Neurocirugia (English Edition)最新文献

Background: Moyamoya disease (MMD) and moyamoya syndrome (MMS) are considered rare in Indonesia, without any proper epidemiological data backing this claim. Hence, this case series aims to assess all MMD and MMS cases from the perspective of a multicentre private hospital in Indonesia.

Methods: This is a descriptive analysis using data from the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) from January 2019 to December 2023. The inclusion criteria included all patients who fulfilled the radiological criteria for MMD and/or MMS, while patients who only underwent brain non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scans were excluded.

Results: There are 58,905 unique MRI scans from 2019 to 2023. The cohort comprises 8 females and 2 males, with a median age of 37 (7-65) years old. Three cases are probable MMD. with six MMD cases and one MMS case. Therefore, the prevalence rate for the four years is approximately 11.9 cases per 100,000 scans. Out of the confirmed Moya-Moya cases, the majority (4/7) are ischemic subtypes, followed by epileptic (electroencephalography shows slowing brain waves) and TIA in one case each. The most common presenting symptom is weakness in the extremity (N = 7), followed by headache (N = 5). Four patients underwent operative procedures, with three of them being superior temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass procedures and one of them being encephalo-duro-myo-arterio-pericraniosynangiosis (EDMAPS).

Conclusion: The paucity of confirmed cases either points towards the low prevalence of MMD and MMS in Indonesia or the underdiagnosis of these cases.

Introduction: Shunt overdrainage is one of the long-term complications associated with ventriculoperitoneal shunts. Treatment of refractory cases may require further upgrading of both the valve opening pressure and antisiphon device. The aim of this paper is to describe the results of this combination in a selected group of patients.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study that included 18 pediatric patients between 2003-2022. Previous shunts were exchanged for the combination of a SOPHYSA Polaris® SPVA-300 valve and upgraded fixed or adjustable antigravitatory devices. The following variables were collected: etiology of the hydrocephalus, age at first shunt and type of valve, number of shunt revisions, other surgical procedures, age at inclusion, clinical and radiological outcomes, and follow-up time. A descriptive analysis was done with means, medians and ranges for quantitative variables; percentages and frequencies for the analysis of qualitative data.

Results: The median age at first shunt was two months (0-67). The mean number of shunt revisions before inclusion was three. Shunt removal was attempted in seven patients without success; temporary success was observed in two patients who underwent ETV. Two patients had previous cranial expansions. The mean age at inclusion was 9.1 years (2.7-15.2). After the shunt system was exchanged and upgraded, clinical improvement was observed in 94.4% (17/18) of patients, and radiological improvement was observed in 83.3% (15/18) of patients. The median follow-up was 21 months.

Conclusions: Before considering more invasive therapeutic measures, shunt system optimization by the combination of very high-pressure valves and upgraded in-line antisiphon devices is a valid and safe strategy for refractory symptomatic shunt overdrainage.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a well-characterized disorder of high prevalence among the current population. It may be caused, among many other causes, by a tumor which contacts with the trigeminal nerve, often of large volume. We present the case of a middle-aged woman without any remarkable medical background who suffered a trigeminal neuralgia caused by a subcentimeter tumor which appeared to be a meningioma. Some small tumors like this one may be symptomatic whereas larger ones will not. We discuss the pathogenesis and characterization of the trigeminal neuralgia in such cases proposing some mechanisms that could be involved in the development of a secondary neuralgia.

The C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio (CAR) is being studied as a potential predictor of severe outcomes in various diseases. Our study aimed to review current evidence on the prognostic value of CAR in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to April 2023 and assessed the risk of bias using the NewCastle-Ottawa tool. A narrative synthesis was performed, and the GRADE system was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. Out of 534 articles, 4 were selected. We found that a higher CAR level is moderately associated with a lower score on the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 3 months and a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality. However, no significant association was found with the modified Rankin scale or delayed cerebral ischemia. Although the evidence is limited, CAR could be a useful tool for predicting poor prognosis in aSAH patients, but more prospective studies are needed to determine optimal cut-off points and include CAR in long-term prognostic models.

Objectives: To conduct a systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis to evaluate and compare radiological indicators, as well as short-term and long-term outcomes, in patients with neurologically intact thoracolumbar burst fractures (TLBF) who underwent anterior fusion, combined anterior-posterior procedure, or short-segment pedicle screw fixation (PSF).

