Impact of biologically effective dose on tremor decrease after stereotactic radiosurgical thalamotomy for essential tremor: a retrospective longitudinal analysis.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is one of the surgical alternatives for drug-resistant essential tremor (ET). Here, we aimed at evaluating whether biologically effective dose (BED) is relevant for tremor improvement after stereotactic radiosurgical thalamotomy in a population of patients treated with one (unplugged) isocenter and a uniform dose of 130 Gy. This is a retrospective longitudinal single center study.

The Use of Image Guided Programming to Improve Deep Brain Stimulation Workflows with Directional Leads in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a preferred treatment for parkinsonian patients with severe motor fluctuations. Proper targeting of the STN sensorimotor segment appears to be a crucial factor for success of the procedure. The recent introduction of directional leads theoretically increases stimulation specificity in this challenging area but also requires more precise stimulation parameters.

Frameless robot-assisted stereotactic biopsies for lesions of the brainstem-a series of 103 consecutive biopsies.

Purpose: Targeted treatment for brainstem lesions requires above all a precise histopathological and molecular diagnosis. In the current technological era, robot-assisted stereotactic biopsies represent an accurate and safe procedure for tissue diagnosis. We present our center's experience in frameless robot-assisted biopsies for brainstem lesions.

Radiosurgery for unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations in the pre-ARUBA era: long-term obliteration rate, risk of hemorrhage and functional outcomes.

The management of non-hemorrhagic arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) remains a subject of debate, even more since the ARUBA trial. Here, we report the obliteration rate, the risk of hemorrhage and the functional outcomes after Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) as first-line treatment for non-hemorrhagic AVMs treated before the ARUBA publication, in a reference university center with multimodal AVM treatments available. We retrospectively analyzed data from a continuous series of 172 patients harboring unruptured AVMs treated by GKRS as first-line treatment in our Lille University Hospital, France, between April 2004 and December 2013.

Progression of vestibular schawnnoma after GammaKnife radiosurgery: A challenge for microsurgical resection.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients who underwent salvage microsurgery for vestibular schwannoma (VS) that failed primary Gammaknife radiosurgery (GKS).

Patients And Methods: Among the 1098 patients who received GKS for the treatment of VS in our center between January 2004 and December 2012, the follow-up was organized in our institution for 290 patients who lived in our recruitment area. Tumor progression was noted in 23 patients.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia treated by Gamma Knife radiosurgery: safety and efficacy through long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is a rare and disabling condition. Just as for trigeminal neuralgia, Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is increasingly proposed as a therapeutic option for GPN. The purpose of this study was to assess long-term safety and efficacy of GKRS for this indication.

Predictive factors for improvement of gait by low-frequency stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Background: After several years duration of Parkinson's disease, with or without deep brain stimulation, axial signs (such as postural instability, freezing of gait) may worsen. High-voltage, low-frequency stimulation has been shown to improve severe gait disorders in some patients.

Objective: To identify predictive factors for the efficacy of low-frequency stimulation.

Stereotactic biopsy for brainstem tumors: comparison of transcerebellar with transfrontal approach.

Background: An important aspect of evaluating patients submitted to stereotactic biopsy of the brainstem is the trajectory used. The literature describes two principal approaches: the suboccipital transcerebellar and the transfrontal; however, no studies exist comparing these two techniques.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare diagnosis success rates and complications between the suboccipital transcerebellar and transfrontal trajectories.

Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging findings and histological diagnosis of intrinsic brainstem lesions in adults.

Management of brainstem mass lesions remains a controversial issue, especially when the lesion cannot be excised and when infiltration occurs; moreover, the benefits of a stereotactic procedure are still under debate. In most studies, treatment decisions are based solely on MRI features and do not include a histopathological diagnosis. In the current study, we compared MRI characteristics with histopathological findings of intrinsic brainstem lesions and identified the characteristics associated with the diagnosis of pathologies other than diffuse glioma.

Correlation among magnetic resonance imaging findings, prognostic factors for survival, and histological diagnosis of intrinsic brainstem lesions in children.

Object: The aim of this study was to compare MR imaging characteristics with histopathological findings of intrinsic brainstem lesions and also to show the prognostic factors in patients with diffuse brainstem glioma.

Methods: Between February 1988 and August 2007, 44 brainstem biopsies were performed at the Roger Salengro Hospital in Lille, France, in children with intrinsic brainstem lesions not amenable to excision. Twenty-six were female and 18 male, and the mean age was 6 years.

Are stereotactic sample biopsies still of value in the modern management of pineal region tumours? Lessons from a single-department, retrospective series.

Objective: Recent improvements in imaging-based diagnosis, the broader application of neuroendoscopic techniques and advances in open surgery techniques mean that the need for stereotactic biopsies in the management of pineal region tumours must be reevaluated. The primary aim of this retrospective study was to establish whether stereotactic biopsy is still of value in the modern management of pineal region tumours.

Methods: From 1985 to 2009, 88 consecutive patients underwent a stereotactic biopsy in our institution (51 males and 37 females; median age at presentation 30; range 2-74).

Motor cortex electric stimulation for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Objective: Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is considered to be an effective treatment for chronic neuropathic pain. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of MCS for treating neuropathic pain.

Method: 27 patients with chronic neuropathic pain were operated.

Clinical outcomes after Gamma Knife surgery for idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia: review of 76 consecutive cases.

Object: Stereotactic radiosurgery is an increasingly used, and the least invasive, surgical option for patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). In this study, the authors performed a retrospective evaluation of the safety and efficacy of this method for idiopathic TN.

Methods: The authors reviewed data from 76 patients with idiopathic TN who underwent Gamma Knife surgery (GKS).

Management of cystic craniopharyngiomas with stereotactic endocavitary irradiation using colloidal 186Re: a retrospective study of 48 consecutive patients.

Objective: We retrospectively reviewed the results of stereotactic endocavitary irradiation with colloidal 186Re in the treatment of cystic craniopharyngiomas.

Methods: Among 54 consecutive patients included in a 186Re stereotactic endocavitary irradiation procedure, 42 patients (29 male and 13 female; average age, 38.7 years) received therapeutic injection via intracystic catheter introduced under stereotactic conditions.