Use of MRI in patients with severe diffuse traumatic brain injury: A matched National Trauma Data Bank analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used to evaluate patients with diffuse traumatic brain injury (dTBI). However, the utility of early MRI is understudied. We hypothesize that early MRI patients will have increased length of stay but no changes in intracranial pressure (ICP) management or disposition. METHODS: The 2019 National Trauma Data Bank was queried for patients with dTBI and Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤8. Extra-axial and focal intra-axial hemorrhages were excluded. Clinical characteristics were controlled for. Patients with and without MRI were compared for ICP management, outcome, mortality, and disposition. A propensity score matching algorithm was used to create a 1:1 match cohort. RESULTS: In 2568 patients, MRI was less common in severe dTBI patients with clear reasons for poor examination, including bilaterally unreactive pupils or midline shift. After matching, 501 patients who underwent MRI within 1 week were compared with 501 patients without MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging patients had longer intensive care unit stays (11.6 ± 9.6 vs. 13.4 ± 9.5, p < 0.01; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], -3.03 to -0.66). There was no difference between groups in ICP monitor (23.6% vs. 27.3%; p = 0.17; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.02) or ventriculostomy placement (13.6% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.85; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.05) or in withdrawal of care (15.0% vs. 18.6%, p = 0.12; 95% CI, -0.08 to 0.01). MRI patients were more likely to be discharged to inpatient rehabilitation (42.9% vs. 33.5%; p < 0.01; 95% CI, 0.03-0.15) but not to home (9.4% vs. 9.0%; p = 0.83; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.04). CONCLUSION: The decision to pursue early brain MRI may be driven by lack of obvious reasons for a patient's poor neurologic status. MRI patients had longer intensive care unit stays but no difference in rates of placement of ICP monitors or ventriculostomies or withdrawal of care. Further study is required to define the role of early MRI in dTBI patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.

Characteristics of work-related spine injury in the USA: a National Trauma Data Bank analysis.

PURPOSE: Workplace injury is a commonplace occurrence in the USA. Spine injuries are especially devastating as they can cause chronic pain and limit mobility which prevents patients from returning to work. Gaining a better understanding of the patients, mechanisms, and treatments associated with these injuries can aid in improving outcomes. The purpose of this study is to characterize the nature of work-related spine injuries. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank was queried from 2017 to 2019 for all diagnoses involving the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spine. Patient demographics, comorbidities, injury characteristics, spinal diagnoses, and procedures were identified for each occupation. Occupational industries, patient demographics, mechanisms of injury, diagnoses, and spinal procedures were characterized. RESULTS: A total of 100,842 work-related injuries were identified between 2017 and 2019. Of those, 19,002 (19%) were spine injuries, and subsequently, 3963 (21%) required spinal surgery. Eight thousand twenty-nine (42%) cases were seen among construction workers, which had the highest proportion of Hispanic patients (36%). Smoking was prevalent in labor-intensive occupations with high rates of spine injury such as building and grounds maintenance. The most common mechanism of injury was a fall from a roof. The most common injury diagnoses were L1, L2, and L3 fractures, and the most common procedures were T12-L1 fusion, multilevel thoracic fusion, and multilevel lumbar fusion. CONCLUSION: Spine injuries represent a significant portion of work-related injuries in the USA and a considerable portion require neurosurgical intervention. Initial efforts should focus on the prevention and management of lumbar spine injuries in the construction industry.

