Sex Differences in Case Fatality of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is more common in women than in men, contrary to most cardiovascular diseases. However, it is unclear whether the case fatality rate (CFR) of SAH also differs by sex. Thus, we performed a systematic review to address the relationship between sex and SAH CFRs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases. We focused on population-based studies that included both nonhospitalized and hospitalized SAHs and had either reported 1-month (28-31 day) SAH CFRs separately for men and women or calculated risk estimates for SAH CFR by sex. For quality classification, we used the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook and Critical Appraisal Skills Program guidelines. We pooled the study cohorts and calculated relative risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for SAH death between women and men using a random-effects meta-analysis model. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 5,592 initial publications, of which 33 study cohorts were included in the final review. Of the 33 study cohorts, only three reported significant sex differences, although the findings were contradictory. In the pooled analysis of all 53,141 SAH cases (60.3% women) from 26 countries, the 1-month CFR did not differ (RR = 0.99 [95% CI: 0.93-1.05]) between women (35.5%) and men (35.0%). According to our risk-of-bias evaluation, all 33 study cohorts were categorized as low quality. The most important sources of bias risks were related to the absence of proper confounding control (all 33 study cohorts), insufficient sample size (27 of 33 study cohorts), and poor/unclear diagnostic accuracy (27 of 33 study cohorts). CONCLUSION: Contrary to SAH incidence rates, the SAH CFRs do not seem to differ between men and women. However, since none of the studies were specifically designed to examine the sex differences in SAH CFRs, future studies on the topic are warranted.

Frailty indices predict mortality, complications and functional improvements in supratentorial meningioma patients over 80 years of age.

PURPOSE: To assess whether the Modified 5 (mFI-5) and 11 (mFI-11) Factor Frailty Indices associate with postoperative mortality, complications, and functional benefit in supratentorial meningioma patients aged over 80 years. METHODS: Baseline characteristics were collected from eight centers. Based on the patients' preoperative status and comorbidities, frailty was assessed by the mFI-5 and mFI-11. The collected scores were categorized as "robust (mFI=0)", "pre-frail (mFI=1)", "frail (mFI=2)", and "significantly frail (mFI≥3)". Outcome was assessed by the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS); functional benefit was defined as improved KPS score. Additionally, we evaluated the patients' functional independence (KPS≥70) after surgery. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 262 patients (median age 83 years) with a median preoperative KPS of 70 (range 20 to 100). The 90-day and 1-year mortality were 9.0% and 13.2%; we recorded surgery-associated complications in 111 (42.4%) patients. At last follow-up within the postoperative first year, 101 (38.5%) patients showed an improved KPS, and 183 (69.8%) either gained or maintained functional independence. "Severely frail" patients were at an increased risk of death at 90 days (OR 16.3 (CI95% 1.7-158.7)) and one year (OR 11.7 (CI95% 1.9-71.7)); nine (42.9%) of severely frail patients died within the first year after surgery. The "severely frail" cohort had increased odds of suffering from surgery-associated complications (OR 3.9 (CI 95%) 1.3-11.3)), but also had a high chance for postoperative functional improvements by KPS≥20 (OR 6.6 (CI95% 1.2-36.2)). CONCLUSION: The mFI-5 and mFI-11 associate with postoperative mortality, complications, and functional benefit. Even though "severely frail" patients had the highest risk morbidity and mortality, they had the highest chance for functional improvement.

