Natural language processing augments comorbidity documentation in neurosurgical inpatient admissions.

OBJECTIVE: To establish whether or not a natural language processing technique could identify two common inpatient neurosurgical comorbidities using only text reports of inpatient head imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A training and testing dataset of reports of 979 CT or MRI scans of the brain for patients admitted to the neurosurgery service of a single hospital in June 2021 or to the Emergency Department between July 1-8, 2021, was identified. A variety of machine learning and deep learning algorithms utilizing natural language processing were trained on the training set (84% of the total cohort) and tested on the remaining images. A subset comparison cohort (n = 76) was then assessed to compare output of the best algorithm against real-life inpatient documentation. RESULTS: For "brain compression", a random forest classifier outperformed other candidate algorithms with an accuracy of 0.81 and area under the curve of 0.90 in the testing dataset. For "brain edema", a random forest classifier again outperformed other candidate algorithms with an accuracy of 0.92 and AUC of 0.94 in the testing dataset. In the provider comparison dataset, for "brain compression," the random forest algorithm demonstrated better accuracy (0.76 vs 0.70) and sensitivity (0.73 vs 0.43) than provider documentation. For "brain edema," the algorithm again demonstrated better accuracy (0.92 vs 0.84) and AUC (0.45 vs 0.09) than provider documentation. DISCUSSION: A natural language processing-based machine learning algorithm can reliably and reproducibly identify selected common neurosurgical comorbidities from radiology reports. CONCLUSION: This result may justify the use of machine learning-based decision support to augment provider documentation.

Bridging the literacy gap for surgical consents: an AI-human expert collaborative approach.

Despite the importance of informed consent in healthcare, the readability and specificity of consent forms often impede patients' comprehension. This study investigates the use of GPT-4 to simplify surgical consent forms and introduces an AI-human expert collaborative approach to validate content appropriateness. Consent forms from multiple institutions were assessed for readability and simplified using GPT-4, with pre- and post-simplification readability metrics compared using nonparametric tests. Independent reviews by medical authors and a malpractice defense attorney were conducted. Finally, GPT-4's potential for generating de novo procedure-specific consent forms was assessed, with forms evaluated using a validated 8-item rubric and expert subspecialty surgeon review. Analysis of 15 academic medical centers' consent forms revealed significant reductions in average reading time, word rarity, and passive sentence frequency (all P < 0.05) following GPT-4-faciliated simplification. Readability improved from an average college freshman to an 8th-grade level (P = 0.004), matching the average American's reading level. Medical and legal sufficiency consistency was confirmed. GPT-4 generated procedure-specific consent forms for five varied surgical procedures at an average 6th-grade reading level. These forms received perfect scores on a standardized consent form rubric and withstood scrutiny upon expert subspeciality surgeon review. This study demonstrates the first AI-human expert collaboration to enhance surgical consent forms, significantly improving readability without sacrificing clinical detail. Our framework could be extended to other patient communication materials, emphasizing clear communication and mitigating disparities related to health literacy barriers.

Al-Zahrawi (936-1013 AD): On the Surgical Treatment of Neurological Disorders by the Father of Operative Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Medical knowledge during the medieval ages flourished under the influence of great scholars of the Islamic Golden age such as Ibn Sina (Latinized as Avicenna), Abu Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes), and Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas al-Zahrawi, known as Albucasis. Much has been written on al-Zahrawi's innovation in various disciplines of medicine and surgery. In this article, we focus for on the contributions of al-Zahrawi toward the treatment of neurological disorders in the surgical chapters of his medical encyclopedia, Kitab al-Tasrif (The Method of Medicine). METHODS: Excerpts from a modern copy of volume 30 of al-Zahrawi's Kitab al-Tasrif were reviewed and translated by the primary author from Arabic to English, to further provide specific details regarding his neurosurgical knowledge. In addition, a literature search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar to review prior reports on al-Zahrawi's neurosurgical instructions. RESULTS: In addition to what is described in the literature of al-Zahrawi's teachings in cranial and spine surgery, we provide insight into his diagnosis and management of cranial and spinal trauma, the devices he used, and prognostication of various traumatic injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Al-Zahrawi was a renowned physician during the Islamic Golden age who made significant contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions, particularly cranial and spinal cord injuries. He developed innovative surgical techniques for trephination and spinal traction, which are still used in modern neurosurgery. His insights make him worthy of recognition as an important figure in the history of neurological surgery.