Racial Disparities in Time to Decompression in Central Cord Syndrome: A National Trauma Database Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cord syndrome (CCS) is the most common type of incomplete spinal cord injury. Prompt surgical decompression within 24 hours increases neurologic function and rates of home discharge. Racial disparities exist in spinal cord injury, with Black patients experiencing longer lengths of stay and higher rates of complications than in White patients. This study aims to investigate potential racial disparities in time to surgical decompression in patients with CCS. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) was queried from 2017 to 2019 for patients who underwent surgery for CCS. The primary outcome was time from hospital admission to surgery. Student's t-test and Pearson's chi-squared test were used to evaluate differences in categorical and continuous variables, respectively. An uncensored Cox proportional hazards regression model was developed to assess the effect of race on surgical timing while adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: 1,076 patients with CCS resulting in cervical spinal cord surgery were included in the analysis. Regression analysis results showed that Black patients (HR=0.85, P = 0.03), female patients (HR=0.81, P < 0.01), and patients treated at community hospitals (HR=0.82, P = 0.01) were less likely to receive early surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Though the advantages of early surgical decompression in the setting of CCS have been detailed in medical literature, Black, and female patients experience lower rates of prompt surgery following hospital admission and higher rates of adverse outcomes. This disproportionately increased time to intervention exemplifies demographic disparities in the timely provision of treatment to patients with spinal cord injuries.

Current Trends and Socioeconomic Disparities in the Utilization of Spine Augmentation for Patients With Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample Analysis From 2012 to 2016.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) is a growing health care problem in today's aging population. Since the advent of kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, these interventions have been commonly utilized in the treatment of symptomatic OVCF. However, the use of these interventions varies because there is not a standard of care for the management of OVCF. There remain disparities in the use of these procedures as treatment for OVCFs in the United States. METHODS: The 2012 to 2016 Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried for all patients admitted for OVCF. These patients were then grouped based on whether they received conservative vs surgical (kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty) management and compared with respect to various socioeconomic factors including race, insurance coverage, income quartile, hospital control, and geography. Propensity score matching was utilized to control for potential baseline confounders as well as the influence of other endpoints. RESULTS: The search criteria identified 35,199 patients admitted with OVCF, of whom 7900 (22.4%) received spine augmentation. Blacks/African Americans (risk ratios [RR] = 0.79, P < 0.001), Hispanics/Latinos (RR = 0.82, P < 0.001), Asians/Pacific Islanders (RR = 0.81, P = 0.048), and unknown/other races (RR = 0.88, P = 0.037) were less likely to receive surgical management than whites/Caucasians. When compared with Medicare patients, those with Medicaid (RR = 0.76, P < 0.001) were less likely to receive surgery while privately insured patients were more likely (RR = 1.06, P = 0.42). Patients in the West (RR = 0.90, P < 0.001) were less likely to receive surgery for OVCF than those in the Northeast. CONCLUSIONS: A wide variety of socioeconomic disparities exists in the use of spinal augmentation for the management of OVCF in the United States, limiting patient access to a potentially beneficial procedure. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Retrospective Analysis.

Gender Disparities in Outpatient Management of Postlaminectomy Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Postlaminectomy syndrome (PLS), also known as failed back surgery syndrome, is the persistence of radicular pain in the face of surgical intervention. Despite its prevalence in 10 to 40% of spine surgery patients, outpatient pharmacologic and interventional management remains poorly characterized. METHODS: The 2007 to 2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) was utilized to include all outpatients diagnosed with PLS. For each visit, documented pain medications (opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], neuropathic agents, etc) as well as patient demographics and comorbidities (sex, age, race, insurance coverage, and medical history) were recorded. The association between medication class and rate of prescription relative to sex was assessed in the population-weighted cohort, using propensity score matching to control for potential confounders. RESULTS: A total of 70,343 PLS patients were identified, including 36,313 (51.6%) women. After accounting for baseline demographics and comorbidity differences between male and female patients, men were 2 to 3 times more likely to be prescribed opioids (OR: 2.38; 95%CI: 2.30-2.46) and procedural interventions for PLS compared to the female cohort, while women utilized neuropathic agents (OR: 0.53; 95%CI: 0.51-0.55) and NSAIDs (OR: 0.68; 95%CI: 0.65-0.70) more frequently. CONCLUSION: Pain management in outpatients presenting with PLS-related pain consisted of higher opioid utilization for men and higher neuropathic agents and NSAIDs utilization for the female patients. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This article is the first to shed light on disparities in pain management among patients with post-laminectomy syndrome.