Changes in treatment of intracranial aneurysms during the last decade in a large European neurovascular center.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment modality for ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms has shifted during the last two decades from microsurgical treatment towards endovascular treatment. We present how this transition happened in a large European neurovascular center. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study consecutive patients treated for an unruptured or ruptured intracranial aneurysm at Helsinki University Hospital during 2012-2022. We used Poisson regression analysis to report age-adjusted treatment trends by aneurysm location and rupture status. RESULTS: A total of 2491 patients with intracranial aneurysms were treated (44% ruptured, 56% unruptured): 1421 (57%) surgically and 1070 (43%) endovascularly. A general trend towards fewer treated aneurysms was noted. The proportion of patients treated surgically decreased from 90% in 2012 to 20% in 2022. The age-adjusted decrease of surgical versus endovascular treatment was 6.9%/year for all aneurysms, 6.8% for ruptured aneurysms, and 6.8% for unruptured aneurysms. The decrease of surgical treatment was most evident in unruptured vertebrobasilar aneurysms (10.8%/year), unruptured communicating artery aneurysms (10.1%/year), ruptured communicating artery aneurysms (10.0%/year), and ruptured internal carotid aneurysms (9.0%/year). There was no change in treatment modality for middle cerebral artery aneurysms, of which 85% were still surgically treated in 2022. A trend towards an increasing size for treated ruptured aneurysms was found (p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: A significant shift of the treatment modality from surgical to endovascular treatment occurred for all aneurysm locations except for middle cerebral artery aneurysms. Whether this shift has affected long-term safety and patient outcomes should be assessed in the future.

Complex intracranial aneurysms: a DELPHI study to define associated characteristics.

PURPOSE: Intracranial aneurysms present significant health risks, as their rupture leads to subarachnoid haemorrhage, which in turn has high morbidity and mortality rates. There are several elements affecting the complexity of an intracranial aneurysm. However, criteria for defining a complex intracranial aneurysm (CIA) in open surgery and endovascular treatment could differ, and actually there is no consensus on the definition of a "complex" aneurysm. This DELPHI study aims to assess consensus on variables defining a CIA. METHODS: An international panel of 50 members, representing various specialties, was recruited to define CIAs through a three-round Delphi process. The panelists participated in surveys with Likert scale responses and open-ended questions. Consensus criteria were established to determine CIA variables, and statistical analysis evaluated consensus and stability. RESULTS: In open surgery, CIAs were defined by fusiform or blister-like shape, dissecting aetiology, giant size (≥ 25 mm), broad neck encasing parent arteries, extensive neck surface, wall calcification, intraluminal thrombus, collateral branch from the sac, location (AICA, SCA, basilar), vasospasm context, and planned bypass (EC-IC or IC-IC). For endovascular treatment, CIAs included giant size, very wide neck (dome/neck ratio ≤ 1:1), and collateral branch from the sac. CONCLUSIONS: The definition of aneurysm complexity varies by treatment modality. Since elements related to complexity differ between open surgery and endovascular treatment, these consensus criteria of CIAs could even guide in selecting the best treatment approach.

Temporal Changes in CSF Cell Parameters After SAH: Comparison of Ventricular and Spinal Drain Samples.

BACKGROUND: Forty percent of patients with aneurysmatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) develop acute hydrocephalus requiring treatment with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. CSF cell parameters are used in the diagnosis of nosocomial infections but also reflect sterile inflammation after aSAH. We aimed to study the temporal changes in CSF parameters and compare external ventricular drain (EVD)-derived and lumbar spinal drain-derived samples. METHODS: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients with aSAH treated at our neurointensive care unit between January 2014 and May 2019. We mapped the temporal changes in CSF leucocyte count, erythrocyte count, cell ratio, and cell index during the first 19 days after aSAH separately for EVD-derived and spinal drain-derived samples. We compared the sample sources using a linear mixed model, controlling for repeated sampling. RESULTS: We included 1360 CSF samples from 197 patients in the analyses. In EVD-derived samples, the CSF leucocyte count peaked at days 4-5 after aSAH, reaching a median of 225 × 106 (interquartile range [IQR] 64-618 × 106). The cell ratio and index peaked at 8-9 days (0.90% [IQR 0.35-1.98%] and 2.71 [IQR 1.25-6.73], respectively). In spinal drain-derived samples, the leucocyte count peaked at days 6-7, reaching a median of 238 × 106 (IQR 60-396 × 106). The cell ratio and index peaked at 14-15 days (4.12% [IQR 0.63-10.61%]) and 12-13 days after aSAH (8.84 [IQR 3.73-18.84]), respectively. Compared to EVD-derived samples, the leucocyte count was significantly higher in spinal drain-derived samples at days 6-17, and the cell ratio as well as the cell index was significantly higher in spinal drain-derived samples compared to EVD samples at days 10-15. CONCLUSIONS: CSF cell parameters undergo dynamic temporal changes after aSAH. CSF samples from different CSF compartments are not comparable.

