Neighbourhood deprivation, distance to nearest comprehensive stroke centre and access to endovascular thrombectomy for ischemic stroke: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has revolutionized ischemic stroke care. We aimed to assess whether neighbourhood socioeconomic status is predictive of access to EVT after receipt of alteplase for ischemic stroke among patients living in Alberta, Canada, and whether this relation is mediated by the distance a person lives to the nearest comprehensive stroke centre (CSC). METHODS: We performed a retrospective study including all people older than 18 years living in Alberta who were admitted to hospital with an ischemic stroke and who received intravenous alteplase treatment between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2019. Data were obtained through administrative data sets. The primary outcome was treatment with EVT. We assigned neighbourhood deprivation quintile based on the Material and Social Deprivation Index. We used logistic regression modelling to assess for a relation between deprivation and treatment with EVT. We adjusted for age, sex, stroke severity and distance to the nearest CSC. We calculated the average causal mediation effect of distance to the nearest CSC on the relation between neighbourhood deprivation level and treatment with EVT. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 1335 patients, of whom 181 (13.6%) had missing data and were excluded from the main regression analysis. Endovascular thrombectomy was performed or attempted in 314 patients (23.5%). In the primary model, patients from the most deprived neighbourhoods were less likely than those from less deprived neighbourhoods to have received EVT (adjusted odds ratio 0.43, 95% confidence interval 0.24 to 0.77). Neighbourhood deprivation level was not significantly associated with EVT when distance to the nearest CSC was included as a covariate. Mediation analysis suggested that 48% of the total effect that neighbourhood deprivation level had on the odds of receiving EVT was attributable to the distance a person lived from the nearest CSC. INTERPRETATION: The results suggest that people from more deprived neighbourhoods in Alberta were less likely to be treated with EVT than those from less deprived neighbourhoods. Improving access to EVT for people living in remote locations may improve the equitable distribution of this treatment.

Adult Cervical Deformity Patients Have Higher Baseline Frailty, Disability, and Comorbidities Compared With Complex Adult Thoracolumbar Deformity Patients: A Comparative Cohort Study of 616 Patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter comparative cohort. OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown markedly higher rates of complications and all-cause mortality following surgery for adult cervical deformity (ACD) compared with adult thoracolumbar deformity (ATLD), though the reasons for these differences remain unclear. Our objectives were to compare baseline frailty, disability, and comorbidities between ACD and complex ATLD patients undergoing surgery. METHODS: Two multicenter prospective adult spinal deformity registries were queried, one ATLD and one ACD. Baseline clinical and frailty measures were compared between the cohorts. RESULTS: 616 patients were identified (107 ACD and 509 ATLD). These groups had similar mean age (64.6 vs 60.8 years, respectively, P = .07). ACD patients were less likely to be women (51.9% vs 69.5%, P < .001) and had greater Charlson Comorbidity Index (1.5 vs .9, P < .001) and ASA grade (2.7 vs 2.4, P < .001). ACD patients had worse VR-12 Physical Component Score (PCS, 25.7 vs 29.9, P < .001) and PROMIS Physical Function Score (33.3 vs 35.3, P = .031). All frailty measures were significantly worse for ACD patients, including hand dynamometer (44.6 vs 55.6 lbs, P < .001), CSHA Clinical Frailty Score (CFS, 4.0 vs 3.2, P < .001), and Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS, 5.15 vs 3.21, P < .001). Greater proportions of ACD patients were frail (22.9% vs 5.7%) or vulnerable (15.6% vs 10.9%) based on EFS (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with ATLD patients, ACD patients had worse baseline characteristics on all measures assessed (comorbidities/disability/frailty). These differences may help account for greater risk of complications and all-cause mortality previously observed in ACD patients and facilitate strategies for better preoperative optimization.

