Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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The vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) has been shown to provide a safe, albeit costly, treatment for intractable epilepsy. We aimed to analyze the incidence, timing, and clinical/demographic associations of revision surgery post-VNS implantation in epilepsy patients. The Thomson Reuters MarketScan database, containing data from 23-50million individuals, was used. ⋯ Implant-related revision surgeries are rare. Some events occur more often in certain follow-up years than others; none are significantly impacted by age, sex, insurance type, or geographic region. The most common reason for revision was battery replacement several years after VNS placement.
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Dramatic hemodynamic changes occur following resection of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Transcranial Doppler (TCD) records non-invasive velocity and pulsatility parameters. We undertook a systematic review to assess AVM hemodynamics including the time course of changes in velocity and pulsatility in patients undergoing AVM resection. ⋯ Furthermore, none report reproducible changes with time from treatment. TCCD appears to be a useful technique to analyze the hemodynamic changes occurring following treatment of AVM, however little data is available. This is a field of research that is appropriate to pursue.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Percutaneous bipolar radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.
Lumbar disc herniation is usually managed with conservative treatment or surgery. However, conservative therapy seldom yields good results, and surgery is associated with multiple complications. This study aimed to assess bipolar radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. ⋯ At 180days, a significantly higher efficacy rate was obtained in the experimental group compared with control patients (91.6% versus 79.7%, P<0.05). No severe complications were occurred in either group. Targeted ablation via bipolar radiofrequency thermocoagulation is efficient for lumbar disc herniation treatment, and should be further explored for broad clinical application.
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Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement is the mainstay of treatment for hydrocephalus, yet shunts remain vulnerable to a variety of complications. Although fat droplet migration into the subarachnoid space and cerebrospinal fluid pathways following craniotomy has been observed, a VP shunt obstruction with fat droplets has never been reported to our knowledge. We present the first reported case of VP shunt catheter obstruction by migratory fat droplets in a 55-year-old woman who underwent suboccipital craniotomy for removal of a metastatic tumor of the left medullocerebellar region, without fat harvesting. ⋯ Steroid treatment for aseptic "lipoid" meningitis provided symptom relief. MRI 2months later revealed partial fat resorption and resolution of the pseudomeningocele. VP shunt malfunction caused by fat obstruction of the ventricular catheter should be acknowledged as a possible complication in VP shunts after craniotomy, even in the absence of fat harvesting.
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Traditional treatment for lumbar stenosis with instability is laminectomy and posterolateral arthrodesis, with or without interbody fusion. However, laminectomies remove the posterior elements and decrease the available surface area for fusion. Therefore, a sublaminar decompression may be a preferred approach for adequate decompression while preserving bone surface area for fusion. ⋯ Preoperative and postoperative mean thecal sac cross-sectional area, right lateral recess height, left lateral recess height, right foraminal diameter, and left foraminal diameter were 153 and 209mm(2) (p<0.001), 5.9 and 5.9mm (p=0.43), 5.8 and 6.3mm (p=0.027), 4.6 and 5.2mm (p=0.008), and 4.2 and 5.2mm (p<0.001), respectively. Sublaminar decompression provided adequate decompression, with significant increases in thecal sac cross-sectional area and bilateral foraminal diameter. It may be an effective alternative to laminectomy in treating central and foraminal stenosis in conjunction with instrumented fusion.