Evidence-Based Neurology
CATEGORY: Neurosurgical Issues

Prophylactic anti-epileptic medication prevented early but not late seizures after acute head injury
Date appraised: March 2005
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At 3 months post-surgery, bilateral STN or GPi stimulation improved motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease in the off medication state
Date appraised: April 2004
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In patients with temporal-lobe epilepsy, surgery was superior to prolonged medical therapy, at one-year follow-up.
Date appraised: March 2002
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For patients with Bell's palsy, weak evidence suggested benefit from steroids and/or acyclovir. There was no evidence that surgical nerve decompression is beneficial.
Date appraised: September 2001
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In patients with single brain metastases, resection plus radiation increased survival time and reduced tumour recurrence as compared with resection or radiation alone.
Date appraised: June 2000
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For acute spinal cord compression due to epidural metastasis extremely weak evidence suggests that decompressive surgery was statistically different from radiotherapy alone with respect to maintained or regained ambulatory status.
Date appraised: March 2000
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Weak evidence suggested that surgical decompression was effective for all levels of severity of ulnar nerve compression at the elbow (77-89% chance of improvement).
Date appraised: October 1999
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