Missed pituitary microadenoma during endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing with symptom relief: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) is a rare headache disorder that has been associated with pituitary adenomas. Resection has been posited to be curative. OBSERVATIONS: A 60-year-old female presented with a 10-year history of SUNCT, which had been medically refractory. Sellar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a 2 × 2 mm nodule in the right anterolateral aspect of the pituitary. Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary microadenoma with neuronavigation was performed. The patient felt immediate relief from the headaches. Postoperative MRI showed persistence of the pituitary microadenoma and the resection tract to be inferomedial to the lesion. The right middle and partial superior turbinectomy site was close to the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF). The patient was discharged on postoperative day 1 and remained headache-free without any medications at the 4-month follow-up. LESSONS: Resection of pituitary lesions associated with SUNCT may not necessarily be the cause of SUNCT resolution. Manipulation of the middle and superior turbinate close to the SPF may lead to a pterygopalatine ganglion block. This may be the mechanism of cure for SUNCT in patients with related pituitary lesions who undergo endonasal resection.

Characteristics of shunt failure in 38,095 adult shunt insertion surgeries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The management of excess CSF in patients with hydrocephalus typically requires using a shunt to divert CSF. Unfortunately, there is a high rate of shunt failure despite improvements in device components and insertion techniques. Reoperation is frequently necessary, which contributes to patient harm and increased healthcare costs. While factors affecting shunt failure are well defined in the pediatric population, information regarding adults is lacking. The authors undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine how shunt failure in the adult population is reported and investigated the etiologies of shunt failure. METHODS: This review is reported according to PRIMSA and utilized the MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar databases. Abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers, and data were extracted in duplicate by two independent reviewers. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS and Stata. RESULTS: The pooled rates of shunt failure were 10% (95% CI 5%-15%) in studies with a mean follow-up time of less than 1 year, 12% (95% CI 8%-14%) with a follow-up time between 1 and 2 years, and 32% in studies with a follow-up time of 2 years or greater (95% CI 19%-43%). The pooled rate of failure was 17% across all studies. The most common cause of shunt failure was obstruction at 3.0% (95% CI 2%-4%), accounting for 23.2% of shunt failures. Infection was the second most common at 2.8% (95% CI 2%-3%), accounting for 22.5% of shunt failures. The most common location of shunt failure was the distal catheter, with a failure rate of 4.0% (95% CI 3%-5%), accounting for 33.4% of shunt failures. The definition of shunt failure was heterogeneous and varied depending on institutional practices. The combination of symptoms with either CT or MRI was the most frequently reported method for assessing shunt failure. CONCLUSIONS: Important variation regarding how to define, investigate, and report shunt failure was identified. The overall shunt failure rate in adults is at least 32% after 2 years, which, while lower than that typically reported in the pediatric population, is significant. The most common causes of shunt failure in adults are infection and obstruction. The most common site of failure occurred at the distal catheter, highlighting the need to develop strategies to both report and mitigate distal shunt failure in adult shunt patients.

Ultrasound Elastography in Neurosurgery: Current Applications and Future Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Similar to clinical palpation, Ultrasound elastography (USE) helps distinguish between tissues by providing information on their elasticity. While it has been widely explored and has been applied to many body organs, USE has not been studied as extensively for application in neurosurgery. The current systematic review was performed to identify articles related to the use of interoperative USE in neurosurgery. METHODS: Search included MEDLINE(R) database. Only original peer-reviewed full-text articles were included. No language or publication year restrictions were imposed. Two independent reviewers assessed the search results for relevance. The identified articles were screened by title, abstract, and full-text review. RESULTS: Seventeen articles were included in the qualitative analysis and 13 articles were related to oncology, epilepsy (n = 3), and spine (n = 1). In oncology, USE was found useful in defining tumor stiffness, aiding surgical planning, detecting residual tumors, discriminating between tumor and brain tissue, and differentiating between different tumors. In epilepsy, USE could improve the detection of epileptogenic foci, thereby enhancing the prospect of complete and safe resection. The application in spinal surgery was limited to demonstrating that a compressed spinal cord is stiffer than the decompressed one. CONCLUSIONS: USE was found to be a safe, quick, portable, and economic tool that was a useful intraoperative adjunct to provide information corresponding to a variety of neurosurgical diseases, at different stages of surgery. This review describes the current intraoperative neurosurgical applications of USE, the concept of elasticity, and different USE modalities as well as the technical challenges, limitations, and possible future implications.

