Characteristics of registered research in peritoneal dialysis: Past and present.

Recent national policy changes in the United States and the continued growth of peritoneal dialysis (PD) as a therapy for end-stage kidney disease has renewed interest in this modality. The objective of this study was to describe the current landscape of PD clinical trials to assess trends and gaps in clinical research. An advanced search was completed through ClinicalTrials.gov, yielding 248 studies. Descriptive statistics and Fisher exact tests were used for statistical analysis. Most studies were completed (197, 79.4%), did not indicate a phase (143, 57.7%), were academically sponsored (156, 62.9%), or conducted in Asia (88, 35.5%). There has been overall growth in PD clinical trials since 1995. The type of phase was related to study location (p = 0.008). The type of study intervention was related to study recruitment status, sponsor type, and primary outcome (p = 0.030, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Despite growth in PD research worldwide, more studies are being conducted outside the U.S., and static investment in U.S. government-sponsored PD research risks not achieving the goal of increasing availability of home dialysis.

Short-Term Pain Outcomes and Pain Medication Utilization Among Urine Toxicology-Identified Opioid and Marijuana Users After Elective Spine Surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postoperative pain outcomes may be influenced by preoperative substance use, which is often underreported due to associated stigma. This study examined the impact of urine toxicology-identified preoperative opioid and marijuana use on pain outcomes after elective spinal surgery. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective spinal surgery between September 2020 and May 2022 were recruited for this prospective cohort study. Detailed chart review was completed to collect demographic, urine toxicology, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and pain medication data. Comparisons between self-reported and urine toxicology-identified substance use, preoperative/postoperative VAS ratings, and postoperative pain medication use were made using χ 2 tests, Student t -tests, and logistic regression, respectively. Models were adjusted for age, sex, and race. RESULTS: Among 111 participants (mean age 58 years, 59% female, 95% with ≥1 comorbidity), urine toxicology overestimated drug use (47% vs 16%, P < .001) and underestimated alcohol use (16% vs 56%, P < .001) at preoperative baseline relative to patient reports. Two weeks postoperatively, participants with preoperative opioid metabolites reported no significant improvements in pain from baseline (6.67 preoperative vs 5.92 postoperative, P = .288) unlike nonusers (6.56 preoperative vs 4.61 postoperative, P < .001). They also had worse postoperative VAS (5.92 vs 4.61, P = .030) and heavier reliance on opioid medications (odds ratio = 3.09, 95% CI = 1.21-7.89, P = .019). Conversely, participants with preoperative marijuana reported similar improvements in pain from baseline (users: 6.88 preoperative vs 4.36 postoperative, P = .001; nonusers: 6.49 preoperative vs 5.07 postoperative, P = .001), similar postoperative pain (4.36 vs 5.07, P = .238), and similar postoperative reliance on opioid medications (odds ratio = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.38-2.44, P = .928). Trends were maintained among the 83 patients who returned for the 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Although urine toxicology-identified preoperative opioid use was associated with poor postoperative pain relief and reliance on postoperative opioids for pain management after elective spinal surgery, preoperative marijuana use was not. Preoperative marijuana use, hence, should not delay or be a contraindication to elective spinal surgery.

Comparative analysis of perioperative characteristics and early outcomes in transforaminal endoscopic lumbar diskectomy: general anesthesia versus conscious sedation.

PURPOSE: To better understand how anesthesia type impacts patient selection and recovery in TELD, we conducted a multicenter prospective study which evaluates the differences in perioperative characteristics and outcomes between patients who underwent TELD with either general anesthesia (GA) or conscious sedation (CS). METHODS: We prospectively collected data from all TELD performed by five neurosurgeons at five different medical centers between February and October of 2022. The study population was dichotomized by anesthesia scheme, creating CS and GA cohorts. This study's primary outcomes were the Oswetry Disability Index (ODI) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, assessed preoperatively and at 2-week follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients underwent TELD for symptomatic lumbar disk herniation. Twenty-three patients received conscious sedation with local anesthesia, and 29 patients were operated on under general anesthesia. Patients who received CS were significantly older (60.0 vs. 46.7, p < 0.001) and had lower BMI (28.2 vs. 33.4, p = 0.005) than patients under GA. No intraoperative or anesthetic complications occurred in the CS and GA cohorts. Improvement at 2-week follow-up in ODI, VAS-back, and VAS-leg was greater in patients receiving CS relative to patients under GA, but these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In our multicenter prospective analysis of 52 patients undergoing TELD, we found that patients receiving CS were significantly older and had significantly lower BMI compared to patients under GA. On subgroup analysis, no statistically significant differences were found in the improvement of PROMs between patients in the CS and GA group.

