Surgical treatment of spondylodiscitis in critically ill septic patients.

Purpose: Surgical procedures in critically ill patients with spondylodiscitis are challenging and there are several controversies. Here, we present our experience with offering surgical intervention early in critically ill septic patients with spondylodiscitis.

Method: After we introduced a new treatment paradigm offering early but limited surgery, eight patients with spondylodiscitis complicated by severe sepsis and multiple organ failure underwent urgent surgical treatment over a 10-year period.

Routine postoperative admission to the neurocritical intensive care unit after microvascular decompression: necessary or can it be abandoned?

Postoperative neurocritical intensive care unit (NICU) admission of patients who underwent craniotomy for close observation is common practice. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis to determine if there is a real need for NICU admission after microvascular decompression (MVD) for cranial nerve disorders or whether it may be abandoned. The present study evaluates a consecutive series of 236 MVD surgeries performed for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (213), hemifacial spasm (17), vagoglossopharyngeal neuralgia (2), paroxysmal vertigo (2), and pulsatile tinnitus (2).

Resection of posterior fossa tumors in the semi-sitting position in children younger than 4 years of age.

Purpose: The semi-sitting position for resection of posterior fossa tumors is a matter of ongoing debate. Here we report about our experience with this approach in children younger than 4 years of age.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of children younger than 4 years of age operated on in our institution in the semi-sitting position over a 15-year period.

Porcine Liver Transplantation Without Veno-venous Bypass As an Extended Criteria Donor Model.

Liver transplantation is regarded as the gold standard for the treatment of a variety of fatal hepatic diseases. However, unsolved issues of chronic graft failure, ongoing organ donor shortages, and the increased use of marginal grafts call for the improvement of current concepts, such as the implementation of organ machine perfusion. In order to evaluate new methods of graft reconditioning and modulation, translational models are required.