"Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Cocaine Consumption: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis".

BACKGROUND: The use of cocaine can lead to a variety of neurologic complications, including cerebral vasoconstriction, ischemia, aneurysm formation, and aneurysm rupture. A previous study has shown that cocaine use is associated with an increased risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to assess the association between cocaine use and the risk of poor neurological outcomes and mortality in patients with SAH. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following the meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE) declaration for systematic reviews and the Cochrane Manual of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), nonrandomized clinical trials, and prospective and retrospective cohort studies that reported data about adults who suffered Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (aSAH) after having consumed cocaine recreationally were included. Variables such as mortality, vasospasm, seizures, re-bleeding, and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: After a thorough selection process, 14 studies involving 116,141 patients, of which 2227 had a history of cocaine consumption, were included in the analysis. There was a significant increase in overall unfavorable outcomes in aSAH patients with a history of cocaine use (OR 5.51 CI 95% [4.26-7.13] P = <0.0001; I2 = 78%), with higher mortality and poor neurologic outcomes. There were no significant differences in the risk of hydrocephalus, seizures, or re-bleeding. Cocaine use was found to increase the risk of vasospasm and overall complications. CONCLUSIONS: This study insinuates that cocaine use is associated with worse clinical outcomes in aSAH patients. Despite the cocaine users did not exhibit a higher risk of certain complications such as hydrocephalus and seizures, they had an increased risk of vasospasm and overall complications. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the issue of cocaine consumption as a primary preventive measure to decrease the incidence of aSAH and improve patient outcomes.

Outcomes of endoscopic treatment for early correction of craniosynostosis in children: a 26-year single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: Surgery is the cornerstone of craniosynostosis treatment. In this study, two widely accepted techniques are described: endoscope-assisted surgery (EAS) and open surgery (OS). The authors compared the perioperative and reconstructive outcomes of EAS and OS in children ≤ 6 months of age treated at the Napoleón Franco Pareja Children's Hospital (Cartagena, Colombia). METHODS: According to the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement, patients with defined criteria who underwent surgery to correct craniosynostosis between June 1996 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic data, perioperative outcomes, and follow-up were obtained from their medical records. Student t-tests were used for significance. Cronbach's α was used to assess agreement between estimated blood loss (EBL). Spearman's correlation coefficient and the coefficient of determination were used to establish associations between the results of interest, and the odds ratio was used to calculate the risk ratio of blood product transfusion. RESULTS: A total of 74 patients met the inclusion criteria; 24 (32.4%) belonged to the OS group and 50 (67.6%) to the EAS group. There was a high interobserver agreement quantifying the EBL. The EBL, transfusion of blood products, surgical time, and hospital stay were shorter in the EAS group. Surgical time was positively correlated with EBL. There were no differences between the two groups in the percentage of cranial index correction at 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical correction of craniosynostosis in children aged ≤ 6 months by EAS was associated with a significant decrease in EBL, transfusion requirements, surgical time, and hospital stay compared with OS. The results of cranial deformity correction in patients with scaphocephaly and acrocephaly were equivalent in both study groups.

Blood pressure variability and prognosis in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured brain aneurysm is a neurological emergency with high mobility and mortality. Hypertensive states are related to a bad prognosis and a higher risk of a ruptured aneurysm. However, the relationship between the blood pressure variability with the aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and its prognosis is quite unknown. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review was performed across the databases. The following descriptors and related were used for the search: blood pressure, arterial pressure, variability, subarachnoid hemorrhage, hemorrhage, aneurysmal, aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The following data were extracted: Glasgow Outcome Scale or Modified Rankin Scale, and blood pressure variabilities to categorize the prognosis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Five studies were selected. The blood pressure variability and the related outcome were assessed by mean systolic blood pressure and minimum systolic blood. The meta-analysis of mean systolic blood pressure (cut-off >95.3 mmHg) showed an odds ratio of 11.23 (95% CI: 4.423 to 28.537) (P≤0.001), predicting the good outcome after the aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The pooled analysis revealed AUC of the ROC predicting the good outcome was statistically significant (AUC: 0.85, P<0.001). The pooled data analysis of minimum systolic blood pressure revealed an odds ratio of 6.43 (95% CI: 2.834-14.589, P<0.001) and AUC of the pooled ROC 0.931 (95% CI: 0.851 to 1.000, P<0.001) to predict poor outcome. The funnel plot through Egger's test for the analysis showed different grades of asymmetry. CONCLUSIONS: The blood pressure variability (mean and minimum systolic blood pressure) is a good predictor and parameter in the aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage prognosis and outcome prediction.

