World Neurosurg
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Review
Jacob Fidelis Ackermann (1765-1815): pioneer in the anatomical description of basilar invagination.
Jacob Fidelis Ackermann was a German Medical Doctor born in 1765 in the city of Rüdesheim. Between 1789 and 1815 years he was professor of medicine at the universities of Mainz and Heidelberg, teaching the disciplines of anatomy, physiology, botany, and natural history. ⋯ For this, he traveled through various European Alps analyzing autopsies and cranial specimens to describe the basilar invagination as an extremely inclined foramen magnum, with hypoplasia of occipital condyles, and elevation of the petrous part of the temporal bone. In his analyses, the thyroid gland dysfunction was the main etiology of the basilar invagination, in which the brainstem compression was a major pathological relevance discussed.
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Craniopharyngioma is a benign, locally invasive tumor of the sellar-suprasellar region. Surgery can be curative but may require sacrifice of the pituitary stalk, which often leads to hypopituitarism. The risk/benefit of this maneuver is not well understood. ⋯ Our review indicates that stalk sacrifice is often required to achieve a durable cure in patients with craniopharyngiomas. While stalk sacrifice increases the risk of post-operative endocrinopathy, even if the stalk is preserved many patients will still become hypopituitary.
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This meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of vertebral augmentation (VA) plus pedicle screw fixation (PSF) with VA for treating osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (OTLFs). ⋯ PSF + VA was superior to VA for the VAS score, ODI, Cobb angle, AVH, and complications, especially in the long-term follow-up. However, more operation time, blood loss, and length of stay were the disadvantages for PSF + VA.
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Robotic-assisted laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive method for ablating seizure foci and has gained prominence in epilepsy treatment. The use of robotic guidance in these procedures can minimize errors in probe placement, potentially leading to better clinical outcomes. In this meta-analysis, we assessed the accuracy, safety, and effectiveness of robot-assisted LITT for drug-resistant epilepsy. ⋯ Robot-assisted LITT offers high precision, positive seizure outcomes, and minimal complications, comparable to nonrobotic methods, and is suitable for treating drug-resistant epilepsy with multiple lesions.
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Understanding the BRAF alterations preoperatively could remarkably assist in predicting tumor behavior, which leads to a more precise prognostication and management strategy. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have resulted in effective predictive models. Therefore, for the first time, this study aimed to review the performance of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models in predicting the BRAF alterations in LGGs using imaging data. ⋯ AI models may perform relatively well in predicting BRAF alterations in LGG using imaging data and appear to be capable of high sensitivities and specificities. However, future studies with larger sample sizes implementing different ML or DL algorithms are required to reduce imprecision.