Anterior vs Posterior Approach in Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Nationwide Propensity-Matched Analysis of Complications, Outcomes, and Narcotic Use.

BACKGROUND: There is unclear evidence regarding the optimal surgical approach for multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The objective of this study was to compare complications, outcomes, and narcotic use in anterior discectomy and fusion (ACDF) vs posterior decompression and fusion (PCDF) in CSM patients. STUDY DESIGN: Registry-based retrospective cohort analysis. METHODS: Patients undergoing 3-level ACDF or PCDF for CSM between 2007 and 2017 were identified from the Humana Claims Database using relevant procedure codes. Propensity score-matched groups were compared in regards to complications, outcomes, and narcotic use. RESULTS: Propensity score matching generated equal cohorts of 6124 patients. The posterior fusion group had a higher rate of urinary tract infection (OR 2.47, P < 0.0001), deep vein thrombosis (OR 1.90, P < 0.0001), and pulmonary embolism (OR 1.75, P < 0.0001). In regards to 30-day outcomes, the posterior approach demonstrated higher rates of stroke (OR 1.68, P < 0.0001), wound dehiscence (OR 5.59, P < 0.0001), Surgical site infection (SSI) (OR 4.76, P < 0.0001), wound revision surgery (OR 3.02, P < 0.0001), and all-cause readmission (OR 2.01, P < 0.0001). One-year outcomes revealed higher rates of pseudarthrosis (4.7% vs 2.0%, OR 2.43, P < 0.0001) and revision or extension surgery (OR 2.33, P < 0.0001) in the posterior fusion cohort. These patients also demonstrated significantly higher mean morphine milligram equivalent used at 30 days (OR 1.19, P < 0.0001), as well as 60 (OR 1.20, P < 0.0001), 90 (OR 1.21, P < 0.0001), and 120 (OR 1.21, P < 0.0001) days. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide propensity-matched analysis of multilevel CSM patients found the posterior approach to be associated with increased rates of inpatient complications, wound complications, 30-day readmission, 1-year pseudarthrosis, and 1-year revision or extension surgery. These patients also demonstrated higher levels of narcotic use up to 120 days after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The posterior approach for treatment of CSM may be associated with increased rates of short- and long-term complications in addition to increased narcotic consumption in comparison to the anterior approach.

Cannabis Abuse and Perioperative Complications After Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Nationwide Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: In the present retrospective cohort analysis, we examined the differences in baseline characteristics and peri- and postoperative outcomes stratified by 3 groups: cannabis abuse or dependence versus none, surgical versus endovascular treatment, and unruptured and ruptured intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: A study population of 26,868 patients was defined using the 2009-2016 National Inpatient Sample database. The baseline characteristics were compared between the cannabis and no-cannabis groups, and the traits that differed significantly were factored into the multivariate analysis using 1:1 propensity score matching. The matched groups were analyzed to compare the cannabis and no-cannabis cohorts for the following endpoints: mortality, length of stay, discharge disposition, total hospital charges, and several peri- and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: In the surgically and endovascularly treated groups for unruptured intracranial aneurysms, those in the cannabis group were more likely to be male and younger and to smoke tobacco than were those in the no-cannabis group. After matching, no significant endpoint differences were noted. Similarly, in the surgically and endovascularly treated ruptured aneurysm groups, those in the cannabis group were more likely to be male and younger and to smoke tobacco. After matching, the cannabis group within the endovascular treatment group had had a longer length of stay and were more likely to have developed any hydrocephalus, obstructive hydrocephalus, sepsis, and acute kidney injury. Those in the cannabis group who had undergone surgery were more likely to have developed any hydrocephalus, specifically, communicating hydrocephalus. CONCLUSIONS: The cannabis group with ruptured intracranial aneurysms was more likely to experience certain adverse outcomes after surgical or endovascular treatment compared with the no-cannabis group. However, such was not the case for cannabis abusers treated for unruptured aneurysms.

