Hypermetabolism in 18F-FDG PET predicts favorable outcome following decompressive surgery in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the regional changes of glucose metabolism of the cervical spinal cord in patients with degenerative cervical spine stenosis and symptomatic cervical myelopathy after decompressive surgery using (18)F-FDG PET.

Methods: Twenty patients with symptomatic degenerative monosegmental cervical stenosis with neuroradiologic signs of spinal cord compression underwent decompressive surgery. The clinical course using a functional status score (Japanese Orthopedic Association [JOA] score), (18)F-FDG uptake, and MR imaging were assessed before and at follow-up 12 mo after surgery.

Transtubular microsurgical approach to treating extraforaminal lumbar disc herniations.

Object: Approaches to treating extraforaminal lumbar disc herniations can be challenging due to the unique anatomy and the need to prevent spinal instability. Numerous approaches, including conventional midline, paramedian, minimally invasive, and full endoscopic approaches, have been described. The purposes of this study were to point out the outcome and clinical advantages of a transtubular microsurgical approach and to describe and illustrate this technique.

Role of ventriculoperitoneal shunt valve design in the treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus--a single center study of valve performance in the clinical setting.

Purpose: Previous studies have established risk factors for ventriculoperitoneal shunt failure in children. However, the role of valve type as a determinant of complications and outcome remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the fixed-pressure paediGAV and the programmable Codman Hakim valves in the clinical setting.

Endoscopic-assisted visualization of 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced fluorescence in malignant glioma surgery: a technical note.

Objective: With the use of fluorescence-guided resection with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), the rate of complete resection of the contrast-enhancing part of malignant gliomas could be increased from 36% to 65%. Because the visualization of 5-ALA-induced fluorescence depends on a sufficient exposure to fluorescent light, residual tumor tissue in deep-seated resection cavities might not be detected. In addition, subcortical parts of a large spherical tumor might not be visualized, owing to a tangential position at the periphery of the microscopic field.

Clinical value of 2-deoxy-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is one of the most common spinal cord disorders in the elderly. It is usually diagnosed by MRI, but in a significant number of patients the clinical course of CSM does not correlate with the extent of the spinal cord compression. Recent studies have suggested that a distinct metabolic pattern of the cervical cord, as assessed by PET with 2-deoxy-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) may predict a patient's clinical outcome after decompressive surgery for cervical spine stenosis.

End-of-life caregivers' perception of medical and psychological support during the final weeks of glioma patients: a questionnaire-based survey.

Background: The prognosis for glioma remains dismal, and little is known about the final disease phase. To obtain information about this period, we surveyed caregivers of patients who were registered in the German Glioma Network and who died from the disease.

Methods: A questionnaire with 15 items, focusing on medical, logistic, and mental health support and symptom control during the final 4 weeks, was sent to caregivers.

Pathological gambling in eating disorders: prevalence and clinical implications.

Objective: Pathological gambling (PG) and eating disorders (ED) rarely co-occur. We explored the prevalence of lifetime PG in ED, compared severity of ED symptoms, personality traits, and psychopathological profiles across individuals with ED and PG (ED+PG) and without PG (ED-PG). Finally, we assessed the incremental predictive value of gender on the presentation of a comorbid PG.

Width of the cervical intervertebral neuroforamina after total disc replacement with the Cerkinetic prosthesis: a three-dimensional simulation using a computer-aided design model.

Introduction: Physiological cervical intervertebral motion inherently induces a neuroforaminal volume change. Integration of an artificial motion component within this intervertebral kinematic system may cause neuroforamina to lose their ability for continuous and instantaneous volume adaptation, inducing foraminal stenosis. The purpose of the current study is to virtually simulate a newly developed cervical total disc replacement (TDR) to evaluate the neuroforaminal dimensions at rest and during motion.

Prospective, randomized, open-label phase II trial on concomitant intraventricular fibrinolysis and low-frequency rotation after severe subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: The goal of this randomized, open-label phase II study was to investigate the effect of concomitant low-frequency head-motion therapy and intraventricular fibrinolysis in patients after surgical or endovascular treatment for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Methods: Sixty patients experiencing subarachnoid hemorrhage were randomized into treatment with intraventricular application of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator and lateral rotational therapy (experimental) or treatment as usual (control). The primary end point was defined as functional outcome, measured by Glasgow Outcome Scale at discharge and at 3-month follow-up.

Impact of the moon on cerebral aneurysm rupture.

Background: Several external and internal risk factors for cerebral aneurysm rupture have been identified to date. Recently, it has been reported that moon phases correlate with the incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), however, another author found no such association. Therefore, the present study investigates the influence of the lunar cycle on the incidence of aneurysmal rupture, the initial clinical presentation, and the amount of subarachnoid blood.

