A rare case of herpes simplex virus encephalitis from viral reactivation following surgically treated traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Here, we present the occurrence of HSVE in a 36-year-old immunocompetent patient following craniotomy for a traumatic acute subdural hematoma (ASDH). METHODS: Imaging after four days of progressive headache following a fall with head-strike demonstrated a 1 cm thick left holohemispheric ASDH with significant cerebral compression, edema, and 8 mm of left-to-right midline shift, and an emergent craniotomy and ASDH evacuation were performed, with additional treatment needed for reaccumulation. Postoperatively, the patient developed a worsening leukocytosis, became febrile, and was hypotensive requiring vasopressor support. RESULTS: Despite empiric antibiotics, the patient remained persistently febrile with significant leukocytosis. Repeat head CT showed a new left insular hypodensity and a subsequent viral encephalitis panel was positive for HSV-1. The patient was then started on intravenous acyclovir, with progressive neurological exam improvement. Of note, the patient was noted to have a positive serum HSV-1 IgG antibody titer, indicative of prior infection. CONCLUSIONS: Given the known systemic immunosuppression in brain injury and the high prevalence of HSV seropositivity, clinicians should consider the possibility of HSVE from HSV reactivation in TBI patients with persistent fever, leukocytosis, and/or neurological deficits without an obvious etiology.

Antithrombotics alter intracerebral hemorrhage presentation without affecting minimally invasive endoscopic evacuation.

OBJECTIVES: Intracerebral hemorrhages are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While the ENRICH trial supports the efficacy of surgical evacuation for lobar hemorrhages, the impact of antithrombotic therapies on minimally invasive surgery outcomes remains unexplored. This study evaluates the effects of chronic anticoagulants and antiplatelets on the technical and longterm outcomes of minimally invasive intracerebral hemorrhage evacuation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospectively collected registry of patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for intracerebral hemorrhage from a single institution was analyzed (December 2015-September 2022). Data included key demographics, comorbidities, antithrombotic/reversal status, presenting clinical/radiographic characteristics, procedural metrics, and clinical outcomes. Patients were divided into control (neither therapy), antiplatelet-only, and anticoagulant-only groups, with antiplatelet/anticoagulant reversals conducted per current American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines. Variables significant in univariate analyses (p<0.05) were advanced to multivariable regression models. RESULTS: Among 226 intracerebral hemorrhage patients treated with minimally invasive surgery, 41% (N=93) had antithrombotic medication history; 28% (N=64) received antiplatelets, and 9% (N=21) received anticoagulants. Patients on both therapies (N=6) were excluded. The antiplatelet group presented more frequently with lobar hemorrhages (56% vs. 37%; p=0.022), while patients on anticoagulants showed increased rates of intraventricular hemorrhage co-presentation (62% vs. 46%; p=0.011) compared to controls. Despite univariate analyses showing a higher postoperative hematoma volume (3.9 vs. 2.9 milliliters; p=0.020) and lower evacuation percentage (88% vs. 92%; p=0.019) for the antiplatelet group, and longer procedures for patients on anticoagulants (2.3 vs. 1.7 hours; p=0.042) compared to control, multivariable analyses indicated that antiplatelets and anticoagulants had no significant impact on these technical outcomes. Longitudinally, antithrombotics were not associated with increased rebleeding, less frequent discharge to home, lower 30-day mortality, or worse, 6-month Modified Rankin Scale scores. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on chronic antiplatelets and anticoagulants exhibited characteristic intracerebral hemorrhage phenotypes without worse technical or long-term outcomes after minimally invasive intracerebral hemorrhage evacuation, suggesting the procedure's safety for these patients.

