Perioperative psychological distress in patients with intracranial tumors; a single center study.

Purpose: Distress Thermometer (DT) was adopted to evaluate distress in neuro-oncology on a scale from 1 to 10. DT values above 4 indicate major distress and should initiate psycho(onco)logical co-therapy. However, data about peri-operative distress is scarce.

Preoperative language tract integrity is a limiting factor in recovery from aphasia after glioma surgery.

Aphasia can occur in a broad range of pathological conditions that affect cortical or subcortical structures. Here we test the hypothesis that white matter integrity of language pathways assessed by preoperative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is associated with language performance and its recovery after glioma resection. 27 patients with preoperative DTI were included.

White Matter Integrity of the Corticospinal Tract for Estimation of Individual Patient Risk for Postoperative Neurological Deterioration after Glioma Surgery.

Background: Tractography has become a standard tool for planning neurosurgical operations and has been proven to be useful for risk stratification. In various conditions, tractography-derived white matter integrity has been shown to be associated with neurological outcome. Postoperative performance has been shown to be a prognostic marker in glioma.

Facial Nerve Function After Microsurgical Resection in Vestibular Schwannoma Under Neurophysiological Monitoring.

Background: The use of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, including direct nerve stimulation (especially the facial nerve), acoustic evoked potentials (AEP) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), is a helpful tool in the microsurgery of vestibular schwannoma to prevent nerve injury. Patient characteristics and intraoperative and postoperative variables might also influence the postoperative facial nerve function. The study was performed to investigate these variables and the intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring values.

The Relation of Surgical Procedures and Diagnosis Groups to Unplanned Readmission in Spinal Neurosurgery: A Retrospective Single Center Study.

Background: Unplanned readmission has gained increasing interest as a quality marker for inpatient care, as it is associated with patient mortality and higher economic costs. Spinal neurosurgery is characterized by a lack of epidemiologic readmission data. The aim of this study was to identify causes and predictors for unplanned readmissions related to index diagnoses and surgical procedures.

The impact of neurological performance and volumetrics on overall survival in brain metastasis in colorectal cancer: a retrospective single-center case series.

Background: Brain metastasis (BM) of colorectal cancer is a disease with a poor prognosis of only a few months survival. However, it is difficult to estimate the individual prognosis of each patient due to the lack of definitive prognosis parameters. The number of metastases and the Karnofsky performance score are known predictors for survival.

Management of Cavernous Carotid Artery Aneurysms: A Retrospective Single-Center Experience.

Objective: While cavernous carotid aneurysms can cause neurological symptoms, their often-uneventful natural course and the increasing options of intravascular aneurysm closure call for educated decision-making. However, evidence-based guidelines are missing. Here, we report 64 patients with cavernous carotid aneurysms, their respective therapeutic strategies, and follow-up.

The Prognostic Value of NANO Scale Assessment in IDH-Wild-Type Glioblastoma Patients.

Background: IDH-wild-type glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent brain-derived malignancy. Despite intense research efforts, it is still associated with a very poor prognosis. Several parameters were identified as prognostic, including general physical performance.

Neurosurgical Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Central Germany: A Retrospective Single Center Study of the Second Wave.

The healthcare system has been placed under an enormous burden by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition to the challenge of providing sufficient care for COVID-19 patients, there is also a need to ensure adequate care for non-COVID-19 patients. We investigated neurosurgical care in a university hospital during the pandemic.

Psychological Distress in Intracranial Neoplasia: A Comparison of Patients With Benign and Malignant Brain Tumours.

We aimed to assess psychological distress in patients with intracranial neoplasia, a group of patients who suffer from severe functional, neurocognitive and neuropsychological side effects, resulting in high emotional distress. We conducted a cross-sectional study, including inpatients with brain tumours. Eligible patients completed validated self-report questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, distress, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear of progression and health-related quality of life.

Tinzaparin vs. Nadroparin Safety and Efficacy in Neurosurgery.

Background: An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China in 2020 has led to an unprecedented shortage of nadroparin. Most patients, especially those kept in hospital for surgery, are currently treated with prophylactic anticoagulation (AC). In search of alternatives for nadroparin (fraxiparine), we found no sufficient data on alternatives for neurosurgical patients, such as tinzaparin of European origin.

Assessment of a Reliable Fractional Anisotropy Cutoff in Tractography of the Corticospinal Tract for Neurosurgical Patients.

Background: Tractography has become a standard technique for planning neurosurgical operations in the past decades. This technique relies on diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. The cutoff value for the fractional anisotropy (FA) has an important role in avoiding false-positive and false-negative results.

On the Prognosis of Multifocal Glioblastoma: An Evaluation Incorporating Volumetric MRI.

Primary glioblastoma (GBM), IDH-wildtype, especially with multifocal appearance/growth (mGBM), is associated with very poor prognosis. Several clinical parameters have been identified to provide prognostic value in both unifocal GBM (uGBM) and mGBM, but information about the influence of radiological parameters on survival for mGBM cohorts is scarce. This study evaluated the prognostic value of several volumetric parameters derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

VP-shunt dysfunction caused by malaria CNS infection.

Introduction: Malaria is a widespread mosquito-borne infectious disease with over 300 million cases and roughly 900 thousand deaths in 2013. Cerebral involvement of malaria causes 50 % of all infection-associated deaths, especially in children below the age of 5 years. Hydrocephalus is a medical condition with abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in physiological cavities and ventricles.