Reducing meningo-cerebral adhesions by implanting an interpositional subdural polyesterurethane graft after high-grade glioma resection.

BACKGROUND: Meningo-cerebral adhesions are frequently encountered during recurrent high-grade glioma resections. Adhesiolysis not only lengthens operation times, but can also induce focal cortical tissue injury that could affect overall survival. METHODS: Immediately after the primary resection of a high-grade glioma, a polyesterurethane interpositional graft was implanted in the subdural space covering the entire exposed cortex as well as beneath the dural suture line. No postoperative complications were documented. All patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. Upon repeat resection for focal tumor recurrence, the graft was shown to effectively reduce meningo-cerebral adhesion development. CONCLUSION: The implantation of a synthetic subdural graft is a safe and effective method for preventing meningo-cerebral adhesions.

Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, pilot trial to investigate safety and efficacy of Cerebrolysin in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

ASBTRACT: BACKGROUND: There are limited neuroprotective treatment options for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Cerebrolysin, a brain-specific proposed pleiotropic neuroprotective agent, has been suggested to improve global functional outcomes in ischemic stroke. We investigated the efficacy, safety and feasibility of administering Cerebrolysin for SAH patients. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center, parallel-group pilot study. Fifty patients received either daily Cerebrolysin (30 ml/day) or a placebo (saline) for 14 days (25 patients per study group). The primary endpoint was a favorable Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) of 5 to 8 (moderate disability to good recovery) at six-months. Secondary endpoints included the modified Ranking Scale (mRS), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) score, occurrence of adverse effects and the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). RESULTS: No severe adverse effects or mortality attributable to Cerebrolysin were observed. No significant difference was detected in the proportion of patients with favorable six-month GOSE in either study group (odds ratio (OR): 1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43-5.17). Secondary functional outcome measures for favorable six-month recovery i.e. a mRS of 0 to 3 (OR: 3.45; 95% CI 0.79-15.01) were comparable for both groups. Similarly, there was no difference in MOCA neurocognitive performance (p-value: 0.75) and in the incidence of DCI (OR: 0.85 95% CI: 0.28-2.59). CONCLUSIONS: Use of Cerebrolysin in addition to standard-of-care management of aneurysmal SAH is safe, well tolerated and feasible. However, the neutral results of this trial suggest that it does not improve the six-month global functional performance of patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Name of Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov Trial Registration Number: NCT01787123 . Date of Registration: 8th February 2013.