Posterior Cerebral Artery-to-Superior Cerebellar Artery Side-to-Side Bypass via Extreme Lateral Supracerebellar Infratentorial Approach: Technical Note.

BACKGROUND: Difficult-to-treat aneurysms of the distal posterior cerebral artery (PCA) can often be treated by parent artery occlusion. A cerebrovascular bypass can complement PCA occlusion to curb the risk of ischemic complications. An in situ bypass may be considered when the occipital artery or superficial temporal artery cannot serve as a bypass donor. This article describes the use of a side-to-side bypass of superior cerebellar artery as a donor to the PCA via an extreme lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach (ELSCIT). This bypass approach can be a useful surgical strategy for PCA revascularization. METHODS: A 40-year-old woman underwent a side-to-side PCA-superior cerebellar artery bypass via the ELSCIT approach for to treat a complex and previously coiled PCA aneurysm. The bypass was followed by endovascular aneurysm and parent artery occlusion. RESULTS: Postoperatively, the patient experienced transient, partial trochlear nerve palsy of the left eye without ischemic lesions on magnetic resonance imaging. The clinical condition was stable, and angiography showed a patent bypass and complete aneurysm occlusion 12 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The ELSCIT approach offers access to the medial and distal PCA that is suitable for a side-to-side PCA-superior cerebellar artery bypass. This type of approach and bypass may be of value when revascularization of a P2-P3 portion of the PCA is needed, but a suitable occipital artery or superficial temporal artery is not available.

Patient profiling and outcome assessment in spinal cord stimulation for chronic back and/or leg pain (the PROSTIM study): a study protocol.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a well-established treatment option in the multidisciplinary approach to chronic back and leg pain. Nevertheless, careful patient selection remains crucial to provide the most optimal treatment and prevent treatment failure. We report the protocol for the PROSTIM study, an ongoing prospective, multicentric and observational clinical study (NCT05349695) that aims to identify different patient clusters and their outcomes after SCS. Patients are recruited in different centers in Europe. Analysis focuses on identifying significant patient clusters based on different health domains and the changes in biopsychosocial variables 6 weeks, 3 and 12 months after implantation. This study is the first to include a biopsychosocial cluster analysis to identify significant patient groups and their response to treatment with SCS.

What is the study about? Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a treatment for chronic back and leg pain, in which an electrical stimulation is delivered to the spinal cord in order to reduce pain experience. It is important to choose the right patients to make sure the treatment works well. The PROSTIM study is a research project in which we study patients selected to be treated with SCS. We want to understand how different groups of patients selected for this treatment do after getting SCS. The study includes patients in different European centers, following them for 6 weeks, 3 months and 1 year after getting SCS. This study is the first one to use a cluster analysis to group patients based on different aspects of their psychological and physical health and see how they respond differently to SCS treatment. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05349695 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Correlation Between Abdominal Wall Stimulation and Spinal Cord Stimulator Tip Location: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the vertebral level of paddle placement and abdominal wall stimulation (AWS) after differential target multiplexed spinal cord stimulation (SCS) to improve the safety and effectiveness of SCS for patients with chronic pain, particularly those with low back pain (LBP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Correlation Between Abdominal Wall Stimulation and Spinal Cord Stimulator Tip Location study was a nonrandomized clinical trial that included 24 patients with SCS for persistent spinal pain syndrome (PSPS) type 2 (trial ID: NCT05565469). The intervention involved increasing stimulation amplitude to a maximum tolerable value and obtaining numerical rating scores for AWS. The primary outcome measure was the association between AWS, the neurostimulator tip, and conus medullaris location, whereas the secondary outcome was the pre-postinterventional difference in proportion of patients experiencing AWS. Patient demographics and postoperative imaging were assessed. Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics, a descriptive logistic regression, and a McNemar test. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that seven (29%) of the 24 patients experienced AWS either previously or during interventional stimulation. However, there was no significant correlation found between AWS and the location of the neurostimulator tip or conus medullaris, and there was no difference in the pre-postinterventional proportion of patients experiencing AWS. CONCLUSIONS: The study concludes that a relatively high proportion of patients who received SCS for PSPS type 2 experienced or previously experienced AWS. There was no significant correlation found between the location of the neurostimulator tip and the occurrence of AWS. This suggests that AWS may not be solely dependent on the stimulation itself and emphasizes the need to consider other factors. Nonetheless, this study provides important insights into the occurrence of AWS in patients receiving SCS for PSPS type 2 and highlights the need for further research in this area. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Clinicaltrials.gov registration number for the study is NCT05565469.

Twiddler's syndrome after dorsal root ganglion stimulation: A case report.

Dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S) is a promising therapy for chronic neuropathic pain, but complications of this therapy are poorly understood. Twiddler's syndrome, a rare complication characterized by lead displacement and coiling of wires, has been reported in other neuromodulation devices, but has not been described in the context of DRG-S. Here, we present a first-of-a-kind case report of Twiddler's syndrome occurring after 8 months of DRG-S. This case report highlights the importance of considering Twiddler's syndrome as a potential complication in patients undergoing DRG-S, especially in those with significant weight loss history.