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Alexander E. A profession in retreat. SURGICAL NEUROLOGY 1997; 48:312. [PMID: 9290723 DOI: 10.1016/s0090-3019(97)00212-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Carroll PV, Umpleby M, Ward GS, Imuere S, Alexander E, Dunger D, Sönksen PH, Russell-Jones DL. rhIGF-I administration reduces insulin requirements, decreases growth hormone secretion, and improves the lipid profile in adults with IDDM. Diabetes 1997; 46:1453-8. [PMID: 9287046 DOI: 10.2337/diab.46.9.1453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
IDDM is associated with elevated circulating levels of growth hormone (GH) and reduced insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). GH antagonizes the action of insulin-increasing insulin requirements in IDDM. The effects of subcutaneously administered rhIGF-I on glycemic control, insulin requirements, and GH secretion were studied in eight adults with IDDM. Patients received either placebo or rhIGF-I (50 microg/kg b.i.d.) for 19 days in a randomized, double-blind, parallel-design, placebo-controlled trial. Overnight GH, plasma glucose, free insulin, IGF-I, fructosamine, and lipid profiles were assessed during this period. rhIGF-I therapy increased IGF-I concentration from 117.1 +/- 14.2 (mean +/- SE) ng/ml (baseline) to 310.5 +/- 40.6 and 257.1 +/- 41.2 ng/ml on day 5 (P < 0.01 vs. baseline) and day 20 (P < 0.01 vs. baseline), respectively. After 19 days of rhIGF-I treatment, fructosamine concentrations were unchanged compared with baseline (439 +/- 32 vs. 429 +/- 35 micromol/l, day -1 vs. day 20, respectively), yet insulin requirements were decreased by approximately 45% (0.67 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.07 U x kg(-1) x day(-1), day -1 vs. day 19, respectively, P < 0.005). After 4 days of rhIGF-I therapy, there was a decrease in free insulin levels (8.38 +/- 1.47 vs. 4.98 +/- 0.84 mU/l, P < 0.05), mean overnight GH concentration (12.6 +/- 3.3 vs. 3.8 +/- 2.1 mU/l, P = 0.05), and total cholesterol and triglycerides (4.68 +/- 0.31 vs. 4.25 +/- 0.35 mmol/l, P < 0.05, 1.27 +/- 0.19 vs. 0.95 +/- 0.21 mmol/l, P < 0.001, respectively). There was no change in any variable in the placebo-treated patients. This study demonstrates that subcutaneous administration of rhIGF-I decreases insulin requirements and improves the plasma lipid profile while maintaining glycemic control in adults with IDDM. The excess nocturnal release of GH, characteristic of IDDM, is also decreased by rhIGF-I therapy.
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Schulder M, Black PM, Shrieve DC, Alexander E, Loeffler JS. Permanent low-activity iodine-125 implants for cerebral metastases. J Neurooncol 1997; 33:213-21. [PMID: 9195493 DOI: 10.1023/a:1005798027813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Beginning in 1987, selected patients with metastatic brain tumors were treated with permanent implants of low-activity radioactive iodine-125(125I) seeds. These patients underwent craniotomy, gross total resection of the metastatic lesion, and placement of the seeds. In general, criteria for treatment included the presence of a recurrent tumor with a volume too large to permit radiosurgery, and a Karnofsky Performance Score of 70 or higher. Thirteen patients underwent 14 implant procedures; all received external whole-brain radiotherapy. Implant dose ranged from 43 Gy to 132 Gy, with a mean of 83 Gy. Survival after implantation ranged from 2 weeks to almost 9 years, with a median of 9 months. Clinical and radiographic local control was obtained in 9 patients. Two patients died of acute, postoperative complications within a month of implantation, so no information regarding tumor control is available for them. Late complications included a bone flap infection in one patient and a CSF leak in another; both were treated without further sequelae. These results demonstrate that permanent 125I implants can results in good survival and quality of life, and occasionally can yield long-term survival. Potentially, it is a cost-effective treatment in that a separate procedure for stereotactic implantation or radiosurgery is not needed, as is the case with the use of temporary high-activity seeds. The permanent implantation itself adds less than 10 minutes to the craniotomy, and the risk of symptomatic radiation necrosis is low. We recommend consideration of this procedure in patients harboring large, recurrent metastatic tumors that require further surgery.