Scanning electron microscopic surface analysis of cryoconserved skull bone after decompressive craniectomy.

Bone flaps removed during decompressive craniectomy are commonly frozen at -80 °C and stored until cranioplasty. Histological integrity and regenerative capacity have been shown for cryoconserved bone. The effects of cryoconservation on the surface structure are unknown, although these might cause mechanical instability or facilitate bacterial adhesion.

The impact of experimental preconditioning using vascular endothelial growth factor in stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulating angiogenesis was shown to be a potential novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of ischemic vascular diseases. The goal of the present study was to examine whether transfection of VEGF before occurrence of major stroke (part I) and cerebral vasospasm after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH; part II) develops neuroprotective qualities. A total of 25 (part I) and 26 (part II) brains were analyzed, respectively.

Giant cell tumor of the lumbar spine with intraperitoneal growth: case report and review of literature.

Giant cell tumors of the spine are uncommon. Usually they are benign and solitary, but locally very aggressive. Most of them occur at the sacral spine.

The impact of improved treatment strategies on overall survival in glioblastoma patients.

Background: The introduction of ALA-Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) followed by concomitant radiochemotherapy according to the Stupp-protocol is representative of the major changes in glioblastoma therapy in the past years. We were interested in the impact of this new first-line treatment on the overall survival of patients suffering from newly diagnosed primary glioblastoma in a retrospective single-centre study.

Method: For this retrospective analysis, data was derived from a prospective single-centre database.

Custom-tailored minimally invasive partial C2-corpectomy for ventrally located intramedullary cavernous malformation.

Approaches to ventrally located intramedullary lesions of the upper cervical spine can be extremely challenging. We present a custom-tailored, minimally invasive anterior approach to a ventrally located, intramedullary cavernous hemangioma with partial lateral corpectomy of C2, complete resection of the lesion and subsequent reconstruction. A 20-year-old woman presented with the history of progressive numbness of the left upper and lower extremities and some episodes of severe headaches was referred to magnetic resonance imaging: Here, an intramedullary lesion with typical radiological features for a cavernous malformation at the ventral surface of the spinal cord at the C2 level was detected.

Early perfusion computerized tomography imaging as a radiographic surrogate for delayed cerebral ischemia and functional outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: To date, there is no immediate radiographic surrogate to quantify primary cerebral injury to identify patients at risk for delayed cerebral ischemia and poor clinical outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Therefore, we investigated the relation of early cerebral perfusion-computerized tomography and clot volume with radiological events of delayed cerebral ischemia and clinical outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Methods: Data from 2 cohorts of patients (51 in main, 28 patients in control cohort) with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, receiving computerized tomography and perfusion-computerized tomography scanning <12 hours after ictus, were included.

The impact of sequential vs. combined radiochemotherapy with temozolomide, resection and MGMT promoter hypermethylation on survival of patients with primary glioblastoma--a single centre retrospective study.

Background: The benefit of the introduction of alkylating chemotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients has been demonstrated by comparing radiotherapy with concomitant plus intermittent temozolomide (iTMZ) to radiation therapy. The isolated impact of the concomitant part of this protocol on survival was not investigated. We were therefore interested in the impact of the effect of the concomitant therapy part on survival.

Clinical value of O-(2-[(18)F]-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine positron emission tomography in patients with low-grade glioma.

Progress in morphological imaging has facilitated the diagnosis of low-grade glioma (LGG) and plays a decisive role in therapeutic decisions. To date, the method of choice is contrast-enhanced MRI including T1-/T2-weighted and FLAIR sequences. However, tumor delineation and the differentiation between neoplastic and normal brain tissue can be difficult when using morphological MRI and may complicate the identification of anaplastic foci for biopsy and further treatment planning.

Exploring the age of intracranial aneurysms using carbon birth dating: preliminary results.

Background And Purpose: There is a controversy about the time span over which cerebral aneurysms develop. In particular, it is unknown whether collagen in ruptured aneurysms undergoes more rapid turnover than in unruptured aneurysms.(14)C birth dating of collagen could be used to address this question.

Malignant potential of skull base versus non-skull base meningiomas: clinical series of 1,663 cases.

Background: About 90 % of meningiomas are benign (WHO grade I), atypical and anaplastic variants exist (WHO grade II/III, 10 %). Tumour grade has important implications for management. Non-invasive diagnosis of tumour grade is still not feasible.

The impact of fluorescence guidance on spinal intradural tumour surgery.

Purpose: 5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-based fluorescence-guided surgery was shown to be beneficial for cerebral malignant gliomas. Extension of this technique for resection of meningiomas and cerebral metastasis has been recently evaluated. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of fluorescence-guided surgery in spinal tumor surgery.