Proper Indication of Decompressive Craniectomy for the Patients with Massive Brain Edema after Intra-arterial Thrombectomy.

Objective: Numerous studies have indicated that early decompressive craniectomy (DC) for patients with major infarction can be life-saving and enhance neurological outcomes. However, most of these studies were conducted by neurologists before the advent of intra-arterial thrombectomy (IA-Tx). This study aims to determine whether neurological status significantly impacts the final clinical outcome of patients who underwent DC following IA-Tx in major infarction.

Recanalization Rate and Clinical Outcomes of Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Administration for Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke Patients.

Objective: Stroke caused from large vessel occlusion (LVO) has emerged as the most common stroke subtype worldwide. Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator administration (IV-tPA) and additional intraarterial thrombectomy (IA-Tx) is regarded as standard treatment. In this study, the authors try to find the early recanalization rate of IV-tPA in LVO stroke patients.

Effects of an Infection Control Protocol for Coronavirus Disease in Emergency Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Objective: Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, neurointerventionists have been increasingly concerned regarding the prevention of infection and time delay in performing emergency thrombectomy procedures in patients with acute stroke. This study aimed to analyze the effects of changes in mechanical thrombectomy protocol before and after the COVID-19 pandemic on procedure time and patient outcomes and to identify factors that significantly impact procedure time.

Methods: The last-normal-to-door, first-abnormal-to-door, door-to-imaging, door-to-puncture, and puncture-to-recanalization times of 88 patients (45 treated with conventional pre-COVID-19 protocol and 43 with COVID-19 protection protocol) were retrospectively analyzed.

Changes in Blood Pressure and Heart Rate during Decompressive Craniectomy.

Objective: Rapid increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) can result in hypertension, bradycardia and apnea, referred to as the Cushing phenomenon. During decompressive craniectomy (DC), rapid ICP decreases can cause changes in mean atrial blood pressure (mABP) and heart rate (HR), which may be an indicator of intact autoregulation and vasomotor reflex.

Methods: A total of 82 patients who underwent DC due to traumatic brain injury (42 cases), hypertensive intracerebral hematoma (19 cases), or major infarction (21 cases) were included in this prospective study.

Clinical Significance of Decompressive Craniectomy Surface Area and Side.

Objective: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) can partially remove the unyielding skull vault and make affordable space for the expansion of swelling brain contents. The objective of this study was to compare clinical outcome according to DC surface area (DC area) and side.

Methods: A total of 324 patients underwent different surgical methods (unilateral DC, 212 cases and bilateral DC, 112 cases) were included in this retrospective analysis.

Temperature Difference between Brain and Axilla according to Body Temperature in the Patient with Brain Injury.

Objective: Commonly, brain temperature is estimated from measurements of body temperature. However, temperature difference between brain and body is still controversy. The objective of this study is to know temperature gradient between the brain and axilla according to body temperature in the patient with brain injury.

Microsurgical anatomy of the facial nerve.

The facial nerve connections and pathways from the cortex to the brainstem are intricate and complicated. The extra-axial part of the facial nerve leaves the lateral part of the pontomedullary sulcus and enters the temporal bone through the internal acoustic meatus. In the temporal bone, the facial nerve branches into fibers innervating the glands and tongue.

Current Status of Neurosurgical and Neurointensive Care Units in Korea : A Brief Report on Nationwide Survey Results.

Objective: The purpose of this study is identify the operation status of the neurosurgical care units (NCUs) in neurosurgical residency training hospitals nationwide and determine needed changes by comparing findings with those obtained from the Korean Neurosurgical Society (KNS) and Korean Society of Neurointensive Care Medicine (KNIC) survey of 2010.

Method: This survey was conducted over 1 year in 86 neurosurgical residency training hospitals and two neurosurgery specialist hospitals and focused on the following areas : 1) the current status of the infrastructure and operating systems of NCUs in Korea, 2) barriers to installing neurointensivist team systems, 3) future roles of the KNS and KNIC, and 4) a handbook for physicians and practitioners in NCUs. We compared and analyzed the results of this survey with those from a KNIC survey of 2010.

