Electrophysiologic Mapping for Target Acquisition in Deep Brain Stimulation May Become Unnecessary in the Era of Intraoperative Imaging.

Objective: Electrophysiologic mapping (EM) has been instrumental in advancing neuroscience and ensuring accurate lead placement for deep brain stimulation. However, EM is associated with increased operative time, expense, and potential risk. Intraoperative imaging to verify lead placement provides an opportunity to reassess the clinical role of EM.

Seizure and neuropsychological outcomes in a large series of selective amygdalohippocampectomies with a minimally invasive subtemporal approach.

Objective: Debate continues over proper surgical treatment for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Few large comprehensive studies exist that have examined outcomes for the subtemporal selective amygdalohippocampectomy (sSAH) approach. This study describes a minimally invasive technique for sSAH and examines seizure and neuropsychological outcomes in a large series of patients who underwent sSAH for MTLE.

Anterior Cerebral Artery Bypass for Complex Aneurysms: Advances in Intracranial-Intracranial Bypass Techniques.

Background: Anterior cerebral artery (ACA) bypasses for complex aneurysms are infrequently performed, yet previous experience demonstrates the importance of intracranial-intracranial bypasses. Here we describe technical advances in intracranial-intracranial bypass techniques and their clinical results.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with complex aneurysms requiring ACA bypasses were retrospectively studied.

Doing More with Less: A Minimally Invasive, Cost-Conscious Approach to Stereoelectroencephalography.

Background: Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is a commonly used technique for mapping the epileptogenic zone before epilepsy surgery. Many SEEG depth electrode implantation techniques involve the use of extensive technological equipment and shaving of the patient's entire head before electrode implantation. Our goal was to evaluate an SEEG depth electrode implantation technique that used readily available cost-effective neurosurgical equipment, was minimally invasive in nature, and required negligible hair shaving.

Temporal Horn Choroid Plexus Papilloma Presenting with Seizures in Adulthood: Clinical Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are benign World Health Organization grade I tumors that comprise 2%-4% of all brain tumors among children and less than 1% of brain tumors in adults. Most adult cases occur in the fourth ventricle, with only 1 previous report describing an adult patient with a temporal horn CPP.

Case Description: We report a rare case of a temporal horn CPP presenting in an adult with seizures.

Contralateral supracerebellar transtentorial approach for a thalamic cavernous malformation resection: operative video.

This video illustrates a contralateral supracerebellar transtentorial (cSCTT) approach for resection of a ruptured thalamic cavernous malformation in a 56-year-old woman with progressive right-sided homonymous hemianopsia. The patient was placed in the sitting position, and a torcular craniotomy was performed for the cSCTT approach. The lesion was resected completely.

Accuracy in Deep Brain Stimulation Electrode Placement: A Single-Surgeon Retrospective Analysis of Sterotactic Error in Overlapping and Non-Overlapping Surgical Cases.

Background: Many surgeons utilize assistants to perform procedures in more than one operating room at a given time using a practice known as overlapping surgery. Debate has continued as to whether overlapping surgery improves the efficiency and access to care or risks patient safety and outcomes.

Objective: To examine effects of overlapping surgery in deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders.

Two-Stage Revascularization and Clip Reconstruction of a Giant Ophthalmic Artery Aneurysm: 3-Dimensional Operative Video.

Ophthalmic segment aneurysms (OSAs) are technically challenging lesions with a wide-neck morphology and proximity to the optic nerve. Revascularization and aneurysm trapping are occasionally needed to manage unclippable OSAs. Microsurgical treatment requires anterior clinoidectomy, optic strut drilling, and proximal/distal dural ring dissection for adequate exposure.

Procedural Variables Influencing Stereotactic Accuracy and Efficiency in Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is well-established, evidence-based therapy for Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and primary dystonia. Clinical outcome studies have recently shown that "asleep" DBS lead placement, performed using intraoperative imaging with stereotactic accuracy as the surgical endpoint, has motor outcomes comparable to traditional "awake" DBS using microelectrode recording (MER), but with shorter case times and improved speech fluency.

Objective: To identify procedural variables in DBS surgery associated with improved surgical efficiency and stereotactic accuracy.

Intraoperative Blood and Coagulation Factor Replacement During Neurosurgery.

Intraoperative blood and coagulation factor transfusion is of particular importance to neurosurgeons. Maintaining the hematologic and coagulation parameters of the patient within normal limits during surgery is critical to facilitate normal hemostasis, reduce transfusion requirements, and prevent complications associated with excessive blood loss. In this article, the authors review topics relevant to intraoperative transfusion during neurosurgery, including laboratory studies and other diagnostic modalities available to help with decision making, blood components and coagulation factors currently available for transfusion, and indications for intraoperative transfusion during cranial and spinal neurosurgical procedures.

Kawase Approach for Dolichoectactic Basilar Artery Macrovascular Decompression in a Patient With Trigeminal Neuralgia: Case Report.

Background And Importance: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) secondary to a dolichoectatic basilar artery (DBA) is an extremely rare phenomenon. The Kawase approach for macrovascular decompression of this rare pathology been used rarely.

Clinical Presentation: This report describes macrovascular decompression and basilar artery transposition in a 69-yr-old male presenting with progressively worsening left-sided typical TN secondary to a DBA compression.

Open-loop deep brain stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy: a systematic review of clinical outcomes over the past decade (2008-present).