Initial experience with transcarotid arterial revascularization with flow reversal in the management of symptomatic carotid stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of transcarotid arterial revascularization (TCAR) as a viable intervention in the treatment of symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data of the first 62 consecutive patients treated at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, who underwent a TCAR for symptomatic carotid artery stenosis between November 11, 2020, and March 31, 2022. Relevant demographic, comorbidity, and perioperative data were extracted through retrospective chart review. Patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis were excluded. The authors also evaluated patients using pertinent physiological and anatomical high-risk criteria as described in the ROADSTER trial. Risk factors were aggregated to form a composite risk total for every patient. The primary outcome of this study was the 30-day adverse outcome rate of stroke, myocardial infarction, and/or death. Periprocedural stroke was identified by clinical symptoms and radiographic findings. Secondary endpoints included device and procedural success, 30-day mortality, 30-day stroke rate, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The authors analyzed the first 62 patients with > 50% symptomatic carotid artery stenosis who underwent TCAR at their institution. The mean age of the cohort was 71.5 years, and the cohort was predominantly male (67.7%). The most common high-risk medical criteria were age older than 75 years (45.3%) and severe coronary artery disease (13.6%). The most common anatomical high-risk criteria were high bifurcation (35.1%) and contralateral stenosis requiring treatment within 30 days (15.8%). Fifty percent of patients had at least 1 medical high-risk criterion, 50% had at least 1 anatomical risk criterion, and 82% of patients had 2 or more high-risk criteria of any kind. Among this group, all patients (100%) underwent successful revascularization, with 1 (1.6%) requiring intraprocedural conversion to carotid endarterectomy. Postprocedurally, there was 1 nondisabling stroke (1.6%) and 3 deaths (4.8%) within 30 days of the procedure, with only 1 death directly attributable to the procedure. One patient (1.6%) experienced a neck hematoma. In total, 4 patients (6.5%) experienced a major complication. The overall complication rate was 8.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' initial experience with TCAR suggests that it might provide an effective alternative to carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting in the management of symptomatic carotid stenosis in patients with high-risk anatomical and medical characteristics.

Implications of declining medicare reimbursement of hernia repair for surgeons and patients.

In conclusion, billing trends reflect declining reimbursement and utilization of hernia repair, and increasing markup ratios may create a financial barrier to accessing hernia for uninsured and underinsured patients. As a new set of hernia repair CPT codes are used in practice, close attention should be paid to the downstream effects of billing practices in hernia repair on physician and patient alike.

Full-endoscopic spine surgery diminishes surgical site infections - a propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Surgical site infections (SSI) are one the most frequent and costly complications following spinal surgery. The SSI rates of different surgical approaches need to be analyzed to successfully minimize SSI occurrence. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to define the rate of SSIs in patients undergoing full-endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) and then to compare this rate against a propensity score-matched cohort from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. DESIGN: This is a retrospective multicenter cohort study using a propensity score-matched analysis of prospectively maintained databases. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 1277 noninstrumented FESS cases between 2015 and 2021 were selected for analysis. In the nonendoscopic NSQIP cohort we selected data of 55,882 patients. OUTCOME MEASURES: The occurrence of any SSI was the primary outcome. We also collected any other perioperative complications, demographic data, comorbidities, operative details, history of smoking, and chronic steroid intake. METHODS: All FESS cases from a multi-institutional group that underwent surgery from 2015 to 2021 were identified for analysis. A cohort of cases for comparison was identified from the NSQIP database using Current Procedural Terminology of nonendoscopic cervical, thoracic, and lumbar procedures from 2015 to 2019. Trauma cases as well as arthrodesis procedures, surgeries to treat pathologies affecting more than 4 levels or spine tumors that required surgical treatment were excluded. In addition, nonelective cases, and patients with wounds worse than class 1 were also not included. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and operative details were analyzed for propensity matching. RESULTS: In the nonpropensity-matched dataset, the endoscopic cohort had a significantly higher incidence of medical comorbidities. The SSI rates for nonendoscopic and endoscopic patients were 1.2% and 0.001%, respectively, in the nonpropensity match cohort (p-value <.011). Propensity score matching yielded 5936 nonendoscopic patients with excellent matching (standard mean difference of 0.007). The SSI rate in the matched population was 1.1%, compared to 0.001% in endoscopic patients with an odds ratio 0.063 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.009-0.461, p=.006) favoring FESS. CONCLUSIONS: FESS compares favorably for risk reduction in SSI following spinal decompression surgeries with similar operative characteristics. As a consequence, FESS may be considered the optimal strategy for minimizing SSI morbidity.

