Perioperative ROTEM® evaluation in a patient affected by severe VII factor deficiency undergoing microvascular decompression craniotomy for hemifacial spasm.

The potential use of TEG/ROTEM® in evaluating the bleeding risk for rare coagulation disorders needs to be assessed, considering the common mismatch among laboratory tests and the clinical manifestations. As a result, there is currently no published data on the use of viscoelastic tests to assess coagulation in FVII deficient patients undergoing elective neurosurgery. We describe the case of a patient affected by severe FVII deficiency who underwent microvascular decompression (MVD) craniotomy for hemifacial spasm (HFS). The ROTEM® did not show a significant coagulopathy according to the normal ranges, before and after the preoperative administration of the recombinant activated FVII, but a substantial reduction in EXTEM and FIBTEM Clotting Times was noted. The values of coagulation in standard tests, on the contrary, were indicative of a coagulopathy, which was corrected by the administration of replacement therapy. Whether this difference between ROTEM® and standard tests is due to the inadequacy of thromboelastographic normal ranges in this setting, or to the absence of clinically significant coagulopathy, has yet to be clarified. Neurosurgery is a typical high bleeding risk surgery; additional data is required to clarify the potential role for thromboelastographic tests in the perioperative evaluation of the FVII deficient neurosurgical patients.

Case 310: Posterior Epidural Migration of a Lumbar Disk Herniation.

HISTORY: A 49-year-old man presented with right foot drop, bilateral cruralgia mainly on the left side, and genital and perianal hypoesthesia, which started suddenly 12 days before. After onset of symptoms, the patient also experienced an accidental fall at home, resulting in a left fibular fracture, which was treated with reduction and with seven-hole plate Synthes Locking Compression Plate at the orthopedic clinic. The neurologic examination showed paresthesias on the posterior aspect of both thighs and crural regions that was worse on the left side, hypoesthesia in the L5 root region on the right side, and right foot drop. There was no urinary retention or fecal incontinence. The patient denied past surgery, back trauma, heavy manual labor, hypermobility, or any other remarkable medical history. The patient was afebrile. Laboratory results on the 1st day of hospitalization showed increased C-reactive protein level (0.62 mg/dL; reference range, 0.0-0.5 mg/dL), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (60 mm/h; reference range, 0-20 mm/h), and increased aspartate transaminase (38 U/L [0.63 µkat/L]; reference range, 0-31 U/L [0-0.52 µkat/L]), alanine transaminase (70 U/L [1.17 µkat/L]; reference range, 0-31 U/L [0-0.52 µkat/L]), and high lymphocyte (4.55 × 103/mL; reference range, [1.0-3.0] ×103/mL), and neutrophil (8.79 × 103/mL; reference range, [2.0-7.0] × 103/mL) levels. Absence of coagulopathy was demonstrated by normal coagulation values (international normalized ratio, 1.19; reference value, 0.80-1.25; activated partial thromboplastin time ratio, 0.88 second; reference range, 0.79-1.27 seconds). Electroneurography showed marked hypoevocable F response in the right tibia. Electromyography indicated severe reduction of muscle recruitment pertaining to right L4, L5, and S1 nerve territory and, to a lesser extent, of muscles pertaining to L3 territory bilaterally in the absence of spontaneous denervation. Unenhanced CT and contrast-enhanced MRI of the lumbosacral spine were performed.