Clinical outcomes in pediatric hydrocephalus patients treated with endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization (ETV+CPC) is a novel procedure for infant hydrocephalus that was developed in sub-Saharan Africa to mitigate the risks associated with permanent implanted shunt hardware. This study summarizes the hydrocephalus literature surrounding the ETV+CPC intraoperative abandonment rate, perioperative mortality rate, cerebrospinal fluid infection rate, and failure rate. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed a prespecified protocol and abides by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from database inception to October 2019. Studies included controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies of patients with hydrocephalus younger than 18 years of age treated with ETV+CPC. Pooled estimates were calculated using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects modeling, and the significance of subgroup analyses was tested using meta-regression. The quality of the pooled outcomes was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. RESULTS: After screening and reviewing 12,321 citations, the authors found 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The pooled estimate for the ETV+CPC failure rate was 0.44 (95% CI 0.37-0.51). Subgroup analysis by geographic income level showed statistical significance (p < 0.01), with lower-middle-income countries having a lower failure rate (0.32, 95% CI 0.28-0.36) than high-income countries (0.53, 95% CI 0.47-0.60). No difference in failure rate was found between hydrocephalus etiology (p = 0.09) or definition of failure (p = 0.24). The pooled estimate for perioperative mortality rate (n = 7 studies) was 0.001 (95% CI 0.00-0.004), the intraoperative abandonment rate (n = 5 studies) was 0.04 (95% CI 0.01-0.08), and the postoperative CSF infection rate (n = 5 studies) was 0.0004 (95% CI 0.00-0.003). All pooled outcomes were found to be low-quality evidence. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis provides the most comprehensive pooled estimate for the ETV+CPC failure rate to date and demonstrates, for the first time, a statistically significant difference in failure rate by geographic income level. It also provides the first reported pooled estimates for the risk of ETV+CPC perioperative mortality, intraoperative abandonment, and CSF infection. The low quality of this evidence highlights the need for further research to improve the understanding of these critical clinical outcomes and their relevant explanatory variables and thus to appreciate which patients may benefit most from an ETV+CPC. Systematic review registration no.: CRD42020160149 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).

Reducing the risks of proximal and distal shunt failure in adult hydrocephalus: a shunt outcomes quality improvement study.

OBJECTIVE: Patient outcomes of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery, the mainstay treatment for hydrocephalus in adults, are poor because of high shunt failure rates. The use of neuronavigation or laparoscopy can reduce the risks of proximal or distal shunt catheter failure, respectively, but has less independent effect on overall shunt failures. No adult studies to date have combined both approaches in the setting of a shunt infection prevention protocol to reduce shunt failure. The goal of this study was to determine whether combining neuronavigation and laparoscopy with a shunt infection prevention strategy would reduce the incidence of shunt failures in adult hydrocephalic patients. METHODS: Adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) undergoing VP shunt surgery at a tertiary care institution prior to (pre-Shunt Outcomes [ShOut]) and after (post-ShOut) the start of a prospective continuous quality improvement (QI) study were compared. Pre-ShOut patients had their proximal and distal catheters placed under conventional freehand approaches. Post-ShOut patients had their shunts inserted with neuronavigational and laparoscopy assistance in placing the distal catheter in the perihepatic space (falciform technique). A shunt infection reduction protocol had been instituted 1.5 years prior to the start of the QI initiative. The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of shunt failure (including infection) confirmed by standardized criteria indicating shunt revision surgery. RESULTS: There were 244 (115 pre-ShOut and 129 post-ShOut) patients observed over 7 years. With a background of shunt infection prophylaxis, combined neuronavigation and laparoscopy was associated with a reduction in overall shunt failure rates from 37% to 14%, 45% to 22%, and 51% to 29% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively (HR 0.44, p < 0.001). Shunt infection rates decreased from 8% in the pre-ShOut group to 0% in the post-ShOut group. There were no proximal catheter failures in the post-ShOut group. The 2-year rates of distal catheter failure were 42% versus 20% in the pre- and post-ShOut groups, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Introducing a shunt infection prevention protocol, placing the proximal catheter under neuronavigation, and placing the peritoneal catheter in the perihepatic space by using the falciform technique led to decreased rates of infection, distal shunt failure, and overall shunt failure.