Methods: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Inclusion criteria comprised articles published between 2004 and 2023, full-text availability in English, burst fractures without spinal cord or nerve root injuries at admission, short-segment PSF without fusion, anterior or combined fusion methods, patients aged 18 or older, and a minimum 12-month follow-up. Meta-analysis was carried out using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Using a single-arm meta-analysis method, pooled indicators of short- and long-term outcomes for each studied group were determined. The obtained data were then compared using simple comparison.

Results: The pooled mean Cobb angle at admission for the anterior, combined, and PSF groups was 18.2° (95% CI, 14.6-21.8), 11.7° (95% CI, 9.7-13.5), and 17.1° (95% CI, 15.1-19.1), respectively. Anterior fusion achieved a greater degree of kyphosis correction across all groups, but only the combined group showed a nonsignificant loss of correction after discharge (SMD = 0.809 [95% CI, 0.270, 1.348]). The anterior vertebral body compression rate at admission was 55.2% (95% CI, 46.3-64.0) in the combined group and 37.8% (95% CI, 33.7-41.9) in the PSF group. Operative time, blood loss, and hospitalization duration were lowest in the percutaneous PSF group, with means of 96.5 min (95% CI, 82.4-110.6), 83.8 ml (95% CI, 71.7-95.9), and 6.6 days (95% CI, 4.7-8.5), respectively. All techniques demonstrated a similar incidence of deep wound infections and implant-related complications. The pooled Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were 17.2 (95% CI, 10.4-23.9) for the anterior group, 15.4 (95% CI, 11.5-19.3) for the combined group, and 13.4 (95% CI, 10.4-16.3) for the PSF group.

Conclusions: For patients with neurologically intact thoracolumbar burst fractures, with a kyphotic angle of less than 19.1° and an anterior vertebral body compression rate of less than 41.9%, short-segment pedicle screw fixation without fusion may be preferable option due to reduced intraoperative blood loss, shorter operation duration, shorter hospital stay, and better ODI scores at final follow-up. Routine anterior fusion has demonstrated high potential for kyphosis correction. The loss of the Cobb angle from surgery to final follow-up was nonsignificant only in patients who underwent combined surgery. When determining the surgical approach, surgeons should carefully weigh the advantages of anterior and combined fusion against the significantly higher surgical trauma compared to standard PSF.

Background: Intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH) are common pathologies in neurosurgery practice and are associated with the worst clinical outcome among all intracranial hemorrhages. Blood in the ventricles is thought to worsen the clinical condition by triggering inflammatory processes. In recent years, NLR value is a frequently used inflammatory parameter, and there are many publications reporting that a high NLR value is an important marker in predicting the severity of inflammation. Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of NLR values at admission on the clinical outcome of patients undergoing EVD due to IVH in our clinic.

Material and methods: In our study, age and gender data, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), NLR value at the time of admission and clinical status at discharge of 36 patients, who underwent EVD following IVH in our hospital neurosurgery clinic between 2019 and 2024, were examined.

Results: Of the 36 cases in our study, 16 were female and 20 were male. For all cases, the mean age was 61.88, and the mean GCS values at admission were calculated as 8.5. In the laboratory of our hospital, the normal NLR range was determined as 0.78-3.53, and the mean NLR values at admission were evaluated as 16.57. When the clinical outcomes of the cases were examined, it was seen that 30 cases ended with exitus after intensive care follow-up, and 6 cases were discharged with good clinical outcomes (GCS:15). The mean NLR value was calculated as 18.00 for the patients who ended with exitus and 8.12 for the patients discharged with good clinical outcomes.

Conclusion: NLR, which has been used to determine the severity of inflammation in recent years, has been reported to be a marker that can predict clinical outcomes of many diseases. In our study, NLR was observed to be high at admission in all cases, but it was significantly higher in the cases ending with exitus than in the cases not ending with exitus. As a result, it is thought that NLR value is a parameter that can be used to predict the clinical course in IVH patients undergoing EVD.

Background: The scientific debate concerning clinical, translational and surgical aspects of iNPH could still be limited in respect to the incidence of this condition. The aim of this paper is to systematically assess the extent of the debate on INPH in the context of the congresses of the relevant medical and scientific societies in our Country.

Methods: We thoroughly examined the websites and scientific programs of 12 leading scientific societies linked to medical specialities involved in diagnosis and management of INPH, among which the neurological, neurosurgical, neurophysiological, rehabilitation medicine and urologic societies. The amount of time (in hours) was examined in a time span of events which took place between 2019 and 2023.

