Functional and oncological outcomes after right hemisphere glioma resection in awake versus asleep patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The right hemisphere has been underestimated by being considered as the non-dominant hemisphere. However, it is involved in many functions, including movement, language, cognition, and emotion. Therefore, because lesions on this side are usually not resected under awake mapping, there is a risk of unfavorable neurological outcomes. The goal of this study is to compare the functional and oncological outcomes of awake surgery (AwS) versus surgery under general anesthesia (GA) in supratentorial right-sided gliomas. A systematic review of the literature according to PRISMA guidelines was performed up to March 2023. Four databases were screened. Primary outcome to assess was return to work (RTW). Secondary outcomes included the rate of postoperative neurological deficit, postoperative Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score and the extent of resection (EOR). A total of 32 articles were included with 543 patients who underwent right hemisphere tumor resection under awake surgery and 294 under general anesthesia. There were no significant differences between groups regarding age, gender, handedness, perioperative KPS, tumor location or preoperative seizures. Preoperative and long-term postoperative neurological deficits were statistically lower after AwS (p = 0.03 and p < 0.01, respectively), even though no difference was found regarding early postoperative course (p = 0.32). A subsequent analysis regarding type of postoperative impairment was performed. Severe postoperative language deficits were not different (p = 0.74), but there were fewer long-term mild motor and high-order cognitive deficits (p < 0.05) in AwS group. A higher rate of RTW (p < 0.05) was documented after AwS. The EOR was similar in both groups. Glioma resection of the right hemisphere under awake mapping is a safer procedure with a better preservation of high-order cognitive functions and a higher rate of RTW than resection under general anesthesia, despite similar EOR.

A contemporary analysis of surgical ligation versus endovascular embolization in patients with intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas: a propensity score-matched and mixed-effects model study.

OBJECTIVE: Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) are rare vascular lesions that can be asymptomatic or can lead to devastating hemorrhage based on the dAVF's aggressiveness. Several approaches can be taken to treat dAVFs, such as endovascular embolization and surgical ligation. However, very few studies have evaluated the influence of surgery compared to endovascular approaches on patient outcomes. This study was performed to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent treatment for intracranial dAVF in which either endovascular embolization or microsurgical ligation was used. METHODS: The Nationwide Readmissions Database was reviewed for all patients who underwent treatment for dAVFs (n = 18,152) between 2016 and 2019. Patients who received only surgical ligation or endovascular embolization (i.e., not both) were included. Variables regarding demographics, clinical outcomes, and healthcare utilization were queried. Primary outcome measures were nonroutine discharge, 1-year readmission, top quartile length of stay (LOS), and top quartile of inpatient all-payer cost. Propensity score matching was performed to evaluate the influence of either surgery or embolization on patient outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created for each outcome measure. The area under the curve (AUC) of each ROC was used to estimate mixed-effects model performance. RESULTS: Following propensity score matching, 127 and 113 patients made up the surgical ligation and endovascular embolization cohort, respectively. There were no differences found in age (p = 0.16), sex (p = 0.57), or average Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (p = 0.32). Patients receiving surgical ligation had lower odds of readmission (OR 0.37, p = 0.028) and greater odds of nonroutine discharge (OR 2.21, p = 0.03) compared to patients who underwent endovascular embolization. The authors found no differences in the top quartile of LOS (p = 0.84), top quartile of cost (p = 0.38), or mortality (p > 0.99) between cohorts. ROC curves revealed that the mixed-effects models inclusive of approach outperformed models agnostic to approach with respect to nonroutine discharge (AUC with approach, 0.871; AUC without approach, 0.850; p = 0.018) and readmission (AUC with approach, 0.686; AUC without approach, 0.651; p = 0.019), but no differences were observed regarding top quartile of LOS (p = 0.17) and top quartile of cost (p = 0.40). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical approach may influence perioperative outcomes in patients treated for intracranial dAVF-most significantly discharge disposition and 1-year readmission. Future longitudinal prospective studies with more clinical detail will be required to fully capture the predictive utility of surgical approach in patients treated for intracranial dAVF, particularly for various dAVF subtypes.