Surgeon experience in glioblastoma surgery of the elderly-a multicenter, retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of individual surgeon experience on overall survival (OS), extent of resection (EOR) and surgery-related morbidity in elderly patients with glioblastoma (GBM), we performed a retrospective case-by-case analysis. METHODS: GBM patients aged ≥ 65 years who underwent tumor resection at two academic centers were analyzed. The experience of each neurosurgeon was quantified in three ways: (1) total number of previously performed glioma surgeries (lifetime experience); (2) number of surgeries performed in the previous five years (medium-term experience) and (3) in the last two years (short-term experience). Surgeon experience data was correlated with survival (OS) and surrogate parameters for surgical quality (EOR, morbidity). RESULTS: 198 GBM patients (median age 73.0 years, median preoperative KPS 80, IDH-wildtype status 96.5%) were included. Median OS was 10.0 months (95% CI 8.0-12.0); median EOR was 89.4%. Surgery-related morbidity affected 19.7% patients. No correlations of lifetime surgeon experience with OS (P = .693), EOR (P = .693), and surgery-related morbidity (P = .435) were identified. Adjuvant therapy was associated with improved OS (P < .001); patients with surgery-related morbidity were less likely to receive adjuvant treatment (P = .002). In multivariable testing, adjuvant therapy (P < .001; HR = 0.064, 95%CI 0.028-0.144) remained the only significant predictor for improved OS. CONCLUSION: Less experienced neurosurgeons achieve similar surgical results and outcome in elderly GBM patients within the setting of academic teaching hospitals. Adjuvant treatment and avoidance of surgery-related morbidity are crucial for generating a treatment benefit for this cohort.

Peritumoral T2/FLAIR hyperintense MRI findings of meningiomas are not necessarily edema and may persist permanently: a systematic review.

The current knowledge regarding the prevalence and persistence of edematous changes postmeningioma surgery is limited. Our hypothesis was that peritumoral edema is frequently irreversible gliosis, potentially influencing long-term postoperative epilepsy. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. We included studies with adult patients undergoing first supratentorial meningioma surgery, which reported pre- and postoperative peritumoral brain edema (T2WI and FLAIR hyperintensity on MRI). Risk of bias was assessed based on detailed reporting of five domains: (1) meningioma characteristics, (2) extent of resection, (3) postoperative radiation therapy, (4) neurological outcome, and (5) used MRI sequence. Our loose search strategy yielded 1714 articles, of which 164 were reviewed and seven met inclusion criteria. Persistent edema rates ranged from 39% to 83% with final follow-up occurring between 0, 14, and 157 months. Among patient cohorts exhibiting persistent edema, a smaller portion achieved seizure resolution compared to a cohort without persistent edema. Relatively reliable assessment of persistent T2/FLAIR hyperintensity changes can be made earliest at one year following surgery. All studies were classified as low quality of evidence, and therefore, quantitative analyses were not conducted. Persistent T2/FLAIR hyperintensity changes are frequently observed in MRI imaging following meningioma surgery. The term "edema," which is reversible, does not fully capture pre- and postoperative T2WI and FLAIR hyperintensity changes. Future studies focusing on peritumoral meningioma-related edema, its etiology, its persistence, and its impact on postoperative epilepsy are needed.

