Neurosurgery
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Wide-necked cerebral aneurysms in the setting of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remain difficult to treat with endovascular methods despite recent progress in the neuroendovascular field. ⋯ Comaneci-assisted embolization of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms in patients presenting with acute SAH is associated with high procedural safety and adequate occlusion rates. Furthermore, dual antiplatelet therapy can be safely avoided in this patient group.
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Occipital arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) carry a high risk of postoperative morbidity because of their anatomic relation to the visual cortex and optic radiations. Data regarding endovascular management of these lesions are scant. ⋯ EVT of occipital AVM carries a non-negligible rate of complications, especially regarding visual functions.
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Established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Open Payments Database (OPD) has reported industry payments to physicians since August 2013. ⋯ From 2014 to 2018, payments to academic neurosurgeons have increased in number and value. Dollars received were dependent on geography, career stage, subspecialty and gender.
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Spine surgery has been transformed by the growth of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) procedures. Previous studies agree that MIS has shorter hospitalization and faster recovery time when compared to conventional open surgery. However, the reoperation and readmission rates between the 2 techniques have yet to be well characterized. ⋯ The use of minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of lumbar spine pathology does not result in increased reoperation or 30- and 90-d readmission rates when compared to open approaches. Patients under the age of 60 yr undergoing MIS procedures were less likely to be discharged to rehab.
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Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a fatal childhood brain tumor and the majority of patients die within 2 yr after initial diagnosis. Factors that contribute to the dismal prognosis of these patients include the infiltrative nature and anatomic location in an eloquent area of the brain, which precludes total surgical resection, and the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which reduces the distribution of systemically administered agents. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a direct infusion technique to deliver therapeutic agents into a target site in the brain and able to deliver a high concentration drug to the infusion site without systemic toxicities. ⋯ Our results indicate that CED of an EZH2 inhibitor is a promising strategy to bypass the BBB and to increase the efficacy of an EZH2 inhibitor for the treatment of DIPG.