Neurosurgery
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Comparative Study
Microsurgery Versus Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Arteriovenous Malformations: A Matched Cohort Study.
Microsurgery (MS) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) remain the preferred interventions for the curative treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM), but their relative efficacy remains incompletely defined. ⋯ For patients with comparable AVMs, MS and SRS afford similar rates of deficit-free obliteration. Nidal obliteration is more frequently achieved with MS, but this intervention also incurs a greater risk of new permanent neurological deficit.
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Evaluation of differences in neuropsychological outcomes in patients undergoing surgical clipping (SC) vs endovascular coiling (EC) for unruptured cerebral aneurysms is essential in guiding patients seeking treatment of asymptomatic cerebral aneurysms. ⋯ Whereas the initial decline in neuropsychological functioning was greater for SC patients, 1 yr after treatment there was no significant difference in neuropsychological outcome among the SC, EC, and healthy control groups.
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Advanced cervical spondylosis (CS) can cause structural damage to the spinal cord resulting in long-term neurological impairment including neck pain and motor weakness. We hypothesized long-term structural reorganization within the brain in patients with CS. ⋯ Patients with CS appear to exhibit cortical thinning and atrophy with worsening neurological and pain symptoms in specific brain regions associated with sensorimotor and pain processing.
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The Neurologic Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (NANO) scale is a standardized objective metric designed to measure neurological function in neuro-oncology. Current neuroradiological evaluation guidelines fail to use specific clinical criteria for progression. ⋯ The NANO scale is specific to neuro-oncology and can be used to assess patients with glioma. This retrospective analysis demonstrates the usefulness of the NANO scale in glioblastoma.
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Unplanned hospital readmissions contribute significantly to soaring national healthcare expenditures. To alleviate this burden, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented initiatives to penalize hospitals for unplanned 30-d hospital readmissions. There is a paucity of data identifying patient risk factors independently associated with 30- and 90-d readmissions. ⋯ Our study demonstrated national unplanned readmission rates after elective spinal surgery to be 7.3%. With age, insurance status, COPD, depression, hypertension, diabetes, deficiency anemia, obesity, and depression all independently associated with unplanned hospital readmission. Future solutions that focus on reducing preventable readmissions may improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.