Neurocirugia (English Edition)最新文献

Introduction: Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a non-ablative technique aimed at relieving pain in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) by resolving a neurovascular conflict. Despite reported high success rates, a significant percentage of patients experience therapeutic failure.

Methods: Retrospective observational study of patients with suspected TN undergoing MVD was performed with the goal of identifying factors contributing to the persistence and recurrence of pain.

Results: In the present study, 31 patients undergoing 38 MVD procedures for TN were included (7 patients underwent reoperation after the failure of the initial operation). The mean age was 58.5 years with a male predominance (58.1%). The mean duration of pain was 6.4 years, mainly affecting branches V2 and V3 (46.7%). The most frequently described neurovascular conflict was with the superior cerebellar artery (54.8%), predominantly resolved with Teflon (75.9%). In our case series, MVD achieved pain control in 80.6% of patients at one-year post-intervention and 61.3% at the end of the follow-up period. Twelve patients experienced MVD failure: 5 cases of persistent pain and 7 cases of pain recurrence. A detailed analysis of these failures identified misdiagnosis as the reason of persistent pain in 4 patients, while inadequate surgical technique could be the cause of pain recurrence in 6 patients.

Conclusion: In our study, therapeutic failures could mainly be attributed to two factors: misdiagnosis or the use of inappropriate materials. These factors should be considered when optimizing the management of DMV in patients with NT.

In patients with acromegaly, the pleiotropic effects of GH and IGF-1 have been associated with the development of endothelial dysfunction and vascular abnormalities. We present the case of a 45-year-old male diagnosed with acromegaly. Magnetic resonance imaging identified a marked dilatation and medialization of both cavernous internal carotid arteries (ICA), leading to a narrow intercarotid distance, a phenomenon known as "carotid kisses". This vascular alteration has been described in greater proportion in patients with acromegaly. The anomalies that are also present with greater prevalence in these patients are: aneurysms of the ICA, protrusion of the ICA into the sphenoid sinus, narrow intercarotid distance, fusiform dilatation of the ICA and dehiscence of this artery in the bony canal. The presence of such alterations increases the risk of injury to the ICA. Pre-surgical detection of such abnormalities is essential to ensure the safety of the surgical approach.

Background and objective: Once the WHO generic surgical checklist has been standardized and following the itinerary proposed, it is up to the different specialties to continue advancing in the improvement and adjustment of the checklists to the procedures and interventions in their field.

Methods: Through a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in which professionals from the surgical area of ​​the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, Jaén Hospital Complex and Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital participated, aspects that could condition patient safety in the surgery of the brain tumors and that are not included in the WHO generic surgical checklist were recognized. The three authors gave a score between 1 and 5 to each of the proposed items incrementally depending on the degree of suitability. Based on the score obtained, they selected those who would be incorporated into the specific surgical checklist.

Results: A total of 24 candidate items were identified to be included in the specific check list. These obtained scores between 14 and 10 points. After this weighting, it was decided to include the 12 best-rated items in the final surgical checklist, six of them in the initial phase, three in the phase prior to the incision and another three in the final part of the checklist prior to the completion of the procedure.

Conclusions: Professionals in the surgical area of ​​Neurosurgery can identify aspects not included in the generic checklist whose non-compliance can condition the patient's safety at least to the same extent as those included in the generic list. It is possible to propose a specific complementary checklist for brain tumor surgery, in charge of collecting aspects related to the safety and success of these procedures.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are uncommon aggressive neoplasms, frequently associated with type I neurofibromatosis. This is the first case of intradural lumbar spine MPNST with intraoperative findings of associated subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A 72-year-old man presented to the emergency department with severe acute low back pain. Neurological examination was unremarkable. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the lumbar spine showed an irregularly shaped intradural lesion extending from L3 to L5. The lesion exhibited a medium signal both on T1 and T2-weighted imaging with peripheral enhancement. Through an L3-L5 laminectomy, a diffuse SAH, and a tumor tightly adherent to cauda equina nerve roots were found. Specimen examination revealed a fusocelular tumor with pleomorphic and hyperchromatic nuclei, positive for S100, and SOX10. On an 8-month follow-up, he had no neurological deficit, with a Karnofsky performance score of 90 points. Surgical evidence of SAH in lumbar spine intradural MPNST is a novel finding.

Introduction and objectives: The sellar region is an area in the base of the skull that is among the most common sites for tumors of the central nervous system. Surgical interventions are currently performed via different routes. While the optic chiasm occupies its expected position in 70% of the population, it can deviate from this position. In such cases, surgery involving this region becomes more difficult as the known surgical routes are narrowed. Advance awareness of these variations can help surgeons to identify the optimal route for safe surgical intervention in the sellar region. By performing simple measurements of both the lengths of the optic nerves and the angle between them, a surgeon can predict the location of the chiasm.

