Neurosurgery
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Review Practice Guideline
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Positional Plagiocephaly: Executive Summary.
Positional plagiocephaly is a common problem seen by pediatricians, pediatric neurologists, and pediatric neurosurgeons. ⋯ Evidence-based guidelines for the management of infants with positional plagiocephaly will help practitioners manage this common disorder. The full guidelines documents can be located at https://www.cns.org/guidelines/guidelines-management-patients-positional-plagiocephaly.
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No evidence-based guidelines exist on the role of cranial-molding orthosis (helmet) therapy for patients with positional plagiocephaly. ⋯ There is a fairly substantive body of nonrandomized evidence that demonstrates more significant and faster improvement of cranial shape in infants with positional plagiocephaly treated with a helmet in comparison with conservative therapy, especially if the deformity is severe, provided that helmet therapy is applied during the appropriate period of infancy. Specific criteria regarding the measurement and quantification of deformity and the most appropriate time window in infancy for treatment of positional plagiocephaly with a helmet remains elusive. In general, infants with a more severe presenting deformity and infants who are helmeted early in infancy tend to have more significant correction (and even normalization) of head shape. The full guidelines document can be located at https://www.cns.org/guidelines/guidelines-management-patients-positional-plagiocephaly/Chapter_5.
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Review
Emerging Applications of Therapeutic Ultrasound in Neuro-oncology: Moving Beyond Tumor Ablation.
: Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) can noninvasively transmit acoustic energy with a high degree of accuracy and safety to targets and regions within the brain. Technological advances, including phased-array transducers and real-time temperature monitoring with magnetic resonance thermometry, have created new opportunities for FUS research and clinical translation. ⋯ FUS has the potential to generate cytotoxicity within tumor tissue, both directly via thermal ablation and indirectly through radiosensitization and sonodynamic therapy; to enhance the delivery of therapeutic agents to brain tumors by transiently opening the blood-brain barrier or improving distribution through the brain extracellular space; and to modulate the tumor microenvironment to generate an immune response. In this review, we describe each of these applications for FUS, the proposed mechanisms of action, and the preclinical and clinical studies that have set the foundation for using FUS in neuro-oncology.
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Antiplatelet therapy in patients with chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) presents significant neurosurgical challenges. Given the lack of guidelines regarding perioperative management with antiplatelet therapy, it is difficult to balance the patient's increased cardiovascular risk and prevalence of cSDH. ⋯ ASA, acetylsalicylic acidCAD, coronary artery diseaseCI, confidence intervalcSDH, chronic subdural hematomaGCS, Glasgow Coma ScalemRS, modified Rankin ScaleOR, odds ratioRD, risk difference.
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Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a common disease of aging that leads to gait instability resulting from loss of leg sensory and motor functions. The results of surgical intervention have been studied using a variety of methods, but no test has been reported that objectively measures integrative leg motor sensory functions in CSM patients. ⋯ BW, body weightCSM, cervical spondylotic myelopathymJOA, modified Japanese Orthopedic AssociationSLS, single leg squat.