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BACKGROUND: Outpatient diagnostic cerebral arteriograms are the most common procedure in neuroendovascular surgery, and the use of transradial access for these studies is growing. Although transradial access has been associated with lower hospital costs for elective diagnostic and interventional neuroendovascular procedures, no study has compared transfemoral access and transradial access costs for a homogenous population of patients undergoing outpatient diagnostic cerebral arteriogram. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective study, the Value Driven Outcomes database was used to evaluate treatment costs for patients who underwent outpatient diagnostic cerebral arteriogram from January 2019 to December 2022. Propensity-score matching was performed to reduce confounders. Costs from each encounter were subcategorized into imaging, supplies, pharmacy, procedures, labs, and facility costs. RESULTS: After matching, 337 patients each for transradial access and transfemoral access were available for analysis. A total of 118,992 cost data points were associated with all encounters. Overall, per-visit costs were 15.2% cheaper for patients who underwent transradial access versus transfemoral access (p < 0.001). Most of the cost difference was due to supplies (35.2% cost difference, p < 0.001) and procedure costs (9.3% cost difference, p < 0.001). No statistical differences were observed between the two approaches in imaging, pharmacy, labs, and facility costs (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Costs for outpatient diagnostic cerebral arteriogram were lower in patients who underwent transradial access versus transfemoral access because of supply and procedure costs. Understanding reasons for cost differences in common procedures is important for creating strategies to reduce overall healthcare costs. Additionally, addressing the cost differences of newer techniques may increase the likelihood that they are more readily implemented by hospitals and providers.
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Background Preoperative identification of clinical, radiographic, and surgery-specific factors associated with nonacute subdural hematomas (SDHs) may enable clinicians to optimize the efficacy of the initial surgical intervention, improve outcomes, and decrease rates of surgical recurrence. Methods The authors identified patients aged ≥65 years who underwent surgical treatment of chronic, subacute, or mixed-density SDH at a level-1 trauma hospital over a ten-year period (2010-2019). Pre-and postoperative clinical, radiographic, and surgery-specific data were collected. Predictors of surgical recurrence as well as morbidity, mortality, and discharge disposition were analyzed. Results There were 268 nonacute SDHs treated surgically; 46 were chronic, 19 were subacute, and 203 were mixed density. Of these, 179 were treated with burr hole(s), 62 with miniature craniotomy, and 27 via a large craniotomy and removal of subdural membranes. Statin use was protective (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.08, 0.60) against recurrence requiring reoperation. Preoperative use of antithrombotic agents was not significantly associated with increased recurrence requiring reoperation. Smaller preoperative hematoma thickness was associated with significantly lower mortality risk, whereas mixed-density hematomas, patient age, change in thickness after surgery, density, and presence of cisternal effacement were significantly associated with discharge disposition. Hematoma type was also associated with hospital and intensive care length of stay. Conclusions Our experience suggests that, in elderly patients, premorbid statin usage is associated with lower recurrence rates and preoperative antithrombotic use does not affect recurrence when appropriately reversed before surgery. Patient age, preoperative thickness, and hematoma type contribute to postoperative outcomes such as discharge disposition and length of stay.