Pediatric cerebral cysts: comparison of early complications following fenestration versus shunting procedures.

Objective: Characterize practice patterns and acute (30-day) surgical complications following fenestration and shunt procedures for the treatment of cerebral cysts in pediatric patients.Methods: This study utilized the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Pediatric database. Patients were identified by International Classification of Disease codes for cerebral cysts and Current Procedural Terminology codes for shunting or fenestration. Demographic data, preoperative comorbidities, and postoperative complications were compared between the two procedures.Results: 741 patients were included in the data analysis, with a majority aged 4 years or younger (55.9%) and a male predominance (62.6%). Fenestration was performed in 590 (79.6%) patients. Primary shunting was performed in 151 (20.4%) patients. Patients who received shunts were more commonly aged 0-4 years and had proportionately worse preoperative health status. No statistically significant differences in postoperative complications were detected. Reoperation rate was 7.9% and 8.6% in the shunt and fenestration groups, respectively. Common reasons for reoperation were shunt revision or replacement and shunt placement after fenestration. Patients requiring shunting after a failed fenestration tended to be younger with higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification.Discussion: Fenestrations are performed more often than shunting. Generally, children who receive shunts are younger than those who undergo fenestration. Acute surgical risk appears to be similar for both operations.

Optimal timing and sequence of ventriculoperitoneal shunt and gastrostomy placement.

Background: The optimal timing of ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) and gastrostomy placement, relative to the safety of simultaneous versus staged surgery, has not been clearly delineated in the literature.Objective: To study the optimal inter-procedural timing relative to distal VPS infection and pertinent reoperation.Methods: A fifteen-year, retrospective, single-center study was conducted on adults undergoing VPS and gastrostomy within 30-days. Patients were grouped according to inter-procedural interval: 0-24 hr (immediate), 24 hr-7 days (early), and 7-30 days (delayed). The primary endpoint of the study was VPS infection and distal shunt complications requiring reoperation. Potential predictors of the primary end point (baseline cohort characteristics, procedural factors) were examined with standard statistical methods.Results: A total of 188 patients met inclusion criteria. The average interval between procedures was 7 ± 6 days, with 43.1% undergoing VPS prior to gastrostomy. Primary endpoint was encountered in 5 patients (2.7%): 1 (5.9%) of 17 patients undergoing immediate placement, 3 (2.8%) of 107 with early placement, and 1 (1.6%) of 64 with delayed placement. Although not statistically significant, 3.7% of patients undergoing VPS first had the primary endpoint, compared to 1.9% of those with gastrostomy. There were no statistically significant associations between the primary outcome and peri-operative CSF counts, gastrostomy modality, hydrocephalus etiology, chronic steroid use, or extended antibiotic administration.Conclusion: Although the low overall event rate in this cohort precludes definitive determination regarding differential safety, the data generally support a practice of performing the procedures >24-hours apart, with placement of gastrostomy prior to VPS.

Assessing the Clinical Safety Profile of Computer-Assisted Navigation for Posterior Cervical Fusion: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of 30-Day Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Computer-assisted navigation (CAN) has been shown to improve accuracy of screw placement in procedures involving the posterior cervical spine, but whether the addition of CAN affects complication rates, neurologic or otherwise, is presently unknown. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of spinal CAN on short-term clinical outcomes following posterior cervical fusion. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from 2011 to 2018. Patients receiving posterior cervical fusion were identified and separated into CAN and non-CAN cohorts on the basis of a propensity score matching algorithm to select similar patients for comparison. Rates of 30-day unplanned readmission, reoperation, and other complications were evaluated. A separate matching algorithm was used to generate a subgroup of patients undergoing C1-C2 or occiput-C2 fusion for comparison of the same outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 12,578 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 689 received CAN and 11,889 did not. After adjusting for baseline differences, patients receiving CAN experienced longer operations and had higher total relative value units associated with care. There were no significant differences in 30-day complication, readmission, or revision rates. At the occipitocervical junction, there were more hardware revisions in the non-CAN group, but this effect did not reach statistical significance (2 vs. 0; P = 0.155). CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons should embrace navigation in the cervical spine at their own discretion, as use of CAN does not appear to be associated with increased rates of surgical complications or readmissions despite longer operative time.