Molecular profile and clinical outcome of adult primary spinal cord glioblastoma: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Primary spinal cord glioblastoma (scGB) is a rare and aggressive spinal glioma, making up 7.5% of such cases. Whereas molecular profiles associated with improved overall survival (OS) are well studied for cranial glioblastoma (GB), the molecular characteristics of scGB are less documented. This review sought to document the molecular signatures of scGB, explore current treatment strategies, and evaluate clinical outcomes. METHODS: A systematic literature review following the PRISMA guidelines searched the PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases (January 1, 2013, to October 14, 2023) using glioblastoma-, spine-, and genetics-related keywords. Inclusion criteria were English-language articles on humans with histologically confirmed primary scGB, excluding drop metastases. Data on demographic characteristics, treatments, molecular profile, and outcome were extracted. RESULTS: Over 10 years, 71 patients with adult primary scGB were reported in 31 papers. Most patients were located in Asia (53%) and the United States (23%). The median (range) age was 32 (24-47) years, with 61% of patients male. Tumors occurred primarily in the thoracic region (42%). Clinical presentation included motor deficits (92%), sensory deficits (86%), neck/back pain (68%), and bowel/bladder dysfunction (59%). Patients underwent subtotal resection (51%), gross-total resection (GTR) (23%), and biopsy (26%). Postoperative adjuvant treatment included concomitant external beam radiation therapy (XRT) and temozolomide (TMZ) in the majority of cases (66%), as well as palliative care without adjuvant treatment (17%). The molecular signature of scGB was similar to its cranial counterpart in terms of MGMT-promoter methylation (40% increased methylation) and higher for mutant TERT (50%) but decreased for wild-type tumor protein p53 (41% decreased mutation). Median (range) OS was 10 (6-18) months, and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 7 (3-10) months. PFS was significantly higher in patients treated with XRT/TMZ: median 15 months vs 4.5 months (95% CI -1.32 to 22.56, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Primary scGB remains a rare disease with notable variations in treatment, potentially influenced by geographical availability. The observed molecular profile, when compared to that of cranial GB, emphasizes the need for further genomic validation and data collection. Surgical advancements to overcome the challenges of accomplishing GTR may contribute to improved OS.

Effects of hours of sleep on ImPACT concussion testing: comparing baseline with postinjury scores.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of sleep on baseline and postconcussion neurocognitive performance prior to Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) is poorly understood. Since ImPACT is widely used in youth sport to assess neurocognitive performance before and after head injury, it is important to delineate factors that affect testing performance. While some have reported correlations between fewer hours of sleep and lower scores on baseline tests, others have not observed any such associations. Therefore, the authors sought to compare the relationship between sleep and neurocognitive performance on ImPACT at both baseline and postinjury. METHODS: The authors queried a database of 25,815 ImPACT tests taken from 2009 to 2019 by athletes aged 12-22 years. There were 11,564 baseline concussion tests and 7446 postinjury concussion ImPACT tests used in the analysis. Linear regression was used to model the effect of sleep on baseline and postconcussion ImPACT scores adjusting for sex, age, learning disability, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, number of prior concussions, number of games missed, and strenuous exercise before testing. RESULTS: Mean composite scores expectedly were all significantly lower in the post-head injury group compared with the baseline group. In the multivariable analysis, at baseline, hours of sleep significantly affected symptom scores (ß = -1.050, 95% CI -1.187 to -0.9138; p < 0.0001). In the postinjury multivariable analysis, verbal memory (ß = 0.4595, 95% CI 0.2080-0.7110; p = 0.0003), visual memory (ß = 0.3111, 95% CI 0.04463-0.5777; p = 0.0221), impulse control (ß = -0.2321, 95% CI -0.3581 to -0.1062; p = 0.0003), and symptom scores (ß = -0.9168, 95% CI -1.259 to -0.5750; p < 0.0001) were all affected by hours of sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Hours of sleep did not alter neurocognitive metrics at baseline but did have an impact on post-head injury metrics. These findings suggest that individuals may be able to compensate for lack of sleep at baseline but not immediately after concussion. Concussions may reduce cognitive reserve or detract from the brain's resources, making sleep even more important for proper neurocognitive functioning postconcussion. Future work will analyze the effects of sleep on postconcussion test performance.

