Comparison of Sitting versus Nonsitting Position for the Resection of Brain Metastases in the Posterior Fossa in a Contemporary Cohort.

BACKGROUND: For surgery of brain metastases, good immediate postoperative functional outcome is of utmost importance. Improved functional status can enable further oncologic therapies and adverse events might delay them. Pros and cons of either sitting or prone positioning for resective surgery of the posterior fossa are debated, but contemporary data on direct postoperative outcome are rare. The aim of our study was to compare the functional outcome and adverse events of surgery for brain metastases in the sitting versus the nonsitting position in the direct postoperative setting. METHODS: We retrospectively compared surgery of metastases located in the posterior fossa over a 3-year period in two level-A neurosurgical centers. Center 1 performed surgery exclusively in the sitting, while center 2 performed surgery only in the nonsitting position. RESULTS: Worse functional outcome (Karnofsky performance scale) and functional deterioration were seen in the "sitting" group. We found significantly more "sitting" patients to deteriorate to a KPS score of ≤60%. In this study, treating patients with brain metastases in the sitting position resulted in a number needed to harm (NNH) of 2.3 and was associated with worse outcome and more adverse events. CONCLUSION: Therefore, we recommend the nonsitting position for surgery of brain metastases of the posterior fossa.

Wound healing after intracutaneous vs. staple-assisted skin closure in lumbar, non-instrumented spine surgery: a multicenter prospective randomized trial.

PURPOSE: Superficial surgical site infection (SSSI) is a prominent problem in spine surgery. Intracutaneous sutures and staple-assisted closure are two widely used surgical techniques for skin closure. Yet, their comparative impact on wound healing and infection rates is underexplored. Our goal was to address this gap and compare wound healing between these two techniques. METHODS: This study was a multicenter international prospective randomized trial. Patient data were prospectively collected at three large academic centers, patients who underwent non-instrumented lumbar primary spine surgery were included. Patients were intraoperatively randomized to either intracutaneous suture or staple-assisted closure cohorts. The primary endpoint was SSSI within 30 days after surgery according to the wound infection Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classification system. RESULTS: Of 207 patients, 110 were randomized to intracutaneous sutures and 97 to staple-assisted closure. Both groups were homogenous with respect to epidemiological as well as surgical parameters. Two patients (one of each group) suffered from an A1 wound infection at the 30-day follow up. Median skin closure time was faster in the staple-assisted closure group (198 s vs. 13 s, p < 0,001). CONCLUSION: This study showed an overall low superficial surgical site infection rate in both patient cohorts in primary non instrumented spine surgery.

Dural reconstruction with or without a bone graft of paranasal and anterior skullbase malignancies: Retrospective single-center analysis of 11 cases and review of literature.

Introduction: The reconstruction of frontobasal defects following oncologic resections of paranasal and anterior skull base (ASB) malignancies remains challenging. Ineffective reconstruction could lead to cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, and tension pneumocephalus. Research question: Aim of this investigation was to analyse postoperative complication rates with or without bone graft for anterior skull base reconstruction. Material and methods: In this retrospective study, we included patients following resection of paranasal and/or anterior skull base malignancies between October 2013 and December 2022. Complications were analysed with regards to the type of skull base reconstruction. Results: Eleven patients were identified (2 female, 9 male, age (median, SD) 64 ± 14.1 years (range 38-81). There were nine cases of paranasal sinus and nasal cavity carcinomas and two cases of olfactory neuroblastomas. Overall survival was 22.5 ± 28 months (range: 5-78), progression free survival was 17.0 ± 20.3 months (range: 11-78). Bone skull base reconstruction using a split graft was performed in three cases. Postoperative complications requiring surgical intervention were seen in 33% (one tension pneumocephalus) of cases in the bone reconstruction group and 50% (three patients with cerebrospinal fluid leak, one infection) in the non-bone reconstruction group. Discussion and conclusion: The structural reinforcement of structural bone chip grafting might provide additional support of the ASB and prevent CSF leakage or encephalocele. Especially in large (>10 cm2) bone defects of advanced sinonasal malignancies extending into the middle cranial fossa, the full armamentarium of reconstruction possibilities should be considered.

Intraoperative radiotherapy after resection of brain metastases located in the posterior fossa. Analysis of postoperative morbidity and mortality in a single center cohort.

