World Neurosurg
-
Surgical anterior decompression represents the treatment of choice for symptomatic irreducible ventral craniovertebral junction (CVJ) compression. With the refinement of the endoscopic techniques, the endonasal route has been proposed as alternative to the classic transoral approach to CVJ. Some reports assess the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic endonasal approaches to CVJ pathologies. ⋯ Endoscopic endonasal odontoidectomy has proven to be safe and effective in selected patients. Soft and hard palate preservation dramatically reduces the risk of postoperative velopharyngeal insufficiency. Moreover, the endonasal endoscopic approach provides a direct access to the dens. Three-dimensional high-definition endoscope, laser, and ultrasound bony curettes revealed to be useful tools for this approach that, however, remains a demanding one.
-
Noninvasive intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement would represent a major advance for patients with neurological problems. The Vittamed ICP meter is an ultrasound-based device reported to have high agreement with lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure measurement. However, previous studies included mostly patients with normal levels of ICP. The purpose of our study was to perform an independent clinical validation study of a transcranial Doppler-based noninvasive ICP meter in patients anticipated to have a wide range of ICP. ⋯ The Vittamed ICP meter had fair agreement with lumbar CSF pressure measurement. The wide limits of agreement would preclude using this version of the device as a stand-alone method for ICP determination, but may be useful if combined with other ICP screening methods. Ongoing improvements to the Vittamed hardware and software may lead to improvements in accuracy and clinical utility of this device.
-
To investigate the possible influence of risk factors on seizure outcome after surgery for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). ⋯ Many patients with drug-resistant MTS-TLE respond favorably to surgery. It is critical to distinguish among different types and etiologies of TLE when predicting outcome after surgery.
-
Optimal anticoagulation therapy (AT) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a challenging task and proper management is strongly correlated with clinical outcomes. Only limited data are available on AT after TBI and practical decision making is based on the opinion of experts. This review sought to critically assess different therapeutic options using AT and antiplatelet agents in the perioperative period after TBI. ⋯ Patients with preinjury AT with TBI require emergent neurosurgical treatment and they are also at high risk of developing thromboembolic complications or hematoma expansion. New oral anticoagulants offer a lower incidence of intracranial hemorrhage compared with warfarin. The rate of intracranial hemorrhage during new oral anticoagulants or heparin therapy is significantly lower than that with vitamin K antagonists.
-
The clinical significance of the Simpson grading system of extent of meningioma resection and its role as a predictor for recurrence of World Health Organization (WHO) grade I meningiomas have been questioned in the past, as microsurgery and knowledge of pathologic details have advanced. ⋯ When histologic grade is fixed, the Simpson grading system is the prime predictor for recurrence of meningioma after resection. Grade 0-I resection is also beneficial in cutting off antiepileptic medication in patients with convexity meningiomas. Although complete tumor resection (grade 0-I) is the goal, the surgical approach should be tailored to each patient depending on the risks and surgical morbidity.