Natural history and neuro-oncological approach in spinal gangliogliomas: a systematic review.

To describe the natural history of spinal gangliogliomas (GG) in order to determine the most appropriate neuro-oncological management. A Medline search for relevant publications up to July 2023 using the key phrase "ganglioglioma spinal" and "ganglioglioma posterior fossa" led to the retrieval of 178 studies. This corpus provided the basis for the present review. As an initial selection step, the following inclusion criteria were adopted: (i) series and case reports on spinal GG; (ii) clinical outcomes were reported specifically for GG; (iii) GG was the only pathological diagnosis for the evaluation of the tumor; (iv) papers written only in English was evaluated; and (v) papers describing each case in the series were included. The World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 grading criteria for gangliogliomas were applied. A total of 107 tumors were evaluated (63 from male patients and 44 from female patients; 1.43 male/1.0 female ratio, mean age 18.34 ± 15.84 years). The most common site was the cervical spine, accounting for 43 cases (40.18%); GTR was performed in 35 cases (32.71%) and STR in 71 cases (66.35%), while this information was not reported in 1 case (0.94%). 8 deaths were reported (7.47%) involving 2 males (25%) and 6 females (75%) aged 4-78 years (mean 34.27 ± 18.22) years. GGs located on the spine displayed the same gender ratio as these tumors in general. The most frequent symptom was pain and motor impairment, while the most prevalent location was the cervical spinal cord. GTR of the tumor posed a challenge for neurosurgeons, due to the difficulty of resecting the lesion without damaging the spinal eloquent area, explaining the lower rate of cure for this tumor type.

Severe traumatic brain injury and acute kidney injury patients: factors associated with in-hospital mortality and unfavorable outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the occurrence of AKI, and factors associated with in-hospital mortality and unfavorable outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and acute kidney injury (AKI) severity. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study which analyzed data with severe TBI between 2013 and 2017. We examined demographic and clinical information, and outcome by in-hospital mortality, and the Glasgow Outcome Scale six months after TBI. We associated factors to in-hospital mortality and unfavorable outcome in severe TBI and AKI with an association test. RESULTS: A total of 219 patients were selected, 39.3% had an AKI, and several factors associated with AKI occurrence after severe TBI. Stage 2 or 3 of AKI (OR 12.489; 95% CI = 4.45-37.94) were independent risk for both outcomes in multivariable models, severity injury by the New Trauma Injury Severity Score (OR 0.97; 95% CI = 0.96-0.99) for mortality, and the New Injury Severity Score (OR1.07; 95% CI = 1.04-1.10) and Trauma and Injury Severity Score (OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.965-0.997) for unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study confirmed that AKI severity and severity of injury was also related to increased mortality and unfavorable outcome after severe TBI.

Perfusion tomography in early follow-up of acute traumatic subdural hematoma: a case series.

Perfusion Computed Tomography (PCT) is an alternative tool to assess cerebral hemodynamics during trauma. As acute traumatic subdural hematomas (ASH) is a severe primary injury associated with poor outcomes, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cerebral hemodynamics in this context. Five adult patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ASH were included. All individuals were indicated for surgical evacuation. Before and after surgery, PCT was performed and cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV) and mean transit time (MTT) were evaluated. These parameters were associated with the outcome at 6 months post-trauma with the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE). Mean age of population was 46 years (SD: 8.1). Mean post-resuscitation Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was 10 (SD: 3.4). Mean preoperative midline brain shift was 10.1 mm (SD: 1.8). Preoperative CBF and MTT were 23.9 ml/100 g/min (SD: 6.1) and 7.3 s (1.3) respectively. After surgery, CBF increase to 30.7 ml/100 g/min (SD: 5.1), and MTT decrease to 5.8s (SD:1.0), however, both changes don't achieve statistically significance (p = 0.06). Additionally, CBV increase after surgery, from 2.34 (SD: 0.67) to 2.63 ml/100 g (SD: 1.10), (p = 0.31). Spearman correlation test of postoperative and preoperative CBF ratio with outcome at 6 months was 0.94 (p = 0.054). One patient died with the highest preoperative MTT (9.97 s) and CBV (4.51 ml/100 g). CBF seems to increase after surgery, especially when evaluated together with the MTT values. It is suggested that the improvement in postoperative brain hemodynamics correlates to favorable outcome.

