Publications by authors named "Stephan Munich"

Objective: Traditional pain management pathways following craniotomy are predicated on opioids. However, narcotics can confound critical neurological examination, contribute to respiratory depression, lower the seizure threshold, and lead to medication habituation, dependence, and/or abuse. Alternative medications to better address postoperative pain while mitigating opioid-related adverse effects remain insufficiently studied.

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Importance: Stent retriever-based thrombectomy is highly beneficial in large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes. Many stent retriever designs are currently available, but comparison of these technologies in well-conducted studies is lacking.

Objective: To determine whether thrombectomy for LVO stroke with the pRESET stent retriever is noninferior to treatment with the Solitaire stent retriever.

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Article Synopsis
  • Femoral access (TFA) for neuroendovascular procedures poses challenges for patients with a high body mass index (BMI ≥35 kg/m), and this study compares it to radial access (TRA).
  • A total of 335 patients were analyzed, revealing that bleeding complications were more common in the TFA group (7%) compared to the TRA group (2%), along with longer procedure and fluoroscopy times for femoral access.
  • The findings suggest that TRA may offer safer and more efficient outcomes for very high BMI patients in neuroendovascular procedures, with no significant differences in other complications or hospital stay durations.
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Purpose: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition of high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure that presents with CSF leak. The implications of multiple skull base defects (SBD) and associated synchronous CSF leaks have not been previously explored.

Materials And Methods: A dual institutional case-control study examined multiple SBD's and encephaloceles on the risk of CSF leak and postoperative failures post-repair.

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Background And Objectives: The management of giant pituitary adenomas (GPAs) is challenging due to associated endocrinopathies and the close proximity of these tumors to critical structures, such as the optic nerves, structures of the cavernous sinus, and hypothalamus. The objective of this review article was to summarize the current management strategies for giant pituitary adenomas, including the role of open and endoscopic surgical approaches and the role of medical and radiation therapy in conjunction with surgery.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of GPAs operated at our institute between January 2010 and March 2023.

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Background: Several recent reports of CorPath GRX vascular robot (Cordinus Vascular Robotics, Natick, MA) use intracranially suggest feasibility of neuroendovascular application. Further use and development is likely. During this progression it is important to understand endovascular robot feasibility principles established in cardiac and peripheral vascular literature which enabled extension intracranially.

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Objective: Transfemoral access (TFA) has been the traditional route of arterial access for neurointerventional procedures. Femoral access site complications may occur in 2%-6% of patients. Management of these complications often requires additional diagnostic tests or interventions, each of which may increase the cost of care.

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Background: Transradial access (TRA) recently has gained popularity among neurointerventionalists. However, hesitation to its use for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) remains.

Objective: To evaluate and describe the evolution of TRA for MT.

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Background: Multimodal monitoring to guide medical intervention in high-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is well described. Multimodal monitoring to guide surgical intervention in high-grade aSAH has been less studied.

Observations: Intracranial pressure (ICP), brain lactate to pyruvate ratio (L/P ratio), and brain parenchymal oxygen tension (pO) were used as surrogates for clinical status in a comatose man after high-grade aSAH.

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Background: Transradial access (TRA) for neurointervention is becoming increasingly popular as experience with the technique grows. Despite reasonable efficacy using femoral catheters off-label, conversion to femoral access occurs in approximately 8.6-10.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is effective for treating strokes caused by large vessel occlusion, but it often shows poor results in elderly patients, leading to concerns about unnecessary procedures.
  • A study analyzed the relationship between visual assessments of brain atrophy and leukoaraiosis on CT scans and outcomes for elderly stroke patients undergoing thrombectomy, focusing on their 90-day recovery status.
  • Results indicated that increased severity of brain atrophy and leukoaraiosis correlated with lower recovery rates post-procedure, suggesting these factors may be useful indicators of patient outcomes and help minimize futile treatments.
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 The suprasellar space is a common location for intracranial lesions. The position of the optic chiasm (prefixed vs. postfixed) results in variable sizes of operative corridors and is thus important to identify when choosing a surgical approach to this region.