The role of sodium fluorescein in pediatric supratentorial intra-axial tumor resection: new insights from a monocentric series of 33 consecutive patients.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical resection represents the mainstay of treatment, in pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and aggressive resection correlates with prognosis for several histotypes. Sodium fluorescein (SF), a green, water-soluble dye, is used as neurosurgical fluorescent tracer thanks to its property to accumulate in cerebral regions of blood-brain barrier disruption, acting as a valid tool to improve the extent of resection in tumors enhancing at preoperative MRI. Brain neoplasms represent a heterogeneous group of tumors in the pediatric age, constituting the most common solid cancers; they typically show a varying degree of contrast enhancement on MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In March 2016, the authors started a prospective, observational trial to evaluate intraoperative fluorescence's characteristics of CNS tumors, the percentage of extent of resection, thanks to fluorescein aid, and side effects related to fluorescein administration. This report is based on a retrospective analysis of a group of 33 consecutive pediatric patients harboring a supratentorial lesion. RESULTS: In 17 of 33 (51.5%) procedures, fluorescence was reported as intense; in 14 of 33 (42.4%), moderate; and in 2 of 33 (6.1%), slight. Intraoperative fluorescence corresponds to preoperative-MRI-documented contrast enhancement. In 28 of 33 (84.8%) surgical procedures, SF was considered useful; in 2 of 33 (6.1%), partial useful; and in 3 of 33 (9.1%), not essential because the tumor was already recognizable. No adverse effect to SF administration was registered. CONCLUSION: Fluorescein-guided surgery with a dedicated filter on the microscope is a safe and effective technique to improve visualization and resection of different pediatric brain tumors.

Hemangioblastomas and Other Vascular Origating Tumors of Brain or Spinal Cord.

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are highly vascularized, slow-growing, rare benign tumors (WHO grade I). They account for about 2% of intracranial neoplasms; however, they are the most common primary cerebellar tumors in adults. Another frequent seat is the spinal cord (2-10% of primary spinal cord tumors). HBs are constituted by stromal and capillary vascular cells; macroscopically, HBs appear as nodular tumors, with or without cystic components. Although most of the HBs are sporadic (57-75%), they represent a particular component of von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), an autosomal dominant syndrome with high penetrance, due to a germline pathogenic mutation in the VHL gene, which is a tumor suppressor with chromosomal location on the short arm of chromosome three. VHL disease determines a variety of malignant and benign tumors, most frequently HBs, renal cell carcinomas, pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and endolymphatic sac tumors. Up to 20% of cases are due to de novo pathogenic variants without a family history. Many epidemiologic details of these tumors, especially the sporadic forms, are not well known. The median age of patients with sporadic HBS is about 40 years. More than two-third of VHL patients develop one or more central nervous system HBs during their lifetime; in case of VHL, patients at first diagnosis are usually younger than the patients with sporadic tumors. The most common presenting signs and symptoms are related to increased intracranial pressure, cerebellar signs, or spinal cord alterations in case of spinal involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging is the gold standard for the diagnosis, assessment, and follow-up of HBs, both sporadic and syndrome-related; angiography is rarely performed because the diagnosis is easily obtained with magnetic resonance. However, the diagnosis of an asymptomatic lesion does not automatically result in therapeutic actions, as the risks of treatment and the onset of possible neurological deficit need to be balanced, considering that HBs may remain asymptomatic and have a static or slow-growing behavior. In such cases, regular follow-up can represent a valid therapeutic option until the patients remain asymptomatic. There are no actual pharmacological therapies that are demonstrated to be effective for HBs. Surgery represents the primary therapeutic approach for these tumors. Observation or radiotherapy also plays a role in the long-term management of patients harboring HBs, especially in VHL; in few selected cases, endovascular treatment has been suggested before surgical removal. This chapter presents a systematic overview of epidemiology, clinical appearance, histopathological and neuroradiological characteristics of central nervous system HBs. Moreover, the genetic and molecular biology of sporadic and VHL HBS deserves special attention. Furthermore, we will describe all the available therapeutic options, along with the follow-up management. Finally, we will briefly report other vascular originating tumors as hemangioendotheliomas, hemangiomas, or angiosarcomas.

A Brief Explanation on Surgical Approaches for Treatment of Different Brain Tumors.

The main goal of brain tumor surgery is to achieve gross total tumor resection without postoperative complications and permanent new deficits. However, when the lesion is located close or within eloquent brain areas, cranial nerves, and/or major brain vessels, it is imperative to balance the extent of resection with the risk of harming the patient, by following a so-called maximal safe resection philosophy. This view implies a shift from an approach-guided attitude, in which few standard surgical approaches are used to treat almost all intracranial tumors, to a pathology-guided one, with surgical approaches actually tailored to the specific tumor that has to be treated with specific dedicated pre- and intraoperative tools and techniques. In this chapter, the basic principles of the most commonly used neurosurgical approaches in brain tumors surgery are presented and discussed along with an overview on all available modern tools able to improve intraoperative visualization, extent of resection, and postoperative clinical outcome.

