Fiber-Optic Intracranial Pressure Monitoring System Using Wi-Fi-An In Vivo Study.

Background: Continuous invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) is essential in neurocritical care for surveillance and management of raised ICP. Fluid-based systems and strain gauge microsensors remain the current standard. In the past few decades, several studies with wireless monitoring were developed aiming to reduce invasiveness and complications.

The impact of traumatic herniated discs in cervical facets dislocations treatments: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Traumatic facet dislocations in the subaxial cervical spine, also known as locked facets, are commonly associated with neurological deficits. The fear of the presence of an associated traumatic disc herniation and consequent neurological worsening usually causes a delay in the spinal realignment. This study's aim is an analysis of safety and efficacy when treating acute cervical traumatic facet dislocations using cranial-cervical traction or posterior open reduction and fixation in the presence of disc herniations.

Correlation of Intraoperative Neurophysiological Parameters and Outcomes in Patients with Intramedullary Tumors.

Introduction: Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT) account for about 2%-4% of all central nervous system tumors. Surgical resection is the main treatment step, but might cause damage to functional tissues. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) is an adopted measure to decrease surgical complications.

The effect of filum terminale sectioning for Chiari 1 malformation treatment: systematic review.

Purpose: Symptomatic Chiari type I malformation (CM) is treated with posterior fossa decompression with/ without duroplasty. Few authors suggested cerebellar tonsil caudal migration due to a supposed "caudal traction" of cranial nerve structures in a so-called occult tethered cord syndrome. For these authors, filum terminale (FT) sectioning may improve CM symptoms.

Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The objective of this systematic literature review was to evaluate if intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) can prevent neurological injury during spinal operative surgical procedures.

Summary Of Background Data: IONM seems to have presumable positive effects in identifying neurological deficits.

Assessment of a Learning Strategy among Spine Surgeons.

Study Design: Pilot test, observational study.

Objective: To evaluate objectively the knowledge transfer provided by theoretical and practical activities during AOSpine courses for spine surgeons.

Methods: During two AOSpine principles courses, 62 participants underwent precourse assessment, which consisted of questions about their professional experience, preferences regarding adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) classification, and classifying the curves by means of the Lenke classification of two AIS clinical cases.

Spontaneous intracranial epidural hematoma during rivaroxaban treatment.

According to our research, this is the first case described in the literature of spontaneous intracranial epidural hematoma secondary to the use of Xareltor. Spontaneous intracranial epidural hematomas are rarely described in the literature. They are associated with infectious diseases of the skull, coagulation disorders, vascular malformations of the dura mater and metastasis to the skull.

Is There a Role for Decompression Alone for Treating Symptomatic Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis?: A Systematic Review.

Background Context: A posterior decompression with an instrumented fusion is one of the most common surgical procedures performed for treating symptomatic spinal stenosis associated with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). However, some patients may benefit from a decompression alone, avoiding complications related to instrumentation and fusion.

Objective: To identify the characteristics of patients with symptomatic DS who may be successfully treated with an isolated decompression.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and surgical techniques.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a degenerative spinal disease which may lead to significant clinical morbidity. The onset of symptoms is usually insidious, with long periods of fixed disability and episodic worsening events. Regarding the pathophysiology of CSM, the repeated injuries to the spinal cord are caused by both static and dynamic mechanical factors.

"Free-hand" technique for thoracolumbar pedicle screw instrumentation: critical appraisal of current "state-of-art".

Pedicle screws are widely used for instrumentation of the thoracolumbar spine. The anatomic studies performed in the last two decades, detailing the complex morphometry and three-dimensional anatomy of the thoracolumbar pedicles, have enabled the emergence of the so-called "free-hand" technique of pedicle screw placement based exclusively on anatomical parameters. However, in the thoracic spine, the benefits of pedicle screws have been tempered by its potential risks, such as, spinal canal violation, pedicle fracture, nerve root compression, and vascular lesions.

Image-guided surgical planning using anatomical landmarks in the retrosigmoid approach.

Objective: The suboccipital lateral or retrosigmoid approach is the main neurosurgical approach to the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). It is mainly used in the treatment of CPA tumors and vascular decompression of cranial nerves. A prospective study using navigation registered with anatomical landmarks in order to identify the transverse and sigmoid sinuses junction (TSSJ) was carried out in a series of 30 retrosigmoid craniotomies.

Transitional lumbosacral vertebrae and low back pain: diagnostic pitfalls and management of Bertolotti's syndrome.

Objective: Bertolotti's syndrome is a spine disorder characterized by the occurrence of a congenital lumbar transverse mega-apophysis in a transitional vertebral body that usually articulates with the sacrum or the iliac bone. It has been considered a possible cause of low back pain.

Method: We analyzed the cases of Bertolotti's syndrome that failed clinical treatment and reviewed the literature concerning this subject.

Outcome following lumbar disc surgery: the role of fibrosis.

Background: Failed-back surgery syndrome remains a challenge for spinal surgeons. It can be related to several causes, including poor surgical indication, misdiagnosis, surgical technique failure, spondilodiscitis and fibrosis. Fibrosis has been associated with a poorer outcome in lumbar disc surgery, although its role in the generation of symptoms is not yet clear.

Primary filum terminale ependymoma: a series of 16 cases.

Filum terminale ependymomas are slow growing tumors of the cauda equina with a high incidence in young adults. Although a complete microsurgical resection can lead to a cure, recurrence is not uncommon. Sixteen cases of filum terminale ependymomas treated at the Instituto de Neurologia de Curitiba were analyzed.

Is preoperative occupation related to long-term pain in patients operated for lumbar disc herniation?

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common cause of back and sciatic pain. When clinical treatment fails, surgery may be indicated in selected patients. Although surgery is effective in most cases, some of these patients may have a poor outcome.

Distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm: case report.

The majority of posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysms are usually found on the bifurcation of the vertebral artery (VA) - PICA junction. Aneurysms arising from more peripheral PICA segments named distal PICA aneurysm are uncommon. The major clinical manifestation is that of an intracranial bleeding and the site of hemorrhage is related to the PICA segment originating the aneurysm.

[Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Heidenhain variant: case report with MRI (DWI) findings].

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a presenile dementia characterized by rapidly progressive mental deterioration, myoclonic jerking, and other less common neurological signs. Few autoctonous cases have been described in Brazil. A 54-year-old white woman, was admitted in our service with a month history of progressive, bilateral cortical blindness.

[Comparative analysis of human brain slices with three different staining techniques].

Studying neuroanatomy at brain slices with gray matter staining techniques has several advantages. More often, the models described by Barnard, Robert and Brown, Mulligan, and Green are used. The aim of this study was to identify which of them achieves the best results on differentiation between the gray and the white matter.

[Cerebral and systemic venous thrombosis associated to prothrombin G20210 mutation: case report].

Cerebral venous thrombosis is a clinical condition of difficult diagnosis, and poor prognosis when treatment is not started early. There is a long list of causes, and hereby we describe a case associated to prothrombin G20210 mutation. A 53-year-old man, white, was admitted with status epilepticus.