Outcome of transforaminal epidural steroid injection for lumbar radiculopathy: initial three-year experience at Upendra Devkota Memorial-National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of low back pain with radiculopathy in general population varies from 9.9% to 25%, which can be due to bony narrowing of the lateral recess or due to prolapsed intervertebral disc. Transforaminal epidural injection of a mixture of long-acting anaesthetic (bupivacaine) and particulate steroids (depomedrol) has been a treatment modality in patients not responding to initial physiotherapy and neuropathic pain medications. METHODS: To analyze the effectiveness of transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) in the treatment of low back pain with radiculopathy, a retrospective case series evaluating the records of patients that received TFESI (1 mL 0.5% bupivacaine +1 ml/40 mg depomedrol) under C-arm guidance from January 2015 to December 2018 (3 years) at Upendra Devkota Memorial-National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences (UDM-NINAS), their lumbo-sacral MRI and the pre-procedure, 1-week and 3-month numeric pain rating scale, were analyzed. Successful treatment (reduction of pain scale by more than 50% of baseline at 3 months) in the patients with bony recess stenosis and those with prolapsed intervertebral disc was compared. RESULTS: Out of 67 patients that received TFESI, 35 (52.23%) could be followed up. The mean age was 55.8 ± 14.39 years and 51.3% were females. 68.57% had L5 and 20% had S1 radiculopathy. Bony recess stenosis was seen in the aged 40% and PIVD was the cause of radiculopathy in 60%. The median duration of radicular pain prior to intervention was 3 months. TFESI was effective as the mean numeric pain scale before injection was 8.97 ± 1.32 which reduced to 3.91 ± 3.23 (paired t test p value < 0.001) at 1 week post injection and 3.23 ± 3.34 (paired t test p value < 0.001) at 3 months post injection. Twenty-six of the 35 patients (75.29%) had more than 50% pain relief compared to baseline at 3 months and were satisfied. Nine patients continued to have pain; however, only one required a surgical intervention. The effectiveness of TFESI was not significantly different in different ages (Fisher's exact test p value 0.182) and in different anatomic levels (Fisher's exact test p value 0.241). Six out of eight patients with bony recess stenosis benefited as compared to 14 out of 19 patients with PIVD, though it was not statistically significant (Fischer's exact test p value 0.688). There were no adverse events recorded. CONCLUSION: TFESI is a safe and efficacious treatment modality in patients with radicular low back pain especially in aged patients in whom surgery under general anaesthesia is not free from risk.

Does Diffuse Axonal Injury MRI Grade Really Correlate with Functional Outcome?

OBJECTIVE: Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a common form of primary head injury. This study was done to see the association of DAI grades with extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts and radiology reports of a cohort of patients discharged with the diagnosis of diffuse axonal injury. We collected data on variables like age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission, grade of DAI, length of hospital stay, and occurrence of post-traumatic seizures. We contacted the patients after 6 months to assess their GOSE. Outcome analysis was done with SPSS version 23. RESULTS: For 40 patients, DAI and 6-month GOSE were available for analysis. Mean age was 27.8 years, with male to female ratio of 12:1. There were 8 patients with DAI grade I (20.5%), 13 patients with DAI grade II (33.3%), and 18 patients with DAI grade III (46.2%). Nine of 39 patients (23.07%) had post-traumatic seizures. Mean GCS at admission was 9.67. Mean length of hospital stay was 24.12 days. Mean GOSE after 6 months was 6.10. There were 5 mortalities. Patients with low mean GCS portended significant unfavorable outcome. Higher DAI grades were not associated with unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Mean GCS at presentation is a better predictor of outcome after DAI rather than its grade.

Renal impairment in stroke patients: A comparison between the haemorrhagic and ischemic variants.

