Rehabilitation after Distal Radius Fractures: Opportunities for Improvement.

Background Exercises are frequently prescribed to regain function; yet there is no consensus on a standardized protocol, and adherence is low. Smart technology innovations, such as mobile applications, may be useful to provide home-based patient support in rehabilitation after distal radius fractures. Purposes Our purpose was to establish the potential of digital innovations for support and monitoring of patients and treatment adherence in rehabilitation programs, and additionally, to compare the current practice among physiotherapists to the various wrist exercise regimens and their effectiveness as described in the literature. Methods Standard practice, including the use of support tools for treatment adherence, was evaluated using a nationwide survey. Then, scientific databases were searched using "distal radius fracture" and "physiotherapy" or "exercise therapy," and related search terms, up until 23 March 2023. Results of the survey and literature review were compared. Results The survey was completed by 92 therapists. Nonstandardized support tools were used by 81.6% of respondents; 53.2% used some form of technology, including taking photos on the patients' smartphone for home reference. In the literature review, 23 studies were included, of which five described an exercise protocol. Treatment adherence was not reported in any of the included studies. Two studies described the use of smart technology or support tools. Conclusions There is no consensus on a standardized exercise protocol for rehabilitation after distal radius fractures, neither from a systematic literature search nor from a nationwide survey. Smart technology may facilitate monitoring of patients and exercise adherence, hereby supporting self-efficacy and improving adherence and outcomes.

Open Ankle Arthrodesis: A Retrospective Analysis Comparing Different Fixation Methods.

A wide variation of surgical options, complications, and union rates are reported in the treatment of end-stage ankle arthritis. However, open ankle arthrodesis remains the golden standard for ankle arthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the union rate and complication rate as well as identify potential risk factors for different methods of fixation in patients with end-stage ankle arthritis of different etiology. In total, 42 ankles of 41 patients with ankle osteoarthritis were included for this single-center retrospective study. The mean age was 50 years (range 22-75 years). Twenty patients were treated with screw-fixation, 14 with plate(s) and 8 with intramedullary nail. The results of this study showed an overall union rate of 97.6% (41 of the 42 operated ankles) and an overall complication rate of 21.4% (9 events). The mean follow-up time was 16 months (range 2.5-83.0 months). Complications consisted of 1 nonunion, 4 deep infections, 2 cases of wound dehiscence, 1 delayed union and 1 malalignment of the ankle joint. The plate-fixation group demonstrated significantly higher infections when compared with screw and intramedullary nail fixation (p = .017). There were no other significant variables for incidence of complications between patients in the uncomplicated and complicated group. This study achieved good clinical results for different methods of fixation in open ankle arthrodesis. In specific, the use of intramedullary nail provides excellent results for end-stage ankle arthritis with high union rate and a low complication rate.

Open Ankle Arthrodesis: a Systematic Review of Approaches and Fixation Methods.

BACKGROUND: Open ankle arthrodesis (OAA) remains the most widely used operation in end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. However, there is a large variation in terms of approach and fixation methods. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effect of different approaches and fixation methods on the union rate, complication rate and functional outcome in OAA. METHODS: A search of the online databases PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library was performed to identify patients who underwent OAA with screw- and/or plate-fixation. RESULTS: We identified 38 studies, including 1250 patients (1290 ankles). The union rate was 98% (95% CI 0.95-0.99) for the anterior, 96% (95% CI 0.92-0.98) for the lateral and 96% (95% CI 0.68-1.00) for the combined medial/lateral approach. Screw-fixation achieved an overall union rate of 96% (95% CI 0.93-0.98) and plate-fixation 99% (95% CI 0.96-0.99). The overall complication rate was 14%, 16% and 31% for the anterior, lateral and combined medial/lateral approaches respectively. It stood at 18% for screw-fixation and 9% for plate-fixation. The infection rate was 4%, 6% and 8% for the anterior, lateral and combined approaches respectively. Screw-fixation had an infection rate of 6% and plate-fixation 3%. The postoperative AOFAS scores were 76.8, 76.5 and 67.6 for the anterior, lateral and combined approaches respectively and 74.9 for screw- compared to 78.5 for plate-fixation. These differences did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: This study, the first of its kind, found little difference in terms of results between approach and fixation method used in OAA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IIa.

