Publications by authors named "Nikolaos Plakopitis"

Background: External ventricular drainage (EVD) is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. Complications are rather rare and mostly include hemorrhage and infection. Hematomas may form during placement or even after the removal of an EVD.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed many aspects of our everyday lives and medical practice, including oncology treatment; thyroid cancer surgery is not an exception. The reported number of fine-needle aspirations performed during the first semester of 2020 was significantly reduced. Poorly differentiated, medullary and anaplastic thyroid tumors are considered important indications for immediate surgical intervention.

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: Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer; despite its generally indolent course, patients often develop local post-operative recurrences. Re-operation, however, holds a high complication rate, while at the same time, not all patients benefit from radioiodine ablation. This systematic review investigates the application of laser ablation therapy (LAT) for cervical lymph node metastases as an additional treatment modality.

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Background: Thyroid nodules are common; the majority of them are benign and asymptomatic. Thyroidectomy might be an option; however, the frequency of post-operative complications mandates the development of alternative approaches, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU). HIFU induces thermal destruction without penetrating the skin.

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