Self-closing aneurysm clip: a historical review.

Objective: To analyse the self-closing aneurysm clip historical evolution.

Materials And Methods: The authors reviewed the self-closing aneurysm clip's 50-year history. Major neurosurgical books, journals, testimonials, authors' personal experience, and scientific databases were analysed.

Historical evolution of neuroendovascular surgery of intracranial aneurysms: from coils to polymers.

Objectives: The backbone of neuroendovascular surgery was developed in the decades of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Catheter, balloon and coil technologies were further added to the armamentarium of endovascular treatment of cerebral arterial aneurysms and vasospasm.

Material And Methods: Development of detachable coils in the early 1990s was a major breakthrough in the management of intracranial arterial aneurysms.

Retrospective analysis of parenteral magnesium sulfate administration in decreased incidence of clinical and neuroradiological cerebral vasospasm: a single center experience.

Objective: Experimental work suggests a neuroprotective role for magnesium sulfate in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. We retrospectively review the incidence of clinically relevant vasospasm in patients treated or not with continuous magnesium infusion after onset of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Methods: All patient records in Albany Medical Center with the diagnosis of SAH between January 1999 and June 2004 were reviewed.

Cerebral arterial aneurysms: the early period of neuroendovascular therapy.

Objectives: Anatomical concepts derived by surgical management of intracranial aneurysms provided a pathway to the current integration and practice of aneurysm treatment. These important early developments, such as the surgical microscope in the late 1960s, the development of new surgical techniques and catheters and the evolution of imaging technology, have all provided a fundamental sequence to current clinical practice.

Material And Methods: The 1960s can be recognized as the dawn of the current era of aneurysm management.

Evaluation of Onyx HD-500 embolic system in the treatment of 84 wide-neck intracranial aneurysms.

Objective: We report our results using Onyx HD-500 (Micro Therapeutics, Inc., Irvine, CA) in the endovascular treatment of wide-neck intracranial aneurysms, which have a high rate of incomplete occlusion and recanalization with platinum coils.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients with 84 aneurysms were treated.

Recanalization of a symptomatic extracranial internal carotid artery near occlusion with proximal and distal protection: technical case report.

Objective: To describe a novel approach to recanalizing symptomatic extracranial internal carotid artery near occlusion using proximal and distal emboli protection devices.

Methods: Patients presenting with symptomatic extracranial internal carotid artery near occlusion who underwent endovascular recanalization between October 2004 and July 2005 were included in this study. During these procedures, a 9-French Concentric Balloon Guide Catheter (Concentric Medical, Mountain View, CA) was advanced into the common carotid artery proximal to the site of occlusion.

Stereolithography for posterior fossa cranioplasty.

Posterior fossa cranioplasty has been suggested for improvement of neurological symptoms following craniectomy. However, there is no particular recommendation in the literature about techniques for prosthesis manufacture and implantation. We report our experience using rapid prototyping technology and stereolithography for pre-surgical implant design and production of cranioplasties.

Aggressive intracranial fibromatosis: case report.

Unlabelled: Fibromatosis is a locally aggressive, proliferative fibroblastic lesion affecting musculoaponeurotic structures, most often in the limbs and trunk. Intracranial fibromatosis is extremely rare and requires aggressive treatment to prevent recurrence.

Case Description: We present the case of a 20 year old woman with aggressive skull base fibromatosis.

Preliminary evidence supporting the safety of drug-eluting stents in neurovascular disease.

Objective: Restenosis is a significant complication of stent placement. With coronary revascularization, drug-eluting stents have significantly decreased the incidence of in-stent stenosis and, therefore, the morbidity of the procedure. Restenosis is potentially a significant problem for neurovascular disease.

Coronary angiojet catheterization for the management of dural venous sinus thrombosis. Technical note.

In most cases of deep venous sinus thrombosis, systemic anticoagulation represents the initial treatment of choice for preventing propagation of a clot in the dural sinuses. In patients with deep or extensive venous sinus thrombosis, a combination of treatment modalities may be required including systemic anticoagulation, selective venous thrombolysis, and mechanical thrombectomy. In the current study the authors report on a patient who presented with the acute onset of headache, vomiting, a depressed level of consciousness, and a left hemiparesis and in whom a right middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory ischemic stroke with hemorrhagic conversion was initially diagnosed.

Attenuation of pain perception after transposition of the greater omentum to the cauda equina region of rats--a preliminary observation.

Background: This paper addresses a specific experimental design to suggest the possible role of the greater omentum in the modulation of pain in rats.

