World Neurosurg
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To study the role of drains in lumbar spine fusions. ⋯ Drain use did not increase the risk of wound infection in patients undergoing LDF, but it had some impact on the prevalence of postoperative fever. Drain use was significantly associated with posthemorrhagic anemia and allogeneic blood transfusion. Drain use did not have a significant economic impact on hospital length of stay and charges except in lateral procedures involving three or more levels.
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Hardware-related complications of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery have been reported with adverse effects in postoperative electrode migration. We report that the addition of microtextured features to the surface of a DBS-like probe can minimize the extent of electrode migration in ex vivo porcine brain. ⋯ These preliminary results show that microtextured strips embedded into cadaveric porcine brain produce an anchoring effect on local tissue during brain shift, suggesting a way to reduce DBS lead migration without additional tissue damage beyond the strip geometry.
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Despite the increasing interest in endoscopic techniques for pituitary surgery, little has been published on the endoscopic approach for recurrent and/or residual pituitary adenomas. We report the outcome of purely endoscopic endonasal surgery for a series of recurrent and/or residual pituitary tumors after a previous microscopic resection. ⋯ The restricted exposure of sphenoidal and sellar structures by the microscopic approach may be a contributing factor to incomplete tumor resection. The results observed in this setting make the endoscopic technique a valid option in recurrent and residual pituitary adenomas treated initially by microscopic surgery.