OBJECTIVE The field of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for epilepsy has grown tremendously since its inception in the 1970s and 1980s. The goal of this review is to identify and evaluate all studies published on the topic of open-loop DBS for epilepsy over the past decade (2008 to present). METHODS A PubMed search was conducted to identify all articles reporting clinical outcomes of open-loop DBS for the treatment of epilepsy published since January 1, 2008.

Clinical outcomes following awake and asleep deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease.

Objective: Recent studies have shown similar clinical outcomes between Parkinson disease (PD) patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) under general anesthesia without microelectrode recording (MER), so-called “asleep” DBS, and historical cohorts undergoing “awake” DBS with MER guidance. However, few studies include internal controls. This study aims to compare clinical outcomes after globus pallidus internus (GPi) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS using awake and asleep techniques at a single institution.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for the Treatment of Hypothalamic Hamartomas: A Retrospective Review.

Background: Hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) are rare lesions associated with treatment-resistant epilepsy. Open surgery results in modest seizure control (about 50%) but has a significant associated morbidity. Radiosurgery is limited to a subset of patients due to latent therapeutic effects.

Intraoperative test stimulation versus stereotactic accuracy as a surgical end point: a comparison of essential tremor outcomes after ventral intermediate nucleus deep brain stimulation.

OBJECTIVE Ventral intermediate nucleus deep brain stimulation (DBS) for essential tremor is traditionally performed with intraoperative test stimulation and conscious sedation, without general anesthesia (GA). Recently, the authors reported retrospective data on 17 patients undergoing DBS after induction of GA with standardized anatomical coordinates on T1-weighted MRI sequences used for indirect targeting. Here, they compare prospectively collected data from essential tremor patients undergoing DBS both with GA and without GA (non-GA).

"Asleep" Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery: A Critical Review of the Literature.

Objective: Although performing deep brain stimulation (DBS) with the patient under general anesthesia without microelectrode recording (MER) or intraoperative test stimulation (ITS) for movement disorders ("asleep" DBS) has become increasingly popular, its feasibility is based on the untested assumption that stereotactic accuracy correlates with positive clinical outcomes. To investigate outcomes after asleep DBS without MER or neurophysiological testing, we reviewed the medical literature on the topic.

Methods: We searched PubMed to identify all studies reporting clinical outcomes for patients who underwent DBS without MER or ITS for Parkinson disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET).

Cost of Deep Brain Stimulation Infection Resulting in Explantation.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) hardware infection is a serious complication, often resulting in multiple hardware salvage attempts, hospitalizations, and long-term antibiotic therapy.

Objectives: We aimed to quantify the costs of DBS hardware-related infections in patients undergoing eventual device explantation.

Methods: Of 362 patients who underwent 530 electrode placements (1 January 2010 to 30 December 2014), 16 (4.

Complication rates, lengths of stay, and readmission rates in "awake" and "asleep" deep brain simulation.

OBJECTIVE As the number of deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedures performed under general anesthesia ("asleep" DBS) increases, it is more important to assess the rates of adverse events, inpatient lengths of stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission rates in patients undergoing these procedures compared with those in patients undergoing traditional "awake" DBS without general anesthesia. METHODS All patients in an institutional database who had undergone awake or asleep DBS procedures performed by a single surgeon between August 2011 and August 2014 were reviewed. Adverse events, inpatient LOS, and 30-day readmissions were analyzed.

Development of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) after Onyx embolisation of a cavernous carotid fistula.

Patients with cavernous carotid fistulas (CCFs) can present with pituitary hypoperfusion and hypopituitarism; however, there are no previous reports of pituitary or hormonal abnormalities developing after CCF embolisation in an asymptomatic patient. We describe a patient with no hormonal abnormalities who developed syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion after CCF embolisation. The patient had bilateral indirect CCFs, which were completely embolised via a transvenous approach, and was neurologically stable postoperatively and discharged.

Development of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) after Onyx embolisation of a cavernous carotid fistula.

Patients with cavernous carotid fistulas (CCFs) can present with pituitary hypoperfusion and hypopituitarism; however, there are no previous reports of pituitary or hormonal abnormalities developing after CCF embolisation in an asymptomatic patient. We describe a patient with no hormonal abnormalities who developed syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion after CCF embolisation. The patient had bilateral indirect CCFs, which were completely embolised via a transvenous approach, and was neurologically stable postoperatively and discharged.

"Asleep" deep brain stimulation for essential tremor.

OBJECT Deep brain stimulation (DBS) performed under general anesthesia ("asleep" DBS) has not been previously reported for essential tremor. This is in part due to the inability to visualize the target (the ventral intermediate nucleus [VIM]) on MRI. The authors evaluate the efficacy of this asleep technique in treating essential tremor by indirect VIM targeting.

Ventriculostomy Simulation Using Patient-Specific Ventricular Anatomy, 3D Printing, and Hydrogel Casting.

Background: Educational simulators provide a means for students and experts to learn and refine surgical skills. Educators can leverage the strengths of medical simulators to effectively teach complex and high-risk surgical procedures, such as placement of an external ventricular drain.

Objective: Our objective was to develop a cost-effective, patient-derived medical simulacrum for cerebral lateral ventriculostomy.

Case report of an epidural cervical Onchocerca lupi infection in a 13-year-old boy.

A 13-year-old boy presented with fever and neck pain and stiffness, which was initially misdiagnosed as culture-negative meningitis. Magnetic resonance images of the brain and cervical spine demonstrated what appeared to be an intradural extramedullary mass at the C1-3 level, resulting in moderate cord compression, and a Chiari Type I malformation. The patient underwent a suboccipital craniectomy and a C1-3 laminectomy with intradural exploration for excisional biopsy and resection.