INTRODUCTION: In order to improve surgical outcome and accelerate the adjuvant oncologic therapy, intraoperative Radiotherapy (IORT) has become a treatment option in oncologic surgery for various diseases including glioma and brain metastasis (BM). BMs are often located in the cranial posterior fossa (PF) requiring specific surgical considerations due to its complex anatomy. Up until now, data on IORT for BMs is limited and detailed description in the use of IORT for lesions in the PF is lacking. Our aim is to provide more insight into this emerging treatment strategy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients receiving surgery for BMs and undergoing IORT at our institution. Each patient was discussed at the interdisciplinary tumor board decision before the intervention. Patient characteristics, functional status (Karnofsky Performance Score, KPS) before and after surgery, disease (recursive partitioning analysis, lesion size) and operative parameters were analyzed. Adverse events (AE) were recorded up until 30 days after the intervention and rated according to the Clavien Dindo Rating scale. RESULTS: Nine patients (5 female) were included. None underwent prior radiotherapy (RT). Mean age was 66 ± 11 years. Preoperative median KPS was 80%. Mean BM diameter was 3.2 ± 0.9 cm. There was no statistically significant deterioration of the functional status after the intervention. Two patients experienced AEs with both of them needing revision surgery. CONCLUSION: Surgery for BMs with IORT in the PF seems safe and feasible. Further studies are needed to evaluate the influence of IORT on long-term outcome after BM surgery.

Management of perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a national survey.

Perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (NASAH) is a rare type of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), usually associated with minor complications compared to aneurysmal SAH. Up to date, data is scarce and consensus on therapeutic management and follow-up diagnostics of NASAH is often missing. This survey aims to evaluate the clinical management among neurosurgical departments in Germany. 135 neurosurgical departments in Germany received a hardcopy questionnaire. Encompassing three case vignettes with minor, moderate and severe NASAH on CT-scans and questions including the in-hospital treatment with initial observation, blood pressure (BP) management, cerebral vasospasm (CV) prophylaxis and the need for digital subtraction angiography (DSA). 80 departments (59.2%) answered the questionnaire. Whereof, centers with a higher caseload state an elevated complication rate (Chi2 < 0.001). Initial observation on the intensive care unit is performed in 51.3%; 47.5%, 70.0% in minor, moderate and severe NASAH, respectively. Invasive BP monitoring is performed more often in severe NASAH (52.5%, 55.0%, 71.3% minor, moderate, severe). CV prophylaxis and transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) are performed in 41.3%, 45.0%, 63.8% in minor, moderate and severe NASAH, respectively. Indication for a second DSA is set in the majority of centers, whereas after two negative ones, a third DSA is less often indicated (2nd: 66.2%, 72.5%, 86.2%; 3rd: 3.8%, 3.8%, 13.8% minor, moderate, severe). This study confirms the influence of bleeding severity on treatment and follow-up of NASAH patients. Additionally, the existing inconsistency of treatment pathways throughout Germany is highlighted. Therefore, we suggest to conceive new treatment guidelines including this finding.

sPinal coRd stimulatiOn coMpared with lumbar InStrumEntation for low back pain after previous lumbar decompression (PROMISE): a prospective multicentre RCT.

INTRODUCTION: Persistent spine pain syndrome type 2 (PSPS2) represents a significant burden to the individual and society. Treatment options include revision surgery, stabilisation surgery of the spine, neuromodulation, analgesics and cognitive behavioural therapy. Nevertheless, structured treatment algorithms are missing as high-level evidence on the various treatments is sparse. The aim of this study is to compare higher frequency neuromodulation with instrumentation surgery in patients suffering from PSPS2. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The sPinal coRd stimulatiOn coMpared with lumbar InStrumEntation for low back pain after previous lumbar decompression (PROMISE) trial is a prospective randomised rater blinded multicentre study. Patients suffering from PSPS2 with a functional burden of Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) >20 points are randomised to treatment via spinal cord stimulation or spinal instrumentation. Primary outcome is back-related functional outcome according to the ODI 12 months after treatment. Secondary outcomes include pain perception (visual analogue scale), Short Form-36, EuroQOL5D, the amount of analgesics, the length of periprocedural hospitalisation and adverse events. Follow-up visits are planned at 3 and 12 months after treatment. Patients with previous lumbar instrumentation, symptomatic spinal stenosis, radiographical apparent spinal instability or severe psychiatric or systemic comorbidities are excluded from the study. In order to detect a significant difference of ≥10 points (ODI) with a power of 80%, n=72 patients need to be included. The recruitment period will be 24 months with a subsequent 12 months follow-up. The beginning of enrolment is planned for October 2022. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The PROMISE trial is the first randomised rater blinded multicentre study comparing the functional effectiveness of spinal instrumentation versus neuromodulation in patients with PSPS2 in order to achieve high-level evidence for these commonly used treatment options in this severely disabling condition. Patient recruitment will be performed at regular outpatient clinic visits. No further (print, social media) publicity is planned. The study is approved by the local ethics committee (LMU Munich, Germany) and will be conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05466110.