Cannabis Abuse and Perioperative Complications Following Inpatient Spine Surgery in the United States.

MINI: Due to its complicated legal status, the effects of cannabis on elective spine surgery patients have not been well studied. In this nationwide analysis, we find that cannabis abuse is associated with higher perioperative thromboembolism and neurologic complications, respiratory complications, sepsis, length of stay, hospital charges, and rates of unfavorable discharge disposition.

Retrospective cohort analysis of a nationwide administrative database. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between cannabis abuse and serious adverse events following elective spine surgery. Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in the United States, and its use has been increasing in light of state efforts to decriminalize and legalize its use for both medical and recreational purposes. Its legal status has long precluded extensive research into its adverse effects, and to date, little research has been done on the sequelae of cannabis on surgical patients, particularly in spine surgery. The 2012­2015 Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried for all patients undergoing common elective spine surgery procedures. These patients were then grouped by the presence of concurrent diagnosis of cannabis use disorder and compared with respect to various peri- and postoperative complications, all-cause mortality, discharge disposition, length of stay, and hospitalization costs. Propensity score matching was utilized to control for potential baseline confounders. A total of 423,978 patients met inclusion/exclusion criteria, 2393 (0.56%) of whom had cannabis use disorder. After controlling for baseline characteristics and comorbid tobacco use, these patients similar inpatient mortality, but higher rates of perioperative thromboembolism (odds ratio [OR] 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2­4.0; P  = 0.005), respiratory complications (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.4­2.9; P  < 0.001), neurologic complications such as stroke and anoxic brain injury (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.2­7.5; P  = 0.007), septicemia/sepsis (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.0 to 2.5; P  = 0.031), and nonroutine discharge ( P  < 0.001), as well as increased lengths of stay (7.1 vs. 5.2 days, P  < 0.001) and hospitalization charges ($137,631.30 vs. $116,112.60, P  < 0.001). Cannabis abuse appears to be associated with increased perioperative morbidity among spine surgery patients. Physicians should ensure that a thorough preoperative drug use history is taken, and that affected patients be adequately informed of associated risks. Level of Evidence: 3.

Revision Discectomy with or without Fusion for the Treatment of Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Nationwide Analysis of Risk Profiles and Short-Term Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the demographics, risk factors, and complications for adult patients with recurrent lumbar disc herniation (RLDH) undergoing revision discectomy with or without concurrent fusion. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify patients who had undergone revision discectomy with or without simultaneous fusion. The demographic variables and various peri- and postoperative complications were compared between these 2 patient groups. RESULTS: A total of 6901 discectomy patients were included in the present study, of whom 2996 (43.4%) had undergone revision discectomy with fusion and 3905 (56.6%) had undergone revision discectomy alone. The revision discectomy with fusion group was significantly more likely to be older, female, and White or Black and to have a higher average body mass index than was the revision discectomy alone group. The discectomy with fusion group had longer hospital lengths of stay and was more likely to have a diagnosis of hypertension, insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition, the patients who had undergone discectomy with fusion were significantly more likely to develop pneumonia, require ventilation for >48 hours, require a blood transfusion, and to develop urinary tract infection, myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism compared with the patients who had undergone revision discectomy only. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal that older patients with more comorbidities were more likely to undergo revision discectomy with fusion. Also, this surgical group experienced more adverse events after their procedure compared with the revision discectomy only group.