Demographic Representation in 3 Leading Artificial Intelligence Text-to-Image Generators.

Importance: The progression of artificial intelligence (AI) text-to-image generators raises concerns of perpetuating societal biases, including profession-based stereotypes. Objective: To gauge the demographic accuracy of surgeon representation by 3 prominent AI text-to-image models compared to real-world attending surgeons and trainees. Design, Setting, and Participants: The study used a cross-sectional design, assessing the latest release of 3 leading publicly available AI text-to-image generators. Seven independent reviewers categorized AI-produced images. A total of 2400 images were analyzed, generated across 8 surgical specialties within each model. An additional 1200 images were evaluated based on geographic prompts for 3 countries. The study was conducted in May 2023. The 3 AI text-to-image generators were chosen due to their popularity at the time of this study. The measure of demographic characteristics was provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges subspecialty report, which references the American Medical Association master file for physician demographic characteristics across 50 states. Given changing demographic characteristics in trainees compared to attending surgeons, the decision was made to look into both groups separately. Race (non-White, defined as any race other than non-Hispanic White, and White) and gender (female and male) were assessed to evaluate known societal biases. Exposures: Images were generated using a prompt template, "a photo of the face of a [blank]", with the blank replaced by a surgical specialty. Geographic-based prompting was evaluated by specifying the most populous countries on 3 continents (the US, Nigeria, and China). Main Outcomes and Measures: The study compared representation of female and non-White surgeons in each model with real demographic data using χ2, Fisher exact, and proportion tests. Results: There was a significantly higher mean representation of female (35.8% vs 14.7%; P < .001) and non-White (37.4% vs 22.8%; P < .001) surgeons among trainees than attending surgeons. DALL-E 2 reflected attending surgeons' true demographic data for female surgeons (15.9% vs 14.7%; P = .39) and non-White surgeons (22.6% vs 22.8%; P = .92) but underestimated trainees' representation for both female (15.9% vs 35.8%; P < .001) and non-White (22.6% vs 37.4%; P < .001) surgeons. In contrast, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion had significantly lower representation of images of female (0% and 1.8%, respectively; P < .001) and non-White (0.5% and 0.6%, respectively; P < .001) surgeons than DALL-E 2 or true demographic data. Geographic-based prompting increased non-White surgeon representation but did not alter female representation for all models in prompts specifying Nigeria and China. Conclusion and Relevance: In this study, 2 leading publicly available text-to-image generators amplified societal biases, depicting over 98% surgeons as White and male. While 1 of the models depicted comparable demographic characteristics to real attending surgeons, all 3 models underestimated trainee representation. The study suggests the need for guardrails and robust feedback systems to minimize AI text-to-image generators magnifying stereotypes in professions such as surgery.

Performance of ChatGPT and GPT-4 on Neurosurgery Written Board Examinations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interest surrounding generative large language models (LLMs) has rapidly grown. Although ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), a general LLM, has shown near-passing performance on medical student board examinations, the performance of ChatGPT or its successor GPT-4 on specialized examinations and the factors affecting accuracy remain unclear. This study aims to assess the performance of ChatGPT and GPT-4 on a 500-question mock neurosurgical written board examination. METHODS: The Self-Assessment Neurosurgery Examinations (SANS) American Board of Neurological Surgery Self-Assessment Examination 1 was used to evaluate ChatGPT and GPT-4. Questions were in single best answer, multiple-choice format. χ 2 , Fisher exact, and univariable logistic regression tests were used to assess performance differences in relation to question characteristics. RESULTS: ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) and GPT-4 achieved scores of 73.4% (95% CI: 69.3%-77.2%) and 83.4% (95% CI: 79.8%-86.5%), respectively, relative to the user average of 72.8% (95% CI: 68.6%-76.6%). Both LLMs exceeded last year's passing threshold of 69%. Although scores between ChatGPT and question bank users were equivalent ( P = .963), GPT-4 outperformed both (both P < .001). GPT-4 answered every question answered correctly by ChatGPT and 37.6% (50/133) of remaining incorrect questions correctly. Among 12 question categories, GPT-4 significantly outperformed users in each but performed comparably with ChatGPT in 3 (functional, other general, and spine) and outperformed both users and ChatGPT for tumor questions. Increased word count (odds ratio = 0.89 of answering a question correctly per +10 words) and higher-order problem-solving (odds ratio = 0.40, P = .009) were associated with lower accuracy for ChatGPT, but not for GPT-4 (both P > .005). Multimodal input was not available at the time of this study; hence, on questions with image content, ChatGPT and GPT-4 answered 49.5% and 56.8% of questions correctly based on contextual context clues alone. CONCLUSION: LLMs achieved passing scores on a mock 500-question neurosurgical written board examination, with GPT-4 significantly outperforming ChatGPT.

