Neurosurgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Phase II clinical trial of moderate hypothermia after severe traumatic brain injury in children.
To determine whether moderate hypothermia (HYPO) (32-33 degrees C) begun in the early period after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and maintained for 48 hours is safe compared with normothermia (NORM) (36.5-37.5 degrees C). ⋯ HYPO is likely a safe therapeutic intervention for children after severe TBI up to 24 hours after injury. Further studies are necessary and warranted to determine its effect on functional outcome and intracranial hypertension.
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Cerebral vasospasm is a devastating medical complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). It is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, even after the aneurysm has been treated. A substantial amount of experimental and clinical research has been conducted in an effort to predict and prevent its occurrence. This research has contributed to significant advances in the understanding of the mechanisms leading to cerebral vasospasm. The ability to accurately and consistently predict the onset of cerebral vasospasm, however, has been challenging. This topic review describes the various methodologies and approaches that have been studied in an effort to predict the occurrence of cerebral vasospasm in patients presenting with SAH. ⋯ To date, a large blood burden is the only consistently demonstrated risk factor for the prediction of cerebral vasospasm after SAH. Because vasospasm is such a multifactorial problem, attempts to predict its occurrence will probably require several different approaches and methodologies, as is done at present. Future improvements in the prevention of cerebral vasospasm from aneurysmal SAH will most likely require advances in our understanding of its pathophysiology and our ability to predict its onset.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of three methods of targeting the subthalamic nucleus for chronic stimulation in Parkinson's disease.
The success of subthalamic nucleus (STN) surgery for Parkinson's disease depends on accuracy in target determination. The objective of this study was to determine which of the following techniques was most accurate and precise in identifying the location for stimulation in STN deep brain stimulation surgery that is most clinically effective: direct targeting, indirect targeting using the positions of the anterior and posterior commissures, or a technique using the red nucleus (RN) as an internal fiducial marker. ⋯ The use of the RN as an internal fiducial marker for targeting the optimal region of STN stimulation was reliable and closely approximates the position of the electrode contact that provides the optimal clinical results.
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Anatomic landmarks are often quite useful in localizing structures within the human body, especially in the surgical realm. We have reviewed the medical literature and multiple texts of surgery and anatomy and culled together many anatomic landmarks regarding important nerves of the neck. This region is complicated by formidable anatomy, and a single collection of the relationships of the nerves in this region is lacking in the literature. It is our hope that this collection will serve to assist the surgeon who operates in this region of the body.
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To study the application of navigated stereoscopic display of preoperative three-dimensional (3-D) magnetic resonance angiography and intraoperative 3-D ultrasound angiography in a clinical setting. ⋯ Stereoscopic visualization enhances the surgeon's perception of the vascular architecture, and integrated with navigation technology, this offers a reliable system for identification and clipping of AVM feeders in the initial phase of the operation.