In situ photocoagulation of spinal dural arteriovenous malformations using the Nd:YAG laser

Combined Intralesional Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet Laser and Intratumoral Ligation as Curative Treatment for Craniofacial Arteriovenous Malformations

Craniofacial arteriovenous malformation (AVM), although very rare, has been a very difficult problem to treat especially when it is large and involves important structures. Surgical resection often results in unacceptable complications but still not curative. At our institution, treatment by combined intralesional neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser and intratumoral ligation has been successful in venous malformation. This minimally invasive technique was then applied to more challenging AVM on the head and neck. Disease control was studied using clinical parameters and magnetic resonance imaging.Four patients with moderate-to-severe (Schobinger 2-4) craniofacial AVM were treated by this technique from 2001 to 2011. Patient age ranged from 2 to 51 years (mean: 25 years). After 2 to 4 treatments and follow-up period of 1456 days, 3 (75%) were cured. One of them was infant with huge mass and secondary pulmonary hypertension. Clinical cure was achieved after 3 treatments without residual cardiovascular compromise. The other patient (25%) had cheek mass with intraorbital involvement. The authors did not treat periorbital lesion so as to avoid triggering intraorbital spreading. The rest of the cheek lesion was clinically and radiologically cured.Laser energy setting, ablative technique, and skin cooling are the main factors determining the success. Individualized laser settings and properly set endpoints can increase treatment effectiveness in shorter period. In conclusion, this minimally invasive technique was successful in curing AVM without complication. With more clinical study and development of soft tissue monitoring tools, it is possible that intralesional laser could become the treatment of choice for all cutaneous AVM.

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas: a plea for neurosurgical treatment

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas are the most common type of arteriovenous malformation involving the spinal cord, especially in middle-aged men. We report 21 patients with this malformation who had signs and symptoms of myelopathy. The diagnosis was established by selective spinal angiography in patients whose neurological deficits, myelograms or magnetic resonance tomographies suggested the presence of a spinal arteriovenous fistula. They were treated by microsurgical coagulation of the fistula nidus located in the dura and intradural division of the draining vein. Twenty patients improved neurologically following surgery, one remained unchanged. Complete obliteration of all lesions was verified by intra-operative microvascular Doppler sonography and in 3 cases by postoperative angiography. There were only a few minor and transient complications after surgery: one neurological deterioration where venous thrombosis was suspected, one cerebrospinal fluid accumulation and, in one case a transient wound healing impairment. Two patients had to be operated on again. In one case with difficult localization of a fistula at the L5/S1 level, the fistula was still visible in the postoperative angiogram. In another patient, a spinal epidural haematoma occurred a few hours after surgery. We conclude that microsurgical treatment of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas is a safe, fast, simple and effective method of treating these lesions. However, recovery after surgical management was often incomplete because the diagnosis was established too late and the patient already presented with severe and long-lasting deficit. Thus, the main problem remains a diagnostic and not a surgical one.

Lasers in neurosurgery

Lasers have been used in neurosurgery for the past 25 years, undergoing modifications to suit the specific needs of this medical discipline. The present report reviews the current use of lasers in neurosurgical practice and examines the pros and cons of lasers in specific neurosurgical applications. In spite of their advantages, laser use is still not widespread in neurosurgery. One reason is the continued lack of complete control over real-time laser interactions with neural tissue. A greater acceptance and use of lasers by neurosurgeons will depend upon automated control over defined specific parameters for laser applications based upon the type of tissue, the desired effect on tissue, and application to the clinical situation without loss of precision and a lot of expense. This will require the integration of newer lasers, computers, robotics, stereotaxy, and concepts of minimally invasive surgery into the routine management of neurosurgical problems.