Defining activities in neurovascular microsurgery training: entrustable professional activities for vascular neurosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) represent an assessment framework with an increased focus on competency-based assessment. Originally developed and adopted for undergraduate medical education, concerns over resident ability to practice effectively after graduation have led to its implementation in residency training but yet not in vascular neurosurgery. Subjective assessment of resident or fellow performance can be problematic, and thus, we aim to define core EPAs for neurosurgical vascular training. METHODS: We used a nominal group technique in a multistep interaction between a team of experienced neurovascular specialists and a medical educator to identify relevant EPAs. Panel members provided feedback on the EPAs until they reached consent. RESULTS: The process produced seven core procedural EPAs for vascular residency and fellowship training, non-complex aneurysm surgery, complex aneurysm surgery, bypass surgery, arteriovenous malformation resection, spinal dural fistula surgery, perioperative management, and clinical decision-making. CONCLUSION: These seven EPAs for vascular neurosurgical training may support and guide the neurosurgical society in the development and implementation of EPAs as an evaluation tool and incorporate entrustment decisions in their training programs.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Thrombolysis-Treated Stroke Patients With and Without Saccular Intracranial Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous thrombolysis seems safe in acute ischemic stroke patients with saccular, unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), but little is known about the differences in cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes between intravenous thrombolysis-treated stroke patients with and without UIAs. We hypothesized that UIA patients would have a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors and, therefore, a higher risk of an unfavorable outcome. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study conducted in Helsinki University Hospital, we identified intravenous thrombolysis-treated patients with concurrent saccular UIAs admitted to a comprehensive stroke center between 2005 and 2019 using 2 overlapping methods. For each UIA patient, a control patient was identified and matched (1:1) for age, sex, admission year, and stroke severity. The primary outcome was an unfavorable outcome at 3 months, defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 3 to 6. The secondary outcomes were an excellent outcome (mRS score 0-1) at 3 months and mRS difference in shift analysis. RESULTS: In total, 118 UIA patients and 118 matched control patients were identified. The UIA patients were more often current smokers, and their admission systolic blood pressure was higher. The rate of hemorrhagic complications did not differ between the groups. UIAs were not associated with an unfavorable outcome in the conditional logistic regression analysis (odds ratio, 1.41 [95% CI, 0.79-2.54]; P=0.25). However, the UIA patients were less likely to have excellent outcomes (odds ratio for non-excellent outcome, 2.09 [95% CI, 1.13-3.85]; P=0.02). In shift analysis, UIAs were associated with higher mRS (odds ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.03-2.49]; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The intravenous thrombolysis-treated stroke patients with UIAs were more often current smokers and had higher systolic blood pressure than the matched patients without UIAs. They were as likely to have unfavorable outcomes at 3 months but seemed less likely to achieve excellent outcomes and were more likely to have higher mRS in shift analysis.

Obesity Does Not Protect From Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Pooled Analyses of 3 Large Prospective Nordic Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Several population-based cohort studies have related higher body mass index (BMI) to a decreased risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The main objective of our study was to investigate whether the previously reported inverse association can be explained by modifying effects of the most important risk factors of SAH-smoking and hypertension. METHODS: We conducted a collaborative study of three prospective population-based Nordic cohorts by combining comprehensive baseline data from 211 972 adult participants collected between 1972 and 2012, with follow-up until the end of 2018. Primarily, we compared the risk of SAH between three BMI categories: (1) low (BMI<22.5), (2) moderate (BMI: 22.5-29.9), and (3) high (BMI≥30) BMI and evaluated the modifying effects of smoking and hypertension on the associations. RESULTS: We identified 831 SAH events (mean age 62 years, 55% women) during the total follow-up of 4.7 million person-years. Compared with the moderate BMI category, persons with low BMI had an elevated risk for SAH (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.30 [1.09-1.55]), whereas no significant risk difference was found in high BMI category (HR, 0.91 [0.73-1.13]). However, we only found the increased risk of low BMI in smokers (HR, 1.49 [1.19-1.88]) and in hypertensive men (HR, 1.72 [1.18-2.50]), but not in nonsmokers (HR, 1.02 [0.76-1.37]) or in men with normal blood pressure values (HR, 0.98 [0.63-1.54]; interaction HRs, 1.68 [1.18-2.41], P=0.004 between low BMI and smoking and 1.76 [0.98-3.13], P=0.06 between low BMI and hypertension in men). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and hypertension appear to explain, at least partly, the previously reported inverse association between BMI and the risk of SAH. Therefore, the independent role of BMI in the risk of SAH is likely modest.

