Use of a compact high-definition two-dimensional exoscope in surgical treatment of large vestibular schwannoma.

BACKGROUND: Extra-corporeal video telescope operating monitor system provides a necessary instrument to perform high-precision neurosurgical procedures that could substitute or supplement the traditional surgical microscope. The present study was designed to evaluate a compact high-definition two-dimensional exoscope system for assisting in surgical removal of large vestibular schwannoma (VS), as an alternative to a binocular surgical microscope. METHODS: Patients with Koos grade 3 and grade 4 VS undergoing surgery were enrolled in this prospective cohort study between January 2013 and June 2018. The demographics and tumor characteristics (size, Koos grade, composition [cystic or solid mass]) were matched between the two groups of patients. The following outcome measurements were compared between the two groups: duration of surgery, volume of blood loss, extent of tumor resection, number of operating field adjustments, pre- and post-operative facial and cochlear nerve function evaluated at 3 months post-surgery, complications and surgeons' comfortability. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients received tumor resection through the retrosigmoid approach under either an exoscope (cases, n = 39) or a surgical microscope (control, n = 42). Patients in the two groups had comparable tumor location (P = 0.439), Koos grading (P = 0.867), and composition (P = 0.891). While no significant differences in the duration of surgery (P = 0.172), extent of tumor resection (P = 0.858), facial function (P = 0.838), and hearing ability (P = 1.000), patients operated on under an exoscope had less blood loss (P = 0.036) and a fewer field adjustments (P < 0.001). Both primary and assistant surgeons reported a high level of comfort operating under the exoscope (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The compact high-definition two-dimensional exoscope system provides a safe and efficient means to assist in removing large VSs, as compared to a surgical microscope. After the acquaintance with a visual perception through a dynamic hint and stereoscopically viewing corresponding to the motion parallax, the exoscope system provided a comfortable, high-resolution visualization without compromising operational efficiency and patient safety.

Comparison of Flow Diversion and Coiling for the Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: To systematically assess the efficacy and safety between flow diversion and coiling for patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: Potential academic articles were identified from Cochrane Library, Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, and other databases. The time range we retrieved from was the inception of electronic databases to February 2019. Gray studies were identified from the references of included literature reports. STATA version 11.0 was used to analyze the pooled data. RESULTS: A total of 11 articles (10 retrospective studies and 1 prospective study) were involved in our study. The overall participants of the coiling group were 611, whereas 576 were in the flow diversion group. Our meta-analysis showed that flow diversion was preferable for unruptured intracranial aneurysms as its lower value of total cost per case (weighted mean difference, 5705.906; 95% confidence interval [CI], [4938.536, 6473236]; P < 0.001), fluoroscopy time per case (weighted mean difference, 25.786; 95% CI, 17.169-34.377; P < 0.001), and retreatment rates (odds ratio [OR], 7.127; 95% CI, [3.525, 14.410]; P < 0.001), at the same time, a higher rate of immediate completed occlusion (OR, 0.390; 95% CI, [0.224, 0.680]; P = 0.001) and follow-up completed occlusion (OR, 0.173; 95% CI, [0.080, 0.375]; P < 0.001) was demonstrated in the flow diversion group. There was no difference on intraoperative complication rates (P = 0.070), procedure-related mortality (P = 0.609) and rupture rates (P = 0.408), modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-2 at discharge (P = 0.077), and mRS 0-2 at follow-up (P = 0.484). CONCLUSIONS: The use of flow diversion for the treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms may reduce total cost per case, fluoroscopy time per case, retreatment rates, and increases immediate completed occlusion and follow-up completed occlusion rates without affecting the results of mRS and intraoperative complication.