The benefit of early surgery on overall survival in incidental low-grade glioma patients: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The role of surgery for incidentally discovered diffuse incidental low-grade gliomas (iLGGs) is debatable and poorly documented in current literature. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to identify factors that influence survival for patients that underwent surgical resection of iLGGs in a large multicenter population. METHODS: Clinical, radiological, and surgical data were retrospectively analyzed in 267 patients operated for iLGG from 4 neurosurgical Centers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of overall survival (OS) and tumor recurrence (TR). RESULTS: The OS rate was 92.41%. The 5- and 10-year estimated OS rates were 98.09% and 93.2%, respectively. OS was significantly longer for patients with a lower preoperative tumor volume (P = .001) and higher extent of resection (EOR) (P = .037), regardless the WHO-defined molecular class (P = .2). In the final model, OS was influenced only by the preoperative tumor volume (P = .006), while TR by early surgery (P = .028). A negative association was found between preoperative tumor volumes and EOR (rs = -0.44, P < .001). The median preoperative tumor volume was 15 cm3. The median EOR was 95%. Total or supratotal resection of T2-FLAIR abnormality was achieved in 61.62% of cases. Second surgery was performed in 26.22%. The median time between surgeries was 5.5 years. Histological evolution to high-grade glioma was detected in 22.85% of cases (16/70). Permanent mild deficits were observed in 3.08% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter study confirms the results of previous studies investigating surgical management of iLGGs and thereby strengthens the evidence in favor of early surgery for these lesions.

Innovation in unruptured intracranial aneurysm coiling: At which price or efficacy are new technologies cost-effective?

BACKGROUND: Unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) are increasingly being treated by endovascular coiling as opposed to open surgical clipping. Unfortunately, endovascular coiling imparts an approximate 25% recanalization rate, leading to additional procedures and increased rupture risk. While a new health technology innovation (HTI) that reduces this recanalization rate would benefit patients, few advancements have been made. We aim to determine whether cost-effectiveness has been a barrier to HTI. METHODS: A probabilistic Markov model was constructed from the healthcare payer perspective to compare standard endovascular treatment of UIA to standard treatment plus the addition of a HTI adjunct. Costs were measured in 2018 USD and health outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). In the base case, the HTI was a theoretical mesenchymal stem cell therapy which reduced the aneurysm recanalization rate by 50% and cost $10,000 per procedure. All other model inputs were derived from the published scientific literature. RESULTS: Based on the model results, we found that for a given HTI price (y) and relative risk reduction of aneurysm recanalization (x), the HTI was always cost-effective if the following equation was satisfied: y ≤ 20268 ∙ x, using a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000 per QALY. The uncertainty surrounding whether an aneurysm would recanalize was a significant driver within the model. When the uncertainty around the risk of aneurysm recanalization was eliminated, the 10-year projected additional benefit to the United States healthcare system was calculated to be $113,336,994. CONCLUSION: Cost-effectiveness does not appear to be a barrier to innovation in reducing the recanalization rate of UIA treated by endovascular coil embolization. Our model can now be utilized by academia and industry to accentuate economically feasible HTI and by healthcare payers to calculate their maximum willingness-to-pay for a new technology. Our results also indicate that predicting a patient's baseline risk of aneurysm recanalization is a critical area of future research.

The impact of machine learning on patient care: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite the expanding use of machine learning (ML) in fields such as finance and marketing, its application in the daily practice of clinical medicine is almost non-existent. In this systematic review, we describe the various areas within clinical medicine that have applied the use of ML to improve patient care. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines using Medline(R), EBM Reviews, Embase, Psych Info, and Cochrane Databases, focusing on human studies that used ML to directly address a clinical problem. Included studies were published from January 1, 2000 to May 1, 2018 and provided metrics on the performance of the utilized ML tool. RESULTS: A total of 1909 unique publications were reviewed, with 378 retrospective articles and 8 prospective articles meeting inclusion criteria. Retrospective publications were found to be increasing in frequency, with 61 % of articles published within the last 4 years. Prospective articles comprised only 2 % of the articles meeting our inclusion criteria. These studies utilized a prospective cohort design with an average sample size of 531. CONCLUSION: The majority of literature describing the use of ML in clinical medicine is retrospective in nature and often outlines proof-of-concept approaches to impact patient care. We postulate that identifying and overcoming key translational barriers, including real-time access to clinical data, data security, physician approval of "black box" generated results, and performance evaluation will allow for a fundamental shift in medical practice, where specialized tools will aid the healthcare team in providing better patient care.

