Visual function following optic canal decompression via craniotomy

1985 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 631-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Guyer ◽  
Neil R. Miller ◽  
Donlin M. Long ◽  
George S. Allen

✓ Visual function was assessed in 15 eyes of 11 patients who underwent unilateral (seven patients) or bilateral (four patients) optic canal decompression for presumed compressive optic neuropathies. Both immediate and long-term postoperative vision was evaluated in all eyes. Over 90% of the eyes that had undergone nerve decompression had either the same or improved visual acuity and visual field immediately following surgery. In this group of patients there were no deaths and there was only one postoperative complication, a transient dysphasia caused by an epidural hematoma that was evacuated. Long-term follow-up evaluations revealed that most of the eyes retained their immediate postoperative visual function or showed gradual visual improvement with time. The results of this series as well as a review of the available literature indicate that optic canal decompression via craniotomy can be a safe procedure and that it appears to have lasting visual benefit in many patients.

2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Guimarães-Ferreira ◽  
Fredrik Gewalli ◽  
Pelle Sahlin ◽  
Hans Friede ◽  
Py Owman-Moll ◽  
...  

Object. Brachycephaly is a characteristic feature of Apert syndrome. Traditional techniques of cranioplasty often fail to produce an acceptable morphological outcome in patients with this condition. In 1996 a new surgical procedure called “dynamic cranioplasty for brachycephaly” (DCB) was reported. The purpose of the present study was to analyze perioperative data and morphological long-term results in patients with the cranial vault deformity of Apert syndrome who were treated with DCB. Methods. Twelve patients have undergone surgery performed using this technique since its introduction in 1991 (mean duration of follow-up review 60.2 months). Eleven patients had bicoronal synostosis and one had a combined bicoronal—bilambdoid synostosis. Perioperative data and long-term evolution of skull shape visualized on serial cephalometric radiographs were analyzed and compared with normative data. Changes in mean skull proportions were evaluated using a two-tailed paired-samples t-test, with differences being considered significant for probability values less than 0.01. The mean operative blood transfusion was 136% of estimated red cell mass (ERCM) and the mean postoperative transfusion was 48% of ERCM. The mean operative time was 218 minutes. The duration of stay in the intensive care unit averaged 1.7 days and the mean hospital stay was 11.8 days. There were no incidences of mortality and few complications. An improvement in skull shape was achieved in all cases, with a change in the mean cephalic index from a preoperative value of 90 to a postoperative value of 78 (p = 0.000254). Conclusions. Dynamic cranioplasty for brachycephaly is a safe procedure, yielding high-quality morphological results in the treatment of brachycephaly in patients with Apert syndrome.


1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark G. Belza ◽  
Sarah S. Donaldson ◽  
Gary K. Steinberg ◽  
Richard S. Cox ◽  
Philip H. Cogen

✓ Seventy-seven patients presenting with medulloblastoma between 1958 and 1986 were treated at Stanford University Medical Center and studied retrospectively. Multimodality therapy utilized surgical extirpation followed by megavoltage irradiation. In 15 cases chemotherapy was used as adjunctive treatment. The 10- and 15-year actuarial survival rates were both 41% with an 18-year maximum follow-up period (median 4.75 years). There were no treatment failures after 8 years of tumor-free survival. Gross total removal of tumor was achieved in 22 patients (32%); the surgical mortality rate was 3.9%. No significant difference was noted in the incidence of metastatic disease between shunted and nonshunted patients. The classical form of medulloblastoma was present in 67% of cases while the desmoplastic subtype was found in 16%. Survival rates were best for patients presenting after 1970, for those with desmoplastic tumors, and for patients receiving high-dose irradiation (≥ 5000 cGy) to the posterior fossa. Although early data on freedom from relapse suggested a possible beneficial effect from chemotherapy, long-term follow-up results showed no advantage from this modality of treatment. The patterns of relapse and survival were examined; 64% of relapses occurred within the central nervous system, and Collins' rule was applicable in 83% of cases beyond the period of risk. Although patients treated for recurrent disease could be palliated, none were long-term survivors. The study data indicate that freedom from relapse beyond 8 years from diagnosis can be considered as a cure in this disease. Long-term follow-up monitoring is essential to determine efficacy of treatment and to assess survival patterns accurately.


2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 459-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod J. Oskouian ◽  
J. Patrick Johnson

Object. The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate prospectively surgical and neurological outcomes after endoscopic thoracic disc surgery. Methods. The authors assessed the following quantifiable outcome data in 46 patients: operative time, blood loss, duration of chest tube insertion, narcotic use, hospital length of stay (LOS), and long-term follow-up neurological function and pain-related symptoms. In patients who presented with myelopathy there was a postoperative improvement of two Frankel grades. Pain related to radiculopathy was improved by 75% and in one patient it worsened postoperatively. The authors also present operative data, surgical outcomes, and complications. Conclusions. Thoracoscopic discectomy can be used to achieve acceptable results. It has several distinct advantages such as reduced postoperative pain, morbidity, and LOS compared with traditional open procedures.


