World Neurosurg
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Are antiplatelet and anticoagulants drugs a risk factor for bleeding in mild traumatic brain injury?
Facing mild traumatic brain injury, clinicians must decide whether to perform a computed tomography (CT) scan to detect a potential intracranial hemorrhage. Many useful guidelines have been developed for the general population, but there is no general consensus about the best practice to adopt when dealing with patients on antiplatelet or anticoagulation drugs. The relatively recent introduction of new anticoagulants and second-generation antiplatelet drugs poses new challenges in this field. There are no data in the literature about the relative risk of intracranial bleeding in such categories. ⋯ Patients with a GCS score of 15 on long-term anticoagulation therapy seem to be at no higher risk for intracranial hemorrhage than are nonanticoagulated patients. On the contrary, patients with a GCS score of 15 on antiplatelet therapy seem to be more prone to developing intracranial bleeding than are the general population, with a trend to be more at risk when it comes to second-generation drugs.
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Posterior cranial fossa (PCF) hemangioblastomas are benign, highly vascularized, and well-differentiated tumors with well-described histopathologic features. Although relatively rare, this tumor is the most prevalent primary tumor of the cerebellum in adults. ⋯ The literature of adult PCF hemangioblastomas is limited and general surgical experience with such tumors is scarce because of their rarity. Rates of postoperative complications and mortality remain higher than expected. However, prognosis and surgical outcomes are generally favorable. Nevertheless, surgery of adult PCF hemangioblastomas is a demanding and challenging task.
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The aging population in industrialized countries shifts the age limit for neurosurgical interventions toward increasingly older patients. This study investigates whether octogenarians (≥80 years) stand out in outcome and incidence of perioperative complications. ⋯ Neurosurgery in octogenarians had a similar rate of severe complications, morbidity, and mortality as in matched controls. Therefore, age alone should not serve as a contraindication for neurosurgery.
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Case Reports
Risks of endoscopic temporal ventriculocisternostomy for isolated lateral ventricle: Anatomical surgical nuances.
Entrapment of the temporal horn, known as isolated lateral ventricle (ILV), is a rare type of noncommunicating focal hydrocephalus, and standard treatment has not been established. We report 2 cases of endoscopic surgery for ILV and highlight the anatomic surgical nuances to avoid associated surgical risks. ⋯ Although endoscopic temporal ventriculocisternostomy is considered a safe and less invasive procedure for treatment of symptomatic ILV, the technique is still associated with risks. To avoid complications, it is necessary to be familiar with the anatomy of the choroidal arteries and the pertinent endoscopic intraventricular orientation. Additionally, sufficient experience is required before it can be recommended as the treatment of choice.
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To study the clinical and morphologic characteristics associated with risk factors for the rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). ⋯ Morphologic characteristics, such as being located at bifurcations, being irregularly shaped, having a high AR (>1), and having a small MD (<3.70 mm), were better predictors of rupture.