Noninvasive intracranial pressure waveforms for estimation of intracranial hypertension and outcome prediction in acute brain-injured patients.

Analysis of intracranial pressure waveforms (ICPW) provides information on intracranial compliance. We aimed to assess the correlation between noninvasive ICPW (NICPW) and invasively measured intracranial pressure (ICP) and to assess the NICPW prognostic value in this population. In this cohort, acute brain-injured (ABI) patients were included within 5 days from admission in six Intensive Care Units. Mean ICP (mICP) values and the P2/P1 ratio derived from NICPW were analyzed and correlated with outcome, which was defined as: (a) early death (ED); survivors on spontaneous breathing (SB) or survivors on mechanical ventilation (MV) at 7 days from inclusion. Intracranial hypertension (IHT) was defined by ICP > 20 mmHg. A total of 72 patients were included (mean age 39, 68% TBI). mICP and P2/P1 values were significantly correlated (r = 0.49, p < 0.001). P2/P1 ratio was significantly higher in patients with IHT and had an area under the receiving operator curve (AUROC) to predict IHT of 0.88 (95% CI 0.78-0.98). mICP and P2/P1 ratio was also significantly higher for ED group (n = 10) than the other groups. The AUROC of P2/P1 to predict ED was 0.71 [95% CI 0.53-0.87], and the threshold P2/P1 > 1.2 showed a sensitivity of 60% [95% CI 31-83%] and a specificity of 69% [95% CI 57-79%]. Similar results were observed when decompressive craniectomy patients were excluded. In this study, P2/P1 derived from noninvasive ICPW assessment was well correlated with IHT. This information seems to be as associated with ABI patients outcomes as ICP.Trial registration: NCT03144219, Registered 01 May 2017 Retrospectively registered, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03144219 .

Early tracheostomy versus late tracheostomy in severe traumatic brain injury or stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We aim to ascertain whether the benefit of early tracheostomy can be found in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke and if the benefit will remain considering distinct pathologies. DATA SOURCES: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol, a search through Lilacs, PubMed, and Cochrane databases was conducted. REVIEW METHODS: Included studies were those written in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese, with a formulated question, which compared outcomes between early and late trach (minimum of two outcomes), such as intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), hospital LOS, mortality rates, or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Likewise, patients presented exclusively with head injury or stroke had minimum hospital stay follow-up, and as for severe TBI patients, they presented Glasgow Coma Scale ≤8 at admission. Evaluated outcomes were the risk ratio (RR) of VAP, risk difference (RD) of mortality, and mean difference (MD) of the duration of MV, ICU LOS, and hospital LOS. RESULTS: The early and late tracheostomy cohorts were composed of 6211 and 8140 patients, respectively. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the early tracheostomy cohort had a lower risk for VAP (RR: 0.73 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.66, 0.81] p < 0.00001), shorter duration of MV (MD: -4.40 days [95% CI, -8.28, -0.53] p = 0.03), and shorter ICU (MD: -6.93 days [95% CI, -8.75, -5.11] p < 0.00001) and hospital LOS (MD: -7.05 days [95% CI, -8.27, -5.84] p < 0.00001). The mortality rate did not demonstrate a statistical difference. CONCLUSION: Early tracheostomy could optimise patient outcomes by patients' risk for VAP and decreasing MV durationand ICU and hospital LOS.