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Alexander E. United Medical Research Foundation. A brief chapter in the history of North Carolina medicine. N C Med J 1997; 58:206-7. [PMID: 9164133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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105
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Alexander E. The debt of neurosurgery to William Stewart Halsted (1852-1922). SURGICAL NEUROLOGY 1997; 47:506-11. [PMID: 9131039 DOI: 10.1016/s0090-3019(96)00331-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Wilberger JE, Hoffman HJ, Fabi RA, Reilly GD, Tahmouresie A, Alexander E, Shuey HM, Sonntag VK, Pelofsky S, Goodman JM, Awad IA, Giannotta SL, Van Gilder JC, Herz DA, Collins WF. Subspecialty certification. SURGICAL NEUROLOGY 1997; 47:403-11. [PMID: 9122849 DOI: 10.1016/s0090-3019(97)00047-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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107
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Alexander E, Hickner J. First coitus for adolescents: understanding why and when. THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF FAMILY PRACTICE 1997; 10:96-103. [PMID: 9071689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Correlates of initiation of coitus for teenagers were examined, and participants were asked their reasons for initiating or postponing the onset of coitus. METHODS Questionnaires were completed privately by 218 patients aged 13 to 18 years. Questions explored the reasons adolescents cite for their sexual decisions and the role of peer influence in these decisions. RESULTS Correlation was noted in young teenagers between perception of peer sexual behavior and participant's initiation of coitus. Reasons stated for engaging in first intercourse reflect both active choices and loss of control. Reasons for refraining included fear of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, lack of developmental readiness and opportunity, and social sanctions. Morality was cited infrequently as a reason for postponing sexual behavior. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that sexuality education should address the direct and curious questions of younger teenagers about sexuality, help youth define strategies that they can use to evaluate and resist peer pressure, and give more generalized attention to ways of helping youth feel competent. Physicians and other health educators might focus on helping older youth define how and when they know they are ready to have intercourse, consider ways of expressing sexuality that do not jeopardize health, and improve communication skills when talking with friends and potential partners about sexual issues.
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Abstract
Great strides have been made in the past decade in our understanding of the pathology of the prostate. Diagnostic criteria have been proposed, debated, and refined for a number of entities, including prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, basal cell proliferations, postatrophic hyperplasia, verumontanum mucosal gland hyperplasia, and numerous new variants of prostatic adenocarcinoma such as ductal adenocarcinoma, mucinous carcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, and lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma. This report presents a series of case studies in prostate pathology which illustrate some of the contemporary issues which confront the pathologist and urologist.
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Alexander E. After the Calomel Rebellion: what happened to Surgeon General William A. Hammond? South Med J 1996; 89:1223. [PMID: 8969363 DOI: 10.1097/00007611-199612000-00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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110
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Schulder M, Black PM, Alexander E, Loeffler JS. The influence of Harvey Cushing on neuroradiologic therapy. Radiology 1996; 201:671-4. [PMID: 8939213 DOI: 10.1148/radiology.201.3.8939213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Harvey Cushing was largely responsible for the establishment of neurosurgery as a separate discipline. He demonstrated how careful attention to technique could make surgery acceptably safe, established classifications and clinical-pathologic correlations of a wide variety of tumors, and trained dozens of future neurosurgical department heads. Less well known, however, is Cushing's contribution to the early clinical use of radiation therapy for a variety of intracranial disorders. With the aid of his meticulous clinical follow-up, large case volume, and willingness to try new treatment methods, he demonstrated the utility of therapeutic radiation in patients with pituitary tumor, medulloblastoma, and arteriovenous malformation. His less impressive results with the irradiation of patients with glioma are also worthy of note and include trials of brachytherapy. Neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists exploring new methods of delivering therapeutic radiation to the central nervous system should be aware of the lessons learned from Cushing's experience.
