Neurosurgery
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Treatment of spinal and intracranial tumors with dural involvement is complicated by radiation tolerance of sensitive structures, especially in the setting of previous treatment. ⋯ Use of the P brachytherapy plaque is technically simple and not associated with increased risk of complications, even after multiple radiation courses. Local control rates were more than 80% in patients with proven radiation-resistant spinal disease.
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It is unclear whether long-term seizure outcomes in children are similar to those in adult epilepsy surgery patients. ⋯ In children, 5-year outcomes improved over 20 years of clinical experience. Our results are similar to those of adult epilepsy surgery patients despite mostly extratemporal and hemispheric operations for diverse developmental etiologies.
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The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is a 6-level outcome scale used to assess level of function in neurological disease. ⋯ The mRS-9Q is a simple, easy-to-administer survey with a custom Web-based mRS calculation and error-checking tool. The mRS-9Q can reliably determine the mRS by hard copy survey or by telephone and can be administered by experts or nonmedical study personnel. The mRS-9Q can be used to measure functional outcome in a broad population of patients with neurosurgical and neurological diseases.
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Review Case Reports
Multiple aneurysms of thoracic spinal cord arteries presenting with spinal infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage: case report and literature review.
Arterial aneurysms of the spinal cord are rare. Their pathogenesis is variable, and the therapeutic strategies remain controversial, because their natural history is unclear. We report a case of multiple dissecting aneurysms of radiculomedullary and radiculopial arteries presenting with spinal infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which spontaneously resolved. ⋯ Arterial dissections of spinal radicular arteries can resolve spontaneously and be managed conservatively. We propose a classification of the pathogenesis of spinal arterial aneurysm to clarify appropriate treatment strategies by a literature review.