Determinants of neurological outcome after surgery for brain arteriovenous malformation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We sought to define determinants of neurological deficit after surgery for brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM). METHODS: One hundred twenty-four prospective patients (48% women, mean age 33 years) underwent microsurgical brain AVM resection. Patients were examined by 3 study neurologists immediately before surgery, postoperatively in-hospital, by in-person long-term follow-up, and with a structured telephone follow-up. They were classified according to the 5-point Spetzler-Martin grading system, with its 3 elements: size, venous drainage pattern, and location. The functional neurological status was classified with the modified Rankin scale. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied to test the effect of patient age, gender, and the 3 Spetzler-Martin elements on early and long-term postoperative neurological complications. RESULTS: Twelve patients (10%) were classified as Spetzler-Martin grade 1; 36 (29%) as grade 2; 47 (38%) as grade 3; 26 (21%) as grade 4; and 3 (2%) as grade 5. Postoperatively, in-hospital, 51 patients (41%) showed new neurological deficits (15% disabling [ie, Rankin scale score >2] and 26% nondisabling [ie, Rankin 1 or 2]). At long-term follow-up (mean follow-up time 12 months), 47 patients (38%) revealed surgery-related neurological deficits (6% disabling; 32% nondisabling). The rate of neurological complications increased by Spetzler-Martin grade. Female gender, AVM size, and deep venous drainage were significantly associated with neurological deficits at in-hospital and long-term evaluation. For patient age and AVM location, no significant association was found. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that female gender, AVM size, and AVM drainage into the deep venous system may be determinants of neurological deficit after microsurgical AVM resection.

Fibro-osseous lesions of the central nervous system: report of four cases and literature review.

Fibro-osseous lesions, also reported as calcifying pseudoneoplasms of the neural axis, are uncommon lesions of the CNS. We report four additional cases: two extraaxial and two intraaxial, in patients ages 33, 47, 49, and 59 years at presentation. Fibro-osseous lesions involving the CNS demonstrate variable proportions of fibrous stroma, bone, palisading spindle to epithelioid to multinucleated cells in association with a highly distinctive, perhaps pathognomonic, chondromyxoid-like matrix often distributed in a nodular pattern. This histopathologically distinctive lesion can be seen in many regions of the neuraxis, often with a dural association, and most commonly along the vertebral column. It appears to be a slow-growing lesion and, with wide excision, the prognosis is excellent. The etiology remains unclear, but the preponderance of data favors a reactive rather than neoplastic process. If this putative pseudotumor is not recognized histopathologically, a neoplastic or infectious differential might result in inappropriate investigations and potentially harmful therapies.

Supratentorial ependymomas in adult patients.

OBJECTIVE: Ependymomas arise from different areas in the neuraxis and have variable outcomes that depend on tumor location and patient age at the time of presentation. The predictive value of histology for these tumors is unresolved. We report a series of adult patients with supratentorial ependymomas to characterize the roles of surgery, histology, ploidy, and proliferation index in tumor control. METHODS: Fourteen of the 23 supratentorial ependymomas were in the region of the third ventricle and the remainder were located in the hemispheres. Resections were gross total in 12 patients, subtotal in 8, and biopsy in 3. A single pathologist reviewed all slides and quantitated the deoxyribonucleic acid. The mean follow-up duration was 95 months (+/-75 mo). RESULTS: All of the malignant ependymomas were hemispheric (n = 4). Mortality occurred only in patients with third ventricular tumors; two patients died as a result of surgical complications and three as a result of tumor progression. Kaplan-Meier estimates of 5- and 10-year survival rates were 100% for hemispheric and 72.5% for third ventricular tumors (62.5% including the two perioperative deaths). The median time to recurrence was 53 months, with a 10-year progression-free survival rate of 27%. Univariate analysis revealed that recurrence was associated with malignant histology, including mitoses, cellularity, and aneuploidy. For nonmalignant ependymomas, recurrence was associated with subtotal resection and metastases. S-phase fraction did not correlate with recurrence. Only malignant histology correlated with recurrence on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Although the numbers are too small to draw any definite conclusions, treatment of ependymomas that arise in the supratentorial compartment in adult patients results in excellent outcomes despite frequent recurrences. Association with the third ventricle and metastases seem to have a negative impact on survival, whereas malignant histology, subtotal resection, and metastases may be predictors of recurrence.

The posterior approach to a series of glomus (Type II) intramedullary spinal cord arteriovenous malformations.