Contrast Media-Induced Nephropathy in Patients with Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysm After Coiling Endovascular Treatment.

Background: The endovascular coiling procedure to treat cerebral aneurysms using contrast media has become more popular. However, studies of the incidence of, and risk factors for, contrast media-induced nephropathy (CIN) after coiling procedures have been limited. Thus, we evaluated the incidence and risk factors for CIN in patients who had undergone cerebral aneurysmal coiling procedures.

Clinical Results of the Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis with Stent Retriever Device Weather Perfusion Diffusion Mismatching and Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Administration.

Objective: Intraarterial thrombolysis (IA-Tx) with stent retriever is accepted as an additional treatment for selected patients and the clinical benefit is well reported. Each intravenous tissue plasminogen activator administration (IV-tPA) and perfusion diffusion mismatching (P/D-mismatching) is well known the beneficial effects for recanalization and clinical outcomes. In this report, authors analyzed the clinical outcomes of additional IA-Tx with retrieval stent device, according to the combined IV-tPA and P/D-mismatching or not.

Compare the Intracranial Pressure Trend after the Decompressive Craniectomy between Massive Intracerebral Hemorrhagic and Major Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Objective: Massive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and major infarction (MI) are devastating cerebral vascular diseases. Decompression craniectomy (DC) is a common treatment approach for these diseases and acceptable clinical results have been reported. Author experienced the postoperative intracranaial pressure (ICP) trend is somewhat different between the ICH and MI patients.

Determining the Lower Limit of Cerebral Perfusion Pressure in Patients Undergoing Decompressive Craniectomy Following Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: In patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), maintaining systolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg, intracranial pressure (ICP) <20 mm Hg and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) >60-70 mm Hg is recommended to improve clinical outcomes. A recommended CPP value for patients treated with decompressive craniectomy (DC) has not been clearly studied. We aimed to determine whether the targeted CPP can be lowered in patients treated with DC.

Clinical results of intraarterial thrombolysis according to tPA administration and perfusion/diffusion mismatching.

Background: IA-Tx and advanced dynamic imaging studies have been adopted for ischemic stroke patient treatment. Many patients are treated with IV-tPA, but this treatment is not always feasible. In this study, IA-Tx was used for patients for whom IV-tPA was not indicated or when IV-tPA did not result in recanalization.

Endovascular treatment of the distal internal carotid artery large aneurysm.

Objective: According to the development of endovascular technique and devices, larger aneurysms on the distal internal carotid artery (ICA) can be treated using a less invasive method. The authors report on clinical and angiographic outcomes of these aneurysms treated using an endovascular technique.

Materials And Methods: Data on 21 patients with large aneurysms at distal ICA treated by endovascular method between January 2005 and December 2012 were included in this retrospective analysis.

Rapid Spontaneous Resolution of Acute Subdural Hematoma in a Patient with Liver Cirrhosis.

Acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) constitutes one of the most critical emergencies in neurosurgery and rapid spontaneous resolution of ASDH is an infrequent phenomenon. Several mechanisms have been attributed to explain this phenomenon including redistribution of subdural blood, dilution by cerebral spinal fluid and brain atrophy. Rapid resolution of ASDH related to coagulopathy is a rare phenomenon; to our knowledge, only one case has been reported.

Thirteen-year Experience of 44 Patients with Adult Hemorrhagic Moyamoya Disease from a Single Institution: Clinical Analysis by Management Modality.

Our objective was a retrospective assessment of the management modalities that provided the most beneficial treatment in hemorrhagic moyamoya disease during the last 13 years at our institution. The clinical results of 44 patients with hemorrhagic moyamoya disease were investigated, comparing revascularization surgery (direct, indirect, and combined bypass) or conservative treatment. Angiographic features, rebleeding, and clinical outcome were investigated.