Association of Neurosurgical Work Relative Value Units with Objective Markers of Operative Complexity.

OBJECTIVE: Relative value units (RVUs) form the backbone of health care service reimbursement calculation in the United States. However, it remains unclear how well RVUs align with objective measures of procedural complexity within neurosurgery. METHODS: The 2018 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for neurosurgical procedures with >50 patients, using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Length of stay (LOS), operative time, mortality, and readmission and reoperation rates were collected for each code and a univariate correlation analysis was performed, with significant predictors entered into a multivariate logistic regression model, which generated predicted work RVUs, which were compared with actual RVUs to identify undervalued and overvalued procedures. RESULTS: Among 64 CPT codes, LOS, operative time, mortality, readmission, and reoperation were significant independent predictors of work RVUs and together explained 76% of RVU variance in a multivariate model (R2 = 0.76). Using a difference of >1.5 standard deviations from the mean, procedures associated with greater than predicted RVU included surgery for intracranial carotid circulation aneurysms (CPTs 61697 and 61700; residual RVU = 12.94 and 15.07, respectively), and infratemporal preauricular approaches to middle cranial fossa (CPT 61590; residual RVU = 15.39). Conversely, laminectomy/foraminotomy for decompression of additional spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or nerve root segments (CPT 63048; residual RVU = -21.30), transtemporal craniotomy for cerebellopontine angle tumor resection (CPT 61526; residual RVU = -9.95), and brachial plexus neuroplasty (CPT 64713; residual RVU = -11.29) were associated with lower than predicted RVU. CONCLUSIONS: Work RVUs for neurosurgical procedures are largely predictive of objective measures of surgical complexity, with few notable exceptions.

Risk Factors for Hyponatremia and Perioperative Complications With Malignant Intracranial Tumor Resection in Adults: An Analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2012 to 2015.

BACKGROUND: The present study aims to study the incidence and risk factors for developing hyponatremia and associated perioperative outcomes in adult patients admitted for malignant brain tumor resection. METHODS: The 2012-2015 Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried for all patients undergoing surgical resection of malignant brain tumors. These patients were then grouped by the presence of concurrent diagnosis of hyponatremia, and compared with respect to various clinical features, perioperative and postoperative complications, all-cause mortality, discharge disposition, length of stay, and hospitalization costs. Propensity score matching was utilized to control for appropriate baseline confounders and the influence of other endpoint variables. RESULTS: The search criteria identified 12,480 adult patients admitted for malignant brain tumor resection, of whom 1162 (9.3%) developed hyponatremia in the perioperative period. Patients with obstructive hydrocephalus (risk ratio [RR] = 1.23, P < 0.001), diabetes (RR = 1.14, P = 0.014), hypertension (RR = 1.15, P < 0.001), and depression (RR = 1.24, P < 0.002) were more likely to develop hyponatremia. Tumor location was not associated with risk of developing hyponatremia. Patients with hyponatremia were more likely to require ventriculostomy (RR = 1.23, P < 0.001), ventriculoperitoneal shunt (RR = 1.34, P < 0.001), and lumbar puncture (RR = 1.25, P < 0.001), and were also more likely to be discharged to short-term hospital (RR = 1.25, P < 0.001) or rehabilitation (RR = 1.21, P < 0.001), as well as have longer hospital stay (P < 0.001) and increased hospital charges (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, diabetes, hypertension, and depression were more likely to develop perioperative hyponatremia. Hyponatremia was associated with increased morbidity following malignant brain tumor resection.

