Endovascular Treatment of Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms: A Single-Center Experience from a Developing Country.

Objective In recent years, endovascular methods have been developed to treat intracranial aneurysms. To date, results of endovascular treatment (EVT) for anterior communicating aneurysms (ACoAs) have never been investigated in Iran. Thus, we sought to assess the mid-term angiographic and clinical outcomes of patients with ACoAs who underwent EVT in a tertiary center. Materials and Methods Electronic health documents of patients with ACoAs who underwent EVT from March 2019 to July 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients, procedural and clinical complications along with immediate and 12 months' postprocedural angiographic and clinical results were included in the analysis. Aneurysm occlusion status was classified based on the Raymond-Roy Occlusion Classification (RROC), and clinical outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results Of 38 patients with 38 ACoAs, 32 patients (84.21%) presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage of whom 23 (60.52%) had ruptured ACoAs. EVT included simple coiling in 29 patients (76.32%), balloon-assisted coiling in 6 (15.79%), and stent-assisted coiling in 3 (7.89%). Immediate and 12-month postprocedural angiograms demonstrated complete/near-complete occlusion (RROC I and II) in 32 (84.21%) and 35 patients (97.22%), respectively. Periprocedural complications occurred in five patients (13.15%), and the mortality rate was 5.26%. Thirty-two patients (84.21%) had favorable outcomes (mRS 0-2) at the last follow-up. Conclusion EVT is a safe and beneficial procedure with favorable mid-term clinical and angiographic outcomes for ACoAs. Our results can lay the foundation for further studies in developing countries and are satisfactory enough for neurointerventionists to put EVT on the therapeutic agenda of ACoAs.

Transforaminal Endoscopic Lumbar Diskectomy versus Open Microdiskectomy for Symptomatic Lumbar Disk Herniation: A Comparative Cohort Study on Costs and Long-Term Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Transforaminal endoscopic lumbar diskectomy (TELD) is considered an effective treatment for lumbar disk herniation (LDH). There is a paucity of studies comparing in detail the costs and long-term clinical outcomes of TELD and open microdiskectomy (MD), especially in developing countries. Thus, we sought to provide a multidimensional insight into this matter by comparing the direct costs and long-term outcomes of TELD with those of MD. METHODS: The electronic health records of 434 patients with LDH who underwent either TELD or MD were collected from February 2011 to October 2014. Within a 7-year follow-up period, 412 patients, comprising 203 patients treated with TELD and 209 patients treated with MD, were fully evaluated. Patient characteristics, operative time, intraoperative blood loss (IBL), postoperative hospital stay, time to return to work (RTW), perioperative complications, and direct costs were collected. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and modified MacNab criteria. RESULTS: The postoperative ODI and VAS scores improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). In accordance with the modified MacNab criteria, the rate of excellent and good outcomes was 88.67 and 88.03% in the TELD and MD groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between the groups in the clinical outcomes and perioperative complications. However, IBL, hospital stay, and RTW were significantly reduced in the TELD group (p < 0.05). Twenty-one cases in the TELD group and nine in the MD group underwent reoperation due to recurrence (p < 0.05). Total inpatient cost per patient was $1,596 in the TELD group and $1,990 in the MD group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TELD for the treatment of symptomatic LDH could be an affordable strategy, providing certain advantages of minimally invasive procedures such as shorter hospital stay and earlier recovery along with comparable clinical outcomes to the conventional surgical method.

Intraparenchymal Schwannoma of Temporal Lobe: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Intracranial schwannomas (ISs) account for approximately 8% of intracranial tumors, while IS, a rare entity, is responsible for roughly 1% of IS. A 33-year-old man with a 3-month headache and sudden onset seizure was referred to our clinic. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging revealed a contrast-enhancing mass accompanied by cystic components in the right temporal lobe. Ganglioglioma, metastasis, or glioblastoma multiforme was suspected, and surgery was advised. During surgery, gross total resection of a noninvasive tumor was conducted. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Based on histopathological examination and confirmatory immunohistochemistry, the intraparenchymal temporal tumor was diagnosed as schwannoma. ISs are extremely scarce brain tumors mainly located on the surface of the brain or adjacent brain ventricles. The definite preoperative diagnosis of schwannoma cannot be readily established due to radiologically indistinguishable features from metastasis and gliomas; however, histopathology and immunohistochemistry are of great assistance. Complete surgical removal is the most preferred treatment alternative with a long-term favorable prognosis without adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy requirements.