Collet-Sicard syndrome: a scoping review.

Collet-Sicard syndrome (CSS) is the unilateral palsy of the cranial nerves (CN) IX, X, XI, and XII. To our knowledge, no review describes the characteristics of patients diagnosed with CSS. Therefore, this review aims to collect and describe all cases in the literature labeled as CSS. We performed a scoping review of the literature and conducted a database search in Embase and PubMed. We included articles and abstracts with case reports or case series of patients with CSS diagnosis. We classified the cases into two groups: "CSS", referring to patients presenting exclusively with IX-XII nerve involvement, and "CSS-plus", which corresponds to cases with CSS and other neurological impairments. We included 135 patients from 126 articles, of which 84 (67.7%) were male. The most common clinical manifestations reported were dysphagia and dysphonia. The most common etiology was tumoral in 53 cases (39.6%) and vascular in 37 cases (27.6%). The majority of patients showed partial or total improvement, with just over half receiving conservative treatment. The most frequent anatomic space was the jugular foramen (44.4%) and the parapharyngeal retrostyloid space (28.9%). Approximately 21% of the patients had other CN impairments, with the seventh and eighth CN most frequently compromised. We conclude that although there is a need for greater rigor in CSS reporting, the syndrome has a clear utility in identifying the localization of jugular foramen and parapharyngeal retrostyloid space pathology.

Sphenoidal meningoencephalocele associated with CSF fistula and arteriovenous malformation Spetzler-Martin V: A case report / Meningoencefalocele esfenoidal asociado a fístula de líquido cefalorraquídeo y malformación arteriovenosa Spetzler-Martin V: reporte de caso

Cerebral Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are presumed congenital anomalies of the blood vessels, which can increase intracranial pressure by uncertain mechanisms. We report the rare case of a 55-year-old male patient who complained about CSF rhinorrhea. Persisting CSF leakage prompted CT, which evidenced a bone defect in the right middle cranial fossa with protruding brain tissue. The diagnosis of a sphenoidal meningoencephalocele was made. Neuroimaging evidenced an AVM Spetzler Martin V. The lesion was targeted via an endonasal approach with resection of the herniated brain tissue and closure of the bony and dural defects. The postoperative course was uneventful without recurrence of the CSF fistula. Documentation of these cases is essential to come up with standardized therapeutical protocols and follow-up. Nevertheless, conservative management of the AVM and surgical repair of the bone defects is an appropriate approach in the first instance, depending on the morphology and characterization of the AVM (AU)

Las malformaciones arteriovenosas (MAV) son consideradas anomalías congénitas de los vasos sanguíneos; estas pueden aumentar la presión intracraneal a través de mecanismos inciertos. Reportamos el caso de un hombre de 55 años con presencia de rinolicuorrea de larga data. Se realizó la toma de una TC de cráneo, evidenciando un defecto óseo en la fosa craneal media derecha con protrusión de tejido cerebral, diagnosticando un meningoencefalocele esfenoidal. Las imágenes complementarias evidenciaron una MAV Spetzler-Martin V. La lesión fue tratada con un abordaje endonasal resecando el tejido cerebral herniado con cierre de los defectos dural y óseo. En el postoperatorio no hubo recurrencia de rinolicuorrea. La documentación de estos casos es esencial para generar protocolos estandarizados de tratamiento y seguimiento. En nuestra experiencia el manejo conservador de la MAV y el reparo quirúrgico de los defectos es un abordaje adecuado, teniendo en cuenta la morfología y caracterización de la MAV (AU)

Sphenoidal meningoencephalocele associated with CSF fistula and arteriovenous malformation Spetzler-Martin V: A case report.

Cerebral Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are presumed congenital anomalies of the blood vessels, which can increase intracranial pressure by uncertain mechanisms. We report the rare case of a 55-year-old male patient who complained about CSF rhinorrhea. Persisting CSF leakage prompted CT, which evidenced a bone defect in the right middle cranial fossa with protruding brain tissue. The diagnosis of a sphenoidal meningoencephalocele was made. Neuroimaging evidenced an AVM Spetzler Martin V. The lesion was targeted via an endonasal approach with resection of the herniated brain tissue and closure of the bony and dural defects. The postoperative course was uneventful without recurrence of the CSF fistula. Documentation of these cases is essential to come up with standardized therapeutical protocols and follow-up. Nevertheless, conservative management of the AVM and surgical repair of the bone defects is an appropriate approach in the first instance, depending on the morphology and characterization of the AVM.