An update of predictors of cerebral infarction after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence about predictors of poor outcomes such as cerebral infarction (CI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) has not been fully elucidated. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies with adults with aSAH considering RCT and non-RCT, prospective, and retrospective cohort studies describing clinical, imaging as well as angiographic studies in patients with aSAH. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: After reviewing the complete text, 11 studies were considered eligible, out of which four were ruled out. Degree of clinical severity was the most predictive factor with a higher degree at the presentation on different severity scales being associated with a statistically significant increasing the risk of suffering a CI following aSAH (OR 2.49 [95% CI 1.38-4.49] P=0.0003). Aneurysm size increased the risk of CI (OR 1.49 [95% CI 1.20-1.85] P=0.0003; I2=4%). In six studies analyzed, it was found that an important factor for the subsequent development of CI is vasospasm (OR 7.62 [2.19, 26.54], P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The development of vasospasm is a risk factor for CI development after aSAH. In our review, three factors were associated with an increased risk of CI: clinical severity at presentation, vasospasm, and aneurysm size. The major limitation of this meta-analysis is that included studies were conducted retrospectively or were post hoc analyses of a prospective trial.

Effect of Helicopter Transportation of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients on Mortality and Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The "time is brain" concept denotes the importance of the expedited transfer of patients to stroke care centers. Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) can reduce the time to definitive care, which could improve neurologic prognosis and reduce mortality. METHODS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, a search for randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled trials, and prospective and retrospective cohort studies was performed through specific databases from inception to February 2020. Helicopter, acute stroke, and their synonyms (according to Medical Subject Headings) were included in this search. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies, and the Egger test was used to assess for publication bias. RESULTS: A total of 8 studies matched the inclusion criteria and were included for meta-analysis. The overall number recruited for helicopter transportation was 1,372, and for emergency standard transportation, it was 8,587. The association among HEMS and mortality was not statistically significant (odds ratio [OR] = 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-1.06; P = .12). There was a significant association between good outcomes and HEMS (OR = 2; 95% CI, 1.79-2.34; P ≤ .001), and the overall poor neurologic outcome was reduced (OR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.46-0.60; P ≤ .001). CONCLUSION: A good neurologic outcome was higher with HEMS compared with emergency standard transportation. The mortality rate was less in the emergency standard transportation group after pooled analysis but was not significant; the reduction in a poor outcome was statistically significant.

Clinical and Radiological Characteristics for Recurrence of Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is one of the most studied clinical entities in the neurosurgical literature. Management of cSDH is complicated by its propensity to recurrence. Various factors for the development of recurrence of cSDH have been described in various clinical, epidemiological, and observational studies, yet the evidence available is limited. A systematic review and meta-analysis as per PRISMA guidelines to identify clinical and radiological factors which can predict the development of recurrence in cSDH. A total of 14 studies were included for the systematic review and meta-analysis after a comprehensive search of the online databases. Eight studies were of high methodological quality. Age, use of anticoagulants, obesity, seizure, and liver disease were found to be statistically significant clinical risk factors for the development of recurrence in cSDH. Among the radiological parameters, the internal structure of the hematoma and the width of the hematoma was found to be significant risk factor predicting the development of recurrence. Age >75 years, use of anticoagulation therapy, liver disease, and obesity were significant risk factors for cSDH recurrence. Pneumocephalus, internal architecture of hematoma, bilateral cSDH, the width of hematoma, and the presence of bilateral cSDH are important radiological parameters of the development of recurrent cSDH

Targeting the vim by direct visualization of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway in 3 T proton density MRI: correlation with focused ultrasound lesioning.