Performance of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Google Bard on a Neurosurgery Oral Boards Preparation Question Bank.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: General large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), have demonstrated the capability to pass multiple-choice medical board examinations. However, comparative accuracy of different LLMs and LLM performance on assessments of predominantly higher-order management questions is poorly understood. We aimed to assess the performance of 3 LLMs (GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Google Bard) on a question bank designed specifically for neurosurgery oral boards examination preparation. METHODS: The 149-question Self-Assessment Neurosurgery Examination Indications Examination was used to query LLM accuracy. Questions were inputted in a single best answer, multiple-choice format. χ 2 , Fisher exact, and univariable logistic regression tests assessed differences in performance by question characteristics. RESULTS: On a question bank with predominantly higher-order questions (85.2%), ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) and GPT-4 answered 62.4% (95% CI: 54.1%-70.1%) and 82.6% (95% CI: 75.2%-88.1%) of questions correctly, respectively. By contrast, Bard scored 44.2% (66/149, 95% CI: 36.2%-52.6%). GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 demonstrated significantly higher scores than Bard (both P < .01), and GPT-4 outperformed GPT-3.5 ( P = .023). Among 6 subspecialties, GPT-4 had significantly higher accuracy in the Spine category relative to GPT-3.5 and in 4 categories relative to Bard (all P < .01). Incorporation of higher-order problem solving was associated with lower question accuracy for GPT-3.5 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.80, P = .042) and Bard (OR = 0.76, P = .014), but not GPT-4 (OR = 0.86, P = .085). GPT-4's performance on imaging-related questions surpassed GPT-3.5's (68.6% vs 47.1%, P = .044) and was comparable with Bard's (68.6% vs 66.7%, P = 1.000). However, GPT-4 demonstrated significantly lower rates of "hallucination" on imaging-related questions than both GPT-3.5 (2.3% vs 57.1%, P < .001) and Bard (2.3% vs 27.3%, P = .002). Lack of question text description for questions predicted significantly higher odds of hallucination for GPT-3.5 (OR = 1.45, P = .012) and Bard (OR = 2.09, P < .001). CONCLUSION: On a question bank of predominantly higher-order management case scenarios for neurosurgery oral boards preparation, GPT-4 achieved a score of 82.6%, outperforming ChatGPT and Google Bard.

Endoscopic Techniques for Spinal Oncology: A Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Due to its ultraminimally invasive nature, endoscopic spinal surgery is an attractive tool in spinal oncologic care. To date, there has been no comprehensive review of this topic. The authors therefore present a thorough search of the medical literature on endoscopic techniques for spinal oncology. METHODS: A systematic review using PubMed was conducted using the following keywords: endoscopic spine surgery, spinal oncology, and spinal tumors. RESULTS: Collectively, 19 cases described endoscopic spine surgery for spinal oncologic care. Endoscopic spine surgery has been employed for the care of patients with spinal tumors under the following 4 circumstances: (1) to obtain a reliable tissue diagnosis; (2) to serve as an adjunct during traditional open surgery; (3) to achieve targeted debulking; or (4) to perform definitive resection. These cases employing endoscopic techniques highlight the versatility of this approach and its utility when applied to the right patient and with an experienced surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review suggests that, given the right patient and an experienced surgeon, endoscopic spine surgery should be considered in the armamentarium for spinal oncologic care for both staging and definitive resection. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This systematic literature review showed that endoscopic techniques have been successfully applied across the spectrum of care in spinal oncology, from diagnosis to definitive treatment.

Short- and long-term outcomes of moyamoya patients post-revascularization.

