World Neurosurg
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Review
Factors that Affect Physiologic Tremor and Dexterity during Surgery: a Primer for Neurosurgeons.
All individuals have a physiologic tremor that may become more pronounced in periods of stress, stimulant use, or caffeine. There are few publications measuring the effects of these factors on surgeons or trainees and no comprehensive reviews. We sought to review the representative literature. ⋯ The literature evaluating tremor and its relationship to surgical performance is limited. Surgeons wishing to optimize surgical dexterity may benefit from avoiding caffeine use or fasting before operating and avoiding sleep deprivation or alcohol use the night before procedures. Those surgeons prone to anxiety or stress-related tremor may obtain a benefit from certain beta-blockers. Finally, the use of appropriate surgical ergonomics with hand or wrist steadying may improve surgical tremor and reduce fatigue.
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The resection of planum sphenoidale and tuberculum sellae meningiomas is challenging. A universally accepted classification system predicting surgical risk and outcome is still lacking. ⋯ An orbitotomy and early decompression of the involved optic canal are important for achieving gross total resection, maximizing visual improvement, and avoiding recurrence. The visual outcomes were excellent. A new classification system that can allow the comparison of different series and approaches and indicate cases that are more suitable for an endoscopic transsphenoidal approach is presented.
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Absent congenital pedicle syndrome is a posterior arch defect characterized by numerous congenital and mechanical abnormalities that result from disconnection of the anterior and posterior columns of the spinal canal. Absent congenital pedicle syndrome is a rare anomaly that is most commonly diagnosed incidentally, after evaluation of minor trauma, or after complaints of chronic neck pain. We report a case of absent congenital pedicle syndrome in a patient who presented with myelopathy and lower extremity weakness and review the literature on the surgical management of this entity. ⋯ Absent congenital pedicle syndrome is rare, and most reported cases were treated conservatively. Surgical management is reserved for patients with myelopathy or instability.
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During brain surgery, there are difficulties associated with identifying subcortical fibers with no clear landmarks. We evaluated the usefulness of cortical evoked potentials with subcortical stimuli (subcortico-cortical evoked potential [SCEP]) in identifying subcortical fibers intraoperatively. ⋯ SCEP was useful for identifying subcortical fibers and confirmed the preservation of these fibers. This technique is expected to contribute to the effectiveness and safety of resective surgery in patients with lesions close to eloquent areas.
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Case Reports
Encountering a basal vein of Rosenthal variant during the anterior transpetrosal approach.
The basal vein of Rosenthal (BVR) is important in intracranial surgery, including skull base surgery. We report a case of petroclival meningioma in which a BVR variant drained into the tentorial sinus. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe surgery using the ATPA and involving a BVR variant, in which the vein was imaged successfully preoperatively using sliding-thin-slab MIP.