Stroke is a disease that causes the most disability-adjusted life-years lost worldwide, with over 5 million brain hemorrhages occurring annually. Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients comprise approximately 24% of all stroke cases. ICH has the highest morbidity and mortality rates of all types of cerebrovascular diseases, with a 30-day mortality rate of 35%–52%. Following the initial irreversible tissue injury, secondary brain injury triggered by an intracerebral hematoma is closely related to severe neurological impairment. Therefore, clot reduction plays a key role in reducing the severity of neurological deficits following ICH. Despite important progress in understanding the pathophysiologic key to treating ICH, providing effective treatment for ICH patients in clinical practice remains a challenge. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS), a new operative procedure for ICH, has recently made considerable progress in ICH treatment. Using MIS to treat ICH could minimize surgical trauma, reduce operating time, increase the likelihood of using local anesthesia, and improve prognosis.
There are several clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of MIS in the treatment of acute ICH, but the comprehensive evaluation of clinical outcomes in MIS-treated ICH patients is still needed by future randomized trials. Early intracranial postoperative re-bleeding or hematoma formation, for example, is a major challenge during ICH surgical operation and can potentially cause fatal neurologic complications. Although it has been shown that MIS could greatly reduce the occurrence of such complications, the optimal time window for using MIS in treating ICH remains to be elucidated. Also, after MIS, the pathological changes of the brain tissue around the hematoma are still unclear. Further studies are needed to optimize MIS, in order to reduce the mortality of ICH and improve the long-term clinical outcome.
This Research Topic will focus on the precision of MIS for ICH treatment. We welcome all Original Research articles and Reviews that focus on studying pathological mechanisms of brain injury around the hematoma after MIS and the potential clinical applications of MIS in treating ICH. Case Reports that bring up novel concepts are also welcomed. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Investigating pathological changes of brain tissue around the hematoma after MIS.
- Studying the clinical efficacy and application of MIS in treating ICH and the mechanisms by which it works.
- Exploring the innovative strategies to improve MIS technology and equipment.
- Developing and evaluating novel biomarkers and imaging methods to improve MIS processes in treating ICH.
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT) of MIS for ICH.
Stroke is a disease that causes the most disability-adjusted life-years lost worldwide, with over 5 million brain hemorrhages occurring annually. Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients comprise approximately 24% of all stroke cases. ICH has the highest morbidity and mortality rates of all types of cerebrovascular diseases, with a 30-day mortality rate of 35%–52%. Following the initial irreversible tissue injury, secondary brain injury triggered by an intracerebral hematoma is closely related to severe neurological impairment. Therefore, clot reduction plays a key role in reducing the severity of neurological deficits following ICH. Despite important progress in understanding the pathophysiologic key to treating ICH, providing effective treatment for ICH patients in clinical practice remains a challenge. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS), a new operative procedure for ICH, has recently made considerable progress in ICH treatment. Using MIS to treat ICH could minimize surgical trauma, reduce operating time, increase the likelihood of using local anesthesia, and improve prognosis.
There are several clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of MIS in the treatment of acute ICH, but the comprehensive evaluation of clinical outcomes in MIS-treated ICH patients is still needed by future randomized trials. Early intracranial postoperative re-bleeding or hematoma formation, for example, is a major challenge during ICH surgical operation and can potentially cause fatal neurologic complications. Although it has been shown that MIS could greatly reduce the occurrence of such complications, the optimal time window for using MIS in treating ICH remains to be elucidated. Also, after MIS, the pathological changes of the brain tissue around the hematoma are still unclear. Further studies are needed to optimize MIS, in order to reduce the mortality of ICH and improve the long-term clinical outcome.
This Research Topic will focus on the precision of MIS for ICH treatment. We welcome all Original Research articles and Reviews that focus on studying pathological mechanisms of brain injury around the hematoma after MIS and the potential clinical applications of MIS in treating ICH. Case Reports that bring up novel concepts are also welcomed. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Investigating pathological changes of brain tissue around the hematoma after MIS.
- Studying the clinical efficacy and application of MIS in treating ICH and the mechanisms by which it works.
- Exploring the innovative strategies to improve MIS technology and equipment.
- Developing and evaluating novel biomarkers and imaging methods to improve MIS processes in treating ICH.
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT) of MIS for ICH.