Identifying Predictors of Initial Surgical Failure during Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation.

Background and Purpose: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common and severe disease with high rates of morbidity and mortality; however, minimally invasive surgical (MIS) hematoma evacuation represents a promising avenue for treatment. In February of 2019, the MISTIE III study found that stereotactic thrombolysis with catheter drainage did not benefit patients with supratentorial spontaneous ICH but that a clinical benefit may be present when no more than 15 mL of hematoma remains at the end of treatment. Intraoperative CT (iCT) imaging has the ability to assess whether or not this surgical goal has been met in real time, allowing for operations to add additional CT-informed 'evacuation periods' (EPs) to achieve the surgical goal. Here, we report on the frequency and predictors of initial surgical failure on at least one iCT requiring additional EPs in a large cohort of patients undergoing endoscopic minimally invasive ICH evacuation with the SCUBA technique. Methods: All patients who underwent minimally invasive endoscopic evacuation of supratentorial spontaneous ICH in a major health system between December 2015 and October 2018 were included in this study. Patient demographics, clinical and radiographic features, procedural details, and outcomes were analyzed retrospectively from a prospectively collected database. Procedures were characterized as initially successful when the first iCT demonstrated that surgical success had been achieved and initially unsuccessful when the surgical goal was not achieved, and additional EPs were performed. The surgical goal was prospectively identified in December of 2015 as leaving no more than 20% of the preoperative hematoma volume at the end of the procedure. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of initial failure and secondary rescue. Results: Patients (100) underwent minimally invasive endoscopic ICH evacuation in the angiography suite during the study time period. In 14 cases, the surgical goal was not met on the first iCT and multiple Eps were performed; in 10 cases the surgical goal was not met, and no additional EPs were performed. In 14 cases, the surgical goal was never achieved. When additional EPs were performed, a rescue rate of 71.4% (10/14) was seen, bringing the total percentage of cases meeting the surgical goal to 86% across the entire cohort. Cases in which the surgical goal was not achieved were significantly associated with older patients (68 years vs. 60 years; p = 0.0197) and higher rates of intraventricular hemorrhage (34.2% vs. 70.8%; p = 0.0021). Cases in which the surgical goal was rescued from initial failure had similar levels of IVH, suggesting that these additional complexities can be overcome with the use of additional iCT-informed EPs. Conclusions: Initial and ultimate surgical failure occurs in a small percentage of patients undergoing minimally invasive endoscopic ICH evacuation. The use of intraoperative imaging provides an opportunity to evaluate whether or not the surgical goal has been achieved, and to continue the procedure if the surgeon feels that more evacuation is achievable. Now that level-one evidence exists to target a surgical evacuation goal during minimally invasive ICH evacuation, intraoperative imaging, such as iCT, plays an important role in aiding the surgical team to achieve the surgical goal.

Complications of Implanted Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising tool in ischemic stroke rehabilitation. However, there has been no systematic review summarizing its adverse effects, critical information for patients and providers when obtaining informed consent for this novel treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis reports the adverse effects of VNS. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to identify common complications after VNS therapy. The search was executed in: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and Ovid MEDLINE. All prospective, randomized controlled trials using implanted VNS therapy in adult patients were eligible for inclusion. Case studies and studies lacking complete complication reports were excluded. Extracted data included technology name, location of implantation, follow-up duration, purpose of VNS, and adverse event rates. RESULTS: After title-and-abstract screening of 4933 studies, 21 were selected for final inclusion. Across these studies, 1474 patients received VNS implantation. VNS was used as a potential therapy for epilepsy (9), depression (8), anxiety (1), ischemic stroke (1), chronic heart failure (1), and fibromyalgia (1). The 5 most common post-implant adverse events were voice alteration/hoarseness (n=671, 45.5%), paresthesia (n = 233, 15.8%), cough (n = 221, 15.0%), dyspnea (n = 211, 14.3%), and pain (n = 170, 11.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Complications from VNS are mild and transient, with reduction in severity and number of adverse events with increasing follow-up time. In prior studies, VNS has served as treatment option in several instances of treatment-resistant conditions, such as epilepsy and psychiatric conditions, and its use in stroke recovery and rehabilitation should continue to be explored.