Endoscopic Techniques for Spinal Oncology: A Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Due to its ultraminimally invasive nature, endoscopic spinal surgery is an attractive tool in spinal oncologic care. To date, there has been no comprehensive review of this topic. The authors therefore present a thorough search of the medical literature on endoscopic techniques for spinal oncology. METHODS: A systematic review using PubMed was conducted using the following keywords: endoscopic spine surgery, spinal oncology, and spinal tumors. RESULTS: Collectively, 19 cases described endoscopic spine surgery for spinal oncologic care. Endoscopic spine surgery has been employed for the care of patients with spinal tumors under the following 4 circumstances: (1) to obtain a reliable tissue diagnosis; (2) to serve as an adjunct during traditional open surgery; (3) to achieve targeted debulking; or (4) to perform definitive resection. These cases employing endoscopic techniques highlight the versatility of this approach and its utility when applied to the right patient and with an experienced surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review suggests that, given the right patient and an experienced surgeon, endoscopic spine surgery should be considered in the armamentarium for spinal oncologic care for both staging and definitive resection. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This systematic literature review showed that endoscopic techniques have been successfully applied across the spectrum of care in spinal oncology, from diagnosis to definitive treatment.

Navigation Techniques in Endoscopic Spine Surgery.

Endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) advances the principles of minimally invasive surgery, including minor collateral tissue damage, reduced blood loss, and faster recovery times. ESS allows for direct access to the spine through small incisions and direct visualization of spinal pathology via an endoscope. While this technique has many applications, there is a steep learning curve when adopting ESS into a surgeon's practice. Two types of navigation, optical and electromagnetic, may allow for widespread utilization of ESS by engendering improved orientation to surgical anatomy and reduced complication rates. The present review discusses these two available navigation technologies and their application in endoscopic procedures by providing case examples. Furthermore, we report on the future directions of navigation within the discipline of ESS.

Patient frailty association with cerebral arteriovenous malformation microsurgical outcomes and development of custom risk stratification score: an analysis of 16,721 nationwide admissions.

OBJECTIVE: Patient frailty is associated with poorer perioperative outcomes for several neurosurgical procedures. However, comparative accuracy between different frailty metrics for cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) outcomes is poorly understood and existing frailty metrics studied in the literature are constrained by poor specificity to neurosurgery. This aim of this paper was to compare the predictive ability of 3 frailty scores for AVM microsurgical admissions and generate a custom risk stratification score. METHODS: All adult AVM microsurgical admissions in the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (2002-2017) were identified. Three frailty measures were analyzed: 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5; range 0-5), 11-factor modified frailty index (mFI-11; range 0-11), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (range 0-29). Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare accuracy between metrics. The analyzed endpoints included in-hospital mortality, routine discharge, complications, length of stay (LOS), and hospitalization costs. Survey-weighted multivariate regression assessed frailty-outcome associations, adjusting for 13 confounders, including patient demographics, hospital characteristics, rupture status, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, and treatment modality. Subsequently, k-fold cross-validation and Akaike information criterion-based model selection were used to generate a custom 5-variable risk stratification score called the AVM-5. This score was validated in the main study population and a pseudoprospective cohort (2018-2019). RESULTS: The authors analyzed 16,271 total AVM microsurgical admissions nationwide, with 21.0% being ruptured. The mFI-5, mFI-11, and CCI were all predictive of lower rates of routine discharge disposition, increased perioperative complications, and longer LOS (all p < 0.001). Their AVM-5 risk stratification score was calculated from 5 variables: age, hydrocephalus, paralysis, diabetes, and hypertension. The AVM-5 was predictive of decreased rates of routine hospital discharge (OR 0.26, p < 0.001) and increased perioperative complications (OR 2.42, p < 0.001), postoperative LOS (+49%, p < 0.001), total LOS (+47%, p < 0.001), and hospitalization costs (+22%, p < 0.001). This score outperformed age, mFI-5, mFI-11, and CCI for both ruptured and unruptured AVMs (area under the curve [AUC] 0.78, all p < 0.001). In a pseudoprospective cohort of 2005 admissions from 2018 to 2019, the AVM-5 remained significantly associated with all outcomes except for mortality and exhibited higher accuracy than all 3 earlier scores (AUC 0.79, all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patient frailty is predictive of poorer disposition and elevated complications, LOS, and costs for AVM microsurgical admissions. The authors' custom AVM-5 risk score outperformed age, mFI-5, mFI-11, and CCI while using threefold less variables than the CCI. This score may complement existing AVM grading scales for optimization of surgical candidates and identification of patients at risk of postoperative medical and surgical morbidity.