Case Fatality Rates of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Are Decreasing with Substantial between-Country Variation: A Systematic Review of Population-Based Studies between 1980 and 2020.

BACKGROUND: The declining prevalence of smoking and hypertension has been associated with the decrease of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) incidence in the 21st century. Since these same risk factors are linked to SAH mortality, the case fatality rate (CFR) of SAH has potentially also decreased during recent decades. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to address SAH CFR changes over the last 40 years. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search in OVID Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. We focused on population-based studies published between 1980 and 2020 that had included both hospitalized and nonhospitalized SAH cases, and reported 1-month CFRs for at least two individual study periods for the same population. Finally, we used a linear regression analysis to estimate the annual CFR changes in each identified population and pooled the regional changes for larger geographical and sex-specific analyses. RESULTS: Of the 4,562 initial publications, we included 22 studies (three of which reached a high-quality classification) consisting of 17,593 SAH patients from 16 different populations and 10 countries. Between 1980 and 2020, SAH CFR declined in all but two populations by an average of -1.5%/year. In the continent-based pooled geographical analyses, CFR decline was the most noticeable in North America (-2.4%/year) and Oceania (-2.2%/year). The decline was more moderate in Northern Europe (-0.8%/year) and Southern Europe (-0.7%/year). Overall, CFRs declined both in women (-1.9%/year) and in men (-1.2%/year). When comparing the first and second half of the study period, CFRs declined from 41% to 31%. CONCLUSION: Short-term SAH CFRs seem to have declined since 1980. Time trends of SAH CFRs can still be identified for only a few populations, and high-quality data are scarce. Whether the observed decline relates to changes in risk factors, treatment outcomes or diagnostics remains to be studied.

Foundations of Brain Image Segmentation: Pearls and Pitfalls in Segmenting Intracranial Blood on Computed Tomography Images.

Not only the time-dependent varying of signal intensity (i.e. haematoma evolution) characteristics of the intracranial blood in computed tomography images, but also the fluctuating image quality, the distortions introduced after medical interventions, and the brain deformations and intensity profile variations due to underlying pathologies make the segmentation of intracranial blood a challenging task. In addition to describing various challenges with blood segmentation, this chapter also reviews the following: (1) the general concept of segmentation-explaining why a proper segmentation is a critical step when creating machine learning algorithms for image detection purposes, (2) the different segmentation types and how different medical conditions and technical issues can further complicate this task, (3) how to choose a proper software to facilitate the segmentation task, and (4) useful tips that may be applied before launching a similar segmentation project.

