Prolactinoma: Medical and Surgical Considerations.

Prolactinomas are the most common secretory tumor of the pituitary gland. Clinical symptoms may be due to prolactin oversecretion, localized mass effect, or a combination of both. Although the mainstay of prolactinoma management is medical therapy with dopamine agonists, endoscopic endonasal or transcranial surgery, radiation therapy, or a combination of these is an important treatment option in select cases. This article discusses prolactinoma phenotypes, clinical presentations, and clinically pertinent medical and surgical considerations when managing these tumors.

Reducing Superfluous Opioid Prescribing Practices After Brain Surgery: It Is Time to Talk About Drugs.

BACKGROUND: Opioids are prescribed routinely after cranial surgery despite a paucity of evidence regarding the optimal quantity needed. Overprescribing may adversely contribute to opioid abuse, chronic use, and diversion. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a system-wide campaign to reduce opioid prescribing excess while maintaining adequate analgesia. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing a craniotomy for tumor resection with home disposition before and after a 2-mo educational intervention was completed. The educational initiative was composed of directed didactic seminars targeting senior staff, residents, and advanced practice providers. Opioid prescribing patterns were then assessed for patients discharged before and after the intervention period. RESULTS: A total of 203 patients were discharged home following a craniotomy for tumor resection during the study period: 98 who underwent surgery prior to the educational interventions compared to 105 patients treated post-intervention. Following a 2-mo educational period, the quantity of opioids prescribed decreased by 52% (median morphine milligram equivalent per day [interquartile range], 32.1 [16.1, 64.3] vs 15.4 [0, 32.9], P < .001). Refill requests also decreased by 56% (17% vs 8%, P = .027) despite both groups having similar baseline characteristics. There was no increase in pain scores at outpatient follow-up (1.23 vs 0.85, P = .105). CONCLUSION: A dramatic reduction in opioids prescribed was achieved without affecting refill requests, patient satisfaction, or perceived analgesia. The use of targeted didactic education to safely improve opioid prescribing following intracranial surgery uniquely highlights the ability of simple, evidence-based interventions to impact clinical decision making, lessen potential patient harm, and address national public health concerns.

Caregiver perceptions of end-of-life care in patients with high-grade glioma.

BACKGROUND: Patients dying from high-grade gliomas (HGG) suffer from high symptom burden in the end-of-life (EoL) phase. Family caregivers are most informed about the patient's symptoms and disease course. The aim of this study is to assess caregiver perception on quality of EoL care of HGG patients. METHODS: Caregivers prospectively participated in the Toolkit After-Death Bereaved Family Member Interview, part of the Toolkit of Instruments to Measure End-of-Life Care (TIME survey). This validated survey assesses EoL care in areas such as physical comfort and emotional support, advance care planning, focus on the individual, attention to family, and coordination of care. The quality of EoL care was measured by domain scores (0 = care was always optimal, 1 = care was always suboptimal) or with a 0-10 scale. RESULTS: Of the 55 enrolled family caregivers, 44 completed the interview and rated the overall care high (8.90 ± 1.36/10), perceived that patients' wishes were respected (9.46 ± 0.95) and that they died in dignity (9.65 ± 0.98). Caregivers perceived high satisfaction with information and decision-making (0.18), advance care planning (0.19), focus on the individual (0.16), and care coordination (0.11). Attention to family (0.25) needed improvement. Only 41% of caregivers were confident that they knew what to do at the time of death and 46% felt that the healthcare team did not provide them with someone to turn to in distress. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers reported high overall satisfaction with EoL HGG care, though attention to family and communication needed improvement. Focus should therefore be on improved caregiver communication to improve EoL care, caregiver burnout, and bereavement in HGG populations.

Quantification of pial collateral pressure in acute large vessel occlusion stroke: basic concept with patient outcomes.

PURPOSE: Pial collateral perfusion to the ischemic penumbra plays a critical role in determining patient outcomes in acute stroke. We aimed to assess the validity and reliability of an intra-procedural technique for measuring and quantifying the pial collateral pressure (QPCP) to ischemic brain tissue during acute stroke secondary to LVO. QPCP measurements were correlated with standard computed tomography angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography imaging assessments of pial collateral perfusion and outcomes after mechanical endovascular revascularization (MER). METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 60 consecutive patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA)-M1 and proximal M2 occlusions. QPCP measurements were obtained during MER. The validity of QPCP measurements was evaluated using four widely accepted collateral grading scales. QPCP measurements were also analyzed as a predictor of patient outcomes utilizing National Institute of Health Stroke Scale reduction at 24 h and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 30 days. RESULTS: QPCP measurements and QPCP ratio (QPCP/systemic mean arterial blood pressure) showed a statistically significant association with single-phase pretreatment CTA Maas and American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology/Society of Interventional Radiology binary grading scales. Patient outcomes demonstrated for every 10-unit increase in QPCP, the odds of mRS 0-2 at 30 days increased by 76% (p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: QPCP measurements related best with the pretreatment CTA Maas collateral grading scale but were more strongly associated with patient outcomes than any of the four widely accepted collateral grading scales. Greater QPCP was significantly associated with better overall patient outcomes as defined by mRS at 30 days.