Safety of Sheathless Transradial Balloon Guide Catheter Placement for Acute Stroke Thrombectomy.

BACKGROUND: Transradial access has been described for mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke, and proximal balloon occlusion has been shown to improve recanalization and outcomes. However, sheathed access requires a larger total catheter diameter at the access site. We aimed to characterize the safety of sheathless transradial balloon guide catheter use in acute stroke intervention. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent sheathless right-sided transradial access for thrombectomy with a balloon guide catheter were identified in a prospectively collected dataset from 2019 to 2021. Demographics, procedure details, and short-term outcomes were collected and reported with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients (20 women) with a mean age of 72.3 years were identified. Of patients, 56.3% had occlusions in the left-sided circulation; 35 (72.9%) had M1 occlusions, 7 (14.6%) had M2 occlusions, and 6 (12.5%) had internal carotid artery occlusions. Tissue plasminogen activator was administered to 16 (33.3%) patients. Five (10.4%) patients underwent intraprocedural carotid stenting. The cohort had successful reperfusion after a median of 1 (interquartile range: 1, 2) pass. Median time from access to recanalization was 31 (interquartile range: 25, 53) minutes. A postprocedural Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction score of ≥2b was achieved in 46 (95.8%) patients. Five patients had wrist access site hematomas. All hematomas resolved with warm compresses, and no further intervention was required. CONCLUSIONS: Sheathless radial access using a balloon guide catheter may be safely performed for acute ischemic stroke with excellent radiographic outcomes. Further investigation is warranted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of sheathless compared with sheathed transradial balloon guide access.

Foraminal Access Strategies in Patients with Lumbar Posterolateral Fusions in Transforaminal Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Case Series and Technical Note.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of post-laminectomy lumbar radiculopathy in the setting of a large posterolateral fusion mass presents an anatomic challenge to the spine interventionalist. OBJECTIVE: To describe outcomes of awake, transforaminal endoscopic surgical treatment for patients presenting with lumbar radiculopathy after instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusions. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: This study took place in a single-center, academic hospital. METHODS: The records of 538 patients who underwent awake transforaminal lumbar endoscopic decompression surgery performed by a single surgeon at a single institution between 2014 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Fifteen consecutive patients who required drilling through their posterolateral fusion masses to access the post-fusion foraminal stenosis were included in this study. All included patients were followed for at least one year after surgery. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (7 male and 8 female) with an average age of 68.1 years (range 38-89, standard deviation 13.4 years) underwent awake transforaminal foraminal decompression surgeries that utilized special techniques to drill through large posterolateral fusion masses to access their foraminal stenosis. One patient (7%) required repeat surgery in the postoperative period due to lack of surgical improvement. For the remaining 14 patients, at one year follow up, the preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) for leg pain and Oswestry disability index (ODI) improved from 7.0 (± 1.7) and 40.7% (± 12.9) to 1.7 (± 1.6) and 12.1% (± 11.3). There were no complications such as infection, durotomy, or neurologic injury. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective case series. CONCLUSION: Transforaminal endoscopic spine surgery offers a unique approach to post-laminectomy and post-fusion foraminal compression because it avoids scar tissue resulting from previous posterior approaches. Large posterolateral fusion masses associated with some posterior fusions can be a sizeable bony barrier to transforaminal access. The authors share their techniques and success for navigating large posterior, bony fusion masses in transforaminal post-fusion foraminal decompression.

