BACKGROUND Several studies have proven the benefit of a greater extent of resection on progression-free survival and overall survival in glioblastoma (GBM). Possible reasons for incomplete tumor resection might be wrong interpretation of fading fluorescence or overseen fluorescent tumor tissue by a lacking line of sight between tumor tissue and the microscope. OBJECTIVE To evaluate if an endoscope being capable of inducing fluorescence might overcome some limitations of microscopic fluorescence-guided (FG) resection. METHODS 5-Aminolevulinic acid (20 mg/kg) was given 4 h before surgery. Microsurgical resection of all fluorescent tissue was performed. Then, the resection cavity was scanned with the endoscope. Fluorescent tissue, not being visualized by the microscope, was additionally removed and histopathologically examined separately. Neuronavigation was used for defining the sites of additional tumor resection. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging within 48 h after surgery. RESULTS Twenty patients with GBM were operated using microscopic and endoscopic FG resection. In all patients, additional fluorescent tissue was detected with the endoscope. This tissue was completely resected in 19 patients (95%). Eloquent localization precluded complete resection in the remaining patient. In 19 patients (95%), histopathological examination confirmed tumor in the additionally resected tissue. In 19 patients (95%), complete resection was confirmed. In all patients, endoscopic FG resection reached beyond the borders of contrast-enhancing tumor. CONCLUSION Endoscopic FG resection of GBM allows increasing the complete resection rate substantially and therefore is a useful adjunct to microscopic FG resection.

In this retrospective study we could not reproduce the findings from large RCTs on intracranial stenting. Our data could be considered as a basis for a prospective study on patient selection for PTAS in the basilar artery.

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability in Europe. The European Stroke Action Plan (ESAP) defines four main targets for the years 2018 to 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the use of innovative technologies and created pressure to improve internet networks. Moreover, 5G internet network will be helpful for the transfer and collecting of extremely big databases. Nowadays, the speed of internet connection is a limiting factor for robotic systems, which can be controlled and commanded potentially from various places in the world. Innovative technologies can be implemented for acute stroke patient management soon. Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are used increasingly often without the exception of medicine. Their implementation can be achieved in every level of stroke care. In this article, all steps of stroke health care processes are discussed in terms of how to improve them (including prehospital diagnosis, consultation, transfer of the patient, diagnosis, techniques of the treatment as well as rehabilitation and usage of AI). New ethical problems have also been discovered. Everything must be aligned to the concept of “time is brain”.

Background and purpose The purpose of this article is to report on the long-term success rates of Silk flow-diverter (FD) treatment in a multicenter prospective study for the treatment of complex aneurysms. Methods Between May 2008 and January 2011, all consecutive patients featuring complex intracranial aneurysms eligible for FD treatment with the Silk in three neurovascular centers were included. Clinical and imaging data were assessed during hospitalization and follow-up. Results Five patients were initially asymptomatic, 20 patients showed various neurological symptoms. Twenty-eight FDs were implanted in 25 patients treating 28 aneurysms. The immediate procedure-related morbidity was 8% (two of 25), mortality 0%. One procedure-related death was observed during follow-up (in-stent thrombosis). Compared to the immediate result nearly two of three aneurysms improved during follow-up; all angiographically confirmed inflow changes took place within six months after treatment. Final anatomic outcome in 24 aneurysms of 22 patients comprised 14 (59%) with complete occlusion, seven (29%) with a neck remnant, two (8%) with residual filling <50%, none with residual filling >50% and one (4%) unchanged in comparison to its pretreatment status. Postinterventional recanalizations were seen in three of 13 (23%) aneurysms treated with FD alone; none were observed in 15 aneurysms treated with adjunctive coiling. Conclusion Anatomic presentation and location are key for successful FD treatment. The rate of successful occlusion increases during follow-up. Postinterventional monitoring for at least six months is paramount, as anatomic outcome is not reliably predictable and recanalizations may occur in initially completely occluded aneurysms.

Purpose Image-based blood flow simulations are increasingly used to investigate the hemodynamics in intracranial aneurysms (IAs). However, a strong variability in segmentation approaches as well as the absence of individualized boundary conditions (BCs) influence the quality of these simulation results leading to imprecision and decreased reliability. This study aims to analyze these influences on relevant hemodynamic parameters within IAs. Methods As a follow-up study of an international multiple aneurysms challenge, the segmentation results of five IAs differing in size and location were investigated. Specifically, five possible outlet BCs were considered in each of the IAs. These are comprised of the zero-pressure condition (BC1), a flow distribution based on Murray’s law with the exponents n = 2 (BC2) and n = 3 (BC3) as well as two advanced flow-splitting models considering the real vessels by including circular cross sections (BC4) or anatomical cross sections (BC5), respectively. In total, 120 time-dependent blood flow simulations were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, focusing on five representative intra-aneurysmal flow and five shear parameters such as vorticity and wall shear stress. Results The outlet BC variation revealed substantial differences. Higher shear stresses (up to Δ9.69 Pa), intrasaccular velocities (up to Δ0.15 m/s) and vorticities (up to Δ629.22 1/s) were detected when advanced flow-splitting was applied compared to the widely used zero-pressure BC. The tendency of outlets BCs to over- or underestimate hemodynamic parameters is consistent across different segmentations of a single aneurysm model. Segmentation-induced variability reaches Δ19.58 Pa, Δ0.42 m/s and Δ957.27 1/s, respectively. Excluding low fidelity segmentations, however, (a) reduces the deviation drastically (>43%) and (b) leads to a lower impact of the outlet BC on hemodynamic predictions. Conclusion With a more realistic lumen segmentation, the influence of the BC on the resulting hemodynamics is decreased. A realistic lumen segmentation can be ensured, e.g., by using high-resolved 2D images. Furthermore, the selection of an advanced outflow-splitting model is advised and the use of a zero-pressure BC and BC based on Murray’s law with exponent n = 3 should be avoided.