Compartment syndrome and rhabdomyolysis as a positioning complication following retrosigmoid craniotomy

The goal of surgical positioning is to provide optimal surgical access and visualization while maintaining the patient's safety, with the least physiological compromise. Here, we report a 30-year-old man with an unremarkable past medical history who developed superior vena cava syndrome after a 15-hour retrosigmoid craniotomy for removal of a right cerebellopontine (CP) angle tumor. Compartment syndrome from the head to neck and rhabdomyolysis were recognized, with extensive swelling of his head and neck, markedly swollen soft tissues and necrosis of multiple muscles revealed by computed tomography, and very high concentrations of creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate transaminase. Immediate intensive care and rehabilitation therapy were provided and aimed at maintaining adequate perfusion/oxygenation and decreasing tissue pressure. He was successfully weaned from ventilation on postoperative day (POD) 25, transferred to a general ward on POD 29, and discharged with mild muscular and neurological sequelae on POD 51. Careful adjustment of surgical positioning is crucial for patient safety, especially when positioned at an extreme position in association with prolonged surgery.     

Giant trigeminal schwannoma with parapharyngeal extension: Report of a case

The authors present their experience in the treatment of a giant trigeminal schwannoma with wide extension in the parapharyngeal space using a combination of the orbito-zygomatic and the transcervical-transmandibular approaches. The clinical and radiological findings, advantages of surgical approach and clinical outcome will be discussed.     

天幕脑膜瘤的影像学分型及显微手术治疗

目的 探讨天幕脑膜瘤的影像学分型及手术效果。方法 回顾性分析2018年1月至2019年12月显微手术治疗的31例天幕脑膜瘤的临床资料。按影像学资料分型:前内侧型（Ⅰ型）、前外侧型（Ⅱ型）、内中型（Ⅲ型）、后内侧型（Ⅳ型）、后外侧型（Ⅴ型）；根据肿瘤生长方向分为幕上型、幕下型、幕上下型。依据肿瘤分型选择合适手术入路。结果 31例中，Ⅰ型3例 ，Ⅱ型5例，Ⅲ型3例，Ⅳ型8例，Ⅴ型12例；幕上型6例，幕下型19例，幕上下型6例；Simpson分级Ⅰ级切除23例，Ⅱ级5例，Ⅳ级3例。无手术死亡病例。31例术后随访3~18个月；2例部分切除术后行伽玛刀治疗，复查MRI未见肿瘤增长；1例部分切除术后13个月复查MRI显示肿瘤进展，但无新发症状，动态复查MRI随访观察；所有病人术后均恢复良好，KPS评分≥70分。结论 天幕脑膜瘤手术入路的选择必须依据肿瘤的位置、大小及生长方向综合分析，个体化设计。选择合适的手术入路、熟悉掌握运用局部显微解剖关系、术中尽量避免过度牵拉造成肿瘤周围组织及血管损伤、最大程度减少手术并发症，是取得良好手术效果的关键。     

Social power and approach-related neural activity

It has been argued that power activates a general tendency to approach whereas powerlessness activates a tendency to inhibit. The assumption is that elevated power involves reward-rich environments, freedom and, as a consequence, triggers an approach-related motivational orientation and attention to rewards. In contrast, reduced power is associated with increased threat, punishment and social constraint and thereby activates inhibition-related motivation. Moreover, approach motivation has been found to be associated with increased relative left-sided frontal brain activity, while withdrawal motivation has been associated with increased right sided activations. We measured EEG activity while subjects engaged in a task priming either high or low social power. Results show that high social power is indeed associated with greater left-frontal brain activity compared to low social power, providing the first neural evidence for the theory that high power is associated with approach-related motivation. We propose a framework accounting for differences in both approach motivation and goal-directed behaviour associated with different levels of power.     

How to Apply the Experience from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial to Children and Adolescents?

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) taught us to set target blood glucose (BG) and glycohaemoglobin (GHb) goals, to ensure safety regarding hypogly-caemia, to be flexible with insulin and meal planning and to offer frequent contact with diabetes educators, dieticians, psychologists and social workers as well as with diabe-tologists skilled in intensified management. Insulin dosage should be individualized based upon frequent BG monitoring results. Co-ordinated multidisciplinary health care teams provide optimum problem-solving rather than disaster control working with children, adolescents and their families. The patient and the family should form the central core of the diabetes team with outpatient follow-up every month and frequent telephone contact between visits. GHb should be obtained at least every 1–2 months to provide feedback as based on the DCCT intensified treatment cohort. Insulin lispro helps minimize hypoglycaemia and makes insulin administration more convenient and timely. Barriers to improvement should be identified: learning problems, concomitant significant illnesses (epilepsy, coeliac and thyroid disease, asthma) and family problems. Ensure age-appropriate transfer of self-care but continue adult supervision. Educate, motivate and re-educate. Meal planning includes not only carbohydrate counting but also maintaining normal lipids and energy needs for growth and development as well as strategies for activity compensation and hypoglycaemia prevention. Consideration of protein restriction may be required in adolescents with microalbuminuria. Individualized multidose insulin algorithms allow reactive (corrective) decisions based upon capillary BG results plus proactive (anticipatory) decisions to compensate for expected BG changes from changes in activity, food and/or illness using a multidose insulin schedule. The number of insulin injections does not define an intensified insulin treatment programme but rather the ability to target and achieve near-normal BG values as often as possible - without severe episodes of hypoglycaemia. Self BG monitoring is a key to success. Long-term monitoring should include not only frequent GHb but also at least annual fasting lipids, thyroid functions and microalbuminuria as well as dilated retinal exams, blood pressure, growth charting and Tanner staging.