OBJECTIVE: Intramedullary spinal cord arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are comprised of those AVMs which in either glomus or nidal form are found partially or entirely within the substance of the spinal cord. An effort to subdivide these lesions into either glomus Type II or juvenile Type III spinal cord AVMs has underscored the diffuse, unresectable nature of the latter but has done little to suggest a logical management paradigm for the more well-defined, low-flow glomus lesion. METHODS: To address this shortcoming, 15 cases of glomus Type II spinal AVMs were identified from a larger series of a variety of spinal AVMs. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and superselective angiography rendered the anatomic diagnosis of these lesions accurate in all cases. All lesions were approached posteriorly via a standard laminectomy, with the goal of total extirpation, and all patients underwent immediate postoperative angiography to verify cure. In the vast majority of cases, patients underwent follow-up imaging to confirm the durability of this cure, and long-term outcome was determined using both a subjective quality of life assay and a functional grading scale. Age, sex, mode of presentation, and radiographic features were subsequently analyzed with respect to functional outcome. RESULTS: Most glomus spinal AVMs presented with a rapid cascade of signs and symptoms (73%), often caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage (60%) and often leading to significant neurological deficits (47%). Initially, 14 of 15 patients (94%) were angiographically cured of their malformations. The remaining patient was neurologically improved after a 90% resection, and follow-up angiography demonstrated that the residual was thrombosed. However, not uncommonly, follow-up angiography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed recurrences, with three of the patients who underwent delayed imaging (23%) demonstrating new draining veins. Fortunately, in each case, the recurrence was asymptomatic. Therefore, the long-term cure rate (mean follow-up, 8.5 yr; range, 1-17 yr) was 80%, with no subsequent bleeding or progression of symptoms. Outcomes were generally good, with six patients (40%) demonstrating objective improvement, eight (53%) being neurologically stable, and one (7%) being worse. Sixty-six percent were independent, 20% required moderate assistance, and 14% remained entirely dependent. There were no deaths. Patients possessing lesions with large direct feeders off the anterior spinal artery and occupying a primarily anterior position in the cord fared somewhat worse, as did those with rapidly progressing symptomatology in the absence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, even in those with preserved or improved function, chronic pain was a significant problem, affecting one-third of all patients. Chronic pain was especially common in young women who had presented with significant preoperative pain that responded poorly to all subsequent therapeutic manipulations. CONCLUSION: With careful evaluation of high-quality superselective angiography and the judicious use of preoperative embolization, posterior surgical approaches can deliver results comparable with those achieved for other benign intramedullary lesions in terms of long-term cure (80%), control of symptom progression (100%), and good functional outcome (86%). Despite these results, chronic dysesthetic pain syndromes are not uncommon and continue to present a significant management problem.

Anterior translocation of language in patients with left cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

We studied seven patients with left cerebral atriovenous malformation (AVM) with superselective arterial injection of anesthetics during angiography to determine whether there was translocation of some language functions to other regions in the ispilateral hemisphere. All patients were right handed. With a catheter inserted into each target vessel, patients underwent aphasia examination in an A-B-A design: (A) baseline, no anesthetic; (B) 1 minute after anesthetic injection; and (A) 12 minutes after injection (when its effects had dissipated). The results showed that six of seven patients had no significant aphasia at baseline or 12 minutes after anesthetic injection. One patient had a mild conduction aphasia at baseline and after anesthetic effects had dissipated. In the six patients with temporoparietal AVM, anesthetic injections into vessels in the lower division of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) not feeding the AVM (e.g., the left angular artery) produced a wide range of language function--from conduction aphasia to dense Wernicke's syndromes. When upper division MCA vessels were injected (e.g., the prefrontal branch), all developed a major aphasic disorder with significant comprehension defects. A seventh patient with a frontal opercular AVM had a mild anomia, semantic paraphasias, and decreased word-list generation when the prefrontal branch was injected. Her comprehension, however, was intact. These data show that patients with posterior cerebral AVM can show language abnormalities where such deficits are not typically seen after acute brain injury. These findings support a posterior-to-anterior extension of some language skills under conditions of brain disease.

