Neurosurgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomized trial of synthetic patch versus direct primary closure in carotid endarterectomy.
To define whether or not direct microscopic closure with or without the use of a vascular patch is advantageous in terms of clinical outcome and late vessel occlusion rates after microsurgical carotid endarterectomy. ⋯ No difference in vessel patency and clinical outcome has been identified after microscopic patch angioplasty and direct arteriotomy repair. The authors conclude that there is no benefit from the routine use of patch angioplasty in microscopic carotid endarterectomy.
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Fifty percent of implanted cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts fail within 2 years, primarily because of obstruction of the proximal catheter. Percutaneous techniques to reduce the morbidity of shunt revision are being developed. The authors describe the development of a device that uses ultrasonic cavitation to unblock ventricular catheters. ⋯ Ultrasonic cavitation produced at the end of a fine wire that is introduced percutaneously into a CSF shunt promises to be a useful technique for minimally invasive proximal ventricular CSF shunt catheter revision.
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Case Reports
Endoscopic fenestration of a symptomatic cavum septum pellucidum: technical case report.
Cysts of the septum pellucidum (CSPs) may become symptomatic because of obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, resulting in increased intracranial pressure and hydrocephalus requiring surgical intervention. Endoscopic fenestration may be the most effective and least invasive technique to treat this pathological condition. ⋯ Neuroendoscopic fenestration should be strongly considered as the treatment of choice for symptomatic CSPs. This procedure alone can lead to complete resolution of clinical symptoms and hydrocephalus, can reduce the size of the CSP, and can obviate the need for an implantable cerebrospinal fluid shunt.
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Pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) has emerged as a powerful procedure for correcting fixed sagittal deformity. There has only been one attempt to quantify the magnitude of correction needed to restore sagittal balance; the trigonometric method for calculating the desired PSO angle is an approximation. We propose a method for calculating the exact angle required for PSO and explore how this angle differs from that obtained via the trigonometric method in illustrative cases. ⋯ The trigonometric method for calculating the PSO angle required for surgical deformity correction is an approximation, but its validity in clinical practice was confirmed by this study. The exact angle is obtained by a method centered on the apex of the PSO site. Although the difference between these angles is small, it is an important conceptual point for spine surgeons. Measurement of the exact angle is easily performed and should replace the trigonometric method for calculating the required PSO angle when standard digital measurement tools are available.
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To introduce the supratonsillar approach, an approach that traverses the tonsillobiventral fissure in a trajectory over the cerebellar tonsil to the inferior cerebellar peduncle, and to demonstrate the utility of this approach for resecting peduncular cavernous malformations. ⋯ The supratonsillar approach differs from the transvermian and telovelar approaches to the fourth ventricle, with a more superolateral trajectory that leads instead to the inferior cerebellar peduncle. By splitting the tonsillobiventral fissure and mobilizing the tonsil inferomedially, the point of access to the lesion is deepened and transgression of normal cerebellar tissue is minimized. This elegant approach is ideally suited to the removal of cavernous malformations.