World Neurosurg
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Previous research has indicated that postoperative pain and functional outcomes are influenced by affective disorders, especially depression. The aim of this retrospective analysis is to assess whether pretreatment of depression before surgery improved patient-reported outcomes measures and overall satisfaction with care. ⋯ Our study suggests that in patients with depression, pretreatment with antidepressants before surgery significantly improves their perception and pain and functional disability.
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Cranioplasty is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures, yet has one of the greatest rates of infection among cranial operations. Although studies have reported on cranioplasty complications, it is unclear what factors contribute to the high rate of infection. This study aims to determine which patient characteristics and operative factors lead to postcranioplasty infections. ⋯ Although wound dehiscence and postoperative fluid collections were associated significantly with infection in this study, the number in each sample size was small, and further studies with a larger number of patients in each subgroup is necessary to validate our findings.
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To analyze the results of transsphenoidal surgery in patients with Cushing disease and outcome. ⋯ Transsphenoidal surgery is a safe and highly efficient procedure in the treatment of Cushing disease. Macroadenomas, cavernous sinus invasion, and harder tumor consistencies, however, are associated with lower remission rates (higher disease persistence) and younger age, higher preoperative cortisol levels, and longer follow-up periods are associated with higher recurrence.
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Although prolactinomas are treated effectively with dopamine agonists, some have proposed curative surgical resection for select cases of microprolactinomas to avoid life-long medical therapy. We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing transsphenoidal surgery (either microsurgical or endoscopic) and medical therapy (either bromocriptine or cabergoline) with decision analysis modeling. ⋯ On the basis of the results of our model, transsphenoidal surgical resection of microprolactinomas, either microsurgical or endoscopic, appears to be more cost-effective than life-long medical therapy in young patients with life expectancy greater than 10 years. We caution that surgical resection for microprolactinomas be performed only in select cases by experienced pituitary surgeons at high-volume centers with high biochemical cure rates and low complication rates.
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Oxidative stress is thought to participate in the pathobiology of secondary brain injury after acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study posits that oxidative stress levels in acute TBI are predictive of outcome. ⋯ Quantifying biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status of serum correlate with trauma severity and may be used to predict outcomes after TBI. Higher serum GSH levels on admission are associated with better outcome.