Incidence, Management, and Outcomes of Spinal Giant Cell Tumor of Bone in Adult Patients: A National Cancer Database Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Giant cell tumors (GCTs) constitute 5% of all primary bone tumors with spinal GCTs (SGCTs) accounting for 2%-15% of all GCTs. The standard of care for SGCT has been maximal surgical resection. However, many adjuvant therapies have been used owing to the difficulty in achieving gross total resection combined with the high local recurrence rate. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the incidence, management, and outcomes of SGCT. METHODS: Patients with diagnosis codes specific for SGCT were queried from the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2016. The outcomes were investigated using Cox univariate and multivariate regression analyses, and survival curves were generated for comparative visualization. RESULTS: The search criteria identified 92 patients in the NCDB dataset from 2004 to 2016 with a diagnosis of SGCT. Of the 92 patients, 64.1% had undergone surgical intervention, 24.8% had received radiotherapy, and 15.2% had received immunotherapy. Univariate analysis revealed that age ≥55 years and tumor location in the sacrum/coccyx were associated with worsened overall survival (OS) and that surgical resection was associated with improved OS. On multivariate analysis, age 55-64 years was associated with worsened OS, and radical surgical resection was associated with improved OS. The survival analysis revealed improved OS with surgery but not with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: SGCT is a rare primary bone tumor of the vertebral column. The standard of care has been surgical resection with the goal of gross total resection; however, adjuvant therapies have often been used. Our study found that surgical resection significantly improved OS and that immunotherapy neared significance in improving OS.

Early versus late surgical intervention for central cord syndrome: A nationwide all-payer inpatient analysis of length of stay, discharge destination and cost of care.

OBJECTIVE: Central cord syndrome (CCS) is the most common incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), resulting in various degrees of neurologic compromise below the level of the affected cervical cord. The management of CCS is controversial regarding not only whether to surgically intervene, but also when surgery should occur. In this study, we conduct the largest multi-center study to date examining differences in inpatient outcomes, general discharge disposition, length of stay, and cost associated with early versus late surgical intervention for CCS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for years 2012-2015 for patients who underwent surgery with a primary diagnosis of CCS. The median interval between admission and intervention was noted. Patients operated upon prior to this timepoint were placed in the early surgery group, and others into the later surgery group. The groups were then compared, while using 1:1 propensity score matching to control for baseline presentation, with respect to mortality, discharge disposition, length of stay, and total charges. RESULTS: A total of 422 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The median time from admission to intervention was 2 days. Patients with higher initial severity of injury were more likely to undergo early surgery. Upon controlling for severity of initial presentation, earlier intervention did not appear to affect mortality or post-operative length of stay. However, patients operated upon earlier had more favorable discharge destinations (p = 0.025) and a lower associated cost of care ($198,050.70 vs. $243,048.10, p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Earlier surgical intervention for CCS may result in better patient disposition and less total charges. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Inpatient Management of Primary Spinal Cord Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities, such as differential treatment and provider bias, negatively affect quality of life for minority patients. However, literature evaluating racial/ethnic differences in the treatment of primary spinal cord tumors (SCTs), a rare condition relying primarily on neurosurgical care, is lacking. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all primary SCT discharges from 2012 to 2016 within the National Inpatient Sample, a 20% all-payer database from hospitals across 47 U.S. states. Relative risks (RRs) for the association of race with mortality, receipt of surgery, and disposition, as well as length of stay and hospital charges, were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 1296 discharges met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inpatient mortality was similar across all racial/ethnic groups. Compared with white patients, African Americans were less likely to receive surgical intervention for the same diagnosis (RR, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-0.93) and to be discharged home (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50-0.91) as opposed to a skilled nursing or intermediate-care facility (RR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.06-2.27). Hispanic patients remained in the hospital 2-3 days longer (6.12 ± 5.86 vs. 8.61 ± 10.97; P = 0.028), resulting in higher hospital charges (U.S. $111,357.02 ± $99,468.44 vs. $163,416.30 ± $228,420.60; P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: African Americans were less likely to receive surgical intervention for treatment of primary SCTs compared with whites. Hispanic patients faced longer hospital stays. These disparities may be attributed to compromised access, provider attitudes and biases, communication barriers, or historical distrust in the medical community: issues that health care reform should address.