Materials and methods: Twenty specimens collected from autopsies performed at Bursa Forensic Medicine İnstitute were examined to determine the optic chiasm types and the relationships between the surrounding subchiasmal structures.

Results: Among the 20 specimens, we found two prefixed (10%), 10 normo-fixed (50%), and eight postfixed chiasms (40%). The mean interoptic angle was 81.03 (±17.41)⁰. Prefixed chiasms had angles in the range 115.36°-124.76 ° (mean 120.06 [±6.65]⁰), normo-fixed chiasm angles were between 83.11° and 97.53 ° (mean 86.07 [±6.73]⁰), and postfixed chiasms ranged between 53.01 ° and 78.71 ° (mean 69.20 [±9.13]⁰). The length of the right optic nerve ranged between 6.95 and 13.83 mm (mean 10.25 [±1.81] mm), and the length of the left between 7.25 and 12.51 mm (mean 10.40 [±1.47] mm). Obtuse angles indicated that the chiasm was prefixed, and acute angles were indicative of a postfixed chiasm. There was a strong negative correlation between optic nerve lengths and the interoptic angle; thus, as the length of the nerves increases, the interoptic angle becomes more acute.

Conclusions: We have proposed a simple measurement of the optic nerve lengths and the angle between them to predict the relative location of the OC, which can be done easily on MRI.

Introduction and objectives: Halo braces treat upper cervical spine fractures and serve as the most rigid form of external immobilization. Recently, halo braces have lost favor due to known complications and advances in surgical stabilization. This study aims to determine the contemporary incidence for use of halo braces and identify risk factors associated with mortality in trauma patients undergoing halo brace for cervical spine fractures.

Materials and methods: The 2017-2019 Trauma Quality Improvement Program Database was queried for patients ≥18 years-old with a cervical spine fracture undergoing halo brace. Patients sustaining penetrating trauma and severe torso injuries (abbreviated injury scale >3 for the abdomen or thorax) were excluded. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results: From 144,434 patients with a cervical spine fracture, 272 (0.2%) underwent halo brace and 14 (5%) of these died. Those who died were older (73.5 vs. 53 years-old, p = 0.011) and had higher rates of hypertension (78.6% vs 33.1%, p < 0.001) and chronic kidney disease (14.3% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001). Glasgow Coma Scale ≤8 (46.2% vs. 8.2%, p < 0.001) and cervical spinal cord injury (71.4% vs. 21.3%, p < 0.001) were more common in patients who died. In addition, those who died more often sustained respiratory complications (7.1% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.004) and sepsis (7.1% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.004). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, only Glasgow Coma Scale ≤8 (OR 19.77, 3.04-128.45, p = 0.002) was associated with increased mortality.

Conclusions: Only 5% of cervical spine fracture patients undergoing halo brace died. Respiratory complications and sepsis were more common in those who died. On multivariable analysis only Glasgow Coma Scale ≤8 remained an independent associated risk factor for mortality.

Introduction: Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a prevalent neurosurgical condition with an increasing incidence due to the rising life expectancy and the widespread use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies. Insights into the inflammatory origins of cSDH led to the exploration of Middle Meningeal Artery (MMA) embolization as a therapeutic strategy. In recent years the endovascular treatment of MMA has gained momentum. Herein we present the initial experience of a dual trained neurovascular unit implementing this therapeutic technique.

Methods: This single-center, prospective pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of MMA embolization in the treatment of cSDH. Following ethical approval and informed consent, demographic, clinical, and radiological data were collected. Patients requiring emergent surgical treatment were excluded. The study focused on assessing clinical outcomes, including the Modified Rankin Score (mRS) and volumetric analysis of cSDH, before and after embolization.

Results: Fifteen patients underwent MMA embolization, with a predominance of males (80%) and a mean age of 72.4 years. The most common presenting symptom was headache (53.3%). The average hospital stay was 3.9 days. Various embolization techniques were employed, with DMSO-EVOH being the most frequent. All procedures were successfully conducted without complications. Although not statistically significant, trends suggested better outcomes in patients with homogeneous cSDH on the CT scan, displaying the cotton wool sign on angiography and treated with EVOH-DMSO.

Conclusion: MMA embolization for cSDH demonstrates promise as a safe and effective treatment, potentially reducing the need for surgical intervention and recurrence rates. This study lays the groundwork for a larger, randomized controlled trial which protocol is herein presented.