DTI-derived parameters differ between moderate and severe traumatic brain injury and its association with psychiatric scores.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in the corpus callosum have been suggested to be a biomarker for prognostic outcomes in individuals with diffuse axonal injury (DAI). However, differences between the DTI parameters on moderate and severe trauma in DAI over time are still unclear. A secondary goal was to study the association between the changes in the DTI parameters, anxiety, and depressive scores in DAI over time. METHODS: Twenty subjects were recruited from a neurological outpatient clinic and evaluated at 2, 6, and 12 months after the brain injury and compared to matched age and sex healthy controls regarding the DTI parameters in the corpus callosum. State-Trace Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess psychiatric outcomes in the TBI group over time. RESULTS: Differences were observed in the fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity of the genu, body, and splenium of the corpus callosum between DAI and controls (p < 0.02). Differences in both parameters in the genu of the corpus callosum were also detected between patients with moderate and severe DAI (p < 0.05). There was an increase in the mean diffusivity values and the fractional anisotropy decrease in the DAI group over time (p < 0.02). There was no significant correlation between changes in the fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity across the study and psychiatric outcomes in DAI. CONCLUSION: DTI parameters, specifically the mean diffusivity in the corpus callosum, may provide reliable characterization and quantification of differences determined by the brain injury severity. No correlation was observed with DAI parameters and the psychiatric outcome scores.

Acute Intracranial Hypertension During Pregnancy: Special Considerations and Management Adjustments.

Pregnancy is associated with a number of pathophysiological changes (including modification of vascular resistance, increased vascular permeability, and coagulative disorders) that can lead to specific (eclampsia, preeclampsia) or not specific (intracranial hemorrhage) neurological complications. In addition to these disorders, pregnancy can affect numerous preexisting neurologic conditions, including epilepsy, brain tumors, and intracerebral bleeding from cerebral aneurysm or arteriovenous malformations. Intracranial complications related to pregnancy can expose patients to a high risk of intracranial hypertension (IHT). Unfortunately, at present, the therapeutic measures that are generally adopted for the control of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) in the general population have not been examined in pregnant patients, and their efficacy and safety for the mother and the fetus is still unknown. In addition, no specific guidelines for the application of the staircase approach, including escalating treatments with increasing intensity of level, for the management of IHT exist for this population. Although some of basic measures can be considered safe even in pregnant patients (management of stable hemodynamic and respiratory function, optimization of systemic physiology), some other interventions, such as hyperventilation, osmotic therapy, hypothermia, barbiturates, and decompressive craniectomy, can lead to specific concerns for the safety of both mother and fetus. The aim of this review is to summarize the neurological pathophysiological changes occurring during pregnancy and explore the effects of the possible therapeutic interventions applied to the general population for the management of IHT during pregnancy, taking into consideration ethical and clinical concerns as well as the decision for the timing of treatment and delivery.

Prognostic Models in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This review aimed to analyze the results of investigations that performed external validation or that compared prognostic models to identify the models and their variations that showed the best performance in predicting mortality, survival, and unfavorable outcome after severe traumatic brain injury. Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Google Scholar, TROVE, and Open Grey databases were searched. A total of 1616 studies were identified and screened, and 15 studies were subsequently included for analysis after applying the selection criteria. The Corticosteroid Randomization After Significant Head Injury (CRASH) and International Mission for Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials in Traumatic Brain Injury (IMPACT) models were the most externally validated among studies of severe traumatic brain injury. The results of the review showed that most publications encountered an area under the curve ≥ 0.70. The area under the curve meta-analysis showed similarity between the CRASH and IMPACT models and their variations for predicting mortality and unfavorable outcomes. Calibration results showed that the variations of CRASH and IMPACT models demonstrated adequate calibration in most studies for both outcomes, but without a clear indication of uncertainties in the evaluations of these models. Based on the results of this meta-analysis, the choice of prognostic models for clinical application may depend on the availability of predictors, characteristics of the population, and trauma care services.

Improvement in neurological outcome and brain hemodynamics after late cranioplasty.

