The use of surgery for cervical degenerative disease in Norway in the period 2008-2014 : A population-based study of 6511 procedures.

BACKGROUND: The incidence rate of surgical treatment of cervical degenerative diseases (CDD) has increased in the USA and a large geographic variation has been shown. Little is known about such rates in Scandinavia and Europe. The aim of this population-based study was to (1) investigate annual incidence rates of operations performed in Norway, (2) to compare trends and variations in rates for surgical indications with and without myelopathy, and (3) to compare variations in the use of surgery between residential areas. METHODS: Patients operated for CDD and recorded in the Norwegian Patient Registry from 2008 to 2014 were evaluated according to residential areas (resident county and Regional Health Authority (RHA) area), age, gender, treating hospital, and whether myelopathy was present or not. Surgical rates were adjusted for age and gender. Data from private health care were also included. RESULTS: The annual surgical rates increased by 74.1 % from 2008 to 2014 (12.5/100,000 inhabitants). The largest increase was for surgical treatment of radiculopathy, 86.5 %. Surgical rates for CDD varied in 2014 with a ratio of 1.5 between the highest and lowest RHA and with a ratio of 2.5 between the different residential counties within one RHA. The treatment rates for myelopathy were relatively stable over time, but showed an increase of 2.1/100,000 (44.6 %) from 2013 to 2014. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the rate of surgical treatment for radiculopathy due to CDD has increased substantially from 2008 to 2014 for all RHAs in Norway. The incidence rate for surgical treatment of myelopathy was more stable. An unexplained and moderate geographic variation was found.

Blood blister-like aneurysms of the internal carotid artery trunk causing subarachnoid hemorrhage: treatment and outcome.

OBJECT: The object of this study was to evaluate cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from ruptured blood blister-like aneurysms (BBAs) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) trunk. METHODS: The authors performed a single-center, retrospective study. Data analyzed were patient age, sex, Hunt and Hess grade, Fisher grade, time from SAH to hospitalization, aneurysm size and location, collateral capacity of the circle of Willis, time from hospitalization to aneurysm repair, type of aneurysm repair, complications, and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 211 patients suffered SAH from ICA aneurysms. Of these, 14 patients (6.6%) had ICA trunk BBAs; 6 men and 8 women. The median age was 47.8 years (range 29.9-67.7 years). The Hunt and Hess grade was IV or V in 7 cases, and SAH was Fisher Grade 3 + 4 in 6. All aneurysms were small (< 1 cm), without relation to vessel bifurcations, and usually located anteromedially on the ICA trunk. Three patients were treated with coil placement and 11 with clip placement. Of the 7 patients in whom the ICA was preserved, only 1 had poor outcome (GOS Score 2). In contrast, cerebral infarcts developed in all patients treated with ICA sacrifice, directly postoperatively in 2 and after delay in 5. Six patients died, 1 survived in poor condition (GOS Score 3; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Internal carotid BBAs are rare, small, and difficult to treat endovascularly, with only 2 of 14 patients successfully treated with coil placement. The BBAs rupture easily during surgery (ruptured in 6 of 11 surgical cases). Intraoperative aneurysm rupture invariably led to ICA trap ligation. Sacrifice of the ICA within 48 hours of an SAH led to very poor outcome, even in patients with adequate collateral capacity on preoperative angiograms, probably because of vasospasm-induced compromise of the cerebral collaterals.