Design and Validation of an Open-Source, Partial Task Trainer for Endonasal Neuro-Endoscopic Skills Development: Indian Experience.

BACKGROUND: Box trainers are ideal simulators, given they are inexpensive, accessible, and use appropriate fidelity. OBJECTIVE: The development and validation of an open-source, partial task simulator that teaches the fundamental skills necessary for endonasal skull-base neuro-endoscopic surgery. METHODS: We defined the Neuro-Endo-Trainer (NET) SkullBase-Task-GraspPickPlace with an activity area by analyzing the computed tomography scans of 15 adult patients with sellar suprasellar parasellar tumors. Four groups of participants (Group E, n = 4: expert neuroendoscopists; Group N, n =19: novice neurosurgeons; Group R, n = 11: neurosurgery residents with multiple iterations; and Group T, n = 27: neurosurgery residents with single iteration) performed grasp, pick, and place tasks using NET and were graded on task completion time and skills assessment scale score. RESULTS: Group E had lower task completion times and greater skills assessment scale scores than both Group N and R (P ≤ 0.03, 0.001). The performance of Groups N and R was found to be equivalent; in self-assessing neuro-endoscopic skill, the participants in these groups were found to have equally low pretraining scores (4/10) with significant improvement shown after NET simulation (6, 7 respectively). Angled scopes resulted in decreased scores with tilted plates compared with straight plates (30° P ≤ 0.04, 45° P ≤ 0.001). With tilted plates, decreased scores were observed when we compared the 0° with 45° endoscope (right, P ≤ 0.008; left, P ≤ 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The NET, a face and construct valid open-source partial task neuroendoscopic trainer, was designed. Presimulation novice neurosurgeons and neurosurgical residents were described as having insufficient skills and preparation to practice neuro-endoscopy. Plate tilt and endoscope angle were shown to be important factors in participant performance. The NET was found to be a useful partial-task trainer for skill building in neuro-endoscopy.

Application of a fluorescent C-linked phenolic purine adduct for selective N7-metalation of DNA.

The C-linked phenolic adduct, C8-(2″-hydroxyphenyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine (o-PhOHdG), has been employed to study the impact of N7-metalation of 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG) within duplex DNA. The phenolic group of o-PhOHdG assists selective metal ion coordination by the N7-site of the attached dG moiety, which is the most important metal binding site in duplex DNA. The biaryl nucleobase probe o-PhOHdG is highly fluorescent in water (Φ(fl) = 0.44), and changes in its absorption and emission were used to determine apparent association constants (K(a)) for binding to Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II). The nucleoside was found to bind Cu(II) (log K(a) = 4.59) and Ni(II) (log K(a) = 3.65) effectively, but it showed relatively poor affinity for Zn(II) (log K(a) = 2.55). The fluorescent nucleobase o-PhOHdG was incorporated into a pyrimidine-rich oligonucleotide substrate (ODN1) and a purine-rich (ODN2) substrate to monitor selective binding of Cu(II) through fluorescence quenching of the enol emission of o-PhOHdG within the DNA substrates. The pyrimidine-rich substrate ODN1 was found to possess greater affinity for Cu(II) than the free nucleobase, while the purine-rich substrate ODN2 exhibited diminished Cu(II) binding affinity. The impact of Cu(II) on duplex stability and structure was determined using UV melting temperature analysis and circular dichroism (CD) measurements. These studies highlight the syn preference for Cu(II)-bound o-PhOHdG within ODN1 duplexes and demonstrate competitive Cu(II) binding by other natural dG nucleobases within ODN2. The metal binding properties of o-PhOHdG are compared to the structurally similar 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) derivatives and the nucleoside C8-(2-pyridyl)-dG (2PydG) that has also been used to control N7-metal coordination in DNA. Our results show certain advantages to the use of o-PhOHdG that stem from its highly fluorescent nature in aqueous media and provide additional tools for studying the effects of N7-metalation on the structure and stability of duplex DNA.