Vagus nerve stimulation for enhanced stroke recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence has revealed the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with rehabilitation therapy, over therapy alone, for upper-limb functional recovery after ischemic stroke. However, this technique has not yet been described for the recovery of chronic motor deficits after hemorrhagic stroke. OBSERVATIONS: Three years after left putaminal intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke with chronic upper-limb functional deficits, a patient was treated with VNS for enhanced stroke recovery. VNS was paired with 6 weeks of in-clinic physical therapy, resulting in upper-limb functional improvement of 14 points on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) index for stroke recovery (maximum score of 66 equating to normal function). This improvement was more than 1 standard deviation above the improvement documented in the first successful RCT of VNS paired with therapy for ischemic stroke (5.0 ± 4.4 improvement on FMA-UE). LESSONS: VNS is a promising therapy for enhanced recovery after hemorrhagic stroke and may offer greater improvement in function compared to that after ischemic stroke. Improvement in function can occur years after the time of intracerebral hemorrhage.

The effect of age on baseline neurocognitive performance.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the independent effect of age on baseline neurocognitive performance. STUDY DESIGN: Baseline ImPACT scores from tests taken by 7454 athletes aged 12-22 from 2009 to 2019 were split into three age cohorts: 12-14 years (3244), 15-17 years (3732), and 18-22 years (477). Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of age on ImPACT composite scores while controlling for demographic differences, medication-use, and symptom burden. Significance values have been set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Linear regression analyses demonstrated that increased age does not significantly affect symptom score (ß = 0.06, p = 0.54) but does improve impulse control (ß = -0.45, p < 0.0001), verbal memory (ß = 0.23, p = 0.03), visualmotor (ß = 0.77, p < 0.0001), and reaction time (ß = -0.008, p < 0.0001) scores.  However, age did not have an effect on visual memory scores (ß = -0.25, p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Age was shown to be an independent modifier of impulse control, verbal memory, visual motor, and reaction time scores but not visual memory or symptom scores.  This underscores the previous literature showing developmental differences as age increases among the adolescent athlete population.  This data also indicates the need for repeat neurocognitive baseline testing every other year as baseline scoring is likely to change as athletes become older.

Clinical Considerations and Outcomes for Spine Surgery Patients with a History of Transplant: A Systematic Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the perioperative management and outcomes of patients with a prior history of successful transplantation undergoing spine surgery. METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for matching reports in July 2021. We included case reports, cohort studies, and retrospective analyses, including terms for various transplant types and an exhaustive list of key words for various forms of spine surgery. RESULTS: We included 45 studies consisting of 34 case reports (published 1982-2021), 3 cohort analyses (published 2005-2006), and 8 retrospective analyses (published 2006-2020). The total number of patients included in the case reports, cohort studies, and retrospective analysis was 35, 48, and 9695, respectively. The mean 1-year mortality rate from retrospective analyses was 4.6% ± 1.93%, while the prevalence of perioperative complications was 24%. Cohort studies demonstrated an 8.5% ± 12.03% 30-day readmission rate. The most common procedure performed was laminectomy (38.9%) among the case reports. Mortality after spine surgery was noted for 4 of 35 case report patients (11.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic scoping review examining the population of transplant patients with subsequent unrelated spine surgery. There is significant heterogeneity in the outcomes of post-transplant spine surgery patients. Given the inherent complexity of managing this group and elevated mortality and complications compared to the general spine surgery population, further investigation into their clinical care is warranted.