Unusual intramedullary vascular lesion: report of two cases.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Spinal arteriovenous malformations have been divided by location into dural (Type I), intramedullary glomus (Type II), juvenile (Type III), and perimedullary direct arteriovenous fistulae (Type IV). We report two cases of an unusual intramedullary proliferation of hyalinized capillaries that do not fit into any of these categories. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 27-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man presented with subacute progressive caudal myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed focal spinal cord enlargement, high signal on T2-weighted images, and patchy enhancement with gadolinium consistent with tumor. No serpentine flow voids were visualized on the surface of the spinal cord. Spinal angiography revealed nothing abnormal. No abnormal vasculature was grossly visible on open biopsy. Histological examination of the tissue specimens revealed a proliferation of capillary-sized vessels with varying degrees of vascular wall changes ranging from endothelial hyperplasia to concentric hyalinization, suggesting ongoing evolution of the lesion. Surrounding neural tissue demonstrated ischemic changes characterized by myelin and axonal loss and astrocytosis but no necrosis. INTERVENTION: Patients were treated with chronic anticoagulation, which seemed to slow, but not halt, symptomatic disease progression. CONCLUSION: Although the pathological substrate seems to be an acquired intramedullary vascular lesion characterized primarily by capillary proliferation, the cause of this lesion is unknown. This disease differs from Foix-Alajouanine syndrome and subacute necrotizing myelopathy by an absence of abnormal surface vessels and a lack of intramedullary necrosis. The histological findings are reminiscent of the process that occurs in the kidney and various end organs from long-standing mild to moderate elevations in blood pressure or chronic diabetes. Tissue ischemia may result from luminal obstruction by severe hyalinization and thrombosis. Because the natural history of this disease is unknown, it is unclear whether anticoagulation slowed disease progression.

Risk of spontaneous haemorrhage after diagnosis of cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

BACKGROUND: A small proportion of strokes are caused by cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Treatment to prevent intracranial haemorrhage itself carries risks, and untreated AVM may in many cases have a good prognosis. We investigated the risk of subsequent symptomatic bleeding in the clinical course of AVM in patients with and without an initial haemorrhage. METHODS: 281 unselected, consecutive, prospectively enrolled patients with cerebral AVM were grouped according to their initial clinical presentation--142 presented with and 139 without haemorrhage. The frequency of AVM haemorrhages during the subsequent clinical course (before the start of endovascular, surgical, or radiation treatment) in the two groups was compared by means of Kaplan-Meier life-tables, log-rank test, and multivariate proportional-hazards regression models. Haemorrhage was defined as a clinically symptomatic event with signs of acute bleeding on computed tomography or magnetic resonance brain imaging. FINDINGS: During mean follow-up of 8.5 months for the haemorrhage group and 11.9 months for the non-haemorrhage group, haemorrhages occurred in 18 (13%) of the former patients and in three (2%) of the latter (p=0.0002). The annual risk of haemorrhage was 17.8% and 2.2%, respectively. In the multivariate regression model, the adjusted hazard ratio for haemorrhage at initial presentation was 13.9 (95% CI 2.6-73.8; p=0.002). Deep venous drainage (hazard ratio 4.1 [1.2-14.9], p=0.029) and male sex (9.2 [2.1-41.3], p=0.004) were also significantly associated with subsequent haemorrhage, but no significant association was found for age or AVM size. The annual rate of spontaneous haemorrhage was 32.6% for men and 10.4% for women in the haemorrhage group compared with 3.3% for men and 1.3% for women in the non-haemorrhage group. Among patients with haemorrhage at initial presentation, the risk of haemorrhage fell from 32.9% in year 1 to 11.3% in subsequent years (34.2% to 31.0% in men; 31.1% to 5.5% in women). INTERPRETATION: In AVM, patients initially presenting with haemorrhage have a higher risk of subsequent bleeding than those presenting with other symptoms. The risk is higher in men than in women.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis: report of three cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis is rare; but it is being encountered with increasing frequency. Optimal treatment after diagnosis remains controversial. METHODS: In the last 3 years, we have encountered three cases of intramedullary metastasis presenting as focal mass lesions with minimal systemic evidence of cancer. We present our results in these patients and review the literature in an effort to more optimally define both the natural course of this disease, as well as a potential subset of patients who might benefit from more aggressive treatment. RESULTS: With the availability of more sensitive imaging techniques, these tumors are being diagnosed with increasing frequency. Magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive, but nonspecific, in distinguishing intramedullary spinal cord metastases from primary cord tumors. Urgent biopsy is often necessary prior to definitive treatment. Radiation with chemotherapy significantly prolongs survival. Radical subtotal resection may offer additional quality survival, especially in cases of metastatic melanoma with an occult primary. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of treatment, many patients survive less than 1 year. Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis is a devastating condition, but with appropriate diagnosis and aggressive treatment, selected patients may have substantially increased survival.