BACKGROUND: Early cranioplasty has been encouraged after decompressive craniectomy (DC), aiming to reduce consequences of atmospheric pressure over the opened skull. However, this practice may not be often available in low-middle-income countries (LMICs). We evaluated clinical improvement, hemodynamic changes in each hemisphere, and the hemodynamic balance between hemispheres after late cranioplasty in a LMIC, as the institution's routine resources allowed. METHODS: Prospective cohort study included patients with bone defects after DC evaluated with perfusion tomography (PCT) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) and performed neurological examinations with prognostic scales (mRS, MMSE, and Barthel Index) before and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: A final sample of 26 patients was analyzed. Satisfactory improvement of neurological outcome was observed, as well as significant improvement in the mRS (p = 0.005), MMSE (p < 0.001), and Barthel Index (p = 0.002). Outpatient waiting time for cranioplasty was 15.23 (SD 17.66) months. PCT showed a significant decrease in the mean transit time (MTT) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) only on the operated side. Although most previous studies have shown an increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF), we noticed a slight and nonsignificant decrease, despite a significant increase in the middle cerebral artery flow velocity in both hemispheres on TCD. There was a moderate correlation between the MTT and contralateral muscle strength (r = - 0.4; p = 0.034), as well as between TCD and neurological outcomes ipsilateral (MMSE; r = 0.54, p = 0.03) and contralateral (MRS; p = 0.031, r = - 0.48) to the operated side. CONCLUSION: Even 1 year after DC, cranioplasty may improve cerebral perfusion and neurological outcomes and should be encouraged.

Decompressive craniotomy: an international survey of practice.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke have devastating consequences and are major global public health issues. For patients that require a cerebral decompression after suffering a TBI or stroke, a decompressive craniectomy (DC) is the most commonly performed operation. However, retrospective non-randomized studies suggest that a decompressive craniotomy (DCO; also known as hinge or floating craniotomy), where a bone flap is replaced but not rigidly fixed, has comparable outcomes to DC. The primary aim of this project was to understand the current extent of usage of DC and DCO for TBI and stroke worldwide. METHOD: A questionnaire was designed and disseminated globally via emailing lists and social media to practicing neurosurgeons between June and November 2019. RESULTS: We received 208 responses from 60 countries [40 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)]. DC is used more frequently than DCO, however, about one-quarter of respondents are using a DCO in more than 25% of their patients. The three top indications for a DCO were an acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) and a GCS of 9-12, ASDH with contusions and a GCS of 3-8, and ASDH with contusions and a GCS of 9-12. There were 8 DCO techniques used with the majority (60/125) loosely tying sutures to the bone flap. The majority (82%) stated that they were interested in collaborating on a randomized trial of DCO vs. DC. CONCLUSION: Our results show that DCO is a procedure carried out for TBI and stroke, especially in LMICs, and most commonly for an ASDH. The majority of the respondents were interested in collaborating on a is a future randomized trial.

Dynamic changes in white matter following traumatic brain injury and how diffuse axonal injury relates to cognitive domain.

Objective: The goal is to evaluate longitudinally with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) the integrity of cerebral white matter in patients with moderate and severe DAI and to correlate the DTI findings with cognitive deficits.Methods: Patients with DAI (n = 20) were scanned at three timepoints (2, 6 and 12 months) after trauma. A healthy control group (n = 20) was evaluated once with the same high-field MRI scanner. The corpus callosum (CC) and the bilateral superior longitudinal fascicles (SLFs) were assessed by deterministic tractography with ExploreDTI. A neuropschychological evaluation was also performed.Results: The CC and both SLFs demonstrated various microstructural abnormalities in between-groups comparisons. All DTI parameters demonstrated changes across time in the body of the CC, while FA (fractional anisotropy) increases were seen on both SLFs. In the splenium of the CC, progressive changes in the mean diffusivity (MD) and axial diffusivity (AD) were also observed. There was an improvement in attention and memory along time. Remarkably, DTI parameters demonstrated several correlations with the cognitive domains.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that microstructural changes in the white matter are dynamic and may be detectable by DTI throughout the first year after trauma. Likewise, patients also demonstrated improvement in some cognitive skills.