Surgical Complexity and Complications: The Need for a Common Language.

BACKGROUND: Quality measurement and outcome assessment have recently caught an attention of the neurosurgical community, but lack of standardized definitions and methodology significantly complicates these tasks. OBJECTIVE: To identify a uniform definition of neurosurgical complications, to classify them according to etiology, and to evaluate them comprehensively in cases of intracranial tumor removal in order to establish a new, easy, and practical grading system capable of predicting the risk of postoperative clinical worsening of the patient condition. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all elective surgeries directed at removal of intracranial tumor in the authors' institution during 2-year study period. All sociodemographic, clinical, and surgical factors were extracted from prospectively compiled comprehensive patient registry. Data on all complications, defined as any deviation from the ideal postoperative course occurring within 30 days of the procedure, were collected with consideration of the required treatment and etiology. A logistic regression model was created for identification of independent factors associated with worsening of the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score at discharge after surgery in comparison with preoperative period. For each identified statistically significant independent predictor of the postoperative worsening, corresponding score was defined, and grading system, subsequently named Milan Complexity Scale (MCS), was formed. RESULTS: Overall, 746 cases of surgeries for removal of intracranial tumor were analyzed. Postoperative complications of any kind were observed in 311 patients (41.7%). In 223 cases (29.9%), worsening of the KPS score at the time of discharge in comparison with preoperative period was noted. It was independently associated with 5 predictive factors-major brain vessel manipulation, surgery in the posterior fossa, cranial nerve manipulation, surgery in the eloquent area, tumor size >4 cm-which comprised MCS with a range of the total score from 0 to 8 (higher score indicates more complex clinical situations). Patients who demonstrated KPS worsening after surgery had significantly higher total MCS scores in comparison with individuals whose clinical status at discharge was improved or unchanged (3.24 ± 1.55 versus 1.47 ± 1.58; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: It is reasonable to define neurosurgical complication as any deviation from the ideal postoperative course occurring within 30 days of the procedure. Suggested MCS allows for standardized assessment of surgical complexity before intervention and for estimating the risk of clinical worsening after removal of intracranial tumor. Collection of data on surgical complexity, occurrence of complications, and postoperative outcomes, using standardized prospectively maintained comprehensive patient registries seems very important for quality measurement and should be attained in all neurosurgical centers.

Fluorescein-guided resection of a left frontal pre-rolandic cerebral metastasis: how I do it.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral metastases (CM) are the most common intracranial tumors; several studies have underlined the fundamental role of neurosurgical lesion removal. METHOD: We describe the surgical resection of a left frontal single metastasis. We attempted to achieve a radical resection under the intraoperative guidance of fluorescein, with the aid of intraoperative neurological monitoring. This technique can be applied to each contrast enhancing, intra-axial, infiltrative lesion. CONCLUSION: Fluorescein-guided surgery is a valuable tool in CM surgery to increase the rate of resection; further prospective evaluation of the role of fluorescein in this field is in planning, aiming to study the prognostic impact.

Case 310.