OBJECTIVE: The post-bypass stroke risk factors and long-term outcomes of moyamoya patients are not well documented. Therefore, the authors studied 30-day stroke risks and patients' long-term physical, functional, and social well-being. METHODS: This was a single-institution combined moyamoya disease (MMD) database interrogation and questionnaire study. From 1991 to 2014, 1250 revascularization procedures (1118 direct bypasses, 132 indirect bypasses) were performed in 769 patients. Completed questionnaires were received from and available for analysis on 391 patients, and 6-month follow-up data were available for 96.4% (741/769) of the patients. RESULTS: The patients consisted of 548 females and 221 males, with a mean age of 32 years (range 1-69 years). Three hundred fifty-eight bypasses were performed in 205 pediatric patients (73% direct bypasses), and 892 revascularizations were performed in 564 adults (96% direct bypasses). Fifty-two patients (6.8%) developed major strokes with a worsening modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score within 30 days postoperatively. The 30-day major stroke risk was 5.3% (41/769) and 2.6% (12/467) after the first and second bypasses, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that older age, modified MRI (mMRI) score, and hemodynamic reserve (HDR) score are clearly associated with higher postoperative stroke risks. Over a mean follow-up of 7.3 years (range 0.5-26 years), the long-term stroke risk among 741 patients was 0.6% per patient-year; 75% of these patients had excellent outcomes (mRS score 0-1). The long-term outcome questionnaire study showed that 84% (234/277) of patients reported resolution or improvement in their preoperative headache, 83% (325/391) remained employed or in school, and 87% (303/348) were self-caring. CONCLUSIONS: In this large, single-center surgical series, most of the adult and pediatric patients had direct revascularization, with a 4.2% per-bypass-procedure (6.8% per patient) 30-day major stroke risk and a 0.6% per-patient-year long-term stroke risk. The authors identified various risk factors that are highly correlated with postoperative morbidity (age, mMRI score, and HDR score) and are involved in ongoing work to develop the predictive modeling for future patient selection and treatment.

Frailty independently predicts unfavorable discharge in non-operative traumatic brain injury: A retrospective single-institution cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with adverse outcomes in traumatically injured geriatric patients but has not been well-studied in geriatric Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). OBJECTIVE: To assess relationships between frailty and outcomes after TBI. METHODS: The records of all patients aged 70 or older admitted from home to the neurosurgical service of a single institution for non-operative TBI between January 2020 and July 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome was adverse discharge disposition (either in-hospital expiration or discharge to skilled nursing facility (SNF), hospice, or home with hospice). Secondary outcomes included major inpatient complication, 30-day readmission, and length of stay. RESULTS: 100 patients were included, 90% of whom presented with Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 14-15. The mean length of stay was 3.78 days. 7% had an in-hospital complication, and 44% had an unfavorable discharge destination. 49% of patients attended follow-up within 3 months. The rate of readmission within 30 days was 13%. Patients were characterized as low frailty (FRAIL score 0-1, n = 35, 35%) or high frailty (FRAIL score 2-5, n = 65, 65%). In multivariate analysis controlling for age and other factors, frailty category (aOR 2.63, 95CI [1.02, 7.14], p = 0.005) was significantly associated with unfavorable discharge. Frailty was not associated with increased readmission rate, LOS, or rate of complications on uncontrolled univariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Frailty is associated with increased odds of unfavorable discharge disposition for geriatric patients admitted with TBI.

Navigation Techniques in Endoscopic Spine Surgery.

Endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) advances the principles of minimally invasive surgery, including minor collateral tissue damage, reduced blood loss, and faster recovery times. ESS allows for direct access to the spine through small incisions and direct visualization of spinal pathology via an endoscope. While this technique has many applications, there is a steep learning curve when adopting ESS into a surgeon's practice. Two types of navigation, optical and electromagnetic, may allow for widespread utilization of ESS by engendering improved orientation to surgical anatomy and reduced complication rates. The present review discusses these two available navigation technologies and their application in endoscopic procedures by providing case examples. Furthermore, we report on the future directions of navigation within the discipline of ESS.

Awake transforaminal endoscopic lumbar facet cyst resection: technical note and case series.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe a minimally invasive transforaminal surgical technique for treating awake patients presenting with lumbar radiculopathy and compressive facet cysts. METHODS: Awake transforaminal endoscopic decompression surgery was performed in 645 patients over a 6-year period from 2014 to 2020. Transforaminal endoscopic decompression surgery utilizing a high-speed endoscopic drill was performed in 25 patients who had lumbar facet cysts. All surgeries were performed as outpatient procedures in awake patients. Nine of the 25 patients had previously undergone laminectomies at the treated level. A retrospective chart review of patient-reported outcome measures is presented. RESULTS: At the 2-year follow-up, the mean (± standard deviation) preoperative visual analog scale leg score and Oswestry Disability Index improved from 7.6 ± 1.3 to 2.3 ± 1.4 and 39.7% ± 8.1% to 13.0% ± 7.4%, respectively. There were no complications, readmissions, or recurrence of symptoms during the 2-year follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: A minimally invasive awake procedure is presented for the treatment of lumbar facet cysts in patients with lumbar radiculopathy. Approximately one-third of the treated patients (9 of 25) had postlaminectomy facet cysts.

