Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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Comparative Study
Diffusion tensor imaging measures of normal appearing white matter in patients who are aging, or have amnestic mild cognitive impairment, or Alzheimer's disease.
To evaluate whether cerebral white matter integrity is related to cognitive function, and whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could differentiate amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) from Alzheimer's disease (AD), 12 patients with AD, 12 with aMCI, and 12 controls were recruited for this study. Cognitive functions of all subjects were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and AD Assessment Scale - Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog). DTI studies were acquired, and fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values of normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in multiple brain regions were obtained. ⋯ MD values in the posterior region of the corpus callosum in aMCI differed from those of early AD. Significant reductions of FA values in the NAWM of the parietal lobe was observed in aMCI compared to controls. Our data indicate that the microstructural white matter integrity in the temporal-parietal lobes is gradually impaired in the progressive process of AD, and that splenium MD values could be used as a biomarker differentiating aMCI from AD.
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Comparative Study
Clinical characteristics and risk factors of chronic subdural haematoma associated with clipping of unruptured cerebral aneurysms.
Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) is an uncommon but potentially serious complication of clipping unruptured cerebral aneurysms. We conducted a study to identify the patients who are at risk of developing postoperative CSDH. The data from 713 consecutive patients who underwent clipping of unruptured anterior circulation aneurysms were reviewed, and risk factors correlated with CSDH were identified by multivariate regression analysis of demographic variables. ⋯ As in men, the risk of CSDH was significantly higher in the older women (OR 6.69, 95% CI 1.10-40.73). The interval between the aneurysm clipping and CSDH development was 0.5-6 months, suggesting that clinical observation should be continued up to 6 months after surgery. Although prognosis for patients with a postoperative CSDH complication is generally favourable, the risk of CSDH should be taken into account when considering elective clipping of unruptured aneurysms in patients ≥70 years of age.
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Case Reports
Usefulness of the coherence entrainment test for deep brain stimulation for a patient with atypical tremor.
A 40-year-old man with an anxiety disorder developed sudden-onset right-hand tremor after a fixation wire for a tibial bone fracture was removed. He manifested a resting and action tremor with an irregular pattern. ⋯ Deep brain stimulation to the left thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus abolished the tremor. We concluded that CET can determine the surgical indications for an unusual tremor that must be differentiated from that of psychogenic origin.
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Comparative Study
Outcome and prognostic factors in adult cerebellar glioblastoma.
Cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) occurs rarely in adults, accounting for 0.4-3.4% of all GBM. Current studies have all involved small patient numbers, limiting the clear identification of prognostic factors. Additionally, while few studies have compared cerebellar GBM to their supratentorial counterparts, there is conflicting data regarding their relative prognosis. ⋯ In conclusion, patients with cerebellar GBM have an overall poor prognosis, with radiotherapy and surgical resection significantly improving survival. As with supratentorial GBM, older age is a poor prognostic factor. The lack of differences between supratentorial and cerebellar GBM with respect to overall survival and prognostic factors suggests these tumors to be biologically similar.
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Ophthalmic segment aneurysms refer to superior hypophyseal artery aneurysms, true ophthalmic artery aneurysms, and their dorsal variant. Indications for treatment of these aneurysms include concerning morphological features, large size, visual loss, or rupture. Although narrow-necked aneurysms are ideal endovascular targets, more complex and larger lesions necessitating adjunctive stent or flow-diversion techniques may be suitably treated with long-lasting, effective clip ligation instead. ⋯ In the management of superior hypophyseal artery aneurysms, emphasis is placed on identifying and preserving superior hypophyseal artery perforators, using serial fenestrated straight clips rather than a single right-angled fenestrated clip to obliterate the aneurysm. Post-clipping indocyanine green dye angiography is a crucial tool to confirm aneurysm obliteration and the preservation of the parent vasculature and adjacent superior hypophyseal artery perforators. With careful attention to the nuances of microsurgical clipping of ophthalmic segment aneurysms, rewarding results can be obtained.