Incremental Prognostic Value of Coagulopathy in Addition to the Crash Score in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Multivariable prognostic scores play an important role for clinical decision-making, information giving to patients/relatives, benchmarking and guiding clinical trial design. Coagulopathy has been implicated on trauma and critical care outcomes, but few studies have evaluated its role on traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes. Our objective was to verify the incremental prognostic value of routine coagulopathy parameters in addition to the CRASH-CT score to predict 14-day mortality in TBI patients. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort of consecutive TBI patients admitted to a tertiary university hospital Trauma intensive care unit (ICU) from March/2012 to January/2015. The prognostic performance of the coagulation parameters platelet count, prothrombin time (international normalized ratio, INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) ratio was assessed through logistic regression adjusted for the original CRASH-CT score. A new model, CRASH-CT-Coag, was created and its calibration (Brier scores and Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) test), discrimination [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) and the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI)] and clinical utility (net reclassification index) were compared to the original CRASH-CT score. RESULTS: A total 517 patients were included (median age 39 years, 85.1% male, median admission glasgow coma scale 8, neurosurgery on 44.9%). The 14-day mortality observed and predicted by the original CRASH-CT was 22.8% and 26.2%, respectively. Platelet count < 100,000/mm3, INR > 1.2 and aPTT ratio > 1.2 were present on 11.3%, 65.0% and 27.2%, respectively, (at least one of these was altered on 70.6%). All three variables maintained statistical significance after adjustment for the CRASH-CT score. The CRASH-CT-Coag score outperformed the original score on calibration (brier scores 0.122 ± 0.216 vs 0.132 ± 0.202, mean difference 0.010, 95% CI 0.005-0.019, p = 0.036, respectively) and discrimination (AUC-ROC 0.854 ± 0.020 vs 0.813 ± 0.024, p = 0.014; IDI 5.0%, 95% CI 1.3-11.0%). Both scores showed the satisfactory H-L test results. The net reclassification index favored the new model. Considering the strata of low (< 10%), moderate (10-30%) and high (> 30%) risk of death, the CRASH-CT-Coag model yielded a global net correct reclassification of 22.9% (95% CI 3.8-43.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of early markers of coagulopathy-platelet count, INR and aPTT ratio-to the CRASH-CT score increased its accuracy. Additional studies are required to externally validate this finding and further investigate the coagulopathy role on TBI outcomes.

Natural history of intraventricular meningiomas: systematic review.

Review the data published on the subject to create a more comprehensive natural history of intraventricular meningiomas (IVMs). A Medline search up to March 2018 using "intraventricular meningioma" returned 98 papers. As a first selection step, we adopted the following inclusion criteria: series and case reports about IVMs, as well as papers written in other languages, but abstracts written in English were evaluated. Six hundred eighty-one tumors were evaluated from 98 papers. The majority of the tumors were located in the lateral ventricles (602-88.4%), fourth ventricle (59-8.7%), and third ventricle (20-2.9%). These tumors accounted for a mortality rate of 4.0% (25 deaths) and a recurrence rate of 5.3% (26 recurrences). The majority of the tumors were grade I (89.8%) and consisted of the following subtypes: fibrous, 39.7% (n = 171); transitional, 22.0% (n = 95); meningothelial, 18.6% (n = 80); angiomatosus, 3.2% (n = 14); psammomatous, 2.6% (n = 11); and others, 13.9% (n = 60). Forty-five patients (7.4%) presented with grade II (GII) tumors, and 17 patients (2.8%) presented with grade III (GIII) tumors. These tumors follow the histopathological distribution of meningiomas in general, with the exception of the higher prevalence of the fibrous subtype, possibly due to its embryonic origin. Recurrence and mortality were lower than in other localizations likely due to a complete surgical resection rate than in the convexity and skull base, which suggests that GTR is the gold standard for the management of IVMs.

The influence of intracranial hypertension on static cerebral autoregulation.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the influences of mild and severe intracranial hypertension on cerebral autoregulation (CA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Duroc piglets were monitored with an intracranial pressure (ICP) catheter. Intracranial hypertension was induced via infusion of 4 or 7 ml of saline solution by a bladder catheter that was inserted into the parietal lobe. The static cerebral autoregulation (sCA) index was evaluated via cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFv). Piglets with ICPs ≤ 25 and > 25 mmHg were considered as group 1 and 2, respectively. Continuous variables were evaluated using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test. The main parameters were collected before and after ICH induction and compared using two-factor mixed-design ANOVAs with the factor of experimental group (mild and severe ICH). RESULTS: In group 1 (ICP ≤ 25 mmHg), there were significant differences in sCA (p = .01) and ICP (p = .0002) between the basal and balloon inflation conditions. In group 2 (ICP > 25 mmHg), there were significant differences in CBFv (p = .0072), the sCA index (p = .0001) and ICP (p = .00001) between the basal and balloon inflation conditions. CONCLUSION: We conclude that intracranial hypertension may have a direct effect on sCA.

