The role of hemostatic devices in neurosurgery. A systematic review.

Hemostasis represents a fundamental step in every surgical procedure. During neurosurgical procedures, proper and robust hemostasis into confined spaces can significantly reduce the odds of perioperative complications. Over the decades, multiple methods have been applied, and several medical devices have been developed to promote and guarantee proper hemostasis.

Is Transcranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Focused Ultrasound a Repeatable Treatment Option? Case Report of a Retreated Patient With Tremor Combined With Parkinsonism.

Introduction: In recent years, transcranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guided Focused Ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) treatments for functional neurological disorders are giving a new thrust to the field of therapeutic brain lesioning.

Objective: To present the case of a patient affected by tremor combined with Parkinsonism who underwent a second tcMRgFUS thalamotomy because of relapsing tremor after a few months from the first tcMRgFUS treatment.

Methods: A 72-yr-old, right-handed man, came to our observation because of a disabling tremor affecting his upper limbs, refusing any invasive surgical procedure and already treated by tcMRgFUS left Vim thalamotomy.

A thoracic vertebral localization of a metastasized cutaneous Merkel cell carcinoma: Case report and review of literature.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine skin tumor, which may be related to sun exposure. It can metastasize to lungs, liver and bone, leading to severe morbidity and mortality. Vertebral metastases from MCC are rare.

Never say never again: A bone graft infection due to a hornet sting, thirty-nine years after cranioplasty.

Background: Cranioplasty (CP) is a widespread surgical procedure aimed to restore skull integrity and physiological cerebral hemodynamics, to improve neurological functions and to protect the underlying brain after a life-saving decompressive craniectomy (DC). Nevertheless, CP is still burdened by surgical complications, among which early or late graft infections are the most common outcome-threatening ones.

Case Description: We report the case of 48-year-old man admitted to our neurosurgical unit because of a painful right frontal swelling and 1-week purulent discharge from a cutaneous fistula.

Skull Bone Defects Reconstruction with Custom-Made Titanium Graft shaped with Electron Beam Melting Technology: Preliminary Experience in a Series of Ten Patients.

Background: Cranioplasty represents a challenge in neurosurgery. Its goal is not only plastic reconstruction of the skull but also to restore and preserve cranial function, to improve cerebral hemodynamics, and to provide mechanical protection of the neural structures. The ideal material for the reconstructive procedures and the surgical timing are still controversial.