Utility of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Preterm Infants with Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage and Intraventricular Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) are the most common brain injuries in preterm infants. Neonates with these injuries are at greater risk of impaired neurodevelopmental outcome. Current guidelines recommend screening infants with cranial ultrasound (CUS); however, this is prone to missing subtle injury patterns, particularly within the posterior fossa. The present report sought to discuss the utility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in preterm infants. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid EMBASE was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Included manuscripts were methodically scrutinized for quality, DTI use, and neurologic outcome. RESULTS: Twenty studies with 1574 infants who underwent DTI were included. There were 574 preterm infants with GMH-IVH on DTI. Twelve studies documented decreased fractional anisotropy, whereas 6 demonstrated structural segregation and asymmetrical white matter myelination in these infants. Seven studies documented concurrent CUS use with 2 studies comparing DTI findings with CUS findings. In both studies, DTI more accurately detected presence of GMH, especially within the cerebellum. Among GMH-IVH preterm infants, 58.5% demonstrated cognitive, intellectual, and language delays at follow-up (mean, 32.4 months). Additionally, lower fractional anisotropy values on initial DTI were associated with cognitive, language, and motor delays. CONCLUSIONS: Although DTI is more sensitive for picking up subtle injury patterns, CUS remains the standard of care when screening for injuries that would necessitate surgical intervention. DTI offers a refined understanding of the sequelae of GMH-IVH with microstructural changes found on DTI being associated with childhood motor and cognitive outcomes.

Subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhage, and fracture triad as a clinical predictor for the diagnosis of child abuse.

OBJECTIVE: Nonaccidental trauma (NAT) is a major cause of traumatic death during infancy and early childhood. Several findings are known to raise the index of clinical suspicion: subdural hematoma (SDH), retinal hemorrhage (RH), fracture, and external trauma. Combinations of certain injury types, determined via statistical frequency associations, may assist clinical diagnostic tools when child abuse is suspected. The present study sought to assess the statistical validity of the clinical triad (SDH + RH + fracture) in the diagnosis of child abuse and by extension pediatric NAT. METHODS: A retrospective review of The University of Arizona Trauma Database was performed. All patients were evaluated for the presence or absence of the components of the clinical triad according to specific International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes. Injury type combinations included some variation of SDH, RH, all fractures, noncranial fracture, and cranial fracture. Each injury type was then correlated with the ICD-10 codes for child abuse or injury comment keywords. Statistical analysis via contingency tables was then conducted for test characteristics such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. RESULTS: There were 3149 patients younger than 18 years of age included in the quantitative analysis, all of whom had at least one component of the clinical triad. From these, 372 patients (11.8%) had a diagnosis of child abuse. When compared to a single diagnosis of either SDH, RH, all fractures, noncranial fracture, or cranial fracture, the clinical triad had a significantly greater correlation with the diagnosis of child abuse (100% of cases) (p < 0.0001). The dyad of SDH + RH also had a significantly greater correlation with a child abuse diagnosis compared to single diagnoses (88.9%) (p < 0.0001). The clinical triad of SDH + RH + fracture had a sensitivity of 88.8% (95% CI 87.6%-89.9%), specificity of 100% (95% CI 83.9%-100%), and positive predictive value of 100% (95% CI 99.9%-100%). The dyad of SDH + RH had a sensitivity of 89.1% (95% CI 87.9%-90.1%), specificity of 88.9% (95% CI 74.7%-95.6%), and positive predictive value of 99.9% (95% CI 99.6%-100%). All patients with the clinical triad were younger than 3 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: When SDH, RH, and fracture were present together, child abuse and by extension pediatric NAT were highly likely to have occurred.

Utility of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) are emerging technologies that are starting to be translated into clinical practice. Limited data are available regarding these tools in use during live surgery of the spine. Our objective was to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret the existing data regarding AR, VR, and MR use in spine surgery on living people. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. The PubMed, PubMed Central, Cochrane Reviews, and Embase databases were searched. Combinations and variations of the phrases "augmented reality," "virtual reality," and spine surgery using both "AND" and "OR" configurations were used to find relevant studies. The references of the included reports from the systematic review were also screened for possible inclusion as a part of a manual review. The included studies were full-text publications written in English that had included any spine surgery on live persons with the use of VR or AR. RESULTS: A total of 1566 unique reports were found, and 15 full-text publications met the criteria for the present study. The total number of patients from all studies was 241, with a weighted average age of 50.37 years. Surgical procedures using AR, VR, and/or MR were diverse and spanned from simple discectomy to intradural spinal tumor resection. All patients experienced improvement in their symptoms present at clinical presentation. The highest complication rate reported in the studies was 6.1% and was for suboptimal pedicle screw placement. No complications led to clinical sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: The systematically collected, analyzed, and interpreted data of existing peer-reviewed full-text articles showed favorable metrics regarding surgical efficacy, pedicle screw target accuracy, radiation exposure, clinical outcomes, and disability and pain for patients with spinal pathology treated with the help of AR, VR, and/or MR.