Background: Renal impairment is regularly seen in hospitalized stroke patients, affecting the outcome of patients, as well as causing difficulties in their management. A prospective cohort study was conducted to assess the trend of renal function in hospitalized ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke patients. The incidence of renal impairment in these subgroups, the contributing factors and the need for renal replacement in renal impaired patients was evaluated. Methods: Alternate day renal function testing was performed in hospitalized stroke patients. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (e-GFR) was calculated and the trend of renal function in the two stroke subgroups (haemorrhagic and ischemic) was assessed, with renal impairment defined as e-GFR < 60mL/ minute per 1.73m 2. Results: Among 52 patients, 25 had haemorrhagic stroke (mean age 59.81 ± 14.67) and 27 had ischemic stroke (mean age 56.12 ± 13.08). The mean e-GFR (mL/minute per 1.732m 2) at admission in the haemorrhagic stroke subgroup was 64.79 ± 25.85 compared to 86.04 ± 26.09 in the ischemic stroke subgroup (p=0.005). Sixteen out of 25 (64%) patients in the haemorrhagic stroke subgroup and 9 out of 27 (33.3%) patients in the ischemic subgroup developed renal impairment (p=0.027). The location of the bleed (p=0.8), volume of hematoma (p=0.966) and surgical intervention (p=0.4) did not predispose the patients to renal impairment. One out of 16 patients with haemorrhagic stroke (who eventually died), and 2 out of 9 patients with ischemic stroke required renal replacement. Conclusion: Renal impairment is commonly seen in stroke patients, more so in patients who suffered haemorrhagic strokes.  The impairment, however, is transient and rarely requires renal replacement therapy.

Outcomes of endoscopic suturectomy with postoperative helmet therapy in bilateral coronal craniosynostosis.

OBJECTIVE Historically, bilateral frontoorbital advancement (FOA) has been the keystone for treatment of turribrachycephaly caused by bilateral coronal synostosis. Early endoscopic suturectomy has become a popular technique for treatment of single-suture synostosis, with acceptable results and minimal perioperative morbidity. Boston Children's Hospital has adopted this method of treating early-presenting cases of bilateral coronal synostosis. METHODS A retrospective review of patients with bilateral coronal craniosynostosis who were treated with endoscopic suturectomy between 2005 and 2012 was completed. Patients were operated on between 1 and 4 months of age. Hospital records were reviewed for perioperative morbidity, length of stay, head circumference and cephalic indices, and the need for further surgery. RESULTS Eighteen patients were identified, 8 males and 10 females, with a mean age at surgery of 2.6 months (range 1-4 months). Nine patients had syndromic craniosynostosis. The mean duration of surgery was 73.3 minutes (range 50-93 minutes). The mean blood loss was 40 ml (range 20-100 ml), and 2 patients needed a blood transfusion. The mean duration of hospital stay was 1.2 days (range 1-2 days). There was 1 major complication in the form of a CSF leak. The mean follow-up was 37 months (range 6-102 months). Eleven percent of nonsyndromic patients required a subsequent FOA; 55.6% of syndromic patients underwent FOA. The head circumference percentiles and cephalic indices improved significantly. CONCLUSIONS Early endoscopic suturectomy successfully treats the majority of patients with bilateral coronal synostosis, and affords a short procedure time, a brief hospital stay, and an expedited recovery. Close follow-up is needed to detect patients who will require a secondary FOA due to progressive suture fusion or resynostosis of the released coronal sutures.

Unsung hero: Donald Darrow Matson's legacy in pediatric neurosurgery.

Donald Darrow Matson made seminal contributions to the field of pediatric neurosurgery. Born in 1913 in Fort Hamilton, New York, Matson was the youngest of four sons of an army colonel. He graduated from Cornell University and, years later, from Harvard Medical School. Matson selected Peter Bent Brigham Hospital for his neurosurgical training, which was interrupted during World War II. As a neurosurgeon, he worked close to the front lines under Brigadier General Elliot Cutler in Europe, earning a Bronze Star. Matson returned to Boston to become Franc Ingraham's fellow and partner. He was a masterful surgeon and, with Ingraham, published Neurosurgery of Infancy and Childhood in 1954, the first pediatric neurosurgery textbook in the world. Upon Ingraham's retirement, Matson became chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Boston Children's Hospital and Peter Bent Brigham. In 1968, he became the inaugural Franc D. Ingraham Professor of Neurological Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Among his neurosurgical accomplishments, Matson served as President of the Harvey Cushing Society, later known as the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He was unable to preside at the 1969 meeting that marked the 100th anniversary of Cushing's birth, having contracted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Matson died at the age of 55, surviving his mentor Ingraham by only 4 years.

