Minimising costs in spinal surgery: is group & save testing justified in lumbar decompression surgery?

Background: Lumbar microdiscectomy and laminectomy are two of the most common neurosurgical procedures performed worldwide. Current practice still sees pre-operative group and save testing prior to this surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the need for pre-operative group and save and post-operative blood checks.

Decompressive craniectomy for malignant middle cerebral artery infarction in a 16-year old boy: a case report.

Background: Cryptogenic stroke frequently occurs in younger patients and has a high risk of recurrence. Consequently, secondary prevention is often suboptimal as there is no known risk factor to target. This case demonstrates an unexpected finding of middle cerebral artery infarction and extensive malignant transformation in a 16-year-old boy more than a day post-admission.

Spontaneous Resolution of Radiotherapy-induced Craniopharyngioma Cyst.

Craniopharyngioma cyst enlargement after surgery and radiation therapy is often presumed to represent a treatment failure, instigating further management strategies. We present an eight-year-old girl with a small intrasellar residuum post-resection who then developed cystic enlargement post-radiotherapy. With close surveillance, the cyst spontaneously resolved.