Rory K J Murphy

Barrow Neurological Institute

Prospective multi-center trial. To characterize the complication profile associated with modest systemic hypothermia after acute cervical SCI in a prospective multi-center study. Five trauma centers in the United States. We analyzed data from a prospective, multi-center trial on the use of modest systemic hypothermia for acute cervical SCI. Patient...

Background: Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP) is frequently used in spinal arthrodesis to stimulate bone fusion. However, there is a potential concern for rhBMP in the promotion of tumor growth due to the presence of BMP receptors on a variety of cancer cells. Objectives: The study was conducted to determine if there is an incre...

Despite 253,000 spinal cord injury (SCI) patients in America, little is known about how SCI affects brain networks. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides only structural information with no insight into functional connectivity. Resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) quantifies network connectivity through the identification of resting-st...

Promising treatments are being developed to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Magnetic resonance imaging, specifically Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) has been shown to non-invasively measure both axonal and myelin integrity following traumatic brain and SCI. A novel data-driven model-selection algorithm known as Diffusion...

Background: A number of clinical tools exist for measuring the severity of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). Several studies have recently described the use of non-invasive imaging biomarkers to assess severity of disease. These imaging markers may provide an additional tool to measure disease progression and represent a surrogate marker of r...

Many procedures in modern clinical medicine rely on the use of electronic implants in treating conditions that range from acute coronary events to traumatic injury. However, standard permanent electronic hardware acts as a nidus for infection: bacteria form biofilms along percutaneous wires, or seed haematogenously, with the potential to migrate wi...

Study design: A prospective cohort study. Objective: In this study, we employed diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) to quantitatively assess axon/myelin injury, cellular inflammation, and axonal loss of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) spinal cords. Summary of background data: A major shortcoming in the management of CSM is the lack o...

Background: Optimal use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) vs external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for treatment of residual/recurrent atypical meningioma is unclear. Objective: To analyze features associated with progression after radiation therapy. Methods: Fifty radiation-naive patients who received SRS or EBRT for residual and/or recurre...

Nonhemorrhagic neurological deficits are underrecognized symptoms of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) having cortical venous drainage. These symptoms are the consequence of cortical venous hypertension and portend a clinical course with increased risk of neurological morbidity and mortality. One rarely documented and easily misinte...

The objective of this study is to validate the safety of hyperacute stabilization. Patient demographics, ASIA grade on initial evaluation and serial follow up grades, Hospital length of stay, ICU stay, intra--op blood loss, post operative stay, co morbidities, Injury Severity Score (ISS) and complications of recumbency were recorded. Corroborating...

OBJECT External ventricular drains (EVDs) are commonly used for CSF diversion but pose a risk of ventriculitis, with rates varying in frequency from 2% to 45%. Results of studies examining the utility of prolonged systemic antibiotic therapy for the prevention of EVD-related infection have been contradictory, and no study to date has examined wheth...

BACKGROUND: The efficacies of adjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for atypical meningiomas (AMs) after subtotal resection (STR) remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical, histopathological, and radiographic features associated with progression in AM patients after STR. METHODS: Fifty-nine pri...

Currently, there is no noninvasive method to determine spinal cord integrity after a spinal cord injury (SCI) and, thus, a patient's potential for recovery. This is despite 253 000 people in the United States living with a SCI. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurement of spinal cord injury is significantly confounded by inflammation and tissue lo...

Background: The efficacies of adjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for atypical meningiomas (AMs) after subtotal resection (STR) remain unclear. Objective: To analyze the clinical, histopathological, and radiographic features associated with progression in AM patients after STR. Methods: Fifty-nin...

Diagnosing idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), or pseudotumor cerebri, can be challenging in children. Diagnosis is based on lumbar puncture, opening pressures, and appearance of the optic disk. Misdiagnosis of papilledema, a typical finding, may lead to unnecessary treatments and procedures. We report 52 children over a 6-year period to be...