Methods: Fifteen male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 275 and 325 g were selected. The animals were randomized and then anesthetized with pentobarbital (35 mg/kg) and divided into three groups: (1) sham: laparotomy followed by laminectomy with exposure of the spinal epidural space (n=5); (2) transposition of pedicled omentum (n=5) to the cauda equina epidural space; and (3) transposition of pedicled omentum (n=5) to the cauda equina intradural space.

Determination of filling volumes in HydroCoil-treated aneurysms by using three-dimensional computerized tomography angiography.

Object: Coil embolization of aneurysms has been shown to be as safe and effective as surgical clip ligation, but has a higher recurrence rate. Advances in coil technology aim to reduce aneurysm recurrence by coating the devices with biological substances. An example of this is MicroVention's HydroCoil, which is a platinum coil coated with hydrogel that improves filling volumes by swelling when it contacts blood.

Arterial dissection and stroke following child abuse: case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Arterial dissection and stroke following trauma are seen frequently. Although similar mechanisms occur for trauma and child abuse, no reports of stroke have been observed in the literature.

Case Reports: Two patients successively presented to our institution with acute onset of neurological deficit and stroke.

Current concepts on the expression of neurotrophins in the greater omentum.

The omentum has been utilized in Neurosurgery since the late 1960s. Its overwhelming effects on fibroblast and peripheral nerve growths were soon noticed. However, there was no direct evidence of production of any of the growth factors by the omentum, although substances were shown to be present in the omentum.

Aggressive management of orbital meningeal melanocytoma.

Objective: Meningeal melanocytoma generally occurs in the posterior fossa. Orbital manifestation is rarely encountered.

Methods: A thirty-five year-old man presented with progressive proptosis of his right eye.

Delayed minimally invasive cranioplasty.

Minimally invasive cranioplasty is presented. Stereolithography is a new technology applied for the manufacture of custom-made cranial prosthesis that can provide an accurate reproduction of difficult anatomical contours of large cranial defects. The pre-operative development of perfect-fit prostheses permits a significant decrease in the operative time, in the overall costs of surgery, as well as on the rate of complications observed in patients with large cranial defects.

Stereolithography: neurosurgical and medical implications.

We present material to define and understand the concept of Stereolithography (STL) and its potential benefits to the field of neurosurgery and other medical specialties. A historical and scientific review of the literature on stereolithography, its evolution and uses in neurosurgery, forensic medicine, and other medical specialties are described. Considerations regarding different techniques used to obtain STL are discussed.

Neurocognitive assessment before and after cranioplasty.

Objective: This paper addresses the possible value of neurocognitive tests on the evaluation of patients before and after cranioplasty for large cranial defects.

Methods: In a single patient with a large corrected cranial defect a detailed neurocognitive analysis was performed utilizing the EXIT interview and Cognistat before and after surgery. Planning and development of the surgical prosthesis were based on the pre-operative reconstruction of the head CT and on pre-operative pictures of the patient.

p53 Protein expression in meningiomas - a clinicopathologic study of 55 patients.

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 55 meningiomas were immunostained with monoclonal antibody against p53 (Immunotech, Marseilles, France). There were 38 women and 17 men ranging between 9 and 82 years of age. The patients were divided into two groups: group I (47 patients) - mildly symptomatic and group II (eight patients) - severe initial symptoms.

Unusual brain metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma: case report.

Objective And Importance: Brain metastases from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland are unusual. No consensus regarding management has yet been reached. We report a case, review the current literature, and explain our approach on the basis of clinical, pathological, and radiological data.

Biomechanical properties of calvarium prosthesis.

There are many materials available for the reconstruction of calvarial defects. Even though their biomaterial properties are well known, the biomechanical properties as part of the calvarium have not been investigated. In this article, calvarial implants are reviewed with their historic development into modern cranioplasty.

The neurochemical basis for the applications of the greater omentum in neurosurgery.

The omentum has been utilized in neurosurgery for over 30 years. However, the anatomical and physiological bases for its applications have not been described in great detail. In this paper, we will review the current status of the omentum applications for the management of central nervous system disorders.

Syndrome of the trephined: theory and facts.

The pathophysiology behind "the syndrome of the trephined" has been under investigation over the past 50 years. Research related to barometric pressure, cellular metabolism, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, and the vasculature have attempted to decipher the mechanism of disease. These subjects are discussed in five papers along with specific topics related to the syndrome.

Technological advances in the surgical management of trigeminal neuralgia.

For years, many controversies have arisen on the surgical management of trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathy. The purpose of this paper is to review most of the current surgical techniques for the management of trigeminal neuralgia and present our position on the current management of these situations.