Surgery for intractable epilepsy due to unilateral brain disease: a retrospective study comparing hemispherectomy techniques.

BACKGROUND: Hemispherectomy is a surgical procedure used to treat medically intractable epilepsy in children with severe unilateral cortical disease secondary to acquired brain or congenital lesions. The major surgical approaches for hemispherectomy are anatomic hemispherectomy, traditional functional hemispherectomy, and peri-insular hemispherotomy. We describe the epilepsy outcome, including the need for reoperation, after hemispherectomy in patients with brain malformations or acquired brain lesions who underwent hemispherectomy for refractory epilepsy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study at Children's Hospital Boston. Cases were ascertained from a research database of patients who underwent epilepsy surgery from 1997 to 2011. Data were obtained from electronic medical records and office charts. Outcome after surgery was defined as improvement in seizures (quantity and severity) represented by the Engel classification score measured at last follow-up, with a minimum of 12 months of follow-up. The need for reoperation for completion of hemispheric disconnection. We also examined whether placement of ventriculoperitoneal shunt was required after hemispherectomy was a secondary outcome. RESULTS: We identified 36 patients who underwent hemispherectomy for severe, medically intractable epilepsy. Group 1 (n = 14) had static acquired lesions, and group 2 (n = 22) had malformations of cortical development. Mean age at surgery for group 1 was 9 years (S.D. 5.5) and 2.77 years for group 2 (S.D. 4.01; P < 0.001). The seizure outcome was good in both groups (Engel score I for 25, II for three, III for six, and IV for two patients) and did not differ between the two groups. In group 1, five patients underwent anatomic hemispherectomy (one had prior focal resection), four underwent functional hemispherectomy, and five underwent peri-insular hemispherotomy; none required a second procedure. In group 2, a total of 14 patients had anatomic hemispherectomy (of these, three had had limited prior focal resection), five had functional hemispherectomy, and three had peri-insular hemispherotomy. Among the patients in group 2 who had had functional hemispherectomy, one required reoperation to complete the disconnection and one required peri-insular hemispherotomy because of persistent seizures. In group 1, three patients underwent a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, and from these patients two underwent anatomic hemispherectomy and one had functional hemispherectomy. In group 2, 12 patients had ventriculoperitoneal shunt, and all of them had anatomic hemispherectomy as a first or second procedure. CONCLUSION: Seizure outcome after hemispherectomy is good in patients with acquired lesions and with developmental malformations. Although the seizure outcome was similar in the three procedures, the complication rate was higher with anatomic hemispherectomy than with the more recent functional hemispherectomy and peri-insular hemispherotomy. The group with cortical malformations generally had surgery at a younger age; two patients with malformations of cortical development who underwent functional hemispherectomy required second surgeries. The need for reoperation in these cases may reflect the anatomic complexity of developmental hemispheric malformations, which may lead to incomplete disconnection.

Ruptured temporal lobe arachnoid cyst presenting with severe back pain.

Arachnoid cyst is a common congenital anomaly in the pediatric population. The cysts are often asymptomatic, but they can cause headache and other symptoms. Occasionally a cyst may rupture after head trauma producing a subdural hematoma. The authors present the case of an 11-year-old boy who presented after a week of progressive and severe back pain radiating to the back of his thighs. Imaging revealed a spinal subdural blood collection at the L4-S1 level. This finding prompted further cephalad imaging of the spine and the brain, which revealed a sylvian fissure arachnoid cyst with intracystic hemorrhage and frontoparietal subdural hematoma. The child did not have headache at this time, although he had experienced chronic headaches since the age of 4 years. He was treated with a course of oral steroids, which immediately relieved his back and leg pain. Subsequent imaging showed resolution of the cranial and spinal subdural blood collections and diminished size of the arachnoid cyst. No surgical treatment was necessary.

