British journal of neurosurgery
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In the UK approximately 4000 patients are diagnosed with brain tumours each year. Many patients undergo CT scans of the chest, abdomen and pelvis as part of the investigation of such tumours. We aimed to determine the value of CT body scans in patients with newly diagnosed brain tumours. ⋯ The ability of a specialist neuro-oncology MDT to correctly identify primary and secondary brain tumours on initial imaging is high. If the radiological diagnosis is of a secondary brain tumour, then CT body scans are essential. If the radiological diagnosis is of a primary brain tumour, then CT scans of the body are likely to add little to patient management.
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OBJECTIVE. To effectively combine functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion tensor tractography (both guided by neuronavigation) along with cortical stimulation (CS) for surgery of eloquent cortex (EC) lesions. MATERIALS AND METHOds. ⋯ Lesions directly over the EC present a special surgical challenge. The challenge lies in excising these lesions without producing any deficits. These goals may be achieved better by combined use of multimodal neuronavigation (fMRI and tractography) and intraoperative mapping with CS under awake conditions.
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OBJECTIVES. Surgical site infections (SSIs) may be devastating for the patient and they carry high economic costs. Studies of SSI after neurosurgery report an incidence of 1-11%. ⋯ We studied the prevalence of SSI after 3 and 12 months in a prospective 1-year material with standard neurosurgical procedures and found it to be 4.3% and 4.9%, respectively. The analysis of the results showed that a combination of parameters indicating a longer and more complicated procedure predicted the development of SSI. Our conclusion is that the prevention of SSI has to be done at many levels, especially with patients undergoing long surgical procedures.
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BACKGROUND. The purpose of the study was to test the suitability of supraorbital keyhole craniotomy with an eyebrow incision for obtaining olfactory bulb for therapeutic purposes. METHODS. ⋯ CONCLUSIONS. The supraorbital keyhole approach via an eyebrow incision may be applied to obtain the olfactory bulb as a source of olfactory ensheathing cells in over 60% of cases. Further verification and evaluation of the surgical handiness based on cadaver specimens is justifiable.
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OBJECTIVE. Not much is known about surgical management of patients with chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) treated with antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy. The aims of this study were to review the surgical outcomes of patients with CSDH and assess the risks of antiplatelet in their surgical management. ⋯ CONCLUSIOns. Our overall data support the safety of early surgery for patients on the preoperative antiplatelet therapy without drug cessation or platelet infusion. Patients with a previous history of infarction may need to be closely followed regardless of antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy.