Neurosurgical Admission Later Than 4 h After the Emergency Call Does Not Result in Worse Long-Term Outcome in Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

Background: Few studies have investigated the importance of the time interval between contact to the emergency medical service and neurosurgical admission in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. We hypothesised that longer time to treatment would be associated with an increased risk of death or early retirement.Methods: This was a retrospective observational study with 4 years follow-up. Those who reached a neurosurgical department in fewer than 4 h were compared with those who reached it in more than 4 h. Individual level data were merged from the Danish National Patient Register, medical records, the Copenhagen Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre, the Civil Registration System, and the Ministry of Employment and Statistics Denmark. Patients were ≥18 years and had a verified diagnosis of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. The primary outcome was death or early retirement after 4 years.Results: Two hundred sixty-two patients admitted within a three-and-a-half-year time period were identified. Data were available in 124 patients, and 61 of them were in their working age. Four-year all-cause mortality was 25.8%. No significant association was found between time to neurosurgical admission and risk of death or early retirement (OR = 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.10–1.23, p = 0.10).Conclusion: We did not find an association between the time from emergency telephone call to neurosurgical admission and the risk of death or early retirement.

SIMULTANEOUS PERFORMANCE OF ENDOSCOPIC VENTRICULOCISTERNOSTOMY OF THE THIRD VENTRICLE FLOOR, AQUEDUCTOPLASTY, FENESTRATION OF THE SUPRACEREBELLAR CYST IN OCCLUSIVE HYDROCEPHALUS IN A CHILD IN THE FIRST MONTH OF LIFE

The article presents a clinical case of the simultaneous execution of endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy of the third ventricle floor (ETV), aqueductoplasty, fenestration of the supracerebellar cyst in occlusive hydrocephalus using a semi-rigid needle neuroendoscope. The authors describe a child who, at the age of 1 month, was admitted to Neurosurgical Department No. 1 of the Federal Center for Neurosurgery of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in Tyumen with a diagnosis of congenital internal occlusive hydrocephalus, subcompensated course. MRI scan of the brain: triventricular occlusive asymmetric hydrocephalus is visualized, adhesions in the upper parts of the aqueduct, supracerebellar arachnoid cyst were visualised. ETV, aqueductoplasty, fenestration of the supracerebellar cyst were performed. There were no postoperative neurological, endocrine and infectious complications. The observation period after surgery is 7 years from today. Conclusion: preoperative MRI analysis of the structures of the third ventricular floor, interventricular and prepontine cisterns is important for understanding endoscopic, microsurgical anatomy and surgical planning. The use of modern improved endoscopic instruments, low-traumatic performance of all stages of the operation allow to restore cerebrospinal fluid circulation and achieve high efficiency in the treatment of occlusive hydrocephalus in the long-term period. This, in turn, relieves patients of the shunt-dependent state, constant correction of the dysfunctions of the shunt system and long-term, and often ineffective, treatment performed by neurologists and pediatricians.

Pituitary surgery as alternative to dopamine agonists treatment for microprolactinomas, a cohort study

Objective: Microprolactinomas are currently treated with dopamine agonists. Outcome information on microprolactinoma patients treated by surgery is limited. This study reports the first large series of consecutive non-invasive microprolactinoma patients treated by pituitary surgery and evaluates the efficiency and safety of this treatment. Design: Follow-up of a cohort of consecutive patients treated by surgery. Methods: Between January 2008 and October 2020, 114 adult patients with pure microprolactinomas were operated on in a single tertiary expert neurosurgical department, using an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach. Eligible patients were presenting a microprolactinoma with no obvious cavernous invasion on MRI. Prolactin was assayed before and after surgery. Disease-free survival was modeled using Kaplan-Meier representation. A cox regression model was used to predict remission. Results: Median follow-up was 18.2 months (range: 2.8 to 155). In this cohort, 14/114 (12%) patients were not cured by surgery, including 10 early surgical failures, and 4 late relapses occurring 37.4 months (33 to 41.8) after surgery. From Kaplan Meier estimates, 1-year and 5-year disease free survival were 90.9% (95% CI, 85.6%-96.4%) and 81% (95% CI,71.2%-92.1%) respectively. The preoperative prolactinemia was the only significant preoperative predictive factor for remission (P<0.05). No severe complication was reported, with no anterior pituitary deficiency after surgery, one diabetes insipidus, and one postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage properly treated by muscle plasty. Conclusions: In well selected microprolactinoma patients, pituitary surgery performed by an expert neurosurgical team is a valid first-line alternative treatment to dopamine agonists.

Deterioration After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Single-Center Experience With Cost Analysis

Background: Most traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are mild (GCS score of 13–15). Patients with mild TBI (mTBI) are generally in good condition. In some cases, a neurological deterioration (manifested by a drop of ≥1 point in GCS score) can occur and neurosurgical intervention (NI) may be needed. Because of that, these patients are frequently admitted to a hospital for observation. The aim of our study was to determine the number of patients with mTBI that deteriorate or need NI. We also considered an economic aspect of hospital admissions of these patients.Methods: The study group consisted of 186 adult patients admitted to the neurosurgical department due to mTBI. Patients were divided into three groups according to an initial GCS score. The occurrence of deterioration, need for NI, length of stay (LOS), cost of stay and occurrence of death were analyzed.Results: The deterioration was observed in 7 (3.76%) out of all cases. In 3 (1.61%) of them, the NI was needed. The average LOS was 7.96 days and it was closely linked with an initial GCS score (p &lt; 0.001). The total cost of stay of all patients included in this study was about 1,188,668 PLN (306,357 USD).Conclusion: The deterioration occurred in a small number of patients with mTBI, the need for NI was even less common. Hospitalization of these patients is expensive. Further studies with prognostic model helping decide on admission/discharge are necessary.

Toward a transitional care from childhood and adolescence to adulthood in surgical neurooncology? A lesson from the Necker-Enfants Malades and the Sainte-Anne Hospitals collaboration

OBJECTIVE Transitional care in surgical neurooncology is poorly studied. However, this period is pivotal, since it allows the patient to be empowered in his or her disease management. Here, the authors describe the experience of the Necker-Enfants Malades and the Sainte-Anne Hospital collaboration. METHODS The mixed transitional consultations started in September 2019 in a dedicated space for transitional care, named the “La Suite” department, located in the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Paris, France. The authors organized planned consultations to schedule the clinical and radiological follow-up in the adult neurosurgical department but also emergency consultations to manage tumor recurrence in young adult patients. Transitional care was performed jointly by pediatric and adult neurosurgeons who have developed clinical and research skills in the field of surgical neurooncology. Neuropathological analysis was performed by a neuropathologist who is specialized in pediatric and adult neurooncology. RESULTS Fourteen patients benefited from a mixed transitional consultation. All of them accepted to start their management in an adult neurosurgical environment. Eleven patients (78.6%) for whom the disease was controlled benefited from a planned consultation. Three patients (21.4%) required rapid neurosurgical management for a tumor recurrence (n = 2) or for a new primary CNS tumor (n = 1) and benefited from an emergency consultation. CONCLUSIONS For adult patients harboring a brain tumor during childhood or adolescence, the authors suggest that neurosurgeons specialized in adult surgical neurooncology with a full knowledge in pediatric neurooncology will combine the required skills to optimize care management for these patients within a dedicated multidisciplinary organization framework.

Experience in treating patients with a combination of the descending aorta saccular aneurysm and spondylodiscitis

The article presents a clinical case of treatment of a patient with spondylodiscitis of two levels – thoracic and lumbar spine spondylodiscitis combined with the thoracic aorta aneurysm. A 68-year-old patient was hospitalized in the Neurosurgical Department of the M.V. Sklifosovsky Poltava Regional Clinical Hospital in August 2019 with complaints of pain and discomfort in the thoracic and lumbar spine, shoulder joints, severe weakness in the lower extremities. The multislice computed tomography with intravenous contrast revealed a sac-like aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta at the level of vertebrae Th4-Th5 with invasion into the vertebral bodies, spondylodiscitis of vertebrae Th4-Th5 and Th11-Th12 with deformation of the spinal axis, the formation of absolute stenosis of the spinal canal at the level of vertebrae Th11-Th12. At the first stage of the surgery, the thoracic aortic arthroplasty was performed using TAA Stent Graft System (Ankura, China) 34 × 34 × 160 mm at the M.M. Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery and the exclusion of the descending aorta aneurysm from the bloodstream was maintained. At the second stage, transpedicular stabilization of the spine at the level of vertebrae Th10-Th11-L2-L3 was performed at the M.V. Sklifosovsky Poltava Regional Clinical Hospital using Legacy system (Medtronic, USA) and spinal cord compression was eliminated. The treatment of spondylodiscitis at the level of the vertebrae Th4-Th5 was conservative with the use of osteotropic antibacterial drugs. The patient was mobilized in the early post-surgical period after stabilization of the spine. Regression of pain syndrome and lower paraparesis was noted. Further observation was performed on an outpatient basis. According to the modified Rankin Scale, which allows assessing the degree of independence of the patient in everyday life, the patient was evaluated with 3 points at discharge. A follow-up examination at 3, 12, and 24 months showed that the functioning of the stent-graft and transpedicular system were satisfactory. The result of 0 points according to the modified Rankin Scale.Patients with the thoracic spine spondylodiscitis require special attention and additional diagnostic procedures. The risk of additional combined pathology in the form of thoracic and abdominal aorta aneurysms should be considered when planning surgical treatment.

Geriatric Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery: Institutional Experience from Khoula Hospital

Background: The aging of the healthy population without severe morbidity exposes them to cerebrovascular diseases and demand effective management. This study aimed to study the prevalence of geriatric cerebrovascular neurosurgical conditions in the Neurosurgical Department at Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Methods: A retrospective chart review of was done on geriatric cases admitted to the Neurosurgery Department in Khoula Hospital as an example of a neurosurgical center in a high-income developing country from January 2016 to 31st December 2019. Patients’ demographics, risk factors, diagnosis, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on arrival, medications used, and length of stay were recorded. Results: 109 patients aged over 65 years were recruited in our retrospective review with a mean age of 74.12 years. Male-to-female ratio was (1.2:1). Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) was the most common vascular diagnosis (39.0%) followed by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (22.9%). Most patients (41.9%) had a GCS score of less than 8. About one-fifth of the patients received antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications. Most of the patients underwent surgical intervention (61.9%). 59% of the patients stayed in the hospital for less than 15 days. There were significant associations between the length of stay, treatment types (surgical vs. conservative), and age (P<0.05). Conclusion: Cerebrovascular pathologies are a growing cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide including developing countries because of the increasing number of elderly people. Antiplatelet medication and anticoagulants should be used with caution in the elderly.

Female Participation in Academic European Neurosurgery—A Cross-Sectional Analysis

The study aims to provide data on authors’ gender distribution with special attention on publications from Europe. Articles (10/2019–03/2020) published in three representative neurosurgical journals (Acta Neurochirurgica, Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery) were analyzed with regard to female participation. Out of 648 publications, 503 original articles were analyzed: 17.5% (n = 670) of the 3.821 authors were female, with 15.7% (n = 79) females as first and 9.5% (n = 48) as last authors. The lowest ratio of female first and last authors was seen in original articles published in the JNS (12.3%/7.7% vs. Neurosurgery 14.9%/10.6% and Acta 23.0/11.5%). Articles originated in Europe made up 29.8% (female author ratio 21.1% (n = 226)). Female first authorship was seen in 20.7% and last authorship in 10.7% (15.3% and 7.3% were affiliated to a neurosurgical department). The percentages of female authorship were lower if non-original articles (n = 145) were analyzed (11.7% first/4.8% last authorships). Female participation in editorial boards was 8.0%. Considering the percentages of European female neurosurgeons, the current data are proportional. However, the lack of female last authors, the discrepancy regarding non-original articles and the composition of the editorial boards indicate that there still is a structural underrepresentation and that females are limited in achieving powerful positions.

Geriatric Neuro-Oncology in the Middle East: A Sultanate of Oman Experience

Brain tumors are primary or metastatic malignancies of the central nervous system (CNS) with significant morbidity and mortality. The overall prevalence of cancer including brain cancer has increased by more than 10% according to the National Institute of cancer statistics. The average percent increase in primary brain tumor incidence for ages 75–79, 80–84, and 85 and older were 7%, 20.4%, and 23.4%, respectively. This manuscript describes a retrospective study of geriatric cases admitted to the Neurosurgical Department in Khoula Hospital (KH) and diagnosed with brain cancer from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019. Of the study cohort, 58.5% were more than 75 years of age. The male-to-female ratio was (1:1.1). Meningiomas are found to be the commonest tumor (52.8%) followed by glioblastoma (GBM) (18.9%). Most of the patients had a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score of 14–15 on admission (69.9%). Patients diagnosed with a non-meningioma tumor had lower GCS score on admission compared to meningioma patients with statistical significance (p = 0.04). Also, there was a significant difference between the length of stay (LOS) and the type of intervention (surgical vs. conservative), in which patients received a conservative type of management found to have a shorter length of stay (LOS) compared with the patients who underwent surgical intervention (p < 0.005). In Oman, the number of geriatric oncology cases remained stable over the 4 years. The incidence of geriatric neuro-oncology cases was higher in patients aged more than 75 years of age. Finally, the GCS score was affected by the type of tumor. The length of stay varies according to the treatment administered. Special care must be taken when dealing with geriatric neuro-oncological cases due to the high potential rate of mortality and morbidity among those group, and a more holistic approach is recommended as an essential need to evaluate the overall situation of those patients and manage them accordingly.

Brain Tumor Radiotherapy Role and Variation

Objectives: We report our experiences of brain tumors management by surgery and radiotherapyWhether It has been used as adjuvant, radical or palliative therapy belonging to benign or malignant tumors over 2 years period at ENT, neurosurgery and radiotherapy departments royal medical services. Methods: We used a retrospective study design to review all brain tumor patients(benign, malignant or metastatic) operated in neurosurgical department and referred to radiotherapy after discussing each case in multidisciplinary clinic in 2018 and 2019. Patient files, radiological images computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans), histo-pathological reports and radiotherapy management plan were reviewed for patients. Results: In total, 137 patients with brain tumor managed byradiotherapy 64 patients were metastatic, 37 patients high grad glioma, 12 patients atypical meningioma, 7 patients medulloblastoma, rest of cases discussed in the study . Conclusions: Radiotherapy has been fulfilling crucial part in the treatment of CNS tumors, where it has been implemented as adjuvant therapy or even being the solitary resort where surgery is inapplicable or used as palliative therapy in different regimens according to histopathology, performance status and different sites.