The Advantages and Disadvantages of Skin Staple Suture Compared with Traditional Suture in Brain Surgery in Primary Hospital:A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective:This paper aims to compare the effect of skin staple suture and traditional silk suture in scalp suture surgery.Methods:A total of 80 craniocerebral surgery patients were included in this study,and the patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group,with 40 cases in each group.The observation group used disposable skin stapler to suture the scalp incision,and the control group used conventional silk suture to suture the incision.Statistical analysis was carried out on 6 indicators including suturing speed,healing under-scab,incision necrosis,incision cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)leakage,incision infection,and postoperative“centipede-shaped”scar incidence rate of the two suture methods.Results:There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of postoperative healing under-scab,incision necrosis,incision CSF leakage,and intracranial infection(P>0.05).The suturing speed in the observation group was 15.2±0.7 cm/min,which was significantly faster than 7.4±0.3 cm/min in the control group(P<0.05).The incidence of“centipede-shaped”scars in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group at 1 to 6 months after operation(P<0.05).Conclusion:Compared with traditional silk suture,skin staple suture has obvious advantages in suture speed and cosmetic effect.

Can progesterone be a better alternative to dexamethasone for use in routine brain surgery?

Can progesterone be a better alternative to dexamethasone for use in routine brain surgery？ Surgical brain injury （SBI） is a form of brain trauma caused by various forms of neurosurgical interventions including brain tumor excision, evacuation of intracere- bral hemorrhage and brain lobectomv （e.g., in epililepsv surger）.

Brain Abscess Surgery Outcome: A Comparison between Craniotomy with Membrane Excision versus Burr Hole Aspiration

Introduction: Brain abscess represents 8% of intracranial masses in developing countries. Despite the advances in neuro-imaging, still, the diagnosis of brain abscess is difficult and may need a biopsy in most cases to verify the diagnosis because may even lead to death. CT scan with contrast is a good tool for diagnosing and localizing brain abscesses in late stages, however, it is difficult to diagnose them in the early stages. The development of MRI helps to more accurately diagnose brain abscess. Surgical management of brain abscesses is either medical or surgical through craniotomy or burr holes. Indications of each are still a point of debate among most neurosurgeons. Methodology: This is a descriptive longitudinal prospective study to compare the outcomes of two surgical procedures used in The National Centre for Neurological Sciences-Khartoum-Sudan (NCNS) from 2012 to 2015, craniotomy and excision of the abscess membrane versus burr hole and aspiration of brain abscess in terms of duration of hospitalization, length of antibiotic use, recurrence rate, number of images needed for follow-up, and the final postoperative early and late outcomes. The data was collected through a designed questionnaire and was then analyzed using SPSS version 20. No significant ethical approval was required for this study. Results: Fifty-four patients were operated on through craniotomy (29/54) and burr hole (25/54). Their ages ranged from 1 year to 53 years with an average presentation at 13 years of age. Most patients presented with fever (23.1%), convulsions (16%), vomiting (16.7%) and headache (15.4%). The mean of illness for both groups was almost 2 months. The majority of patients in this study were having no risk factors (38.9%) while the major risk factors seen were cardiac diseases (14.8%), neurosurgical procedures (13%) and otitis media (11.1%). As most patients presented late, the diagnosis of most was made using CT brain with contrast (83.3%). In most of the patients (85.2%) there were no organisms separated in the culture. 8/54 patients had positive cultures, 7/8 were bacterial and only one (1/8) was fungal. Most patients received antibiotics for 45 days postoperatively in both craniotomy and burr hole groups. When both groups were compared, those operated with craniotomy were found to have a relatively higher length of hospital stay, however, no significant difference was found between both groups. Also, it was found that those operated on with craniotomy had a high cure rate and less recurrence in comparison with burr hole group. Deterioration and death were significantly higher among craniotomy group. Only CT brain was used as the imaging modality of choice for follow-up in both groups for 4 months’ duration and it was noted that complete evacuation was significantly higher among craniotomy group while remnants were higher among burr hole group. Conclusion: Brain abscess is still a challenging condition for neurosurgeons in Sudan. The limited number of Sudanese neurosurgeons, neurosurgical centers and diagnostic facilities contributed to delay in diagnosing brain abscess in most patients. It is important to design a strict protocol and precautions for any neurosurgical operation or bedside procedure to prevent infection and subsequent brain abscess development. CT brain with contrast is a good imaging tool for assessing the size, site and stage of brain abscesses. No significant difference between craniotomy or burr hole for clearance from brain abscess in terms of antibiotic used or duration of hospital stay. However, burr hole aspiration is associated with higher rates of recurrences. On the other hand, craniotomy and excision have relatively higher neurologic morbidity postoperative with expectantly higher post-operative hospitalization but no differences in the final outcome. Therefore, the selection of surgical technique should be individualized in each case based on the abscess site size source patient fitness for surgery and neurosurgeon’s preference.

Clinical application of retrograde cerebral perfusion for brain protection during the surgery of ascending aortic aneurysm:50 cases report

Objective To assess retrospectively the effects of different protective methods on brain in ascending aortic aneurysm surgery. Methods In 65 patients, aneurysm was dissected to the aortic arch or right arch. To protect brain, deep hypotermic circulatory arrest ( DHCA.) combined with retrograde cerebral perfusion ( RCP) June 2003 Vol11 No2 through the superior vena cava ( n = 50) and simple DHCA ( n = 15) were used during the procedure. Blood samples for lactic acid level from the jugular vein were compared in both groups at different plase, and perfusion blood distribution and oxygen content difference between the perfused and returned blood were measured in some RCP patients. Results The DHCA time was 35.9 ± 8 min (10. 0 - 63. 0 min) and DHCA+ RCP time was 45.5 ± 17. 2 min (16. 0 - 81. 0 min)The resuscitationtime was 7.1 ± 1.6 h (4.4 - 9.4H)in DHCA patients and 5.4±2.2h(2.0-9.0 h)in RCP patients. Operation death was 3/15 in the DHCA group and 1/50 in the RCP patients. Central nervous complication

Aspirin interruption before neurosurgical interventions:A controversial problem

Aspirin is widely used for primary or secondary prevention of ischemic events.At the same time,chronic aspirin consumption can affect blood clot formation during surgical intervention and increase intraoperative blood loss.This is especially important for high-risk surgery,including neurosurgery.Current European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommend aspirin interruption for at least 7 d before neurosurgical intervention,but this suggestion is not supported by clinical evidence.This narrative review presents evidence that challenges the necessity for aspirin interruption in neurosurgical patients,describes options for aspirin effect monitoring and the clinical implication of these methods,and summarizes current clinical data on bleeding risk associated with chronic aspirin therapy in neurosurgical patients,including brain tumor surgery,cerebrovascular procedures,and spinal surgery.