Introduction: In patients with programmable CSF shunt valves, the risk of unintentional valve adjustment associated with the environmental magnetic influence is ever present. We tested whether the iPad 3 with Smart Cover is capable of changing the setting of individual programmable valves ex vivo using direct fluoroscopic visualization. Methods:...

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) is a primary treatment modality for small, surgically-challenging meningiomas of the skull base in carefully selected patients. Despite the overall low incidence of complications from this procedure, rare instances of hemorrhagic events following GKS have been reported. In fact, only a single, probable case of acute h...

Cavernous sinus (CS) hemangiomas are rare vascular abnormalities that constitute 0.4%-2% of all lesions within the CS. Cavernous sinus hemangiomas are high-flow vascular tumors that tend to hemorrhage profusely during resection, leading to incomplete resection and high morbidity and mortality. While Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) has proven to be an eff...

Complete loss of median nerve motor function is a rare but devastating injury. Loss of median motor hand function and upper-extremity pronation can significantly impact a patient's ability to perform many activities of daily living independently. The authors report the long-term follow-up in a case of median nerve motor fiber transection that occur...

Objective: To assess optimal angulation characteristics of lateral mass screws for subaxial (C3 to C6) fixation of the cervical spine in the neutral position. Background: In the typical Magerl or Anderson placement technique, the screw trajectory is ideally parallel to the facet joint. For the rod and screw to align properly, the screw head must...

The medial pectoral nerve (MPN) represents a viable donor nerve for neurotization procedures for restoration of shoulder function following upper trunk brachial plexus injuries. We report an eight-case series, single-surgeon experience of patients with upper trunk brachial plexus injuries who underwent MPN to axillary nerve (AXN) transfer from 2001...

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) refers to impaired function of the spinal cord caused by degenerative changes of the cervical spine resulting in spinal cord compression. It is the most common disorder in the United States causing dysfunction of the spinal cord. A literature review of the natural history of mild cervical myelopathy is undertak...

Checklists have been shown to improve patient outcomes. Checklist use is seen in the pre-operative to post-operative phases of the patient pathway. An adhesive checklist was developed for ward rounds due to the positive impact it could have on improving patient safety. Over an eight day period data were collected from five consultant-led teams that...

To describe the novel use of the AutoLITT System (Monteris Medical, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) for focused laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) with intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and stereotactic image guidance for the treatment of metastatic adenocarcinoma in the left insula. The patient was a 61-year-old right-handed man w...

Currently, 175,000 people are on outpatient waiting lists in Irish hospitals. Many clinic slots are taken by patients returning for routine review postoperatively. A Nokia mobile phone was used to send an outpatient text (OPT) to patients 2 weeks postdischarge. Patients replying that they were well were discharged. If no reply after 2 attempts was...

It is an integral component of doctor's duty of care to understand the significant impact laboratory testing has on the expense an ultimate quality of healthcare patients receive, yet the costs of these tests are poorly perceived. Utilising semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, we assessed surgeon's perceived costs of two commonly encounte...

We present a follow-up case report of possible transmission of lymphoma 12 years after deceased-donor renal transplantation from a male donor who was found at autopsy to have had an occult lymphoma. The female recipient underwent prompt transplant nephrectomy. However, 12 years later, she presented with cerebral B cell lymphoma. A donor origin for...

Introduction: Motorcycles represent less than 2% of the licensed vehicles but motorcyclists account for 12% of road deaths in Ireland. 3 According to OECD figures a motorcyclist is two to three times more likely to be killed in Ireland than on the continent. 4 The most successful proven injury prevention method to reduce the severity of head injury...

Motorcycles represent less than 2% of the licensed vehicles but motorcyclists account for 12% of road deaths in Ireland. The British Road Safety Authority has introduced the Sharp programme, which hopes to save 50 lives in the U.K. each year alone by helping riders to choose the best-fitting and safest helmets. We evaluated the pattern of head inju...