Publications by authors named "Ascher Kaufmann"

Background: Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and proximal junctional failure (PJF) occurred in up to 40% of patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) who underwent open thoracolumbar fusion. Proximal stabilization techniques have been investigated to prevent PJK/PJF without conclusive results.

Objective: To demonstrate reductions in PJK/PJF with multilevel stabilization screws (MLSSs).

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Background Context: Postoperative pain control following posterior lumbar fusion continues to be challenging and often requires high doses of opioids for pain relief. The use of ketorolac in spinal fusion is limited due to the risk of pseudarthrosis. However, recent literature suggests it may not affect fusion rates with short-term use and low doses.

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Objective: In select patients, extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass remains an important tool for cerebral revascularization. Traditionally, superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass was performed using one limb of the STA only. In an attempt to augment flow and to direct flow to different ischemic areas of the brain, the authors adopted a "double-barrel" technique in which both branches of the STA are used to revascularize distinct MCA territories.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study analyzed complications in elderly patients undergoing multilevel minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF), highlighting that spinal surgery poses risks for older patients but is increasingly common.
  • - A retrospective review of 467 patients revealed that complications were comparable between elderly (average age 76.4) and nonelderly (average age 60.4) groups, with specific issues like urinary tract infections being more common in the elderly.
  • - The findings concluded that while elderly patients can safely undergo MIS TLIF, factors such as comorbidities and length of surgery were more important for predicting complications than age alone.
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Background: Minimally invasive fusion of the sacroiliac (SI) joint has gained popularity for the treatment of refractory dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of minimally invasive SI joint fusion between cylindrical threaded implants (CTIs) and triangular dowel implants (TDIs).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent SI joint fusions with either CTIs or TDIs.

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Background: Temozolomide (TMZ) is active against glioblastomas (GBM) in which the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene is silenced. However, even in responsive cases, its beneficial effect is undermined by the emergence of drug resistance. Here, we tested whether inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and -2 (PARP) enhanced the effectiveness of TMZ.

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Background: There are no guidelines regarding post-treatment surveillance specific to skull base chordomas.

Objective: To determine an optimal imaging surveillance schedule to detect both local and distant metastatic skull base chordoma recurrences.

Methods: A retrospective review of 91 patients who underwent treatment for skull base chordoma between 1993 and 2017 was conducted.

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Giant cavernous aneurysms of the internal carotid artery (ICA) are challenging lesions associated with high surgical morbidity. Prior to the past several years, these were treated by surgical reconstruction, proximal ligation, or stent-assisted coiling techniques. Flow diversion has become the standard of care for these lesions, providing a high rate of obliteration with a much better safety profile.

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Background: Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)-associated aneurysms are common, reported in 15% of cases. Regarding the ruptured posterior fossa AVMs, associated aneurysms are present in 48% of cases and are the cause of the bleed in 37%. We present a 75-year-old female who presented with a subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to a ruptured aneurysm arising from a flow-related basilar perforator artery feeder of an anterior pontine AVM.

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