Neurosurgery
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial
Comparative effectiveness of ventral vs dorsal surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction. ⋯ Surgery for treating CSM was followed by significant improvement in disease-specific symptoms and in HR-QOL. Greater improvement in HR-QOL was observed after ventral surgery. Dorsal fusion surgery was associated with longer length of hospital stay and higher hospital costs. The pilot study demonstrated feasibility for a larger randomized clinical trial.
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Multicenter Study
Fundamental skills for entering neurosurgery residents: report of a Pacific region "boot camp" pilot course, 2009.
Incorporation of the first postgraduate year of training into neurological surgery residencies in 2009 posed new challenges to neurosurgical educators. A "boot camp" course was held in August 2009 to introduce first year neurosurgical trainees to various fundamental cognitive and practical skills. ⋯ A fundamental skills boot camp course for first year neurosurgical trainees seems valuable.
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Review Case Reports
Hemorrhagic synovial cyst: the possible role of initial trauma and subsequent microtrauma in its pathogenesis: case report.
Intraspinal synovial cysts are uncommon causes of back and radicular leg pain. Usually associated with degenerative spinal disease, these juxtafacet cysts are usually located in the lumbar spine and may rarely undergo intracystic hemorrhage. The pathogenesis of these cysts are unclear, and risk factors that may contribute to hemorrhagic complications are largely unknown. ⋯ We present the eighth reported case of a hemorrhagic juxtafacet cyst secondary to physical trauma, the second in which the patient's symptoms acutely worsened several months after the initial insult without new trauma. We also present summary statistics of the 31 cases of hemorrhagic juxtafacet cysts reported in the literature and propose a putative mechanism that may account for the development and progression of symptoms in some patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Treatment of poststroke pain by epidural motor cortex stimulation with a new octopolar lead.
Chronic, drug-resistant neuropathic pain can be treated by surgically implanted motor cortex stimulation (MCS). The leads used for MCS have not been specifically designed for this application. ⋯ A good clinical outcome was observed in all patients except 1, suggesting that this new octopolar lead could be used for MCS therapy to treat refractory central poststroke pain.