World Neurosurg
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Three-dimensional (3D) printing holds promise for a wide variety of biomedical applications, from surgical planning, practicing, and teaching to creating implantable devices. The growth of this cheap and easy additive manufacturing technology in orthopedic, plastic, and vascular surgery has been explosive; however, its potential in the field of neurosurgery remains underexplored. A major limitation is that current technologies are unable to directly print ultrasoft materials like human brain tissue. ⋯ With minor refinements, personalized, deformable brain models created via 3D printing will improve surgical training and preoperative planning with the ultimate goal to provide accurate, customized, high-precision treatment.
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Spontaneous or idiopathic intramedullary bleeding is a very rare event in pediatric patients. This diagnosis requires an extended clinical, laboratory, and radiologic work-up to rule out all potential causes of hematomyelia. However, children may present with hematomyelia or spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality even after a minor trauma. ⋯ We discuss the differential diagnosis of intramedullary bleeding in children, focusing on the diagnostic protocol and therapeutic options in this age group.
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Options for anticoagulation have been expanding constantly during the past few years, providing a greater number of agents for prevention and management of thromboembolic disease. Although heparins and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) has been used extensively for many decades, their narrow therapeutic range, interactions with other medications and food, and the need for routine monitoring of blood levels have led to the search for less problematic alternatives. Direct oral anticoagulants represent an important advance in anticoagulation therapy, directly inhibiting thrombin (dabigatran) or factor Xa (rivaroxaban, apixaban) they represent an effective and safe alternatives to VKAs and heparins in the prevention and treatment of several thromboembolic disorders. ⋯ Reversal agents are approved for some and under development for others, concerns over the lack of antidotes or difficulty in obtaining them has tempered enthusiasm for their use because of the perception of better safety with heparins and VKAs as a result of the availability of effective reversal strategies. Appropriate use of these agents requires knowledge of their individual characteristics, mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, ways of monitoring, and when needed, manage patients in need of urgent surgery especially in life-threatening bleeds. This article provides a suggested comprehensive approach to manage patients with intracranial hemorrhage while on direct oral anticoagulants who require an urgent surgical intervention and who cannot wait for plasma concentration to decline.
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This study compared the radiologic and clinical outcomes of kyphoplasty with intravertebral reduction device (IRD) and vertebroplasty (VP) in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). ⋯ Our findings reveal significantly more efficient height restoration and kyphosis correction and fewer refractures in the IRD group. IRD may not increase the risk of adjacent or nonadjacent fractures.
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The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate patients treated for traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to determine how multiple organ trauma (MOT) and lung injuries sustained at the time of initial injury affect outcome. ⋯ Age, GCS, Injury Severity Score, and critical head injuries (AIS ≥5) were significant tools in predicting outcome in this patient cohort. MOT and traumatic lung injury may cause significant damage to a patient suffering from a severe TBI, but these injuries do not predict mortality in this patient population.