Neurosurgery
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Review Comparative Study
Effect of early surgery, material, and method of flap preservation on cranioplasty infections: a systematic review.
Infection is a significant cause of morbidity with cranioplasty procedures. However, few studies have investigated the effect of specific surgical practices on cranioplasty infection. ⋯ Analysis of the best current evidence suggests that early surgery, implant material, and method of flap preservation have no effect on the rate of cranioplasty infections.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Postoperative fever discharge guidelines increase hospital charges associated with spine surgery.
Postoperative fever is a common sequel of spine surgery. In the presence of rigid nationally mandated clinical guidelines, fever management may consume more health care resources than is reasonably appropriate. ⋯ Postoperative fever in spine surgery patients is associated with a delay in patient discharge and increases in hospital charges. Postoperative fever discharge guidelines should be regularly and publicly subjected to appropriate cost-benefit analysis.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Keep the brain cool--endovascular cooling in patients with severe traumatic brain injury: a case series study.
As brain temperature is reported to be extensively higher than core body temperature in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, posttraumatic hyperthermia is of particular relevance in the injured brain. ⋯ Intravascular temperature management stabilizes both brain and body core temperature; prophylactic normothermia reduces the otherwise extreme increase of intracerebral temperature in patients with severe TBI. The intravascular cooling management proved to be an efficacious and feasible method to control brain temperature and to avoid hyperthermia in the injured brain. We could not find a statistically significant correlation between brain temperature and ICP.
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Review Comparative Study
Prevention of ventriculostomy-related infections with prophylactic antibiotics and antibiotic-coated external ventricular drains: a systematic review.
Ventriculostomy-related infection (VRI) is a severe complication of external ventricular drain use, occurring in 5% to 23% of patients. Preventive measures for VRI include prolonged prophylactic systemic antibiotics (PSAs) and an antibiotic-coated external ventricular drains (ac-EVDs). ⋯ RCTs and observational-derived evidence support the use of PSAs throughout the duration of external ventricular drainage; similarly, the use of ac-EVDs to prevent VRI seems to be beneficial. Available data are heterogeneous and of suboptimal quality. Further research is needed to confirm the findings of this meta-analysis. There are not sufficient data to compare the protective effect of ac-EVDs and PSAs.
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Review Case Reports
Solitary paraganglioma of the hypoglossal nerve: case report.
We report the case history of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma in a 64-year-old woman. The surgical difficulties encountered in the removal of this challenging tumor are discussed and as a literature review provided. ⋯ When a case of solitary hypoglossal paraganglioma is encountered in clinical practice, the aim of management should be mainly focused on achieving a diagnosis and preserving the hypoglossal nerve function. If there is evidence of vascularity in the lesion noted on magnetic resonance imaging, a preoperative angiogram should be obtained with a view for embolization. We decompressed the hypoglossal canal and achieved good improvement in the patient's symptoms. We recommend stereotactic radiosurgery for remnant and small hypoglossal tumors and regular follow-up with magnetic resonance imaging scans.