Implementation of a three-dimensional (3D) robotic digital microscope (AEOS) in spinal procedures.

Three-dimensional exoscopes have been designed to overcome certain insufficiencies of operative microscopes. We aimed to explore the clinical use in various spinal surgeries. We performed surgery on patients with different spine entities in a neurosurgical department according to the current standard operating procedures over a 4-week period of time. The microsurgical part has been performed with Aesculap AEOS 3D microscope. Three neurosurgeons with different degree of surgical expertise completed a questionnaire with 43 items based on intraoperative handling and feasibility after the procedures. We collected and analyzed data from seventeen patients (35% male/65% female) with a median age of 70 years [CI 47-86] and median BMI of 25.8 kg/m2 [range 21-33]. We included a variety of spinal pathologies (10 degenerative, 4 tumor and 3 infectious cases) with different level of complexity. Regarding setup conflicts we observed issues with adjustment of the monitor position or while using additional equipment (e.g. fluoroscopy in fusion surgery) (p = 0.007/p = 0.001). However image resolution and sharpness as well as 3D-depth perception were completely satisfactory for all surgeons in all procedures. The utilization of the exoscopic arm was easy for 76.5% of the surgeons, and all of them declared a significant improvement of the surgical corridor. The 3D-exoscope implementation appears to achieve very satisfactory results in spinal procedures especially with minimally invasive approaches.

Resection of supratentorial brain metastases with intraoperative radiotherapy. Is it safe? Analysis and experiences of a single center cohort.

Introduction: Intraoperative Radiotherapy (ioRT) is an emerging treatment option in oncologic surgery for various diseases including intraaxial brain lesions to improve surgical outcome and accelerate the adjuvant oncologic therapy. Despite its use in glioma surgery, the application and data regarding ioRT in the treatment of brain metastases (BMs) is sparse. Here were report the largest series of supratentorial BMs treated with resection and ioRT according to functional outcome and adverse events. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review analysis of patients undergoing surgery for BMs following an interdisciplinary tumor board decision in every case with ioRT at our institution. Patient properties, functional status (Karnofsky Performance Score/KPS) before and after surgery as well as oncologic (disease, recursive partitioning analysis, lesion size) and operative parameters were analyzed until hospital discharge. Adverse events (AE) were recorded until 30 days after surgery and rated according to the Clavien Dindo Grading (CDG) scale. Results: 70 patients (40 female) with various oncologic diseases were identified and analyzed. Six underwent prior RT. Mean age was 66 ± 11 years. Preoperative median KPS was 80% with a mean BM volume of 3.2 ± 1.2 cm3. Nine patients (13%) experienced in total 14 AEs, including 2 cases (3%) of postoperative death (CDG5) and 2 with new postoperative epilepsy necessitating additional pharmacotreatment (CDG2). Five patients suffered from new neurologic deficit (CDG1) not needing further surgical or medical treatment. After surgery, the neurological status in 7 patients (10%) deteriorated while it improved in 21 cases (30%). Patients experiencing AEs had longer hospitalization and poorer postoperative KPS mdn. 90 vs. 80%. There was no statistically significant deterioration of the functional status during the immediate postoperative course in the whole patient cohort. Conclusion: Surgery for supratentorial BMs with ioRT seems safe and feasible. Further studies on the benefit regarding oncologic outcome need to be performed.