Cerebrospinal fluid leak following penetrating trauma to the spine without neurological deficit: A case report.

Background: Posttraumatic spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSFL) without neurological deficit is a rare entity. Historically, the first-line treatment is a nonsurgical approach, which includes Trendelenburg positioning, carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (acetazolamide), and subarachnoid catheter, with a high successful rate of leak correction. However, in some cases, this first-line treatment could fail, being necessary the surgical approach. Case Description: A 23-year-old male with a recent stab wound to his lumbar region, complained of positional headache and fluid outflow through his wound. On physical examination, an active CSFL was detected without evidence of neurologic deficit. Imaging studies showed a CSF collection extending from the right L4 lamina to the subcutaneous tissue. CSF studies revealed bacterial meningitis. The treatment with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, Trendelenburg position, lumbar subarachnoid catheter, and antibiotics was initiated. Failure of conservative measures prompted a surgical treatment to resolve the CSFL. Intraoperatively, a dura mater defect was identified, and an autologous paravertebral muscle flap was used for water-tight closure of the defect. The patient recovered without further complications and with CSFL resolution. Conclusion: Even though the nonsurgical approach is the first-line of treatment of traumatic CSFL cases, failures can occur. The evidence of a CSF trajectory in imaging studies could be a predictor of treatment failure of the nonsurgical treatment. The surgical treatment as second-line treatment has outstanding results regarding CSFL correction and should be considered when the prediction rate to nonsurgical approach failure is high.

Hippocampal infarction: redefining transient global amnesia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by sudden anterograde amnesia not accompanied by other neurological symptoms. There is no consensus on the underlying pathophysiological mechanism. However, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has demonstrated hippocampal lesions in as many as 50% of cases. This paper describes a series of patients with TGA and hippocampal lesions. METHODS: This study assessed vascular risk factors in patients older than age 18 admitted to the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogota, Colombia, from May 2017 to June 2020 with a diagnosis of TGA and evidence of hippocampal ischemic lesion on 3 Tesla brain MRI. RESULTS: The authors identified 36 patients, 72.2% female, with mean age 62 years. Cardiovascular risk factors, most frequently high blood pressure, carotid disease, and dyslipidemia, were present in 75% of these patients. Hippocampal lesions were unilateral in 80% of cases, with median size 2.5 mm, most frequently located at the hippocampal body. Approximately 14% of patients also presented acute ischemic lesions in locations other than the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: TGA is a clinical entity previously considered to have undetermined etiology. The present study used brain MRI to identify a group of patients with hippocampal ischemic lesions, finding associated vascular risk factors in a high proportion of them.

Ischemic stroke in young adults in Bogota, Colombia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There has been an increase in the incidence of ischemic stroke in young adults. It is believed that it is due to the increase in traditional cardiovascular risk factors. This change has affected the quality of life of young adults. AIMS: To describe the most common etiologies and risk factors in patients aged ≤ 50 who had ischemic stroke between 2011 and 2018. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study of patients under 50 years who had ischemic stroke between 2011 and 2018 who were evaluated at a comprehensive center in Bogotá, Colombia. We carried out a descriptive analysis of comorbidities, the Trial of Org for Acute Stroke (TOAST), the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were included, out of which 50.66% were men. The most frequent traditional risk factors were smoking history (19%), history of high blood pressure (18%), presence of cardiovascular disease (17%), and history of migraine (15%). The most common etiological subgroups were those classified as "other determined etiologies" (33.5%) and "undetermined etiology" (33.5%), while the most common etiology was carotid or vertebral artery dissection (23%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the need to make a deep evaluation of the past medical history, laboratory tests, and new risk factors in young adults. On the other hand, modifiable cardiovascular risk factors top the list, showing the need to implement health promotion strategies for young adults.