Anomalous Left Superior Vena Cava Predisposing to Recurrent Brain Abscesses: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Brain abscess is a devastating illness, with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Recurrent brain abscess poses a challenge to diagnosis while treatment options may differ. Right to left shunt is a lesser-explored etiology for recurrent brain abscesses.

Functioning Pituitary Adenoma with Xanthogranulomatous Features: Review of Literature and Case Report.

 We present a patient with a prolactin-secreting adenoma with extensive secondary, noninfectious, xanthogranulomatous changes due to remote intratumoral bleeding and provide a literature review of xanthogranulomas (XGs) of the sellar region with emphasis on prolactinomas with xanthogranulomatous features.  Case report, with PubMed search of cases of sellar XG, focusing on neuroimaging and surgical approach.  A 35-year-old male was found to have a large sellar/suprasellar calcified/cystic mass.

The potential value of probabilistic tractography-based for MR-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for essential tremor.

Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused UltraSound (MRgFUS) offers an incisionless approach to treat essential tremor (ET). Due to lack of evident internal anatomy on traditional structural imaging, indirect targeting must still be used to localize the lesion. Here, we investigate the potential predictive value of probabilistic tractography guided thalamic targeting by defining how tractography-defined targets, lesion size and location, and clinical outcomes interrelate.

Acute Ischemic Stroke During Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery of Globus Pallidus Internus: Report of 5 Cases.

Background: Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a potentially devastating complication of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Although there are substantial data reporting the incidence and cause of hemorrhagic CVA, reports of acute ischemic infarctions during DBS implantation surgery are rare.

Objective: To present a series of 5 patients who experienced clinically significant ischemic CVA during microelectrode-guided globus pallidus internus (GPi) DBS, and evaluate the potential risk factors and mechanisms.

Unilateral Tailored Fronto-Orbital Approach for Giant Olfactory Groove Meningiomas: Technical Nuances.

Objective: Giant olfactory groove meningiomas (maximum diameter ≥6 cm) remain a surgical challenge. Historically, extensive anterior and antero-lateral approaches have been the primary approaches for removal of such large tumors with limitations and morbidity pertaining to each approach. Herein, the authors describe a minimally invasive, unilateral, tailored fronto-orbital approach for resection of these complex lesions with an emphasis on preservation of the anterior cerebral arteries and olfactory nerves.

Bucket and straw technique to facilitate passage of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt through the distal tunneling sheath.

Placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is a procedure comprising many small steps. Difficulties and delays can arise when passing the distal shunt tubing down the distal tunneling sheath during surgery. The authors of this report describe a simple technique for quickly passing the distal catheter of a VPS through the tunneler sheath, whereby the sheath is used as a fluid tube to allow the distal catheter to be drawn through the fluid tube under suction pressure.

Alzheimer's disease: The role for neurosurgery.

Dementia, most commonly caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD), affects approximately 35 million people worldwide, with the incidence expected to increase as the population ages. After decades of investigation, AD is now understood to be a complex disease that affects behavior and cognition through several mechanisms: Disrupted neuronal communication, abnormal regional tissue metabolism, and impaired cellular repair. Existing therapies have demonstrated limited efficacy, which has spurred the search for specific disease markers and predictors as well as innovative therapeutic options.

Advanced neuroimaging techniques for central neuromodulation.

Deep brain stimulation an effective treatment of many neurologic conditions such as Parkinson disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies provide the opportunity to visualize the dysfunctional nodes and networks underlying neurologic and psychiatric disease, and to thereby realize new targets for neuromodulation as well as personalize current therapy. This article reviews contemporary advances in neuroimaging in the basic sciences and how they can be applied to redirect and propel functional neurosurgery toward a goal of functional localization of targets with individualized maps and identification of novel targets for other neuropsychiatric diseases.

The frontotemporal-orbitozygomatic approach: reconstructive technique and outcome.

Background: The frontotemporal-orbitozygomatic (FTOZ) approach, also known as "the workhorse of skull base surgery," has captured the interest of many researchers throughout the years. Most of the studies published have focused on the surgical technique and the gained exposure. However, few studies have described reconstructive techniques or functional and cosmetic outcomes.

Life without the vein of Galen: Clinical and radiographic sequelae.

A thorough understanding of the anatomy of the pineal region, particularly venous drainage, is critical for gaining open surgical access to the pineal gland. The adverse sequelae after intraoperative venous occlusion are assumed to be catastrophic but have been scarcely reported. We report a case of pineocytoma in which the vein of Galen was ligated without postoperative adverse sequelae.

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in vestibular schwannoma surgery: advances and clinical implications.

Object: Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring has become an integral part of vestibular schwannoma surgery. The aim of this article was to review the different techniques of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in vestibular schwannoma surgery, identify the clinical impact of certain pathognomonic patterns on postoperative outcomes of facial nerve function and hearing preservation, and highlight the role of postoperative medications in improving delayed cranial nerve dysfunction in the different reported series.

Methods: The authors performed a review of the literature regarding intraoperative monitoring in acoustic/vestibular schwannoma surgery.