Neurosurgery
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The realistic chances of hearing preservation and the comparability of international results on hearing preservation in complete microsurgical vestibular schwannoma resections were the focus of this study in a large patient population treated by uniform principles. ⋯ Functional cochlear nerve preservation in complete microsurgical resection should belong to the contemporary standard of treatment goals.
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Biography Historical Article
Byron Stookey: "the old lion"--an unsung giant of neurosurgery.
BYRON POLK STOOKEY, an outstanding clinician and teacher, served as Director and Chief of Neurosurgery at the Neurological Institute of New York Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Highlights of his clinical contributions include improved peripheral nerve and spine surgery and subtemporal trigeminal nerve section for tic douloureux. Through diverse activities in both the political and academic arenas of patient care, education, and research, stookey helped to build and strengthen neurosurgery between the world wars and helped to prepare the foundation for the accomplishments of recent decades.
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Prior studies on the predictive value of intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) have been performed on heterogeneous groups of patients with both temporal and extratemporal interictal spikes, lesional and nonlesional pathological findings, and variably extensive resections by different surgeons. ⋯ Electrocorticographic monitoring of interictal epileptiform activity intraoperatively is not useful in the surgical treatment of patients undergoing standard resection for medial temporal lobe epilepsy with magnetic resonance imaging evidence of mesial temporal sclerosis.
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The primary objectives of this report were, first, to determine the number and incidence of complications of transsphenoidal surgery performed by a cross-section of neurosurgeons in the United States and, second, to ascertain the influence of the surgeon's experience with the procedure on the occurrence of these complications. The secondary objective was to review complications of transsphenoidal surgery from the standpoint of their causation, treatment, and prevention. ⋯ Transsphenoidal surgery seems to be a reasonably safe procedure, with a mortality rate of less than 1%. However, a significant number of complications do occur. The incidence of these complications seems to be higher, with statistical significance, in the hands of less experienced surgeons. The learning curve seems to be relatively shallow, because a statistically significantly decreased incidence of morbidity and death could be documented after 200 and even 500 transsphenoidal operations. Better understanding of the indications for transsphenoidal surgery and improved familiarity with the regional anatomy should further lower the incidence of death and morbidity resulting from this procedure in the hands of all neurosurgeons.
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Although the incidence is low, a very small aneurysm with a thin wall and no neck arises at the superior wall of the supraclinoid portion of the internal carotid artery and is called a "blister-like" aneurysm. However, the pathogenesis of such a vascular lesion remains uncertain. ⋯ The blister-like aneurysm appeared to be a laceration of the carotid wall based on degeneration of the internal elastic lamina.