Neurosurgery
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an accepted treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease refractory to medication. The efficacy of this therapy has led to increasing numbers of patients receiving DBS implants. Importantly, physicians caring for patients with implantable neurostimulators must be aware of treatment guidelines for these patients, including the use of therapeutic ultrasound, diathermy, and imaging studies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ⋯ To prevent catastrophic incidents, the manufacturer's guidelines should be followed carefully because they are known to result in the safe performance of MRI examinations of patients with neurostimulation systems used for DBS.
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A case of chordoid meningioma originating in the right sylvian fissure is reported. Chordoid meningiomas are uncommon tumors. This is the first reported case of a chordoid meningioma without dural attachment arising in the sylvian fissure. ⋯ Meningiomas originate from arachnoid cap cells and can arise at locations remote from the pachymeninges. Although rare, meningiomas should be included on the differential diagnosis of sylvian fissure lesions.
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Comparative Study
Anticoagulation regimes and their influence on the occlusion rate of aneurysms: an experimental study in rabbits.
Our purpose was to determine whether anticoagulation has an influence on the occlusion rate and thromboembolic occurrence in saccular aneurysms treated with Guglielmi detachable coils. ⋯ Anticoagulation with heparin during the first days, followed by aspirin, appears unlikely to affect the occlusion rate in aneurysms. LMWH over a long period, however, could impair thrombus organization. Therefore, in regard to thrombus organization, an anticoagulation regime with aspirin seems to be superior to LMWH. This could play an important role in the prevention of thromboembolic events in humans treated with Guglielmi detachable coils.
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Comparative Study
Bromophenol blue staining of tumors in a rat glioma model.
For patients with gliomas, decreasing the tumor burden with macroscopic surgical resection may affect quality of life, time to tumor progression, and survival. Injection of bromophenol blue (BPB) may enhance intraoperative visualization of an infiltrating tumor and its margins and improve the extent of resection. In this study, we investigated the uptake of BPB in experimental rat brain tumors. ⋯ We conclude that BPB helped visualize experimental tumors at time points from a few minutes to several hours after injection. Because BPB also proved to be nontoxic to the animals at effective concentrations, we believe the compound may be potentially useful in helping neurosurgeons visualize brain tumors in humans.