯ This case report demonstrates the feasibility of robot-assisted thoracoscopic extirpation of a thoracic neurogenic tumor. Robot-assisted surgery may prove to be of additional value in challenging thoracoscopic surgery, such as the delicate surgical removal of benign neurogenic tumors, because of the support in manipulation and visualization during videoscopic interventions.
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Comparative Study
Radiation tolerance of functioning pituitary tissue in gamma knife surgery for pituitary adenomas.
This study is intended to contribute to a determination of the sensitivity of preserved hypophyseal function to focal radiation in pituitary adenomas. ⋯ Knowledge of the radiation tolerance of functioning pituitary structures subjected to GKS can ensure better preservation of pituitary function after irradiation. This is valid for the group of patients we studied. Our study's findings can be used as a guideline for GKS treatment of new patients with pituitary adenomas, and it can serve for comparison with the experience of other gamma knife centers.