Takafumi Tanei

Long-term Effect and Predictive Factors of Motor Cortex and Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Neuropathic Pain

The long-term effects of motor cortex stimulation (MCS) and spinal cord stimulation (SCS) remain unknown. To identify the long-term effects after MCS or SCS and determine any associated predictive factors for the outcomes. Fifty patients underwent MCS (n = 15) or SCS (n = 35) for chronic neuropathic pain. The degree of pain was assessed preoperatively, at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery, and during the time of the last follow-up using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Percentage of pain relief (PPR) was calculated, with “long-term effect” defined as PPR ≥ 30% and the presence of continued pain relief over 12 months. Outcomes were classified into excellent (PPR ≥ 70%) and good (PPR 30–69%) sub-categories. Long-term effects of MCS and SCS were observed in 53.3% and 57.1% of the patients, respectively. There were no predictive factors of long-term effects identified for any of the various preoperative conditions. However, the VAS at 1 month after surgery was significantly associated with the long-term effects in both MCS and SCS. All patients with an excellent outcome at 1 month after the surgery continued to exhibit these effects. In contrast, patients with the good outcome at 1 month exhibited a significant decrease in the effects at 6 months after surgery. The long-term effects of MCS and SCS were approximately 50% during the more than 8.5 and 3.5 years of follow-up, respectively. The VAS at 1 month after surgery may be a postoperative predictor of the long-term effects for both MCS and SCS.

[Supratentorial-infraoccipital approach supported by navigation and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging for glioma located at the medial posterior temporal lobe: two case reports].

Resection of posteromedial temporal lobe lesions is challenging because surgical access through standard approaches requires excessive retraction or resection of temporal cortex. The utility of the supratentorial-infraoccipital approach for posteromedial temporal lobe lesions was first reported in 1995. Here, we report two cases of glioma located at the medial posterior temporal lobe. In both, total tumor removal was achieved by a supratentorial-infraoccipital approach using neuronavigation and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Both patients presented with postoperative quadrantanopia because of optic radiation damage, but did not have worsening language, memory, or cognitive functions.