Awake, Transforaminal Endoscopic Lumbar Decompression Surgery to Treat L5-S1 Adjacent Segment Disease: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar radiculopathy secondary to L5-S1 degenerative changes adjacent to a lumbar fusion usually requires extending the fusion to include the degenerative L5-S1 level; this revision surgery can often be a very invasive procedure. OBJECTIVE: To describe outcomes of awake, transforaminal endoscopic decompression surgery for patients presenting with lumbar radiculopathy as a result of L5-S1 degenerative disc disease below lumbar fusions. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: Awake, endoscopic decompression surgery was performed in 538 patients over a 5-year period from 2014 through 2019 by a single surgeon at a single institution.  The records of 18 consecutive patients who underwent transforaminal lumbar endoscopic decompression surgery to treat radiculopathy secondary to L5-S1 adjacent segment disease were retrospectively reviewed. All included patients were followed for at least 2 years after surgery. All patients were treated at L5-S1 and had fusion constructs that ended at L5. RESULTS: Thirteen men and 5 women patients ranging in age from 38 to 83 (average age of 68.9 ± 11.5) were treated for symptomatic adjacent segment disease at L5-S1 during the 5-year time period. Surgery was successful in all cases, except 2 patients (11%) at 2 years follow-up had recurrent symptomatic pathology at L5-S1 and required additional surgical treatment. The average preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were 7.5(± 1.3) and 45.3 (± 12.3) respectively. The average 2-year postoperative VAS and ODI scores were 2.4 (± 1.5) and 22.5 (± 9.6) respectively, excluding the 2 patients with recurrent pathology. The average body mass index (BMI) and L5-S1 disc height in the 2-year successful group (n = 16) were 30.6 (± 7.4) and 8.7 mm (± 3.5 mm) respectively; the average BMI and L5-S1 disc height in the 2-year failure group (n = 2) were 25.8 (± 5.9) and 7.9 (± 2.6) respectively. LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective case series. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic spine surgery offers patients with fusions that terminate at L5 a safe and effective option for treatment of lumbar degenerative spine disease at L5-S1 below their fusion constructs. A longer follow-up and a larger prospective study would be necessary to consider the utility of endoscopic compression versus extending the fusion construct.

Foraminal Access Strategies in Patients with Lumbar Posterolateral Fusions in Transforaminal Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Case Series and Technical Note.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of post-laminectomy lumbar radiculopathy in the setting of a large posterolateral fusion mass presents an anatomic challenge to the spine interventionalist. OBJECTIVE: To describe outcomes of awake, transforaminal endoscopic surgical treatment for patients presenting with lumbar radiculopathy after instrumented posterolateral lumbar fusions. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: This study took place in a single-center, academic hospital. METHODS: The records of 538 patients who underwent awake transforaminal lumbar endoscopic decompression surgery performed by a single surgeon at a single institution between 2014 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Fifteen consecutive patients who required drilling through their posterolateral fusion masses to access the post-fusion foraminal stenosis were included in this study. All included patients were followed for at least one year after surgery. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (7 male and 8 female) with an average age of 68.1 years (range 38-89, standard deviation 13.4 years) underwent awake transforaminal foraminal decompression surgeries that utilized special techniques to drill through large posterolateral fusion masses to access their foraminal stenosis. One patient (7%) required repeat surgery in the postoperative period due to lack of surgical improvement. For the remaining 14 patients, at one year follow up, the preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) for leg pain and Oswestry disability index (ODI) improved from 7.0 (± 1.7) and 40.7% (± 12.9) to 1.7 (± 1.6) and 12.1% (± 11.3). There were no complications such as infection, durotomy, or neurologic injury. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective case series. CONCLUSION: Transforaminal endoscopic spine surgery offers a unique approach to post-laminectomy and post-fusion foraminal compression because it avoids scar tissue resulting from previous posterior approaches. Large posterolateral fusion masses associated with some posterior fusions can be a sizeable bony barrier to transforaminal access. The authors share their techniques and success for navigating large posterior, bony fusion masses in transforaminal post-fusion foraminal decompression.