Surgical targeting of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (VIM) has been historically done using indirect strategies. Here we depict the cerebello-thalamo-cortical tract (CTCT) through 3 T proton density (PD) in a cohort of patients who underwent high-intensity focus ultrasound (HIFUS) thalamotomy. Forty-seven patients treated in our institution with MR-guided HIFUS VIM thalamotomy were included in this study. PD weighted 3 T MRI used for presurgical planning was compared with postoperative MRI obtained 1 month after surgery. Images were processed with ISTX software (Brain lab, Munich, Germany). The coordinates of the VIM lesion concerning the inter-commissural line (ICL) were annotated. Deterministic tractographies using three ROIs were used to verify the different tracts. The triangle seen in the 3 T PD sequence at the level of the mesencephalic-diencephalic junction was systematically recognized. The posterior angle of this triangle at the junction of the CTCT and the ZI was denominated as "point P." The area of this triangle corresponds to the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) harboring the Raprl fibers. The CTCT was visible from 1 to 2.5 mm below the ICL. The average center of the final HIFUS lesion (point F) was 11 mm from the medial thalamic border of the thalamus (14.9 mm from the midline), 6.4 mm anterior to PC, and 0.6 mm above the ICL. The FUS point was consistently 1-2 mm directly above point P. The anterior border of the external angle of this triangle (point P) can be used as an intraparenchymal point for targeting the ventral border of the VIM. Three ROIs placed in a single slice around this triangle are a fast way to originate tractography of the CTCT, lemniscus medialis, and pyramidal tract.

Evidence-based medicine in neurosurgery: why and how?

Since its inception, medical training and practice are based primarily on the clinical experience provided by the mentors of each of the medical schools. In the 1990s, the first steps were taken for the construction of what we now know as evidence-based medicine. Evidence-based medicine is the set of studies, methods, and principles for the prevention of medical diseases, management guidelines, and algorithms used in sources of evidence. Neurosurgery based on evidence has emerged thanks to advances in neuroscience and information technology that allows the globalization of current scientific information. The results of important reviews on the levels of evidence in neurosurgery are low in percentages of high-quality evidence in this field of medicine. Based on the above, the aim of this manuscript was to describe the application of evidence in neurosurgery, the current state of the art in evidence-based medicine, and the steps needed to create evidence of the best quality in neurosurgery.

Silk® Flow Diverter Device for Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Flow diverters have become a critical instrument for complex aneurysms treatment. However, limited data are currently available regarding short and long-term outcomes for the Silk flow diverter. The objective of the study is to determine neurological prognosis and mortality rates for the Silk flow diversion device used in intracranial aneurysms. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed using databases. The following descriptors were used for the search: "SILK", "Flow Diverter", "Mortality", and "Prognosis". The following data were extracted: mortality, good functional outcome, Glasgow outcome scale, complete or near-complete occlusion rates, rate of retreatment, and complications (thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications). A total of 14 studies were selected. Among the 14 studies, 13 were retrospective observational cohort studies and 1 was a prospective observational cohort study. The mortality rate was 2.84%. The clinical good outcomes rate was 93.3%. The poor outcome rate was 6.6%. The overall thromboembolic complication rate was 6.06% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00-6.37, P=0.12, I2=3.13%). The total hemorrhagic complication rate was 1.62% (95% CI 0.00-5.34, P=0.28, I2=1.56%). The complete aneurysm occlusion rate was 80.4% (95% CI 8.65-9.38, P<0.0001, I2=9.09%). The Silk diverter device has a good safety and efficacy profile for treating intracranial aneurysms with high complete occlusion rates.