In-hospital postoperative opioid use and its trends in neurosurgery between 2007 and 2018.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative opioid use plays an important role in the global opioid crisis, but little is known about in-hospital opioid use trends of large surgical units. We investigated whether postoperative in-hospital opioid consumption changed in a large academic neurosurgical unit between 2007 and 2018. METHODS: We extracted the data of consumed opioids in the neurosurgical intensive care unit and two bed wards between 2007 and 2018. Besides overall consumption, we analyzed the trends for weak (tramadol and codeine), strong, and the most commonly used opioids. The use of various opioids was standardized using the defined daily doses (DDDs) of each opioid agent. A linear regression analysis was performed to estimate annual treatment day-adjusted changes with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Overall, 121 361 opioid DDDs were consumed during the 196 199 treatment days. Oxycodone was the most commonly used postoperative opioid (49% of all used opioids) in neurosurgery. In the bed wards, the use of oral oxycodone increased 375% (on average 13% (9-17%) per year), and the use of transdermal buprenorphine 930% (on average 26% (9-45%) per year) over the 12-year period. Despite the increased use of strong opioids in the bed wards (on average 3% (1-4%) per year), overall opioid use decreased 39% (on average 6% (4-7%) per year) between 2007 and 2018. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the increase of strong opioid use in the surgical bed wards, we encourage other large teaching hospitals and surgical units to investigate whether their opioid use trends are similarly worrisome and whether the opioid consumption changes in the hospital setting are transferred to opioid use patterns or opioid-related harms after discharge.

Surgery on giant meningiomas in very old patients entails frequent postoperative intracranial hemorrhages and atypical histopathology.

PURPOSE: Surgical resection of intracranial meningiomas in patients that are 80 years old and older, i.e. very old patients, is increasingly considered. Meningiomas with a largest diameter of at least 5 cm-'giant meningiomas'-form a distinct entity, and their surgical resection is considered more difficult and prone to complications. Here, we evaluated functional outcome, morbidity and mortality, and the prognostic value of tumor size in very old patients who underwent resection of giant supratentorial meningiomas. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiological data, functional performance (Karnofsky Performance Score), histopathological diagnosis and complications of very old patients who underwent surgery of a supratentorial meningioma at the Helsinki University Hospital between 2010 and 2018. RESULTS: We identified 76 very old patients, including 28 with a giant meningioma. Patients with a giant meningioma suffered from major complications more commonly than those with a non-giant meningioma (36% vs. 17%, p = 0.06), particularly from postoperative intracranial hemorrhages (ICH). At the 1-year follow-up, functional performance and mortality rate were comparable between patients with giant meningiomas and those with non-giant meningiomas. An exceptionally high rate of giant meningiomas were diagnosed as atypical meningiomas (WHO II) at an (11 out of 28 cases). CONCLUSIONS: Giant meningioma surgery entails a high complication rate in frail, very old patients. The prevention of postoperative ICH in this specific patient group is of utmost importance. An atypical histopathology was notably frequent among very old patients with a giant meningioma, which should be taken into account when planning the surgical strategy.

Mortality of older patients with dementia after surgery for chronic subdural hematoma: a nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: dementia is associated with an excess risk of death but mortality after chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) evacuation in older people with dementia is unknown. We assessed the association between dementia and 1-year case-fatality in older persons undergoing CSDH evacuation. METHODS: we conducted a nationwide Finnish cohort study including all older persons (≥60 years) undergoing CSDH evacuation during 1997-2014 (referred to as cases). We identified controls, without a diagnosis of CSDH, that were matched for age, sex and year of first hospitalisation with a new dementia diagnosis. We identified cases and controls with a pre-existing diagnosis of dementia. Outcome was 12-month mortality. Mortality was compared in case-only and case-control analyses. RESULTS: of 7,621 included cases, 885 (12%) had a pre-existing diagnosis of dementia. The proportion of cases increased from 9.7% in 1997-2002 to 12.2% in 2012-2014 (P = 0.038 for trend). In the case-analysis, dementia independently associated with 1-year case-fatality (dementia vs. no dementia odds ratio [OR] 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-1.78). Sensitivity analysis suggested the association to be strongest for those 60-69 years old (OR 3.21, 95% CI 1.59-6.47). In the case-control matched analysis, 1-year mortality was 26% in the dementia CSDH surgery group compared to 16% in the dementia non-CSDH controls (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: dementia is a significant risk factor for 1-year mortality after CSDH surgery in older people. The proportion of older CSDH patients having a pre-existing diagnosis of dementia is increasing. Thus, there is a need for improved evidence regarding the indications and benefits of CSDH evacuation among older persons.