Safety and costs analysis of early hospital discharge after brain tumour surgery: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: A daily algorithm for hospital discharge (DAHD) is a key point in the concept of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol. We aimed to evaluate the length of stay (LOS), rate of complications, and hospital costs variances after the introduction of the DAHD compared to the traditional postoperative management of brain tumour patients. METHODS: This is a cohort study with partial retrospective data collection. All consecutive patients who underwent brain tumour resection in 2017 were analysed. Demographics and procedure-related variables, as well as clinical outcomes, LOS and healthcare costs within 30 days after surgery were compared in patients before/pre-implementation and after/post-implementation the DAHD, which included: stable neurological examination; oral feeding without aspiration risk; pain control with oral medications; no intravenous medications. The algorithm was applied every morning and discharge was considered from day 1 after surgery if criteria was fulfilled. The primary outcome (LOS after surgery) analysis was adjusted for the preoperative performance status on a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients were studied (pre-implementation 32, post-implementation 29). The baseline demographic characteristics were similar between the groups. After the DAHD implementation, LOS decreased significantly (median 5 versus 3 days; p = 0.001) and the proportion of patients who were discharged on day 1 or 2 after surgery increased (44.8% vs 3.1%; p < 0.001). Major and minor complications rates, readmission rate, and unplanned return to hospital in 30-day follow-up were comparable between the groups. There was a significant reduction in the median costs of hospitalization in DAHD group (US$2135 vs US$2765, p = 0.043), mainly due to a reduction in median ward costs (US$922 vs US$1623, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Early discharge after brain tumour surgery appears to be safe and inexpensive. The LOS and hospitalization costs were reduced without increasing readmission rate or postoperative complications.

Impact of radiotherapy in atypical meningioma recurrence: literature review.

Evaluate whether radiotherapy (RT) after the neurosurgical treatment of atypical meningiomas (AM) has an impact on the reduction rate of recurrence. A Medline search through October 2017 using "atypical meningioma" returned 1277 papers for initial review. Inclusion criteria were as follows. We analyzed the database and included articles in which the anatomic pathological classification of atypical meningiomas was in accordance with WHO 2007 or WHO 2016 criteria, patients > 18 years of age, and there was postoperative external beam radiation to the tumor bed. Exclusion criteria were WHO grade I or III meningioma, patients who underwent whole-brain radiation, RT used as salvage therapy for recurrence, palliative dose of RT (< 45 Gy), recurrent AMs, and multiple AMs. Papers reporting outcomes in which atypical and anaplastic meningiomas were analyzed together were rejected, as were papers with small samples that may compromise evaluation. After filtering our initial selection, only 17 papers were selected. After reviewing the seventeen articles including a total of 1761 patients (972 female and 799 male; 1.21 female/1.0 male), the difference in proportion of tumor recurrence between patients with and without radiotherapy after neurosurgical procedure was 1.0448, 95% CI [0.8318 to 1.3125], p value = 0.7062. On the basis of this review, there is no evidence to suggest that RT decreases the rate of recurrence in patients with atypical meningiomas.

Behavioral Changes and Associated Factors After Diffuse Axonal Injury.