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Varlotto JM, Shrieve DC, Alexander E, Kooy HM, Black PM, Loeffler JS. Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for the treatment of acoustic neuromas: preliminary results. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1996; 36:141-5. [PMID: 8823269 DOI: 10.1016/s0360-3016(96)00237-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of fractionated, stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for acoustic neuromas. METHODS AND MATERIALS Twelve patients with acoustic neuroma were treated with SRT between June 1992 and October 1994. Follow-up ranged from 16-44 months. Patient age ranged from 27-70 (median: 45). Eight patients were treated with primary SRT and four patients were treated after primary surgical intervention for recurrent [3] or persistent [1] disease. Tumor volumes were 1.2-18.4 cm3 (median: 10.1 cm3). Collimator sizes ranged from 30-50 mm (median: 37.5). Tumors received 1.8 Gy/day normalized to the 95% isodose line. Patients received a minimum prescribed dose of 54 Gy in 27-30 fractions over a 6-week period. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 26.5 months, local control was obtained in 12 out of 12 lesions. Tumor regression was noted in three patients, and tumor stabilization was found in the remaining nine patients. No patient developed a new cranial nerve deficit. One patients developed worsening of preexisting Vth cranial neuropathy and another experienced a decrease in hearing. However, all nine patients with useful hearing prior to SRT maintained useful hearing at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Stereotactic radiotherapy provided excellent local control without new cranial nerve deficits. These results must be viewed as tentative in nature because of the small number of patients and the short median follow-up period.
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Alexander E, Weingarten S, Mohsenifar Z. Clinical strategies to reduce utilization of chest physiotherapy without compromising patient care. Chest 1996; 110:430-2. [PMID: 8697846 DOI: 10.1378/chest.110.2.430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is widespread interest in the evaluation of clinical strategies that safely reduce health-care costs. Elimination of inappropriate chest physiotherapy may represent one of those strategies. SETTING An academic community hospital. METHODS One-hundred one patients receiving chest physiotherapy were prospectively randomized to continue their chest physiotherapy or to inform their physicians that the order for the chest physiotherapy may have been inappropriate. RESULTS Patients who were randomized to have their chest physiotherapy discontinued received 45% fewer chest physiotherapy treatments than control patients (p < 0.01). There was no increase in the mortality rate or length of hospital stay associated with the reduction in chest physiotherapy in carefully selected patients. The estimated cost savings would be $319,000, which is 50 times greater than the cost associated with the intervention. CONCLUSION Chest physiotherapy is frequently provided to patients for inappropriate indications. Reducing chest physiotherapy for these patients may significantly reduce respiratory therapy costs without increasing length of stay or mortality rates.
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Pennacchio M, Syah YM, Ghisalberti EL, Alexander E. Cardioactive compounds from Eremophila species. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 1996; 53:21-27. [PMID: 8807473 DOI: 10.1016/0378-8741(96)01422-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The isolation and identification of two cardioactive compounds from two Eremophila species (Myoporaceae) considered important in the pharmacopoeia of the Australian Aboriginal people is described. Verbascoside, isolated from the methanol and water extracts of E. alternifolia leaves, mediated significant increases in chronotropism, inotropism and coronary perfusion rate (CPR) in the Langendorff rat heart. Geniposidic acid, isolated from the methanol extract of E. longifolia leaves, mediated an inhibitory effect with significant negative chronotropism, negative inotropism and CPR.
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Alexander E, Loeffler JS. Recurrent brain metastases. Neurosurg Clin N Am 1996; 7:517-26. [PMID: 8823779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Metastases of the brain are the most frequent metastatic neurologic complication of systemic cancer and are second only to metabolic encephalopathies as a cause of central nervous system dysfunction in cancer patients. Despite recent significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of metastases to the brain, many patients will suffer from recurrence. Future advances in the use of chemotherapy, radiosurgery, and newer cancer therapy techniques may lead to further increases in the efficacy of treatment for recurrent brain metastases.