Bilateral hyperplasia of choroid plexus with severe CSF production: a case report and review of the glymphatic system.

BACKGROUND: An important feature of hydrocephalus is the alteration of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis. New insights in the understanding of production, secretion, and absorption of CSF, along with the discovery of the glymphatic system (GS), can be useful for a better understanding and treatment of hydrocephalus in disorders with CSF overproduction. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 1-year-old patient was diagnosed with communicating hydrocephalus; ventricle peritoneal shunt (VPS) is installed and ascites developed. VPS is exposed, yielding volumes of 1000-1200ml/day CSF per day. MRI is performed showing generalized choroidal plexus hyperplasia. Bilateral endoscopic coagulation of thechoroid plexus was performed in 2 stages (CPC) however the high rate of CSF production persisted, needing a bilateral plexectomy through septostomy, which finally decreased the CSF outflow. DISCUSSION: New knowledge about the CSF physiology will help to propose better treatment depending on the cause of the hydrocephalus. The GS is becoming an additional reason to better study and develop new therapies focused of the modulation of alternative CSF reabsorption. CONCLUSION: Despite the current knowledge about hydrocephalus, we remain without a complete understanding of the pathophysiology of this condition. GS could be more important than conventional concept of reabsorption of CSF in the arachnoid villi, therefore GS could be a new key point, which will guide future investigations.

Hemoglobin levels as a transfusion criterion in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several factors can influence the outcome of severe head injuries including the patient's hemoglobin levels. There has often been a dilemma regarding levels of hemoglobin at which red cell blood transfusion (RCBT) should be performed. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature to determine the usefulness of management protocols that have hemoglobin levels <10 g/dL vs <7 g/dL as an RCBT criterion. METHODS: Following the PRISMA statement, the search was constructed using terms and descriptors of the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH), combined with Boolean operators. Full text of these articles was studied, and outcome measures at 3-6 months were considered for patients who were given a RCBT at <10 g/dL or at 7 g/dL hemoglobin levels. RESULTS: A total of 4 articles were found suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis. RCBT below 7 g/dL was not associated with an increased risk of mortality as compared to RCBT using the value of less than 10 g/dL. RCBT at lower levels of hemoglobin was also not associated with a poor neurological outcome (GOS 4-5) but rather RCBT at lower levels lead to better outcomes (GOS 1-3) and the association was significant. CONCLUSION: Allogenic RCBT was associated with poorer neurological outcomes, within a wide range of reported differences in the hemoglobin threshold to decide for RCBT in TBI patients. Restrictive RCBT strategy may be useful in moderate to severe TBI cases although the risk of anemia-induced cerebral injury needs further investigation regarding the risks and complications inherent to RCBT.

Primary intracranial smooth muscle tumor associated with Epstein-Barr virus in immunosuppressed children: two cases report and review of literature.

Primary intracranial smooth muscle tumors are rare. Most cases are related to Epstein-Barr virus proliferation in immunocompromised patients such as organ solid recipients. Only a few cases have been reported in pediatric patients. The clinical features are very variable depending mainly on the location and size of the smooth muscle tumor (SMT) and the pathogenesis is poorly understood. We describe two cases of intracranial SMT localized in the temporal lobe and associated with EBV in immunosuppressed children. A review of the literature associated with intracranial leiomyomas was also done.

Obesity and Stroke: Does the Paradox Apply for Stroke?

Historically, obesity has been identified as one of the most important risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases including stroke; however, a theory called "The Obesity Paradox" has been recently considered. The paradoxical theory is that obese or overweight patients (according to body mass index score) can have better outcomes compared to leaner or malnourished patients. The paradox was initially discovered in patients with heart failure. The purpose of this manuscript was to investigate whether this paradox also applies to stroke patients, according to information available in the current literature.