Intraoperative multi-exposure speckle imaging of cerebral blood flow.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) has high potential to be a valuable cerebral blood flow monitoring technique during neurosurgery. However, the quantitative accuracy and sensitivity of LSCI is limited, and highly dependent on the exposure time. An extension to LSCI called multi-exposure speckle imaging (MESI) overcomes these limitations, and was evaluated intraoperatively in patients undergoing brain tumor resection.

Intraoperative laser speckle contrast imaging with retrospective motion correction for quantitative assessment of cerebral blood flow.

Although multiple intraoperative cerebral blood flow (CBF) monitoring techniques are currently available, a quantitative method that allows for continuous monitoring and that can be easily integrated into the surgical workflow is still needed. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is an optical imaging technique with a high spatiotemporal resolution that has been recently demonstrated as feasible and effective for intraoperative monitoring of CBF during neurosurgical procedures. This study demonstrates the impact of retrospective motion correction on the quantitative analysis of intraoperatively acquired LSCI images.

Quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurement of cerebrospinal fluid flow for the diagnosis of ventricular shunt malfunction.

Object: Cerebral shunt malfunction is common but often difficult to effectively diagnose. Current methods are invasive, involve ionizing radiation, and can be costly. The authors of this study investigated the feasibility of quantitatively measuring CSF flow in a shunt catheter using contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Comparison of indocyanine green angiography and laser speckle contrast imaging for the assessment of vasculature perfusion.

Background: Assessment of the vasculature is critical for overall success in cranial vascular neurological surgery procedures. Although several methods of monitoring cortical perfusion intraoperatively are available, not all are appropriate or convenient in a surgical environment. Recently, 2 optical methods of care have emerged that are able to obtain high spatial resolution images with easily implemented instrumentation: indocyanine green (ICG) angiography and laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI).

Dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery: incidence and risk factors.

Objective: To evaluate risk factors for the development of dysphagia after anterior cervical surgery.

Methods: The records of 249 patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery were reviewed. The presence and severity of dysphagia were assessed with the Dysphagia Disability Index 6 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery.

Thoracoscopic resection of symptomatic herniated thoracic discs: clinical results in 121 patients.

Study Design: Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained surgical database.

Objective: To report the indications, surgical procedures performed, and outcomes from the largest series of thoracoscopically treated herniated thoracic discs (HTDs). We also compared approach-related complications with an unmatched cohort undergoing thoracotomy for HTD.

Laser speckle contrast imaging of cerebral blood flow in humans during neurosurgery: a pilot clinical study.

Monitoring cerebral blood flow (CBF) during neurosurgery can provide important physiological information for a variety of surgical procedures. CBF measurements are important for assessing whether blood flow has returned to presurgical baseline levels and for assessing postsurgical tissue viability. Existing techniques for intraoperative monitoring of CBF based on magnetic resonance imaging are expensive and often impractical, while techniques such as indocyanine green angiography cannot produce quantitative measures of blood flow.

Update on evidence for a genetic predisposition to cerebral vasospasm.

Considerable evidence links cerebral vasospasm to the decreased bioavailability of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In recent studies from the cardiology literature, researchers have suggested that a genetic predisposition to coronary vasospasm might develop as the result of a T-786C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the eNOS gene. The authors of this study attempted to determine if there may be a similar genetic predisposition toward cerebral vasospasm.

Computational hyperspectral interferometry for studies of brain function: proof of concept.

Hyperspectral interferometric microscopy uses a unique combination of optics and algorithm design to extract information. Local brain activity rapidly changes local blood flow and red blood cell concentration (absorption) and oxygenation (color). We demonstrate that brain activity evoked during whisker stimulation can be detected with hyperspectral interferometric microscopy to identify the active whisker-barrel cortex in the rat brain.

Moyamoya disease in adults: the role of cerebral revascularization.

Moyamoya disease is a disorder characterized by bilateral progressive steno-occlusion of the terminal internal carotid arteries with associated development of a fragile network of basal collateral vessels. It most commonly presents in children, but is also frequently seen in adults, especially in the third or fourth decade of life. Adults afflicted with this disease have very different clinical characteristics as compared with children.

Decreased Cyclosporin A requirement with anti-ICAM-1 and anti-LFA-1 in a peripheral nerve allotransplantation model.

OBJECT: This study evaluated the dose related effects of Cyclosporin A (CsA) alone and in combination with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and the alpha subunit of leukocyte function-associated antigen (LFA-1 ) on peripheral nerve allograft rejection in a rat model. METHODS: Nerve regeneration was assessed using gait analysis of returning hind limb function, histology, and morphometry. RESULTS: Regeneration comparable to isograft controls and high dose CsA treatment groups was observed when mAbs were used in combi-nation with intermediate dose CsA.

Long-term outcome after angioplasty for symptomatic extracranial carotid stenosis in poor surgical candidates.

Background And Purpose: The optimal treatment of patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis who are poor surgical candidates is uncertain. The purposes of this study were to report the long-term outcome after angioplasty in a series of these patients and to compare these data with historical control data from the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET).

Methods: We identified 42 consecutive patients with >70% carotid stenosis and ipsilateral ischemic symptoms within 120 days of treatment with angioplasty.

Distinguishing the transition to chaos in a spherical pendulum.

Complex responses are studied for a spherical pendulum whose support is excited with a translational periodic motion. Governing equations are studied analytically to allow prediction of responses under various excitation conditions. Stability for certain cases of damping is predicted by means of existing analysis and compared with experimental data.