Carotid Cavernous Fistula Treatment via Flow Diversion: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Carotid cavernous fistulas (CCFs) are pathologic connections between the carotid arteries and the cavernous sinus and have been classically treated with endovascular coil embolization, although flow diverters have been used for treatment successfully multiple times. The aim of this study is to systematically review the literature for efficacy of flow diverters in treating CCFs. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, PubMed Central, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched. Combinations and variations of "carotid cavernous fistula," "flow diversion," "pipeline embolization device," "Surpass," "Silk," "p64," "FRED," and "flow redirection endoluminal device" in both AND and OR configurations were used to gather relevant articles. Citations of included articles from the systematic review were also screened for possible inclusion as a part of manual review. Included studies were full-text publications written in English that had patients with diagnosed CCFs and treatment with flow diversion. RESULTS: Eighteen full-text publications were relevant to this systematic review. A total of 41 patients underwent flow-diverting therapy alone or in conjunction with coil embolization, liquid embolization, and/or stenting for treatment of a diagnosed CCF. Twenty-nine patients (70.7%) needed 1 procedure alone, 11 patients (26.8%) required a second procedure, and 1 patient (2.4%) required a third procedure. Six patients (14.6%) had lasting symptoms despite intervention; however, all 41 patients had clinical improvement compared with initial presentation. Flow diversion was a useful solitary treatment or adjunctive treatment in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Flow diversion is a useful adjunct in combination with coil embolization for the treatment of CCFs but long-term outcomes remain to be seen.

Unilateral Pulmonary Fibrosis Due to Absence of Right Pulmonary Artery.

Pulmonary fibrosis is typically a bilateral, progressive interstitial lung disease that is often idiopathic but can be associated with risk factors such as advanced age, environmental exposure, and drug toxicity. The pathophysiology is incompletely understood but involves transforming growth factor. The treatment choices for idiopathic disease include medical therapy that manipulates epigenetic pathways and lung transplantation. Here we present a 30-year-old female with no identifiable risk factors who developed unilateral pulmonary fibrosis. Clinical investigation eventually revealed a congenitally absent right pulmonary artery which was presumed to cause her unilateral disease. In contrast to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, treatment options for pulmonary fibrosis due to unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery include ipsilateral pulmonary vasculature embolization and/or pneumonectomy if disease is unmanageable without therapy.

Acute Oculomotor Nerve Palsy Caused by Compression from an Aberrant Posterior Communicating Artery.

Oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) is a rare neurological deficit associated with numerous underlying pathologies. Of these, aneurysm of the posterior communicating artery (PCOM) has been described due to the intimate association with the third cranial nerve in the basal cistern. Less described are other vascular abnormalities and their contribution to ONP. We describe a case of ONP thought to result from a PCOM aneurysm, per the associated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, yet found intraoperatively to be caused by a congenital vascular aberrancy. This is the first case, to our knowledge, of this presentation.

Case Report of Rarely Described Polymorphous Low-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor of the Young and Comparison with Oligodendroglioma.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY) is a central nervous system tumor that shares many qualities with oligodendroglioma but is rarely and only very recently described as a distinct entity in the literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: A previously healthy, 19-year-old man presented with new onset of seizures. Imaging showed an intracranial mass, which was treated with surgical removal. Preoperative and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging, histopathologic examination, genetic testing, and immunohistochemical staining all supported a diagnosis of PLNTY. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic investigation of PLNTY shows many similarities with oligodendroglioma, and thus these entities can be mistaken for one another. Certain studies are needed to distinguish PLNTY and other dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors, such as oligodendroglioma.

Aggressive Endovascular Management of Massive Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis in the Setting of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

While hematologic malignancies are understood to be a risk factor for dural sinus thrombosis (DST), little data is available regarding the presentation and management of synchronous cases. In this case, a 40-year-old woman with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) developed extensive DST with symptoms refractory to systemic anticoagulation. The decision was made to pursue aggressive endovascular intervention and the patient's symptoms significantly improved with minimal residual deficits. Here, we report the clinical course and complex management of this rare clinical scenario.

Percutaneous Vertebral Artery Access for Embolization of Cerebrovascular Disease: Illustrative Case and Operative Technique.

Intracranial arteriovenous malformations can be further complicated by the development of aneurysms, which themselves carry the risk of rupture and hemorrhage. New endovascular techniques allow for more treatment options for these lesions in the setting of arteriovenous malformations. Here we present the case of a patient who developed an aneurysm in the setting of an arteriovenous malformation and subsequently underwent successful endovascular treatment via percutaneous access of the vertebral artery along with reviewing the literature on further treatment options and developments.