World Neurosurg
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Revascularization of the upper posterior circulation (UPC), including the superior cerebellar artery (SCA) and posterior cerebral artery (PCA), may be necessary as part of the surgical treatment of complex UPC aneurysms or vertebrobasilar insufficiency. The existing bypass options have relative advantages and disadvantages. However, the use of a superficial temporal artery graft (STAg) in a bypass from the internal maxillary artery (IMA) to the UPC has not been previously assessed. We studied the surgical anatomy and assessed the technical feasibility of the IMA-STAg-UPC bypass. ⋯ The proposed bypass is anatomically feasible and provides a suitable caliber match between the bypass components. Our results provide the anatomic basis for clinical assessment of the bypass in tackling complex lesions of the vertebrobasilar system requiring revascularization.
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The aim of this international survey was to investigate the current management of patients undergoing surgery for chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) treated with low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). ⋯ Most neurosurgeons discontinue ASA treatment for at least 7 days in the perioperative period of surgical evacuation of cSDH, even though recent studies show that early ASA resumption might be safe. Thrombosis prophylaxis is administered by only 60%, even though patients with cSDH are at high risk of developing thromboembolic complications. Better evidence and guidelines are warranted because the incidence of patients with cSDH under the treatment of ASA is increasing.
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Health care-associated meningitis and ventriculitis (HCAMV) occurs in adults with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, but the prognostic impact of this infectious complication in a controlled matched study of ICH is unknown. ⋯ HCAMV has a significant prognostic impact in adults with ICH.
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The safe working zone for lateral access to the L4/5 disc space has been said to lie in the anteroposterior (AP) midpoint of the disc space due to the location of the femoral nerve at that level. However, the AP location of the psoas muscle (and thus the lumbosacral plexus within) at L4/5 is variable. A psoas muscle lying excessively anteriorly at the L4/5 disc space may preclude safe access to the L4/5 disc space from a lateral transpsoas approach. ⋯ The location of the psoas muscle in relation to the L4/5 disc space is somewhat variable. In 11% of patients, the dorsal-most aspect of the psoas muscle was located within zones II or III, likely precluding safe access to the L4/5 disc space from a lateral transpsoas approach.
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Intraoperative monitoring of cerebral microcirculation in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may predict the postoperative neurologic outcome. In this pilot study, we examined the value of a novel noninvasive real-time measurement technique for detecting changes in local microcirculation. ⋯ Our results indicate the potential benefit of intraoperative combined laser-Doppler flowmetry and spectrophotometry for predicting postoperative clinical outcomes in this small patient sample. Larger-cohort testing is needed to verify our findings and show the possible merits of this novel method.