Virtual reality simulation: basic concepts and use in endoscopic neurosurgery training.

INTRODUCTION: Virtual reality simulation is a promising alternative to training surgical residents outside the operating room. It is also a useful aide to anatomic study, residency training, surgical rehearsal, credentialing, and recertification. DISCUSSION: Surgical simulation is based on a virtual reality with varying degrees of immersion and realism. Simulators provide a no-risk environment for harmless and repeatable practice. Virtual reality has three main components of simulation: graphics/volume rendering, model behavior/tissue deformation, and haptic feedback. The challenge of accurately simulating the forces and tactile sensations experienced in neurosurgery limits the sophistication of a virtual simulator. The limited haptic feedback available in minimally invasive neurosurgery makes it a favorable subject for simulation. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual simulators with realistic graphics and force feedback have been developed for ventriculostomy, intraventricular surgery, and transsphenoidal pituitary surgery, thus allowing preoperative study of the individual anatomy and increasing the safety of the procedure. The authors also present experiences with their own virtual simulation of endoscopic third ventriculostomy.

Moyamoya disease with mesial temporal sclerosis.

The combination of moyamoya syndrome and symptomatic mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) has not previously been reported. The authors present the case of a 5-year-old boy with symptomatic MTS who developed progressive moyamoya syndrome. This combination of progressive moyamoya and a structural seizure focus presented a unique clinical problem, with the natural history of MTS predicting a high likelihood of needing resection in the future, which could be challenging following any type of moyamoya-related revascularization surgery. In anticipation of this problem, the patient underwent resection of the right inferior and mesial temporal lobe followed by right pial synangiosis as a 1-day combined operation. Postoperatively he recovered well without any neurological deficits and had an uneventful hospital stay. This case of moyamoya is unique in its association with MTS, and for the simultaneous operations for pial synangiosis and temporal lobectomy, highlighting the importance of surgical planning in patients with dual pathological processes.

Intrasacral meningocele in the pediatric population.

OBJECT: Intrasacral meningoceles are rare cystic lesions that can cause focal compression within the bony sacral canal. Their mechanisms are poorly understood, but most intrasacral meningoceles appear to be intrasacral extradural cysts caused by arachnoid herniating through a small dural defect in the caudal end of the thecal sac. As opposed to perineural cysts, they are not associated with an exiting nerve root. When symptomatic, they can cause sacral pain or sacral nerve root dysfunction due to local compression. METHODS: This is a retrospective series from Boston Children's Hospital. All patients in whom symptomatic intrasacral meningocele that required surgical treatment was diagnosed between May 1994 and March 2011 were included in the study. Spine MRI was the diagnostic modality of choice. All patients underwent sacral exploration, with ligation and obliteration of the cyst. Resected cyst wall was subjected to pathological examination. RESULTS: There were 13 patients (11 boys and 2 girls) who underwent operation for intrasacral meningocele. The median age was 8 years (range 5 months-16 years). The most common presenting symptom was back pain (in 5) often described as deep tail bone pain, followed by urinary incontinence (3) and constipation (2). Three patients had evidence of associated tethered cord on MRI studies. Four patients were asymptomatic and their diagnosis was made following imaging for other reasons; they were surgically treated because of the increasing size of the lesion or association with other congenital lesions. Most patients had symptomatic improvement after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Intrasacral meningoceles are rare lesions that may result from a congenital dural weakness and a resultant arachnoid diverticulum. They present in childhood either incidentally or with symptoms secondary to nerve root compression. Identification of the point of herniation through the dura mater and ligation of the lesion provides cyst cure and resolution of symptoms in most patients.

Franc D. Ingraham and the genesis of pediatric neurosurgery.