Intraoperative monitoring of motor evoked potentials: a review of 116 cases.

We reviewed the results of motor evoked potential (MEP) and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) monitoring during 116 operations on the spine or spinal cord. We monitored MEPs by electrically stimulating the spinal cord and recording compound muscle action potentials from lower extremity muscles and monitored SEPs by stimulating posterior tibial or peroneal nerves and recording both cortical and subcortical evoked potentials. We maintained anesthesia with an N2O/O2/opioid technique supplemented with a halogenated inhalational agent and maintained partial neuromuscular blockade using a vecuronium infusion. Both MEPs and SEPs could be recorded in 99 cases (85%). Neither MEPs nor SEPs were recorded in eight patients, all of whom had preexisting severe myelopathies. Only SEPs could be recorded in two patients, and only MEPs were obtained in seven cases. Deterioration of evoked potentials occurred during nine operations (8%). In eight cases, both SEPs and MEPs deteriorated; in one case, only MEPs deteriorated. In four cases, the changes in the monitored signals led to major alterations in the surgery. We believe that optimal monitoring during spinal surgery requires recording both SEPs and MEPs. This provides independent verification of spinal cord integrity using two parallel but independent systems, and also allows detection of the occasional insults that selectively affect either motor or sensory systems.

Recurrent cerebral arteriovenous malformations after negative postoperative angiograms.

Angiography has been considered to be the gold standard to judge the success of treatment for cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Patients without residual nidus or early draining veins on postoperative angiograms are considered cured, with the risk of hemorrhage eliminated. A series of five patients with recurrent AVMs after negative postoperative angiography is described. All patients had hemispheric AVMs, presented initially with hemorrhage, and were between 5 and 13 years of age. Recurrence was noted 1 to 9 years later (at 12-16 years of age); after a hemorrhage in three patients, seizures in one, and on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging in one. Four patients underwent angiography that showed recurrence of the AVM at or adjacent to the original site. Three years postsurgery, the fifth patient died from a large intracerebral and intraventricular hemorrhage originating in the previous location of the AVM; however, the patient did not undergo angiography at the time of recurrence. The initial negative angiograms obtained postoperatively in these patients may be explained by postoperative spasm or thrombosis of a small residual malformation. However, in the authors' cumulative experience with 808 patients who have undergone complete surgical removal of AVMs (of whom 667 were older than 18 years of age), no case of recurrent AVM has been observed in an adult. Therefore, actual regrowth of an AVM may occur in children and could be a consequence of their relatively immature cerebral vasculature and may involve active angiogenesis mediated by humoral factors. The present findings argue against the assumption that AVMs are strictly congenital lesions resulting from failure of capillary formation during early embryogenesis. It is concluded that delayed imaging studies should be considered in children at least 1 year after their initial negative postoperative arteriogram to exclude a recurrent AVM.

Cerebral hyperemia after arteriovenous malformation resection is related to "breakthrough" complications but not to feeding artery pressure. The Columbia University Arteriovenous Malformation Study Project.

To study the pathophysiology of idiopathic postoperative brain swelling or hemorrhage after arteriovenous malformation resection, termed normal perfusion pressure breakthrough (NPPB), we performed cerebral blood flow (CBF) studies during 152 operations in 143 patients, using the xenon-133 intravenous injection method. In the first part of the study, CBF was intraoperatively measured (isoflurane/N2O anesthesia) during relative hypocapnia in 95 patients before and after resection. The NPPB group had a greater increase (P < 0.0001) in mean +/- standard deviation global CBF (28 +/- 6 to 47 +/- 16 ml/100 g/min, n = 5) than did the non-NPPB group (25 +/- 7 to 29 +/- 10 ml/100 g/min, n = 90); both arteriovenous malformation groups showed greater increase (P < 0.05) than did controls undergoing craniotomy for tumor (23 +/- 6 to 23 +/- 6 ml/100 g/min, n = 22). Ipsilateral and contralateral CBF changes were similar. In a second cohort of patients with arteriovenous malformations, CBF was measured at relative normocapnia and it increased (P < 0.002) from pre- to postresection (40 +/- 13 to 49 +/- 15 ml/100 g/min, n = 57). There were no NPPB patients in this latter cohort. The feeding mean arterial pressure was measured intraoperatively before resection or at the last embolization before surgery (n = 64). The feeding mean arterial pressure (44 +/- 16 mm Hg) was 56% of the systemic arterial pressure (78 +/- 12 mm Hg, P < 0.0001) and was not related to changes in CBF from pre- to postresection. There was an association between increases in global CBF from pre- to postresection and NPPB-type complications, but there was no relationship of these CBF changes to preoperative regional arterial hypotension. These data do not support a uniquely hemodynamic mechanism that explains cerebral hyperemia as a consequence of repressurization in hypotensive vascular beds.

