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Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in combination with immunotherapy (IT) is increasingly used in the setting of melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) brain metastases (BM). The synergistic properties of this treatment combination are still not deeply understood. IT-SRS appropriate combination has been envisioned as a strategic point in patients' management. Authors performed a systematic review on current evidences up to December 2020. The impact of SRS-IT and different IT schedules on survival, local/distant intracranial control and toxicity, as well as predictive factors for relevant oncological and radiological outcomes has been analyzed. Authors retrieved 23 pertinent studies. Combining SRS with IT resulted in a significant improvement in OS and lesion response with no increase in radionecrosis, hemorrhage or other complications. The present review suggests that combining IT to SRS is safe and effective in providing a significant improvement in relevant clinical and radiological outcomes in melanoma and NSCLC BMs patients.

Cranial meningoencephalocele is a rare condition consisting of the herniation of meninges, CSF, and brain tissue through a cranial or skull base defect. Sphenoid sinus lateral recess meningoencephalocele is of particular interest due to the complex anatomy surrounding the bone defect and their demanding surgical management. In this technical note, we reported a step-by-step description of a rare case of sphenoid sinus lateral recess meningoencephalocele causing headache due to recurrent cerebrospinal fluid leak treated with a subtemporal craniotomy with extradural middle cranial fossa drilling and meningoencephalocele removal with multilayer reconstruction. The transcranial route is a safe and effective treatment for sphenoid sinus lateral recess meningoencephalocele repair. The subtemporal extradural approach allows for an optimal exposure of the relevant anatomy minimizing risks and improving the possibility to perform an effective multilayer skull base reconstruction.

Background Delirium after cardiac surgery is associated with adverse outcomes, including prolonged hospital stay, prolonged intensive care unit stay, and increased mortality. Effective preventive interventions and treatments still are largely unknown. Aim This systematic review aimed to gather and summarize the existing evidence from randomized trials concerning interventions studied in the prevention or treatment of delirium in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods A systematic review of the literature using a key word strategy and Boolean operators was performed. PubMed and the Cochrane and Scopus databases were searched for pertinent studies until July 2018 (no inception limit). Results Of 2,556 articles identified, 56 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review—39 addressed pharmacologic strategies and 17 nonpharmacologic interventions. Interestingly, 51 (91%) trials focused on delirium prevention and only 5 (9%) on delirium treatment. Most of the analyzed studies were recent double-blind, single-center trials conducted in Europe or North America, with a low risk of bias. Overall, 38 different interventions were identified: 15 (26%) interventions were performed before surgery, 20 (36%) in the operating room, and 21 (38%) after surgery. The most frequently analyzed strategies were the administration of dexmedetomidine, ketamine, antipsychotics, glucocorticoids, propofol, opioids, volatile anesthetics, local anesthetics, and remote ischemic preconditioning. The analyzed strategies were extremely heterogenous, and dexmedetomidine was the most promising measure able to prevent the development of postoperative delirium. Conclusions In the present systematic review of 56 randomized controlled trials that examined 38 interventions, the authors found that dexmedetomidine was the most frequently studied agent and that it might reduce the occurrence of delirium after cardiac surgery.

The current standard of care for surgically inaccessible low-grade brainstem gliomas (BS-LLGs) is external-beam radiotherapy (RT). Developments toward more innovative conformal techniques have focused on decreasing morbidity, by limiting radiation to surrounding tissues. Among these Gamma Knife radiosurgery (SRS-GK) has recently gained an increasingly important role in the treatment of these tumors. Although SRS-GK has not yet been compared with conventional RT in patients harboring focal BS-LGGs, clinical practice has been deeply influenced by trials performed on other tumors. This is the first meta-analysis on the topic, systematically reviewing the most relevant available evidence, comparing RT and SRS-GK as primary treatments of BS-LGGs, focusing on survival, clinical outcome, oncological control, and complications. Predictive factors have been systematically evaluated and analyzed according to statistical significance and clinical relevance.