Neurosurgery
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Meta Analysis
Characteristics and Outcomes in Pediatric Versus Adult Craniopharyngiomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Craniopharyngiomas account for 1.2% to 4.6% of all intracranial tumors. Although age at presentation is distributed bimodally, with a pediatric peak occurring between 5 and 15 years and an adult peak between 50 and 70 years, presentation, treatment, and outcome differences between these two craniopharyngioma populations have not been thoroughly characterized. ⋯ Adult and pediatric craniopharyngiomas seem to have fundamental differences in clinical presentation and functional outcomes. These patients frequently require multimodality treatment and are best managed with a multidisciplinary team and an individualized approach.
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Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease (sICAD) is estimated to cause 10% of strokes annually in the United States. However, treatment remains a challenge with several different stenting options studied in the past with unfavorable results. ⋯ Patients treated with RO-ZES had a relatively low 30-day stroke and/or death rate compared with the S-PTAS group. Further large-scale prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RO-ZES for the treatment of sICAD.
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Steroids are used ubiquitously in the preoperative management of patients with brain tumor. The rate of improvement in focal deficits with steroids and the prognostic value of such a response are not known. ⋯ A response to steroids before surgery is highly predictive of long-term improvement postoperatively in brain metastasis patients with focal neurological deficits. Lack of a response portends a somewhat less favorable prognosis. Duration and intensity of therapy do not seem to affect the likelihood of response.
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Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) assesses revascularization in pediatric moyamoya patients after surgery, but MRI and angiography (MRI/A) may provide comparable data. ⋯ Using DSA to follow moyamoya patients after indirect revascularization is generally safe but associated with a low rate of minor complications and a 6.5-fold greater financial cost relative to MRI/A. These data support changing practice to eliminate the use of DSA when following routine bilateral moyamoya cases in the absence of clinical symptoms or specific concerns. Using MRI/A as the primary postoperative follow-up modality in this select population provides noninferior care and greater patient access, while reducing cost and potentially decreasing risk.
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Congenital obstructive hydrocephalus generates progressive irreversible fetal brain damage by ventricular enlargement and incremental brain tissue compression that leads to maldevelopment and poor clinical outcomes. Intrauterine treatments such as ventriculo-amniotic shunting have been unsuccessfully tried in the eighties. ⋯ Despite the inherent difficulties arising from ovine brain anatomy, this study shows that innovative fetal ETV is technically feasible in hydrocephalic fetal lambs.