Outcome analysis of preoperative embolization with N-butyl cyanoacrylate in cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

PURPOSE: To determine the influence of preoperative N-butyl cyanoacrylate embolization on outcome in the treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformations. METHODS: Two groups were compared: 30 patients who underwent surgery and embolization versus 41 patients who underwent surgery only. Both groups were categorized by Spetzler-Martin grade and evaluated with the Glasgow Outcome Scale at various intervals. The long-term follow-up in months was, for surgery only, mean of 35 and range of 4 to 59, and for surgery and embolization, mean of 10 and range of 1 to 19). RESULTS: The arteriovenous malformations in the surgery and embolization group had a larger average greatest diameter (4.2 +/- 1.5 cm versus 3.4 +/- 1.8 cm) and were of higher Spetzler-Martin grade (89% versus 68% grade III-V). No significant difference in the preoperative or immediate postoperative (less than 24 hours) Glasgow Outcome Scale was identified between the two groups. At I week after surgery, the surgery and embolization group displayed a significantly better outcome evaluation (70% versus 41% with Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 5). The long-term evaluation continued to favor the surgery and embolization patients (86% versus 66% with Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 5). CONCLUSION: Preoperative N-butyl cyanoacrylate embolization improves postsurgical outcome.

'Steal' is an unestablished mechanism for the clinical presentation of cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Focal neurological deficits (FNDs) in patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) have been widely attributed to the phenomenon of "cerebral steal." The incidence of focal deficits was investigated in a large prospective sample. METHODS: Using data from patient history and examination, CT or MRI, and transcranial Doppler sonography, we studied 152 consecutive, prospective AVM patients for evidence of FNDs unrelated to a hemorrhagic event. Feeding mean arterial pressure was measured during superselective angiography. RESULTS: Two (1.3%) of 152 patients met the criteria for a progressive FND. Nonprogressive FNDs were seen in 11 (7.2%) patients (stable in 4.6%, reversible in 2.6%). The median observation time period was 17 months (range, 1 to 60 months). There were no differences in transcranial Doppler mean velocities in feeding arteries in FND versus non-FND groups (118 +/- 44 versus 112 +/- 37 cm/s, P > .05) or pulsatility indexes (0.53 +/- 0.20 versus 0.55 +/- 0.15, P > .05). Feeding artery pressure was similar in FND (n = 10) and non-FND (n = 96) groups (39 +/- 16 versus 39 +/- 16 mm Hg at a systemic pressure of 82 +/- 18 versus 75 +/- 14 mm Hg, NS). CONCLUSIONS: Nonhemorrhagic focal neurological syndromes in AVM patients are infrequent. Progressive deficits are especially rare. There was no relation between feeding artery pressure or flow velocities and FND. There does not appear to be sufficient evidence to assign steal as an operative pathophysiological mechanism in the vast majority of AVM patients.

Surgical management of pineal region tumors.

The authors advocate an aggressive surgical approach to pineal region tumors to provide a definitive histological diagnosis and to facilitate extensive tumor removal. This strategy is based on their surgical experience in 160 operations for pineal region tumors in which operative mortality was 4% with 3% permanent major morbidity. One-third of pineal tumors were benign for which surgery alone was usually curative. A gross total removal was possible in 31 of 107 malignant tumors. The supracerebellar infratentorial approach was preferred in 86% of patients. The tumors displayed considerable histological diversity with germ cell tumors most common (37%), followed by glial cell tumors (28%) and pineal cell tumors (23%). Mixed tumors occurred 15% of the time. Spinal metastases were rare, occurring in less than 10% of patients with malignant tumors. These results with a large series of pineal region tumors demonstrate the safety and efficacy of aggressive pineal tumor surgery.