Utility of automated MRI perfusion (RAPID) with or without MR angiography for detection of angiographic vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a major etiology of poor neurologic outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Although the development of DCI is certainly multifactorial, the presence of vasospasm is strongly correlated with it. Cerebral angiography remains the gold standard for evaluation of vasospasm, though it is not always practical or cost-effective. In this study, the authors assess the utility of automated MRI Perfusion imaging, with or without MR Angiography (MRA), as a confirmatory tool for suspected angiographic vasospasm. All patients admitted to a single institution with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage between January 2014 and February 2020 and who underwent MR Perfusion imaging with or without MRA for suspected vasospasm no >24 h prior to an angiogram were identified. 43 subjects were identified. 29 of these patients (67%) underwent simultaneous MRA. 25 patients (53%) received intra-arterial treatment for symptomatic vasospasm. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MR Perfusion were 43%, 82%, 53%, and 75% for any angiographic vasospasm and 57%, 81%, 42%, and 89% for treated vasospasm. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MR Perfusion in conjunction with MRA were 61%, 81%, 59%, and 82% for any angiographic vasospasm and 62%, 74%, 35%, and 89% for treated vasospasm. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of transcranial Dopplers (TCDs) in these patients were 35%, 93%, 71%, and 75% for angiographic vasospasm and 42%, 90%, 47%, and 88% for treated vasospasm. Automated MR Perfusion imaging demonstrated relatively low sensitivity and PPV for detection of angiographic and treated vasospasm in this subset of patients after aSAH.

Association of Patient Frailty With Vestibular Schwannoma Resection Outcomes and Machine Learning Development of a Vestibular Schwannoma Risk Stratification Score.

BACKGROUND: Patient frailty is predictive of higher neurosurgical morbidity and mortality. However, existing frailty measures are hindered by lack of specificity to neurosurgery. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between 3 risk stratification scores and outcomes for nationwide vestibular schwannoma (VS) resection admissions and develop a custom VS risk stratification score. METHODS: We identified all VS resection admissions in the National Inpatient Sample (2002-2017). Three risk stratification scores were analyzed: modified Frailty Index-5, modified Frailty Index-11(mFI-11), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Survey-weighted multivariate regression evaluated associations between frailty and inpatient outcomes, adjusting for patient demographics, hospital characteristics, and disease severity. Subsequently, we used k -fold cross validation and Akaike Information Criterion-based model selection to create a custom risk stratification score. RESULTS: We analyzed 32 465 VS resection admissions. High frailty, as identified by the mFI-11 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.27, P = .021) and CCI (OR = 1.72, P < .001), predicted higher odds of perioperative complications. All 3 scores were also associated with lower routine discharge rates and elevated length of stay (LOS) and costs (all P < .05). Our custom VS-5 score ( https://skullbaseresearch.shinyapps.io/vs-5_calculator/ ) featured 5 variables (age ≥60 years, hydrocephalus, preoperative cranial nerve palsies, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension) and was predictive of higher mortality (OR = 6.40, P = .001), decreased routine hospital discharge (OR = 0.28, P < .001), and elevated complications (OR = 1.59, P < .001), LOS (+48%, P < .001), and costs (+23%, P = .001). The VS-5 outperformed the modified Frailty Index-5, mFI-11, and CCI in predicting routine discharge (all P < .001), including in a pseudoprospective cohort (2018-2019) of 3885 admissions. CONCLUSION: Patient frailty predicted poorer inpatient outcomes after VS surgery. Our custom VS-5 score outperformed earlier risk stratification scores.

The National Inpatient Sample: A Primer for Neurosurgical Big Data Research and Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) (the largest all-payer inpatient database in the United States) is an important instrument for big data analysis of neurosurgical inquiries. However, earlier research has determined that many NIS studies are limited by common methodological pitfalls. In this study, we provide the first primer of NIS methodological procedures in the setting of neurosurgical research and review all reported neurosurgical studies using the NIS. METHODS: We designed a protocol for neurosurgical big data research using the NIS, based on our subject matter expertise, NIS documentation, and input and verification from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. We subsequently used a comprehensive search strategy to identify all neurosurgical studies using the NIS in the PubMed and MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to August 2021. Studies underwent qualitative categorization (years of NIS studied, neurosurgical subspecialty, age group, and thematic focus of study objective) and analysis of longitudinal trends. RESULTS: We identified a canonical, 4-step protocol for NIS analysis: study population selection; defining additional clinical variables; identification and coding of outcomes; and statistical analysis. Methodological nuances discussed include identifying neurosurgery-specific admissions, addressing missing data, calculating additional severity and hospital-specific metrics, coding perioperative complications, and applying survey weights to make nationwide estimates. Inherent database limitations and common pitfalls of NIS studies discussed include lack of disease process-specific variables and data after the index admission, inability to calculate certain hospital-specific variables after 2011, performing state-level analyses, conflating hospitalization charges and costs, and not following proper statistical methodology for performing survey-weighted regression. In a systematic review, we identified 647 neurosurgical studies using the NIS. Although almost 60% of studies were reported after 2015, <10% of studies analyzed NIS data after 2015. The average sample size of studies was 507,352 patients (standard deviation = 2,739,900). Most studies analyzed cranial procedures (58.1%) and adults (68.1%). The most prevalent topic areas analyzed were surgical outcome trends (35.7%) and health policy and economics (17.8%), whereas patient disparities (9.4%) and surgeon or hospital volume (6.6%) were the least studied. CONCLUSIONS: We present a standardized methodology to analyze the NIS, systematically review the state of the NIS neurosurgical literature, suggest potential future directions for neurosurgical big data inquiries, and outline recommendations to improve the design of future neurosurgical data instruments.