Results: Notably, across 4 years (2019-2023), a total of 7 out of 12 (58.3%) of the aforementioned leading scientific societies dedicated a total of zero minutes to the topic "iNPH", two further societies hosted talks for a total of less than one hours concerning such condition. The amount of time dedicated to giant intracranial aneurysms and vestibular schwannomas was in respect to the incidence of the conditions, significantly longer than the time spent debating on iNPH.

Conclusions: The results demonstrates that in our country, despite the high and increasing incidence of INPH, the awareness raised on the topic could still be limited, especially compared to other, significantly rarer intracranial conditions such as giant intracranial aneurysms and vestibular schwannomas.

Background: Chronic subdural hematoma is a frequent neurosurgical illness, and current treatment options mostly include subdural trepanation and drainage alone, as well as middle meningeal artery embolization in conjunction with subdural trepanation and drainage. However, there is currently a lack of extensive study and data support for comparing the clinical results of the two surgical treatment techniques.

Objective: The goal of this study is to compare the clinical effects of middle meningeal artery embolization combined with subdural trepanation and drainage versus simple subdural trepanation and drainage in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma, in order to provide a reliable foundation for clinical selection of appropriate surgical treatment methods.

Methods: This study included 71 patients with chronic subdural hematoma, who were divided into two groups according to the procedure: observation group (n = 25) and control group (n = 46). The control group received only basic subdural drilling and drainage.

Conclusions: This study found that MMA embolization combined with subdural trepanation and drainage provides a greater therapeutic benefit in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma. The observation group outperformed the control group in terms of postoperative CT results, Barthel index, and clinical effect, as well as operating time. Furthermore, the observation group's complications and recurrence rate were much lower than the control group's.

Background: An acute subdural hematoma (aSDH) is a rare presentation of a ruptured intracranial aneurysm with pathophysiology and prognosis poorly defined. According to literature, prognosis might be improved with prompt diagnosis, hematoma evacuation and aneurysm treatment. The objective is to specify pathophysiology, prognostic factors and management of this pathology.

Methods: We reported 23 cases of aSDH due to ruptured MCA aneurysm from literature revision and 2 cases from our center.

Results: Median age was 51 years and 48% (12/25) were females. At their arrival, 76% (19/25) presented decreased level of consciousness and 55.55% (10/18) neurological deficits. Aneurysmal location was left MCA in 57.14% (8/14) and MCA segments were M4 in 76.92% (10/13) and bifurcation in 23.07% (3/13), median aneurysmal size was 6 mm, median hematoma size was 10 mm, median midline shift was 9 mm, aneurysmal projection and MCA concavity were anterior in 100% (3/3), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was present in 52.17% (12/23). The treatment was surgery in 84% (21/25), endovascular in 12% (3/25) and in 20% (5/25) decompressive craniectomy (DC) was necessary. Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was >3/favorable in 66.66% (16/24) and death in 16.66% (4/2).

Conclusions: Anterior MCA concavity and aneurysmal projection might be related with aSDH presentation in proximal MCA aneurysms. We should suspect aneurysm origin when there is no history or stigma of trauma, and CT shows disproportionately massive aSDH. Hematoma evacuation solves the compressive mechanism which is the main cause of neurological deterioration in pure aSDH cases, because of that, immediate hematoma evacuation could justify better outcome in these patients.

Background: Handedness is an epiphenomenon of brain lateralization which has been researched in the context of surgical performance, yet the same does not hold true for lateralization at a more fundamental level. We aimed to investigate whether neurosurgeons are biased in visualizing and depicting anatomy and pathology.

Methods: This was a two part study consisting of an online survey and image analysis. An online questionnaire was used to collect basic sociodemographic data and prompt subjects to visualize surgical approaches and pathological entities and report on the side of the visualized topics. Prominent neurosurgical literature was screened for depictions of the same entities and approaches and the depicted side was noted.

Results: There were 49 responses, most from Croatia (n = 26), men (n = 38), right-handed (n = 42), of average age 37 years, and with 9 years of neurosurgical experience. Ambidexterity was more prevalent than in the general population. The respondents imagined the right side more commonly in all cranial-related questions, and the left side in spine-related questions. Images in neurosurgical literature showed correspondingly biased laterality.

Conclusion: There is a significant bias among neurosurgeons in laterality in processing topographical information on anatomy and pathology. Research is warranted to investigate the causes and real life implications of this phenomenon.