Toward more accurate documentation in neurosurgical care.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate clinical documentation is foundational to any quality improvement endeavor as it is ultimately the medical record that is measured in assessing change. Literature on high-yield interventions to improve the accuracy and completeness of clinical documentation by neurosurgical providers is limited. Therefore, the authors sought to share a single-institution experience of a two-part intervention to enhance clinical documentation by a neurosurgery inpatient service. METHODS: At an urban, level I trauma, academic teaching hospital, a two-part intervention was implemented to enhance the accuracy of clinical documentation of neurosurgery inpatients by residents and advanced practice providers (APPs). Residents and APPs were instructed on the most common neurosurgical complications or comorbidities (CCs) and major complications or comorbidities (MCCs), as defined by Medicare. Additionally, a "system-based" progress note template was changed to a "problem-based" progress note template. Prepost analysis was performed to compare the CC/MCC capture rates for the 12 months prior to the intervention with those for the 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: The CC/MCC capture rate for the neurosurgery service line rose from 62% in the 12 months preintervention to 74% in the 3 months after intervention, representing a significant change (p = 0.00002). CONCLUSIONS: Existing clinical documentation habits by neurosurgical residents and APPs may fail to capture the extent of neurosurgical inpatients with CC/MCCs. An intervention that focuses on the most common CC/MCCs and utilizes a problem-based progress note template may lead to more accurate appraisals of neurosurgical patient acuity.

Rubber Bullet Induced Traumatic Brain Injury.

ABSTRACT: Rubber bullets have long been known to cause, on rare occasions, traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, neurosurgical literature on this occurrence is limited, and no focused review of this injury pattern has been conducted. The authors present the case of a 28-year-old male struck by a rubber bullet in the left periorbital region, causing TBI in addition to complete left visual loss and complex facial fractures. After developing a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, the patient was taken to the operating room for combined neurosurgical-craniofacial intervention. Utilizing frameless intraoperative computation tomography navigation assistance, a successful repair was made of both the patient's CSF leak and complex craniofacial injuries. TBI due to a rubber bullet is a rare but severe occurrence. Unfortunately, much of the limited literature on this topic is bereft of demographic, clinical course, injury pattern, and imaging data. Presented here is the first operative case report of TBI due to a rubber bullet. Volume rendered imaging is provided to demonstrate the extent of trauma incurred. Additionally, a methodology for frameless intraoperative computation tomography navigation assistance is shared for consideration, as it served as a helpful adjunct for a combined intracranial-craniofacial surgical repair. The experience of treating the patient's traumatic CSF leak in the context of severe craniofacial and ophthalmologic injuries highlights the need for a multidisciplinary surgical approach that may arise when treating patients with TBI due to a rubber bullet.

Postnatal Sagittal Craniosynostosis: A Novel Presentation and Considerations in Diagnosis and Management.

ABSTRACT: Sagittal craniosynostosis results in scaphocephaly from abnormal fusion of the sagittal suture. Traditionally, craniosynostosis presents at birth and is diagnosed within the first year of life. The authors report a patient with development of sagittal craniosynostosis after birth, which we term postnatal sagittal craniosynostosis. This is a rare occurrence in which management considerations are critical but are not well discussed. A 3-year-old boy presented with concerns of a metopic ridge. Workup revealed metopic ridging and an open sagittal suture. The patient later developed signs of increased intracranial pressure and repeat computed tomography scan 14 months later identified a newly fused sagittal suture. The patient underwent open posterior cranial vault expansion, resulting in resolution of symptoms. Postnatal sagittal craniosynostosis is a rare condition and should be considered in otherwise unexplained increases in increased intracranial pressure among pediatric patients. Open posterior cranial vault expansion represents a safe and effective method to treat this condition.

A Transforaminal Endoscopic Surgical Technique for Treating Lumbar Disc Herniation in the Setting of Spina Bifida.

Recent literature suggests that adult patients with spina bifida receive surgery for degenerative disc disease at higher rates than the general population. However, sometimes the complex anatomic features of co-occurring spina bifida and lumbar disc herniation can significantly challenge standard surgical techniques. Here, the technical steps are presented for treating a foraminal lumbar 4-5-disc herniation in the setting of a patient with multifaceted degenerative and spina bifida occulta anatomy. Utilized is a minimally invasive approach that does not require general anesthesia or fusion and allows the patient to leave the same day. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-reported case of endoscopic surgical decompression of a lumbar disc in a patient with spina bifida.