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Pennacchio M, Alexander E, Syah YM, Ghisalberti EL. The effect of verbascoside on cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate levels in isolated rat heart. Eur J Pharmacol 1996; 305:169-71. [PMID: 8813548 DOI: 10.1016/0014-2999(96)00153-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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116
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Alexander E. Harvey Cushing. J Neurosurg 1996; 84:1077. [PMID: 8847578 DOI: 10.3171/jns.1996.84.6.1077a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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117
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Alexander E. Octogenarian pearls. SURGICAL NEUROLOGY 1996; 45:587-9. [PMID: 8638247 DOI: 10.1016/0090-3019(95)00476-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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118
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Patrice SJ, Sneed PK, Flickinger JC, Shrieve DC, Pollock BE, Alexander E, Larson DA, Kondziolka DS, Gutin PH, Wara WM, McDermott MW, Lunsford LD, Loeffler JS. Radiosurgery for hemangioblastoma: results of a multiinstitutional experience. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1996; 35:493-9. [PMID: 8655372 DOI: 10.1016/s0360-3016(96)80011-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Between June 1988 and June 1994. 38 hemangioblastomas were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SR) at three SR centers to evaluate the efficacy and potential toxicity of this therapeutic modality as an adjuvant or alternative treatment to surgical resection. METHODS AND MATERIALS SR was performed using either a 201-cobalt source unit or a dedicated SR linear accelerator. Of the 18 primary tumors treated, 16 had no prior history of surgical resection and were treated definitively with SR and two primary lesions were subtotally resected and subsequently treated with SR. Twenty lesions were treated with SR after prior surgical failure (17 tumors) or failure after prior surgery and conventional radiotherapy (three tumors). Eight patients were treated with SR for multifocal disease (total, 24 known tumors). SR tumor volumes measured 0.05 to 12 cc (median: 0.97 cc). Minimum tumor doses ranged from 12 to 20 Gy (median: 15.5 Gy). RESULTS Median follow-up from the time of SR was 24.5 months (range: 6-77 months). The 2-year actuarial over-all survival was 88 +/- 15% (95% confidence interval). Two-year actuarial freedom from progression was 86 +/- 12% (95% confidence interval). The median tumor volume of the lesions that failed to be controlled by SR was 7.85 cc (range: 3.20-10.53 cc) compared to 0.67 cc (range: 0.05-12 cc) for controlled lesions (p - 0.0023). The lesions that failed to be controlled by SR received a median minimum tumor dose of 14 Gy (range: 13-17 Gy) compared to 16 Gy (range: 12-20 Gy) for controlled lesions (p = 0.0239). Seventy-eight percent of the surviving patients remained neurologically stable or clinically improved. There were no significant permanent complications directly attributable to SR. CONCLUSIONS This report documents the largest experience in the literature of the use of SR in the treatment of hemangioblastoma. We conclude that SR: (a) controls the majority of primary and recurrent hemangioblastomas; (b) offers the ability to treat multiple lesions in a single treatment session, which is particularly important for patients with Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome; and that (c) better control rates are associated with higher doses and smaller tumor volumes.
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Moriarty TM, Kikinis R, Jolesz FA, Black PM, Alexander E. Magnetic resonance imaging therapy. Intraoperative MR imaging. Neurosurg Clin N Am 1996; 7:323-31. [PMID: 8726445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The field of image-guided neurosurgery has developed under the premise that integrating the enhanced discrimination powers of CT scan and MR imaging into the operating room improves the accuracy, safety and precision of neurosurgery, and expand the realm of surgically treatable lesions. Through cooperation between General Electric Corporation and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and open-configuration MR suite was designed and implemented to attain these goals through real-time, intraoperative MR imaging in a true surgical suite. This system allows intraoperative acquisition of MR images without moving the patient, online image-guided stereotaxy without preoperative imaging, and "real-time" tracking of instruments in the operative field registered to the MR images. The design and implementation of neurosurgery in the open-configuration MR imaging suite are summarized in this article.
