0000000000546873
AUTHOR
Max Jägersberg
Surgery of the Cranio-Vertebral Junction: Image Guidance, Navigation, and Augmented Reality
Due to the density of essential, small, and mobile structures, mastering the surgical anatomy of the craniovertebral junction may be extremely challenging. Quality and safety of interventions can be improved using navigation. Currently, patient-specific anatomy preparation, surgical planning, intervention, and quality assessment are disconnected actions performed in different conditions and environments and by multiple team members. The whole process needs to be integrated by surgeons performing the intervention. The complexity of the process exposes to errors and degraded precision. It is therefore relevant to develop tools that reduce the need to extrapolate and simplify the information i…
Quantitative assessment and localization of the hollowing of the temple after craniectomy and cranioplasty–The frontozygomatic shadow
Background After cranioplasty, in many cases a not negligible soft tissue defect remains in the temporozygomatical area, also referred to as a hollowing defect of the temple. Objective To assess the precise localization and volume of the hollowing defect, to optimize future cranioplasties. Methods CT data of patients who received craniectomy and conventional CAD cranioplasty in our institution between 2012 and 2018 were analyzed. CT datasets prior to craniectomy and after cranioplasty were subtracted to quantify the volume and localization of the defect. Results Out of 91 patients, 21 had suitable datasets. Five cases had good cosmetic results with no defect visible, 16 patients had an app…
Spinal ependymoma in adults: a multicenter investigation of surgical outcome and progression-free survival
OBJECTIVESpinal ependymomas are rare glial neoplasms. Because their incidence is low, only a few larger studies have investigated this condition. There are no clear data concerning prognosis and therapy. The aim of the study was to describe the natural history, perioperative clinical course, and local tumor control of adult patients with spinal ependymomas who were surgically treated under modern treatment standards.METHODSThe authors performed a multicenter retrospective study. They identified 158 adult patients with spinal ependymomas who had received surgical treatment between January 2006 and June 2013. The authors analyzed the clinical and histological aspects of these cases to identif…
Caliper navigation for craniotomy planning of convexity targets.
Introduction A technique to localize a radiological target on the head convexity fast and with acceptable precision is sufficient for surgeries of superficial intracranial lesions, and of help in the setting of emergency surgery, computer navigation breakdown, limited resources and education. We present a caliper technique based on fundamental geometry, with inexpensive and globally available tools (conventional CT or MRI image viewer, calculator, caliper). Methods The distances of the radiological target from two landmarks (nasion and porus acusticus externus) are assessed with an image viewer and Pythagoras’ theorem. The two distances are then marked around the landmarks onto the head of…