Complication Avoidance in Surgical Management of Vertebral Column Tumors.

The surgical management of spinal tumors has grown increasingly complex as treatment algorithms for both primary bone tumors of the spine and metastatic spinal disease have evolved in response to novel surgical techniques, rising complication rates, and additional data concerning adjunct therapies. In this review, we discuss actionable interventions for improved patient safety in the operative care for spinal tumors. Strategies for complication avoidance in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings are discussed for approach-related morbidities, intraoperative hemorrhage, wound healing complications, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, thromboembolism, and failure of instrumentation and fusion. These strategies center on themes such as pre-operative imaging review and medical optimization, surgical dissection informed by meticulous attention to anatomic boundaries, and fastidious wound closure followed by thorough post-operative care.

Endoscopic Techniques for Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Principles and Context.

Endoscopic techniques in spine surgery are rapidly evolving, with operations becoming progressively safer and less invasive. Lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) procedures comprise many spine procedures that have benefited from endoscopic assistance and minimally invasive approaches. Though considerable variation exists within endoscopic LIF, similar principles and techniques are common to all types. Nonetheless, innovations continually emerge, requiring trainees and experienced surgeons to maintain familiarity with the domain and its possibilities. We present two illustrative cases of endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with a comprehensive literature review of the different approaches to endoscopic LIF procedures.

Subclavian Artery to Internal Carotid Artery Interpositional Bypass for Carotid Artery Occlusion: Technical Case Report.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Conventional microsurgical treatment for symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion is revascularization with superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery bypass. However, in rare cases where the common carotid artery, external carotid artery (ECA), or both are also occluded, other microsurgical treatment options must be considered. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 52-yr-old woman with common carotid artery occlusion and weak ICA flow from collateral connections between the vertebral artery, occipital artery, and ECA. She had ischemic symptoms and a history of stroke. The patient's STA was unsuitable as a donor vessel due to its small caliber and poor flow, and we instead performed an interpositional bypass from the subclavian artery to the ICA using a radial artery graft. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the successful use of the subclavian artery to ICA bypass technique with an interpositional radial artery graft. The surgical anatomy of the subclavian arteries is reviewed, and the technical details of subclavian artery to radial artery graft to ICA interpositional bypass are presented.

Clip retraction of the tentorium: application of a novel technique for tentorial retraction during supracerebellar transtentorial approaches.

Supracerebellar transtentorial (SCTT) approaches have become a popular option for treatment of a variety of pathologies in the medial and basal temporal and occipital lobes and thalamus. Transtentorial approaches provide numerous advantages over transcortical approaches, including obviating the need to traverse eloquent cortex, not requiring parenchymal retraction, and circumventing critical vascular structures. All of these approaches require a tentorial opening, and numerous techniques for retraction of the incised tentorium have been described, including sutures, fixed retractors, and electrocautery. However, all of these techniques have considerable drawbacks and limitations. The authors describe a novel application of clip retraction of the tentorium to the supracerebellar approaches in which an aneurysm clip is used to suspend the tentorial flap, and an illustrative case is provided. Clip retraction of the tentorium is an efficient, straightforward adaptation of an established technique, typically used for subtemporal approaches, that improves visualization and surgical ergonomics with little risk to nearby venous structures. The authors find this technique particularly useful for the contralateral SCTT approaches.