Spinal Cord Stimulator Paddle Lead Revision and Replacement for Misplaced or Displaced Electrodes.

OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord stimulators (SCSs) are commonly implanted via a laminotomy or laminectomy. Revision surgery may be necessary in instances of hardware failure or loss of efficacy. It is uncommon for leads to have been initially misplaced in a suboptimal position and revision in these cases necessitates additional dissection for appropriate repositioning. Accordingly, there is concern with a more extensive revision for a potentially higher risk of associated complications. This study aims to describe a series of patients with failed paddle SCS electrodes due to misplacement who underwent revision and replacement. METHODS: Patients who underwent SCS paddle replacement for misplaced paddles between 2021 and 2023 were identified. Medical charts were reviewed for demographic data, operative details, and incidence of complications. RESULTS: Sixteen patients underwent thoracic SCS paddle revision and replacement. The mean age was 59.6 ± 12.6 years, with 11 females and 5 males. Misplaced paddles were too lateral (n = 12), too high (n = 2), or incompletely within the epidural space (n = 2). The mean duration from initial implantation to revision surgery was 44.8 ± 47.5 months. The mean operative duration was 126.1 ± 26.9 minutes and all patients required a "skip" laminectomy or laminotomy. No complications were encountered. The mean length of follow-up was 18.4 ± 7.3 months. Mean preoperative pain intensity was 7.9 ± 1.5 and at last follow-up was 3.6 ± 1.7 (P < 0.001). All but 1 patient continued to use their device in follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The revision and replacement of misplaced paddle SCS electrodes is a feasible and durable revision strategy, even in long-term implants with extensive scarring.

Use of noninvasive induction techniques in the diagnosis of PNES.

The diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) remains challenging. In the correct clinical setting with prolonged electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring, the specificity of provocative techniques to distinguish induced epileptic event from a nonepileptic event approaches 90%. We report our epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) experience with the use of noninvasive verbal suggestion (VS) during hyperventilation (HV), photic stimulation (PS) as induction technique in making the diagnosis of PNES. In total, 189/423 patients were diagnosed with PNES during the EMU evaluation. Of the 189, 20 had mixed disorder and 169 patients had only PNES, 80 patients (47.3%) had a PNES with induction, and the remaining 89 of 169 patients (52.7%) had a spontaneous PNES episode that did not require induction. Verbal suggestion during HV and PS confirmed the diagnosis of PNES in 47% of the patients who otherwise did not have spontaneous events. Within the group who was diagnosed with PNES following induction, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were stopped in 53% of the patients. We believe that this is a large proportion of patients that would possibly remain undiagnosed if no induction were performed.

Endocrine Surgery in the Geriatric Population.

Age must be a factor when considering endocrine surgery. Age itself is a risk factor for complications after thyroidectomy, specifically pulmonary, infectious, and cardiac complications. For this reason, in patients with nodular thyroid disease or thyroid microcarcinoma, length of observation must be measured against age and surgical risk. Outcomes of thyroid surgery in geriatric patients can be improved with several measures, including careful preoperative risk stratification based on comorbidities and frailty. In this population subset, it is imperative to have an earnest discussion with patients, their families, and any surrogate decision maker regarding potential outcomes of treatment versus observation.