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This article has been retracted because it describes the use of an investigative agent that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

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The existence of carotid basilar anastomoses has been well documented embryologically, anatomically, and, in the case of the persistent trigeminal and hypoglossal arteries, angiographically. Conversely, anomalous origins of the vertebral arteries (VA) are not very common with an incidence ranging from 3% to 8%. Multiple variations of the VA origin have been reported in the literature, including arising from the aortic arch, from the common, internal, or external carotid arteries and subclavian branches.

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Objective: Meningiomas of the anterior clinoid process (ACP) present significant surgical challenges given their anatomic relation to critical neurovascular structures. Routine anterior clinoidectomy is often described as a critical step in the resection of these tumors to reduce recurrence and improve visual outcomes. Anterior clinoidectomy, however, is not without risk and its benefits have not been clearly delineated.

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Background: Trends in mechanical thrombectomy have emphasized larger bore aspiration catheters that may be difficult to deploy from a radial access point due to size constraints or need to obtain sheathless access. As such, many neurointerventionists are reticent to attempt thrombectomy through transradial access (TRA) for fear of worse outcomes.

Objective: To explore whether mechanical thrombectomy could be achieved safely and effectively through the transradial route.

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Background: Burnout takes a heavy toll on healthcare providers. We sought to assess the prevalence and risk factors for burnout among neurointerventional (NI) non-physician procedural staff (nurses and technologists) given increasing thrombectomy demands.

Methods: A 41-question online survey containing questions including the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel was distributed to NI nurses and radiology technologists at 20 US endovascular capable stroke centers.

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Background: Despite the recent increase in the number of publications on diagnostic cerebral angiograms using transradial access (TRA), there have been relatively few regarding TRA for neurointerventional cases. Questions of feasibility and safety may still exist among physicians considering TRA for neurointerventional procedures.

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed following PRISMA guidelines.

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Objective: Postgraduate training in medicine has been under scrutiny in the last 10 years, with a focus on improving residents' education. The aim of this study was to quantify trends in neurosurgery residency (NSR) training and education over the last 10 years.

Methods: The authors assessed Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), National Resident Matching Program, and American Board of Neurological Surgeons records and searched PubMed to collate 2009-2019 data.

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Objective: Despite an increasing focus on endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms, microsurgical clipping remains an integral part of management. We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of microsurgical clipping performed by dual-trained neurosurgeons at our institute, which has adopted an endovascular first approach.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiographic data of 412 aneurysms in 375 patients treated with microsurgical clipping.

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Background: A new dual resolution imaging x-ray detector system (Canon Medical Systems Corporation, Tochigi, Japan) has a standard resolution 194 µm pixel conventional flat-panel detector (FPD) mode and a high-resolution 76 µm high-definition (Hi-Def) mode in a single unit. The Hi-Def mode enhances the visualization of the intravascular devices.

Objective: We report the clinical experience and physician evaluation of this new detector system with Hi-Def mode for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms using a Pipeline embolization device (PED).

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Objective: The mortality rates for stroke are decreasing, yet it remains a leading cause of disability and the principal neurological diagnosis in patients discharged to nursing homes. The societal and economic burdens of stroke are substantial, with the total annual health care costs of stroke expected to reach $240.7 billion by 2030.

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Several studies have shown the efficacy and feasibility of flow diversion for the endovascular treatment of wide-necked and otherwise anatomically challenging intracranial aneurysms (IA). Technological advances have led to successful long-term occlusion rates and a safety profile for flow-diverter stents that parallels other endovascular and open surgical options for these lesions. With growing indications for use of the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED, Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) to include IAs up to the internal carotid artery (ICA) terminus, understanding the nuances of this technology is increasingly relevant.

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