Tratamiento quirúrgico de la anorexia nerviosa resistente al tratamiento médico / Surgical treatment of medication-resistant anorexia nervosa

Gracias a los avances en técnicas neuroquirúrgicas, y debido a que el diagnóstico y la clasificación de las enfermedades psiquiátricas han evolucionado significativamente a lo largo de las últimas décadas, se están desarrollando tratamientos a nivel experimental para aquellos pacientes resistentes al manejo conservador. La anorexia nerviosa es una enfermedad de prevalencia creciente, con la tasa de mortalidad más elevada dentro de los trastornos psiquiátricos, y con aproximadamente un 20% de pacientes que presentan una evolución tórpida. Para estos pacientes que no responden a manejo conservador, la estimulación cerebral profunda ha surgido como una alternativa terapéutica, si bien la literatura especializada al respecto es escasa. A continuación presentamos una revisión de la fisiopatología de la anorexia nerviosa, así como de los distintos tratamientos neuroquirúrgicos realizados a lo largo de la historia. Se detalla la perspectiva de tratamiento quirúrgico actual, así como los aspectos éticos que se han de considerar en relación con el surgimiento de estas nuevas terapias (AU)

Given the advances experienced in neurosurgical techniques, and because the diagnosis and classifi cation of psychiatric diseases has evolved over the past decades, new experimental treatments are arising to treat a greater number of medication-resistant psychiatric patients. Among psychiatric diseases, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate, and approximately 20% of patients experience torpid outcomes. For these patients who do not respond to conservative management, deep brain stimulation has arisen as an alternative option, although studies are still scarce. We review the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa, as well as the various neurosurgical treatments that have been performed throughout history. The prospect of current surgical treatments is detailed, as well as the ethical aspects to consider regarding the emergence of these new therapies (AU)

[New simulation technologies in neurosurgery].

The article presents a literature review on the current state of simulation technologies in neurosurgery, a brief description of the basic technology and the classification of simulation models, and examples of simulation models and skills simulators used in neurosurgery. Basic models for the development of physical skills, the spectrum of available computer virtual simulators, and their main characteristics are described. It would be instructive to include microneurosurgical training and a cadaver course of neurosurgical approaches in neurosurgery training programs and to extend the use of three-dimensional imaging. Technologies for producing three-dimensional anatomical models and patient-specific computer simulators as well as improvement of tactile feedback systems and display quality of virtual models are promising areas. Continued professional education necessitates further research for assessing the validity and practical use of simulators and physical models.

Insinuating electronics in the brain.

There is an expanding interface between electronic engineering and neurosurgery. Rapid advances in microelectronics and materials science, driven largely by consumer demand, are inspiring and accelerating development of a new generation of diagnostic, therapeutic, and prosthetic devices for implantation in the nervous system. This paper reviews some of the basic science underpinning their development and outlines some opportunities and challenges for their use in neurosurgery.

Surgery of the mind, mood, and conscious state: an idea in evolution.

Since the beginning of recorded history, humans have sought a physical means of altering disordered behavior and consciousness. This quest has spawned numerous innovations in neurosurgery and the neurosciences, from the earliest prehistoric attempts at trepanation to the electrocortical and anatomic localization of cerebral function that emerged in the 19th century. At the start of the 20th century, the overwhelming social impact of psychiatric illness intersected with the novel but imperfect understanding of frontal lobe function, establishing a decades-long venture into the modern origin of psychosurgery, the prefrontal lobotomy. The subsequent social and ethical ramifications of the widespread overuse of transorbital lobotomies drove psychosurgery to near extinction. However, as the pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric illness was established, numerous concomitant technical and neuroscientific innovations permitted the incremental development of a new paradigm of treating the disordered mind. In this article, we retrospectively examine these early origins of psychosurgery and then look to the recent past, present, and future for emerging trends in surgery of the psyche. Recent decades have seen a revolution in minimalism, noninvasive imaging, and functional manipulation of the human cerebrum that have created new opportunities and treatment modalities for disorders of the human mind and mood. Early contemporary efforts were directed at focal lesioning of abnormal pathways, but deep-brain stimulation now aims to reversibly alter and modulate those neurologic activities responsible for not only psychiatric disorders, but also to modulate and even to augment consciousness, memory, and other elements of cerebral function. As new tools become available, the social and medical impact of psychosurgery promises to revolutionize not only neurosurgery, but also humans' capability for positively impacting life and society.

Neurosurgery in India: an overview.

This overview of neurosurgery in India during the last six decades gives a holistic perspective of the phenomenal advances made. Neurosurgical education, the change in clinical spectrum of diseases and their presentation, evolution of various subspecialties and societies, the state of research, the issues peculiar to India, including the urban-rural health divide, the increasing role of information and communication technology in neurosurgery, and the gradual but definite global recognition of Indian neurosurgery will be addressed.

[Awake surgery for brain gliomas: plea for an increased involvement of anesthesiologists]. / Chirurgie éveillée des gliomes cérébraux : plaidoyer pour un investissement accru des anesthésistes.