In 1929, Franc D. Ingraham, Harvey Cushing's protégé, established the first pediatric neurosurgical unit in the world at Boston Children's Hospital and dedicated his career to the neurosurgical care of children. He trained with both Cushing and Dandy and spent 1 year working in Oxford with Sherrington, who considered Ingraham to be the finest operative surgeon ever to work in his laboratory. Ingraham was instrumental in developing novel treatments, which he compiled in his classic book, Neurosurgery of Infancy and Childhood. Although he was modest and shy, Ingraham loved to entertain children with magic and enjoyed photography in and out of the operating room. Unfortunately, his career was plagued by personal illness, and he died young in 1965 at the age of 67. Despite his prolific 36-year neurosurgical career, Ingraham remained an associate professor at Harvard at his retirement. To recognize his remarkable contributions, Harvard established an endowed chair in his name in 1967. Ingraham was a pioneer and a leader in the development of pediatric neurosurgery by virtue of his imagination, intelligence, and ability to lead and inspire others. Cushing has come to be regarded as the founder of neurosurgery. It is fair to conclude that Ingraham, his disciple, is the founder of pediatric neurosurgery.

Hyponatremia in patients with traumatic brain injury: etiology, incidence, and severity correlation.

BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia is common in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study aims at ascertaining the incidence of hyponatremia in TBI with its etiologic diagnosis, biochemical confirmation, and severity correlation with initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score and computed tomography (CT) abnormality. METHODS: All patients more than 20 years old with severe and moderate TBI and the mild ones with CT abnormality were included. Daily sodium level was monitored for 14 days. Central venous pressure (CVP) was measured for assessment of volume status. Fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA) was measured in all patients with hyponatremia, both before and after its correction. RESULTS: Of 40 consecutive patients, 33 remained for analysis. Hyponatremia was seen in 9 (27.2%) patients, of whom 6 developed it within the first week. Mean duration of hyponatremia was 1.78 days. We found that 5 patients had an elevated CVP consistent with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), whereas 3 had low CVP consistent with cerebral salt wasting syndrome (CSWS) and 1 had an equivocal reading. Measurement of FEUA did not show consistent pattern to suggest a biochemical distinction. There were 33.3% each of mild and moderate, and 16.6% of severe TBI among hyponatremic patients. Hyponatremia was seen in Rotterdam CT scores I to IV in increasing incidence (r = 0.983, P = 0.017), whereas it had no significant correlation with initial GCS (r = 0.756, P = 0.455). CONCLUSIONS: Hyponatremia due to SIADH is more common in TBI. FEUA measurement is not consistent enough to make a distinction between SIADH and CSWS. CT scoring of severity is more predictive of hyponatremia than initial GCS.

Predictors of unfavourable seizure outcome in patients with epilepsy in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Despite optimal medical therapy, a sizeable number of patients continue to have persistent seizures. We evaluated the association of pretreatment and treatment variables with unfavorable seizure outcome. METHODS: Patients with follow-up over 12 years in the Nepal Epilepsy Association were evaluated. Patients having seizures for at least a year and already on polytherapy after failure of two monotherapy trials were considered having unfavourable outcome. Variables under study were: age, sex, duration and frequency of seizures prior to treatment, type of seizure, neurological status, Computed Tomography (CT) finding, and failure of first anti-epileptic drug (AED). Bivariate analysis was done with Chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Potential interaction between variables was studied with a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Out of a total 529 consecutive patients, 490 were included in the study. Unfavorable seizure outcome was seen in 26.8% of patients. Among 284 patients who remained viable for analysis, bivariate analysis showed significant association of unfavorable outcome with frequency of seizure (p 0.01), abnormal neurological status (p 0.01) and failure of first AED (p 0.00), while no significant association was seen with age at onset (p 0.45), sex (p 0.47), duration of seizure (p 0.43), type of seizure (p 0.12), and presence of CT abnormality (p 0.46). The fitted regression model portended an unfavorable prognosis with failure of first AED and abnormal neurological status, however, failed to show significant association with frequency of seizure. CONCLUSIONS: Failure of first AED trial and associated neurological deficits are significant predictors of unfavorable seizure outcome.