Is Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy Better Than Fusion for Warfighters?: A Biomechanical Study.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical spondylosis in the warfighter is a common musculoskeletal problem and can be career-ending especially if it requires fusion. Head-mounted equipment and increased biomechanical forces on the cervical spine have resulted in accelerated cervical spine degeneration. Current surgical gold standard is anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) is a nonfusion surgical alternative, and this can be effective in alleviating radiculopathy from foraminal stenosis caused by disc-osteophyte complex. Biomechanical studies have not been done to analyze motion associated with military aircrew personnel following PCF. The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical responses of the effects of ACDF and PCF with different grades of facet resection under simulated military aircrew conditions using range of motion, disc pressure, and facet loads at the index and adjacent levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A validated 3D finite element model of the human cervical spinal column was used to simulate various graded PCF and ACDF. All surgical simulations were performed at the most commonly operated level (C5-C6) in warfighters. Pure moment loading under flexion, extension, and lateral bending, and in vivo follower force of 75 N were applied to the intact spine. Hybrid loading protocol was used to achieve 134 degrees of combined flexion-extension and 83 degrees of lateral bending in intact and surgical models to reflect military loading conditions. Segmental motions, disc pressure, and facet load were obtained and normalized with respect to the intact model to quantify the biomechanical effect. RESULTS: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion decreased range of motion at the index and increased motion at the adjacent levels, while all graded PCF responses had an opposite trend: increased motion at the index and decreased motion at adjacent levels. The magnitude of changes depended on the level of resection, spinal level, and loading mode. Disc pressure increased at the index level and decreased at the adjacent levels after PCF. These changes were exaggerated with increasing extent of facet resection. Facet load increased at the index level after PCF especially with extension and right (contralateral) lateral bending. Complete facetectomy led to facet load increases greater than ACDF at the adjacent levels in both flexion and extension. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior cervical foraminotomy is a motion-preserving implant-free surgical alternative to ACDF for warfighters with cervical radiculopathy after failure of conservative management. The treating surgeon must pay close attention to the extent of facet resection to avoid potential spinal instability and future disc and facet degeneration after PCF. Posterior cervical foraminotomy can be more advantageous than ACDF in terms of adjacent segment degeneration, motion preservation, reoperation rate, surgical cost, and retention of warfighters.

Isolated Self-Limited Right Oculomotor Nerve Palsy With Positive Asialo-GM1 Antibody After SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination.

mRNA vaccines have been a critical tool in combating the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and demonstrated a high safety profile. However, rare cases of isolated oculomotor nerve palsy following vaccination have been reported. These few reported cases can be divided into two groups based on symptom onset: immediate and delayed. While most reported cases involving Pfizer and Moderna vaccines occurred within the first few days of vaccination, a few cases with delayed onset have also been described. We present a unique case of a patient experiencing isolated, unilateral oculomotor nerve palsy 14 days after receiving a Moderna booster shot. Notably, our case and a previously reported case of 17-day onset case share the interesting finding of positive ganglioside antibodies. This not only highlights the potential for unusual occurrences following COVID-19 vaccination but also opens up avenues for exploring the underlying mechanisms behind these events.

The impact of limited access to electronic medical records on neurosurgical care within the CARICOM countries: A survey and scoping review.

Introduction: Global access to electronic medical records (EMRs) continues to grow, however many countries including those within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) lack access to this system. Minimal research investigating EMR use in this region exists. Research question: How does limited EMR access impact neurosurgical care within the CARICOM? Materials and methods: The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE databases, and grey literature were queried for studies addressing this issue within the CARICOM and low- and/or middle-income countries (LMICs). A comprehensive search for hospitals within the CARICOM was performed and responses to a survey inquiring about neurosurgery availability and EMR access within each facility were recorded. Results: 26 out of 87 surveys were returned leading to a response rate of 29.0%. Among the survey respondents, 57.7% stated neurosurgery was provided at their facility; however, only 38.4% admitted to using an EMR system. Paper charting was the primary means of record keeping for the majority of the facilities (61.5%). The most frequently reported barriers stalling EMR implementation were financial limitations (73.6%) and poor internet access (26.3%). A total of 14 articles were included in the scoping review. Results from these studies suggest that limited EMR access contributes to suboptimal neurosurgical outcomes within the CARICOM and LMICs. Discussion and conclusion: This paper is the first to address the impact that limited EMR has on neurosurgical outcomes in the CARICOM. The lack of research addressing this issue also highlights the need for ongoing efforts to increase research output focused on EMR accessibility and neurosurgical outcomes in these countries.

Profile of pediatric neurosurgery in Nigeria from 1962 to 2021: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of pediatric neurosurgery in Nigeria, since 1962, by assessing epidemiological data, management strategies, and case outcomes. METHODS: A systematic bibliometric review of Nigerian neurosurgical literature was reported with the PRISMA guidelines. The Risk of Bias Assessment Tool was applied to all non-randomized studies, and a descriptive analysis was performed for all variables. RESULTS: We identified 12,295 pediatric patients from 196 published studies. Most publications (72.4%) occurred in the recent two decades, of which 40.3% were observational case reports/series. The patients were predominantly male (57.2%) and aged 0-18 years, with the majority (66.1%) belonging to the 0-5 age range. Most patients (63.4%) presented between 1-12 months. The most common presenting feature was altered consciousness (7.7%), with computed tomography (38.8%) being the most frequently utilized diagnostic imaging modality. The diagnoses with the greatest prevalence (60.2%) were congenital abnormalities such as hydrocephalus and neural tube defects. 57.5% of cases received surgical therapy, with ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement being the most noticeable procedure performed (36.4%). Complications were identified in 9.5% of cases, with a 4.5% death rate. The Glasgow Outcome Score (95.7%) was the primary outcome measure utilized, with positive outcomes reported in 59.3% of cases. CONCLUSION: This review provides significant epidemiological data which emphasizes the country's enormous burden of pediatric neurosurgical cases. The findings can help guide clinical decisions as well as future research and policy development.