The recent development of awake surgery in neuro-oncology allowed a conceptual change, i.e. the realization of resection for invasive brain tumors according to functional and not anatomic boundaries. This paradigmatic shift enabled a significant improvement of results in surgery for gliomas, by opening the door to resections within eloquent areas classically considered as "inoperable", while preserving and even improving the quality of life of patients. In addition, the extent of resections has been maximized, leading to an increase of median survival - especially in low-grade gliomas. Strong relationships between the different teams (surgeons, neuropsychologists, anaesthesiologists) are crucial for the development and improvement of awake surgery. Thus, it seems important that anesthesiologists can benefit from a clear and accurate knowledge of the real contribution of this procedure, in order to better evaluate the balance between the theoretical risks of surgery under local anesthesia versus the actual risk of not performing resection with a maximum of safety and efficiency for the patients. The purpose of this plea is to advocate the spread of awake surgery in routine practice, due to its major impact on both functional and survival outcomes, by nonetheless keeping in mind that a multidisciplinary staff is mandatory for selection of patients as well as into the operating room. In this state of mind, anaesthesiologists have to play a central role, through an increased involvement in this field.

Neurosurgery in Siberia.

There is archaeological evidence that the first neurosurgical procedure in what is now known as Siberia was performed in 8005 ± 100 B.C. According to signs of bone growth, perhaps more than half of the individuals who received the ancient trepanations survived. In Siberia, the first operations on the human brain and spinal cord were performed in 1909 at Tomsk University Hospital by the outstanding Russian surgeon and professor Vladimir M. Mysh. Professor Mysh initially moved from Saint Petersburg to Tomsk and later to Novosibirsk. Nicolay N. Burdenko, the founder of Russian neurosurgery and the Moscow Neurosurgical Institution, began his medical education at the Tomsk Imperial University. In the 1950s, Professor Ksenia I. Kharitonova exerted her great influence upon the development of neurosurgery in Siberia. Since 1955, and for 30 years thereafter, Professor Kharitonova was recognized as a principal leader of Siberian neurosurgery. She applied every effort to spread neurosurgical knowledge, and she popularized best practices around Siberia and the Far East. Perestroika deconstructed and ultimately eliminated the orderly system of neurosurgical service in the Soviet Union. From another perspective, the process opened the window to the world. Fully equipped centers and clinics with state-of-the-art techniques for neuro-oncology, cerebrovascular diseases, neurotrauma, and spinal pathology management in Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo, and Irkutsk were enabled.

Brazilian physicians hold national strike against medical insurance companies.

The Brazilian Health System has two different forms of access, public and private. The purpose of the public health system is to provide universal, complete access, free of charge, for the entire population. The private sector is composed by people who have private insurance. Nowadays, about 43 million Brazilians, or 26.3% of the population, have private health insurance. The main motivations of the physicians for the strike were the low payment for medical services and the constant interference of the private health insurance companies in medical autonomy. For this reason, Brazilian physicians held a 24-hour strike against the Medical Insurance Companies that did not accept to negotiate new fees in almost all Brazilian states. At least 120,000 physicians from all specialties stopped elective activities during that day, only providing urgent or emergency care. It is estimated that the strike affected 25 to 35 million Brazilians, about 76% of the total number of medical insurance users.

Standard therapy for glioblastoma--a review of where we are.

Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults and is a challenging disease to treat. The current standard therapy includes maximal safe surgical resection, followed by a combination of radiation and chemotherapy with temozolomide. However, recurrence is quite common, so we continue to search for more effective treatments both for initial therapy and at the time of recurrence. This article will review the current standard of care and recent advances in therapy for newly-diagnosed and recurrent glioblastomas, based on the most authoritative guidelines, the National Cancer Institute's comprehensive cancer database Physician Data Query (PDQ®), and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) for central nervous system cancers (V.1.2010), to elucidate the current position and in what direction we are advancing.

Advances in the application of technology to epilepsy: the CIMIT/NIO Epilepsy Innovation Summit.

In 2008, a group of clinicians, scientists, engineers, and industry representatives met to discuss advances in the application of engineering technologies to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with epilepsy. The presentations also provided a guide for further technological development, specifically in the evaluation of patients for epilepsy surgery, seizure onset detection and seizure prediction, intracranial treatment systems, and extracranial treatment systems. This article summarizes the discussions and demonstrates that cross-disciplinary interactions can catalyze collaborations between physicians and engineers to address and solve many of the pressing unmet needs in epilepsy.

The endovascular operating room as an extension of the intensive care unit: changing strategies in the management of neurovascular disease.

Technological advances within the field of endovascular neurosurgery have influenced the management of the neurovascular patient within the intensive care unit (ICU). The endovascular operating room has, in fact, become an extension of the ICU in certain cases. Given the rapid development of new endovascular technologies, it is more important than ever for neurosurgeons to remain intimately involved with the care of their patients within the ICU. This article offers an overview of the evolution in ICU management of neurovascular disease and provides a framework for the incorporation of the endovascular operating room in the intensive care management of patients with this disease.