Neurosurgery

PURPOSE: Drug-induced taste disturbances are prevalent in clinical practice, with dysgeusia being a frequent manifestation. This study aims to present a case of taste disorders and tongue numbness induced by a lithium overdose. CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old woman with bipolar II disorder attempted suicide by ingesting multiple drugs, including lithium and benzodiazepines. She exhibited weakness but was conscious after admission. Laboratory analyses indicated elevated serum lithium and urine benzodiazepine levels...

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke has been a common cause of death and disability in Taiwan, particularly among the elderly. Social isolation is a significant issue in an aging society, which can be associated with delayed medical care and difficulties in diagnosis. CASE: A 76-year-old man presented with altered mental status, left-sided weakness, and declining cognitive function over three months. He had limited social connections and an unknown medical history. Initial brain imaging showed communicating hydrocephalus...

AIM: Calcification of degenerating neurocysticercosis (NCC) is common and likely to occur late in the degenerative process and is important for seizure foci. The present study was aimed at identifying the clinical and radiological variables associated with seizure recurrence in people with single or multiple calcified NCC lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated 85 adult patients with calcified NCC lesions for recurrence of seizures during the follow-up period of one year...

An 80-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, and no family history of hyperkinesis developed suddenly involuntary movement and visited our hospital two-day after onset. Neuro-examination revealed hemichorea-hemiballismus in the right side of the body, including the face (Suppl. video). Blood tests revealed neither hyperglycemia nor acanthocyte. Brain MRI showed acute microbleeding in the left subthalamic nucleus (Figure 1A-C). Although she was treated with haloperidol (max...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The exact reason of non-aneurysmal SAH is an enigma. OBJECTIVE: To identify if type III deep cerebral venous drainage is exclusively prevalent in patients with non-aneurysmal SAH and to enumerate the predictors of poorer outcome in these patients. PATIENTS: All patients of age >18 years, presented at our centre with spontaneous SAH on NCCT head and were divided into two groups, aneurysmal and non-aneurysmal SAH after 4-vessel DSA...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationships between Doximity rankings (Doximity, Inc.) of residency programs and two new ranking systems based on publication rates and academic pursuits. METHODS: We collected data on 550 neurosurgery graduates over 3 years. We analyzed the median number of published manuscripts per resident and the percentage of residents pursuing academic careers and compared them across the Doximity Research Productivity and Reputation Rankings. We used logistic regression to evaluate the relationships among the rankings, publication rates, and academic pursuits...

BACKGROUND: We searched to quantify the influence of sagittal vertical axis (SVA) on the improvement of spatiotemporal gait parameters using a gait motion analysis (GMA) before and after decompression surgery in patients suffering from lumbar stenosis (LSS). METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with severe LSS planned for lumbar decompression underwent a full body biplanar radiographs (EOS®) to quantify the SVA, and have benefited from a three-dimensional GMA one month before surgery (M0) and 6 month (M6) after surgery...

BACKGROUND: Learning curve, training, and cost impede widespread implementation of new technology. Neurosurgical robotic technology introduces challenges to visuospatial reasoning and requires the acquisition of new fine motor skills. Studies detailing operative workflow, learning curve, and patient outcomes are needed to describe the utility and cost-efficacy of new robotic technology. OBJECTIVES: This study describes our institutional experience incorporating the Medtronic Stealth Autoguide for stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) in a pediatric population, focusing on learning curve, quantified via accuracy and efficiency over time...

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is to implement machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict mortality, non-home discharges, prolonged length of stay (LOS), prolonged length of intensive care unit stay (ICU-LOS), and major complications in patients diagnosed with thoracolumbar spinal cord injury (tlSCI), while creating a publicly accessible online tool. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Program database was utilized to identify patients with tlSCI...

OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess the incidence and impact of in-hospital medical complications (MCs) on clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients after endovascular therapy (EVT). METHODS: AIS patients who underwent EVT were consecutively recruited from January 2019 to July 2022. The primary outcome was a poor 3-month functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) of 3-6. The safety variables were symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and mortality at seven and 30 days...

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this research was to harness the capabilities of deep learning to enhance neurosurgical procedures, focusing on accurate tumor boundary delineation and classification. Through advanced diagnostic tools, we aimed to offer surgeons a more insightful perspective during surgeries, improving surgical outcomes and patient care. METHODS: The study deployed the Mask R-CNN architecture, leveraging its sophisticated features to process and analyze data from surgical microscope videos and preoperative MR images...

OBJECTIVE: Surgical traumatic acute subdural hematoma (aSDH) patients taking antithrombotic medications require careful hematologic management. We sought to compare outcomes between aSDH patients taking antithrombotic medications at admission who received antithrombotic reversal with aSDH patients not taking antithrombotics. METHODS: Retrospective review identified traumatic aSDH patients requiring surgical evacuation. Our cohort was divided based on antithrombotic use and whether pharmacologic reversal agents or platelet transfusions were administered...

OBJECTIVE:  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychological disorder primarily diagnosed in childhood. Early intervention was found to significantly improve developmental outcomes, implicating on the role of early identification of ADHD markers. In the current study, we explored the developmental history of children referred to neurological assessment to identify early ADHD predictors. METHODS:  A total of 92 children and adolescents (41 females) recruited at a pediatric neurology clinic, with suspected ADHD ( n  = 39) or other neurological difficulties ( n  = 53) such as headaches, seizures, tic disorders, orthostatic hypotension, postischemic stroke, intermittent pain, and vasovagal syncope...

E-bikes (electrical bicycles and scooters) have been increasingly used as a means of transportation, especially among young adults. E-bikers have more accidents, at higher velocities and more severe kinematics, increasing the rate of neurosurgical injuries. Severe neurosurgical injury patterns result in significant morbidity and mortality. We collected data regarding adult patients (>18 years old), who suffered e-bike-related neurosurgical injuries, in a single tertiary medical center in Israel, between July 2019 and June 2020...

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a prevalent cause of leg and back pain. In the youth, LSS is not common and mainly results from hereditary musculoskeletal disorders. Moreover, spinal fusion is a surgical approach to the treatment of LSS. Entrapment of surgical tools due to breakage is a rare yet important phenomenon in such operations. Therefore, neurological sequelae of these events need to be explored. The case was a 24-year-old male complaining of local back pain. Initially, he was diagnosed with LSS at L4 and L5...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this work is to show how to implement a mixed reality application (app) for neurosurgery planning based on neuroimaging data, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of its design. METHODS: Our workflow explains how to handle neuroimaging data, including how to load morphological, functional and diffusion tensor imaging data into a mixed reality environment, thus creating a first guide of this kind. Brain magnetic resonance imaging data from a paediatric patient were acquired using a 3 T Siemens Magnetom Skyra scanner...

OBJECTIVE: Primary adult choroid plexus carcinomas (PACPCs) are extremely rare brain tumors. The existing literature primarily comprises case reports, which limits our understanding of this uncommon disease. This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics and prognosis of PACPCs, as well as to identify optimal treatment strategies. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of clinical data from 7 patients with PACPCs who underwent surgical treatment at the Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, between March 2011 and March 2023...

BACKGROUND: Understanding of the epidemiology and biology of pediatric CNS tumors has advanced dramatically over the last decade; however there remains a discrepancy in the understanding of epidemiologic data and clinical capacity between high- and lower-income countries. OBJECTIVE: We collected and analyzed hospital-level burden and capacity-oriented data from pediatric neurosurgical oncology units at 7 referral hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). METHODS: A cross sectional epidemiological survey was conducted using REDCap at the 7 SSA sites, capturing 3-month aggregate data for patients managed over a total of 9 months...