Is surgery justified for 80-year-old or older intracranial meningioma patients? A systematic review.

Since the number of elderly people with intracranial meningiomas (IM) continues to rise, surgical treatment has increasingly become a considerable treatment option, even in very old (≥ 80 years old) meningioma patients. Since little is known about whether meningioma surgery in this age group is safe and justified, we conducted a systematic review to summarize the results of surgical outcomes in very old meningioma patients. We performed a systematic literature search in Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. Primarily, we extracted 1-month and 1-year survival rates, and 1-year morbidity rates, as well as information about preoperative morbidity, operative complications, meningioma size, location, histology, and peritumoral edema. Quality of the included studies was evaluated by Cochrane Collaboration Handbook and Critical Appraisal Skills Program. From the 1039 reviewed articles, seven retrospective studies fulfilled our eligibility criteria. Motor deficits (27-65%) and mental changes (51-59%) were the most common indications for surgery. One-month and 1-year mortality rates varied between 0-23.5% and 9.4-27.3%, respectively. Most of the operated IM patients (41.2-86.5%) improved their performance during postoperative follow-up. Impaired preoperative performance and comorbidities were most commonly related to higher postoperative mortality. None of the studies fulfilled the criteria of high quality. Based on the evidence currently available, surgical treatment of very old IM patients seems to improve the performance of highly selected individuals. Given the rapid increase of the aging population, more detailed retrospective studies as well as prospective studies are needed to prove the outcome benefits of surgery in this patient group.

Smoking Causes Fatal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Case-Control Study of Finnish Twins.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: One of the largest twin studies to date suggested that subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is mainly of nongenetic origin, but the causal effect of environmental factors on SAH is yet unknown. We hypothesized that if only one of the twins experience fatal SAH, they do not share the most important environmental risk factor for SAH, namely smoking. If true, such finding would suggest that smoking causes SAH. METHODS: Through the nationwide cause-of-death register, we followed 16 282 same-sex twin pairs of Finnish origin from the older Finnish Twin Cohort between 1976 and 2018 and identified all participants who died from SAH. For the baseline, we collected risk factor information about smoking, hypertension, physical activity, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and education. We classified the pairs as monozygotic, dizygotic, or of unknown zygosity. We examined the within-pair risk factor differences in the pairs discordant for SAH, that is, where one twin died from SAH and the other did not. We computed both individual (whole cohort) and pairwise (discordant pair) hazard ratios and 95% CIs. RESULTS: During the 869 469 person-years of follow-up, we identified 116 discordant and 2 concordant (both died from SAH) twin pairs for fatal SAH. Overall, 25 of the discordant twin pairs were monozygotic. For the whole cohort, smoking (occasional/current) was associated with increased risk of SAH death (hazard ratio, 3.33 [CI, 2.24-4.95]) as compared with nonsmokers (never/former). In the pairwise analyses for discordant twin pairs, we found that the twin who smoked had an increased risk of fatal SAH (hazard ratio, 6.33 [CI, 1.87-21.4]) as compared with the nonsmoking twin. The association remained consistent regardless of the twin pairs' zygosity or sex. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide strong evidence for a causal, rather than associative, role of smoking in SAH.

Symptomatic peritumoral edema is associated with surgical outcome: a consecutive series of 72 supratentorial meningioma patients ≥ 80 years of age.