The economic impact of glioma survivorship: The cost of care from a patient perspective.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to characterize the socioeconomic impact of glioma for patients with clinical and radiographic evidence of disease stability, using the standardized Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Household Component (MEPS-HC). METHODS: The MEPS-HC questionnaire was used to investigate the degree of economic hardship referable to the patient's brain tumor and treatment. The questionnaire included demographic variables such as age at diagnosis, ethnicity, highest level of education, and annual household income. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize variables and between-group comparisons were evaluated using Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Of 127 prescreened patients, 89 of 107 eligible patients completed the survey. Pathology at diagnosis was predominantly low grade (60%). Most patients were insured at time of diagnosis (91%), married (76%), and employed (79%), with annual household incomes slightly higher than the national average. Despite this, nearly a quarter incurred debt referable to brain tumor care (24%), 53% required extended unpaid time off, and 46% retired or were no longer working. Financial burden and workforce morbidity were insensitive to tumor location, laterality, and annual household income. Patients with gross total resection at initial surgery were less likely to report ongoing limitations in daily activities (45% vs 83%, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Even in a population of stable, high-functioning glioma survivors, financial burden and workforce morbidity was ubiquitous across all tumor subtypes, treatment paradigms, and income levels.

A Survey of Chemoprophylaxis Techniques in Spine Surgery Among American Neurosurgery Training Programs.

BACKGROUND: A paucity of randomized trials have compared prophylactic dose of unfractionated heparin (UFH) versus low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for the prevention of venous thromboembolic events in spinal surgery. Our objective was to determine the most prevalent chemoprophylactic techniques in spine surgery. METHODS: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education was queried for all neurosurgical residency programs, which were subsequently sent an electronic survey about prophylactic UFH versus LMWH in spine surgery for (1) degenerative/deformity, (2) traumatic, and (3) neoplastic pathologies. RESULTS: Of 69 unique responding residencies, the first dose of chemoprophylaxis for degenerative/deformity spinal disease started most commonly on postoperative day (POD) 1 in 75.3% of neurosurgery programs, followed by POD 2 in 10.1% of programs, POD 0 (same day of surgery) in 8.7% of programs, POD 3 in 1.4% of programs, and morning of surgery in 1.4% of programs. Choice of postoperative chemoprophylaxis did not differ statistically significantly between UFH versus LMWH: 56.5% versus 36.2% in degenerative/deformity pathologies (P = 0.080) and 50.7% versus 43.4% in traumatic pathologies (P = 0.535). Three programs (4.3%) in both the degenerative/deformity and trauma groups documented no chemoprophylaxis. Neoplastic pathologies saw a statistically significantly higher proportion of prophylactic UFH (60.8%) compared with prophylactic LMWH (36.2%) (P = 0.037). One program (1.4%) in the neoplastic group did not utilize chemoprophylaxis. Two institutions (2.8%) in the degenerative/deformity cohort and 1 institution (1.4%) in the trauma and cancer cohorts reported "other". CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic UFH was statistically more common than LMWH in neoplastic spinal surgery, but not in the degenerative/deformity and trauma groups (cohorts). Further trials are warranted.

The impact of 5-aminolevulinic acid on extent of resection in newly diagnosed high grade gliomas: a systematic review and single institutional experience.

BACKGROUND: Glioma surgery at its nascency relied predominantly on visual and tactile feedback for the removal of grossly abnormal tissue. This technique has inherent limitations in delineating infiltrative tumor from normal brain, thus limiting the ability to achieve a gross total resection consistently. Since extent of resection (EOR) is consistently correlated with measures of survival, fluorescence-guided surgery shows promise in improving our ability to treat high-grade gliomas (HGG). 5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a prodrug preferentially metabolized by glioma cells that allows direct, real-time visualization of pathologic tissue through fluorescence under blue light. OBJECTIVE: To report the relationship between 5-ALA and EOR in newly diagnosed HGG. To report our institutional experience including nuances of workflow. METHODS: The authors performed a systematic review of the available literature between 1998 and 2018 to isolate studies addressing the impact of fluorescence-guided surgery with 5-ALA on the EOR in newly diagnosed HGG. Search strategy was in adherence to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses methodology. RESULTS: Out of 741 unique articles, eight fulfilled our strict inclusion criteria. Fluorescence-guided resection led to greater EOR in all studies, with six demonstrating statistical significance (p < 0.05). Two studies additionally demonstrated statistically significant increase in progression-free survival in the 5-ALA groups. CONCLUSIONS: 5-ALA has an unambiguously positive impact on improving EOR for newly diagnosed HGG. Since the nature of modern glioma surgery includes a complex arsenal of surgical adjuncts, 5-ALA is seldom examined in isolation and can be complemented by intraoperative MRI.

Pallidal deep brain stimulation and intraoperative neurophysiology for treatment of poststroke hemiballism.

Deep brain stimulation is a recognized and effective treatment for several movement disorders. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this intervention on abnormal movements secondary to structural brain pathologies is less consistent. In this report, we describe a case of hemiballism-hemichorea due to a peripartum ischemic stroke-treated with deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus internus. Patient observed marked improvement in her symptoms at long-term follow-up. Neurophysiologic data revealed lower globus pallidus internus firing rates compared to other hyperkinetic disorders. Pallidal deep brain stimulation is a plausible option for medically refractory hemiballism-hemichorea and cumulative data from multiple centers may be used to fully evaluate its efficacy.