2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 882-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veerle Visser-Vandewalle ◽  
Yasin Temel ◽  
Henry Colle ◽  
Chris van der Linden

✓ The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in patients with a subtype of multiple system atrophy (MSA) in which levodopa-unresponsive MSA parkinsonism (MSA-P) is predominant. After a local anesthetic was administered, electrodes were stereotactically implanted bilaterally into the STN in four patients with MSA-P and predominantly akinetorigid symptoms. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores were evaluated preoperatively, at 1 month, and at long-term follow up. At 1 month the median decrease in the UPDRS III motor score was 22 on the 56-point scale (decreases of 16, 13, 29, and 15 points compared with baseline for Cases 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively). This was mainly due to an improvement in rigidity and akinesia. The median decrease in the UPDRS II score was 11 on the 52-point scale (respective decreases of 5, 7, 13, and 9 points). At 2 years (mean follow up 27 months) there was a median decrease in the UPDRS III score of 12 (respective decreases of 18, 13, 21, and 9 points), and in the UPDRS II score of 5 (with respective decreases of 2, 2, 17, and 2), both compared with the stimulation off state. At long-term follow up there was an increase in the individual Schwab and England scores of 10 to 15% in the stimulation on compared with the stimulation off condition. There was a beneficial effect of STN HFS in these four patients on both a short-term and a long-term basis. A larger prospective study is justified.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor A. Aletich ◽  
Gerard M. Debrun ◽  
Mukesh Misra ◽  
Fady Charbel ◽  
James I. Ausman

Object. Reports in the literature have offered discussions of the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of balloon-assisted Guglielmi detachable coil (GDC) placement in wide-necked intracranial aneurysms, which was first described by Jacques Moret as the “remodeling technique.” In this article the authors summarize their results in a subset of aneurysms treated with GDCs using the remodeling technique.Methods. This report contains a retrospective analysis of 72 patients with 75 aneurysms who underwent 79 endovascular procedures performed using the remodeling technique. Morphological outcome was determined at the end of each procedure and by reviewing available follow-up angiograms. Clinical assessments and outcomes are reported using a modified Glasgow Outcome Scale.Coils were placed in 66 (88%) of 75 aneurysms selected for treatment. In eight aneurysms (11%) treatment failures occurred due to the tortuosity of the vessel used to reach the aneurysms or because of balloon inadequacies.Incorporating all available follow-up data the authors found that 50 (78%) of 64 aneurysms were completely or subtotally (> 95%) occluded and eight (12%) of 64 were incompletely (< 95%) occluded. Since the time of coil placement, eight aneurysms have progressed to complete occlusion and another five have exhibited progressive thrombosis on follow-up angiograms. In three aneurysms there has been neck remnant growth. Surgical clipping was performed to treat six aneurysms after an initial coil placement procedure. Permanent incidences of morbidity were limited to four patients and there were three deaths directly related to the procedure.Conclusions. The remodeling technique shows promise in increasing the number of cerebral aneurysms amenable to treatment by endovascular coil placement, and offers an alternative approach to aneurysms that have met with failed surgical treatment or are surgically inaccessible. Long-term follow-up review is needed to determine the final outcome of aneurysms treated by this technique.


1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Palle Taarnhøj

✓ The author presents a long-term follow-up report of his experience with decompression of the posterior trigeminal root in 350 cases. He has found that the suboccipital approach results in fewer recurrences of pain than the temporal approach.


1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 832-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Morelli ◽  
Frederick Laubscher

✓ Angiography demonstrated an aneurysm of the left anterior cerebral artery in a 4-month-old baby who was admitted for subarachnoid hemorrhage. A surgical cure with long-term follow-up course was achieved. Clinical and pathogenetic aspects are presented. The rarity of such lesions in childhood and their successful surgical treatment are discussed briefly.


1978 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarl Rosenørn ◽  
Flemming Gjerris

✓ The authors present 149 patients suffering from acute (112) and subacute (37) subdural hematomas admitted during the 10-year period 1965 to 1974, with a follow-up period of 2 to 12 years. During the time of observation, 104 patients died and 45 survived; 73% of the patients with acute and 27% with subacute subdural hematomas died. Of the patients with an acute subdural hematoma, 11% went back to work, as against 32% of those with subacute subdural hematomas. The 5-year survival rate was 28% in patients with acute and 76% in patients with subacute subdural hematomas.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Al O. Taşçioǧlu ◽  
Ayhan Attar ◽  
Beliz Taşçioǧlu

✓ The authors present the long-term follow-up results in three cases in which pure lateral disc herniations were surgically treated via an anterior foraminotomy (uncinatectomy) that avoided entering the disc space. The pertinent anatomical details essential for a safe approach are discussed in light of nine cadaveric neck dissections of every segment between C-1 and C-7. The surgical technique was initially studied in the cadaveric specimens and then applied in patients. The long-term results (> 2 years) in the first three patients are as good as our short-term results in another eight cases.


1996 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron G. McDougall ◽  
Van V. Halbach ◽  
Christopher F. Dowd ◽  
Randall T. Higashida ◽  
Donald W. Larsen ◽  
...  

✓ Preliminary experience using electrolytically detachable coils to treat basilar tip aneurysms in 33 patients is described. The most frequent presentation was subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in 23 patients. All patients were referred after neurosurgical assessment and exclusion as candidates for surgical clipping of their aneurysms. At the time of initial treatment complete aneurysm occlusion was achieved in seven (21.2%) of 33 patients. In 17 of the patients (51.5%), greater than 90% but less than 100% aneurysm occlusion was achieved. Angiographic follow up (mean 11.7 months) was available in 19 patients. At follow-up angiography four (21%) of 19 aneurysms were 100% occluded and 12 (63.2%) of 19 were more than 90% but less than 100% occluded. The mean clinical follow-up time in treated patients surviving beyond the initial treatment period is 15 months. One patient suffered major permanent morbidity from thrombosis of the basilar tip region a few hours after coil placement. One patient treated following SAH experienced further hemorrhage 6 months later. No other patient suffered direct or indirect permanent morbidity as a consequence of this method of treatment. The authors believe that this technique is a reasonable alternative for patients who are not candidates for conventional surgical treatment or in whom such treatment has failed. This study's follow-up period is brief and greater experience with long-term follow-up study is mandatory.


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