Hybrid surgery of multilevel cervical degenerative disc disease : review of literature and clinical results.

Objective: In the present study, we evaluated the effect, safety and radiological outcomes of cervical hybrid surgery (cervical disc prosthesis replacement at one level, and interbody fusion at the other level) on the multilevel cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD).

Methods: Fifty-one patients (mean age 46.7 years) with symptomatic multilevel cervical spondylosis were treated using hybrid surgery (HS).

Early superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass in acute ischemic stroke.

Objective: To evaluate the effects and safety of superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) anastomosis in the early stage after an acute ischemic event and the improvement of present symptoms in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic occlusive disease with stroke/stroke in progress.

Methods: From 2006 to 2010, 20 patients (15 males and five females) with atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease were treated with an STA-MCA bypass. All of the patients presented with an acute ischemic stroke or stroke in progress despite maximal medical treatment.

Long-term follow-up results in 142 adult patients with moyamoya disease according to management modality.

Background: To clarify the most beneficial treatment of the management modality based on our experience with adult moyamoya disease (MMD).

Methods: From 1998 to 2010, clinical results of 142 patients (ischemic, 98; hemorrhagic, 44) with adult MMD were investigated according to management modality. Revascularization surgery (direct, indirect, and combined bypass) was performed in 124 patients.

Thoracic spinal cord epidural hematoma after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a well-established, safe, and effective therapeutic alternative to surgical treatment for urolithiasis. Complications of ESWL do occur in a small number of patients, and when they do, they typically involve the kidney. Formation of a spinal epidural hematoma is an extremely rare complication after ESWL for kidney stone removal.

Motor-evoked potential confirmation of functional improvement by transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell in the ischemic rat brain.

This study investigated the effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on the motor pathway in the transient ischemic rat brain that were transplanted through the carotid artery, measuring motor-evoked potential (MEP) in the four limbs muscle and the atlantooccipital membrane, which was elicited after monopolar and bipolar transcortical stimulation. After monopolar stimulation, the latency of MEP was significantly prolonged, and the amplitude was less reduced in the BMSC group in comparison with the control group (P < .05).

Ischaemic stroke after acute intracranial haemorrhage in patients with moyamoya disease: six new cases and a short literature review.

Background: We report six new cases of ischaemic stroke after cerebral haemorrhage in patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) and analyse their clinical and radiological characteristics, together with cases reported in the literature, to deduce the mechanism of cerebral infarct.

Methods: Six (2%) of 246 patients with MMD who were admitted to our hospitals between 1993 and 2009 suffered cerebral infarct after intracranial haemorrhage. Ten patients identified in the literature with the PubMed search engine were also included in this study.

Surgical treatment of craniovertebral junction instability : clinical outcomes and effectiveness in personal experience.

Objective: Craniovertebral junction (CVJ) consists of the occipital bone that surrounds the foramen magnum, the atlas and the axis vertebrae. The mortality and morbidity is high for irreducible CVJ lesion with cervico-medullary compression. In a clinical retrospective study, the authors reviewed clinical and radiographic results of occipitocervical fusion using a various methods in 32 patients with CVJ instability.

Spinal cord injury in cervical spinal stenosis by minor trauma.

Background: The size of the spinal canal is a factor that contributes to the neurologic deficits associated with cervical OPLL and CSM. We investigate the development of neurologic deterioration after minor trauma and the clinical results of decompressive surgery in cervical spinal stenosis retrospectively.

Method: We treated 200 cases (98 cervical OPLLs and 102 CSMs) of cervical spinal stenosis for 8 years.

Risk factors and surgical treatment for symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration after lumbar spine fusion.

Objective: The present study analyzed the risk factors, prevalence and clinical results following revision surgery for adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) in patients who had undergone lumbar fusion.

Methods: Over an 8-year period, we performed posterior lumbar fusion in 81 patients. Patients were followed a minimum of 2 years (mean 5.