PURPOSE: To assess the association of peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) with postoperative outcome in old (≥ 80 years) meningioma patients. METHODS: All supratentorial meningioma patients (≥ 80 years old) who underwent surgery between 2010 and 2018 were retrospectively identified. Patients were classified into poor (≤ 40), intermediate (50-70), or good (≥ 80) preoperative Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) subgroups. Outcome was evaluated at 3 months and at last follow-up within the first year after surgery, and categorized as improved, stable, or deteriorated. Three-dimensional volumetric assessment of tumor and PTBE volume was conducted. Volumes were categorized as small (< 10 cm3), medium (10-50 cm3), large (> 50 cm3). RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (mean age 83 ± 3 years, median 83; median follow-up 3 years) were included. The mean tumor volume was 39 ± 31 cm3 (median 27), and mean PTBE volume was 57 ± 79 cm3 (median 27). The mean preoperative KPS and at last follow-up was 58 ± 16 (median 60) and 59 ± 30 (median 70). Thirty-three patients were classified as improved, 16 as stable, and 23 deteriorated; eleven patients died within the first year. Large PTBE volume was more common for patients with poor preoperative status (p = 0.001). However, patients with large PTBE and poor preoperative status improved most frequently following surgery (p = 0.037 at 3 months, p = 0.074 at last follow-up). Large PTBE volume was not associated with treatment-associated complications (p = 0.538) or mortality (p = 0.721). A decision support tool to predict outcome was developed (p = 0.038). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with large PTBE volumes usually had a poor preoperative performance status, but appeared to benefit most often from surgery.

Disparities in glioblastoma survival by case volume: a nationwide observational study.

INTRODUCTION: High hospital case volumes are associated with improved treatment outcomes for numerous diseases. We assessed the association between academic non-profit hospital case volume and survival of adult glioblastoma patients. METHODS: From the nationwide Finnish Cancer Registry, we identified all adult (≥ 18 years) patients with histopathological diagnoses of glioblastoma from 2000 to 2013. Five university hospitals (treating all glioblastoma patients in Finland) were classified as high-volume (one hospital), middle-volume (one hospital), and low-volume (three hospitals) based on their annual numbers of cases. We estimated one-year survival rates, estimated median overall survival times, and compared relative excess risk (RER) of death between high, middle, and low-volume hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 2,045 patients were included. The mean numbers of annually treated patients were 54, 40, and 17 in the high, middle, and low-volume hospitals, respectively. One-year survival rates and median survival times were higher and longer in the high-volume (39%, 9.3 months) and medium-volume (38%, 8.9 months) hospitals than in the low-volume (32%, 7.8 months) hospitals. RER of death was higher in the low-volume hospitals than in the high-volume hospital (RER = 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.32, p = 0.002). There was no difference in RER of death between the high-volume and medium-volume hospitals (p = 0.690). CONCLUSION: Higher glioblastoma case volumes were associated with improved survival. Future studies should assess whether this association is due to differences in patient-specific factors or treatment quality.

Screening tools for early neuropsychological impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Although most aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients suffer from neuropsychological disabilities, outcome estimation is commonly based only on functional disability scales such as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Moreover, early neuropsychological screening tools are not used routinely. OBJECTIVE: To study whether two simple neuropsychological screening tools identify neuropsychological deficits (NPDs), among aSAH patients categorized with favorable outcome (mRS 0-2) at discharge. METHODS: We reviewed 170 consecutive aSAH patients that were registered in a prospective institutional database. We included all patients graded by the mRS at discharge, and who had additionally been evaluated by a neuropsychologist and/or occupational therapist using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and/or Rapid Evaluation of Cognitive Function (ERFC). The proportion of patients with scores indicative of NPDs in each test were reported, and spearman correlation tests calculated the coefficients between the both neuropsychological test results and the mRS. RESULTS: Of the 42 patients (24.7%) that were evaluated by at least one neuropsychological test, 34 (81.0%) were rated mRS 0-2 at discharge. Among these 34 patients, NPDs were identified in 14 (53.9%) according to the MoCA and 8 (66.7%) according to the ERFC. The mRS score was not correlated with the performance in the MoCA or ERFC. CONCLUSION: The two screening tools implemented here frequently identified NPDs among aSAH patients that were categorized with favorable outcome according to the mRS. Our results suggest that MoCA or ERFC could be used to screen early NPDs in favorable outcome patients, who in turn might benefit from early neuropsychological rehabilitation.