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Auchter RM, Lamond JP, Alexander E, Buatti JM, Chappell R, Friedman WA, Kinsella TJ, Levin AB, Noyes WR, Schultz CJ, Loeffler JS, Mehta MP. A multiinstitutional outcome and prognostic factor analysis of radiosurgery for resectable single brain metastasis. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1996; 35:27-35. [PMID: 8641923 DOI: 10.1016/s0360-3016(96)85008-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 395] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Recent randomized trials of selected patients with single brain metastasis comparing resection followed by whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) to WBRT alone have shown a statistically significant survival advantage for surgery and WBRT. A multiinstitutional retrospective study was performed, which identified comparable patients who were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (RS) and WBRT. METHODS AND MATERIALS The RS databases of four institutions were reviewed to identify patients who met the following criteria: single-brain metastasis; no prior cranial surgery or WBRT; age > 18 years; surgically resectable lesion; Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) > or = 70 at time of RS; nonradiosensitive histology. One hundred twenty-two patients were identified who met these criteria. Patients were categorized by: (a) status of the primary, (b) status of non-CNS metastasis, (c) age, (d) baseline KPS (from 70-100), (e) histology, (f) time from diagnosis of primary to the detection of the brain metastasis, (g) gender, and (h) tumor volume. RS was performed with a linear accelerator based technique (peripheral dose range was 10-27 Gy, median was 17 Gy). WBRT was performed in all but five patients who refused WBRT (dose range was 25-40 Gy, median was 37.5 Gy). RESULTS The median follow-up for all patients was 123 weeks. The overall local control rate (defined as lack of progression in the RS volume) was 86%. Intracranial recurrence outside of the RS volume was seen in 27 patients (22%). The actuarial median survival from date of RS is 56 weeks, and the 1-year and 2-year actuarial survival rates are 53% and 30%. The median duration of functional independence (sustained KPS > or = 70) is 44 weeks. Nineteen of 77 deaths were attributed to CNS progression (25% of all deaths). Multivariate analysis revealed the following factors to be statistically significant predictors of survival: baseline KPS (p < .0001) and absence of other sites of metastasis (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION The RS in conjunction with WBRT for single brain metastasis can produce substantial functional survival, especially in patients with good performance status and without extracranial metastasis. These results are comparable to recent randomized trials of resection and WBRT. The advantages of RS over surgery in terms of cost, hospitalization, morbidity, and wider applicability strongly suggest that a randomized trial to compare RS with surgery is warranted.
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Kikinis R, Gleason PL, Moriarty TM, Moore MR, Alexander E, Stieg PE, Matsumae M, Lorensen WE, Cline HE, Black PM, Jolesz FA. Computer-assisted interactive three-dimensional planning for neurosurgical procedures. Neurosurgery 1996; 38:640-9; discussion 649-51. [PMID: 8692380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We have used three-dimensional reconstruction magnetic resonance imaging techniques to understand the anatomic complexity of operative brain lesions and to improve preoperative surgical planning. We report our experience with 14 cases, including intra- and extra-axial tumors and a vascular malformation. In each case, preoperative planning was performed using magnetic resonance imaging-based three-dimensional renderings of surgically critical structures, such as eloquent cortices, gray matter nuclei, white matter tracts, and blood vessels. Simulations, using the interactive manipulation of three-dimensional data, provided an efficient and comprehensive way to appreciate the anatomic relationships. Interactive three-dimensional computer-assisted preoperative simulations provided otherwise inaccessible information that was useful for the surgical removal of brain lesions.
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Abstract
The objective was to clarify the optimal birth month for avoidance of SIDS and the seasonal characteristic of each birth-month cohort. The statistical method was cosinor analysis, and this established seasonality of SIDS death and births, the extent of this seasonality (amplitude) and the position of the peak (acrophase). There is a lowering of risk, by one third, amongst babies born in February-May compared to those born in August-November. The seasonal variation of death was twice as great for birth in September as compared with those in April. Those born in May-June lived on average six weeks longer than those born in November-April. Advice on subsequent pregnancy delivery date should be given to families who have already experienced SIDS. For those born in autumn there may be two components-the first a genetic or intrauterine component independent of month of birth, and the second an independent effect of interaction with winter environment.
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Schulder M, Loeffler JS, Howes AE, Alexander E, Black PM. Historical vignette: The radium bomb: Harvey Cushing and the interstitial irradiation of gliomas. J Neurosurg 1996; 84:530-2. [PMID: 8609571 DOI: 10.3171/jns.1996.84.3.0530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Harvey Cushing performed over 2000 operations on patients with brain tumors, including 832 for gliomas. He implanted radioactive radium needles, known as a "radium bomb," in a small number of these patients. He was not impressed with the results and did not pursue this method of treatment in a serious way. The authors present here Cushing's little-known experience with brachytherapy and discuss the reasons for his lack of interest in this technique, despite his advocacy of radiotherapy for certain lesions. An interesting perspective is offered for contemporary neurosurgeons involved in the treatment of brain tumors with cranial irradiation.
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Alexander E, Moriarty TM, Kikinis R, Jolesz FA. Innovations in minimalism: intraoperative MRI. CLINICAL NEUROSURGERY 1996; 43:338-352. [PMID: 9247815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
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