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a frequent injury after traumatic brain injury (TBI), which causes cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Behavioral changes after DAI affect the patients' quality of life, in addition to causing great damage to their family and society. This study aimed to analyze the behavioral changes of patients with DAI according to family members and to identify the associated factors. This study included patients with DAI, aged between 18 and 60 years, who presented to a referral hospital for traumatic injuries. A prospective cohort study was conducted with 2 evaluations of family members at 3, 6, and 12 months posttrauma. Behavioral changes were evaluated using a questionnaire designed to identify changes according to the perception of family members. The mixed-effects model was applied to identify significant behavioral changes, the effect of time on these changes, and the association between sociodemographic variables, DAI severity, and behavioral changes. Anxiety, dependency, depression, irritability, memory, and mood swings were significantly different (p ≤ .05) before and after trauma. An analysis of the evolution of these behaviors showed that the changes persisted with the same intensity up to 12 months posttrauma. There was an association between depression and income, age and irritability, and DAI severity and dependency. Unfavorable behavioral changes were frequent consequences of DAI, and no improvement in these changes was noted up to 12 months after the injury. Income, age, and DAI severity were related to behavioral changes.

Post-traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula in a pediatric patient: a case-based literature review.

BACKGROUND: Carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) is a shunt between the carotid artery and the cavernous sinus. Traumatic CCFs are diagnosed in 0.2% of head traumas being only 4.6% of the pediatric population. Classified by Barrow in 1985, type A CCF is the most frequent, occurring in 75% of cases. Type A is characterized by direct and high-flow CCF that generally can occur as a result of traumatic injury or rupture of an intracavernous aneurysm. CASE PRESENTATION: The subject was an 8-year-old boy with penetrating trauma to his left eye. During the initial evaluation, a computed tomography (CT) scan was unremarkable, and after relief of symptoms, the patient was discharged. Seven days later, he developed grade I proptosis, conjunctival chemosis, ophthalmoplegia (III, IV, and VI cranial nerve palsies), and left-sided ptosis and mydriasis. Arteriography confirmed a post-traumatic CCF, and the patient was treated with an endovascular detachable balloon. CONCLUSION: CCF should be suspected in craniofacial traumas with ocular symptoms. The presence of a skull base fracture on CT is a poor predictor of CCF associated with head trauma. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent permanent neurological deficits and unfavorable outcomes.

Longitudinal changes in brain volumetry and cognitive functions after moderate and severe diffuse axonal injury.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) induces a long-term process of brain atrophy and cognitive deficits. The goal of this study was to determine whether there are correlations between brain volume loss, microhaemorrhage load (MHL) and neuropsychological performance during the first year after DAI. METHODS: Twenty-four patients with moderate or severe DAI were evaluated at 2, 6 and 12 months post-injury. MHL was evaluated at 3 months, and brain volumetry was evaluated at 3, 6 and 12 months. The trail making test (TMT) was used to evaluate executive function (EF), and the Hopkins verbal learning test (HVLT) was used to evaluate episodic verbal memory (EVM) at 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: There were significant white matter volume (WMV), subcortical grey matter volume and total brain volume (TBV) reductions during the study period (p < 0.05). MHL was correlated only with WMV reduction. EF and EVM were not correlated with MHL but were, in part, correlated with WMV and TBV reductions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that MHL may be a predictor of WMV reduction but cannot predict EF or EVM in DAI. Brain atrophy progresses over time, but patients showed better EF and EVM in some of the tests, which could be due to neuroplasticity.

Traumatic Lumbosacral Spondyloptosis in a Pediatric Patient: Case Report and Literature Review.

A 4-year-old girl was admitted to the emergency department after having been buried beneath a wall. A computed tomography scan revealed anterior grade V L5-S1 spondylolisthesis, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a traumatic rupture of the fibrous annulus of the L5-S1 intervertebral disc and lesion of the anterior longitudinal and yellow ligaments. The patient underwent anterior and posterior fixation. Four months later she was able to walk independently, despite a persistent left foot drop. Additionally, we conducted a literature review on lumbosacral spondyloptosis in the pediatric population published between 1990 and 2017. We found 16 cases, 86.6% of which were male, with a mean patient age of 16 ± 5.05 years. Most patients underwent spine instrumentation. Based on the data reviewed, the neurological status at admission might be a valid predictor of outcome. Pedicle screws are a safe and reliable procedure for stable fixation of the spine in these cases. The removal of screws is discouraged.