HISTORY: A 49-year-old man presented with right foot drop, bilateral cruralgia mainly on the left side, and genital and perianal hypoesthesia, which started suddenly 12 days before. After onset of symptoms, the patient also experienced an accidental fall at home, resulting in a left fibular fracture, which was treated with reduction and with seven-hole plate Synthes Locking Compression Plate at the orthopedic clinic. The neurologic examination showed paresthesias on the posterior aspect of both thighs and crural regions that was worse on the left side, hypoesthesia in the L5 root region on the right side, and right foot drop. There was no urinary retention or fecal incontinence. The patient denied past surgery, back trauma, heavy manual labor, hypermobility, or any other remarkable medical history. The patient was afebrile. Laboratory results on the 1st day of hospitalization showed increased C-reactive protein level (0.62 mg/dL; reference range, 0.0-0.5 mg/dL), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (60 mm/h; reference range, 0-20 mm/h), and increased aspartate transaminase (38 U/L [0.63 µkat/L]; reference range, 0-31 U/L [0-0.52 µkat/L]), alanine transaminase (70 U/L [1.17 µkat/L]; reference range, 0-31 U/L [0-0.52 µkat/L]), and high lymphocyte (4.55 × 103/µL; reference range, [1.0-3.0] × 103/µL), and neutrophil (8.79 × 103/µL; reference range, [2.0-7.0] × 103/µL) levels. Absence of coagulopathy was demonstrated by normal coagulation values (international normalized ratio, 1.19; reference value, 0.80-1.25; activated partial thromboplastin time ratio, 0.88 second; reference range, 0.79-1.27 seconds). Electroneurography showed marked hypoevocable F response in the right tibia. Electromyography indicated severe reduction of muscle recruitment pertaining to right L4, L5, and S1 nerve territory and, to a lesser extent, of muscles pertaining to L3 territory bilaterally in the absence of spontaneous denervation. Unenhanced CT (Fig 1) and contrast-enhanced MRI of the lumbosacral spine were performed (Figs 2, 3).

Preoperative nonmedical predictors of functional impairment after brain tumor surgery.

PURPOSE: To identify the preoperative nonmedical predictors of functional impairment after brain tumor surgery. METHODS: Patients were evaluated before brain tumor surgery and after 3 months. The cognitive evaluation included MOCA for the general cognitive status, TMT for attention and executive functions, ROWL-IR and ROWL-DR for memory, and the F-A-S for verbal fluency. Anxiety, depression, social support, resilience, personality, disability, and quality of life were evaluated with the following patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): HADS, OSS-3, RS-14, TIPI, WHODAS-12, and EORTC-QLQ C30. Functional status was measured with KPS. Regression analyses were performed to identify preoperative nonmedical predictors of functional impairment; PROMs and cognitive tests were compared with the normative values. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients were enrolled (64 glioma; 85 meningioma). Increasing age, lower education, higher disability, and lower ROWL-DR scores were predictors of functional impairment in glioma patients while higher TMT scores and disability were predictors in meningioma patients. In multiple regression, only a worse performance in TMT remains a predictor in meningioma patients. Cognitive tests were not significantly worse than normative values, while psychosocial functioning was impaired. CONCLUSION: TMT could be used in the preoperative evaluation and as a potential predictor in the research field on outcome predictors. Psychosocial functioning should be studied further and considered in a clinical context to identify who need major support and to plan tailored interventions.

Patient-reported outcome and cognitive measures to be used in vascular and brain tumor surgery: proposal for a minimum set.

BACKGROUND: The standardization of outcome measures is needed for comparing studies and using common measures in clinical practice. We aimed to identify cognitive and patient-reported outcomes and timing of assessment for glioma, meningioma, and vascular surgery. METHOD: A consensus study was conducted. Participants selected cognitive and patient-reported measures among a list of instruments identified through a literature search. RESULTS: Seventeen cognitive tests for the glioma and meningioma's evaluation, 8 for the vascular diseases, and one questionnaire on quality of life and one on emotional distress were identified. The timing of outcome assessment selected was before surgery, at discharge, and after 3 and 12 months for glioma; before surgery and after 3 months for meningioma; before surgery, at discharge, and after 6 months for vascular diseases. CONCLUSION: The identification of common outcome measures is the first step toward a shared data collection improving the quality and comparability of future studies.

Outcome prediction in brain tumor surgery: a literature review on the influence of nonmedical factors.

The purpose of the present study was to review the existing data on preoperative nonmedical factors that are predictive of outcome in brain tumor surgery. Our hypothesis was that also the individual characteristics (e.g., emotional state, cognitive status, social relationships) could influence the postoperative course in addition to clinical factors usually investigated in brain tumor surgery. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched from 2008 to 2018 using terms relating to brain tumors, craniotomy, and predictors. All types of outcome were considered: clinical, cognitive, and psychological. Out of 6.288 records identified, 16 articles were selected for analysis and a qualitative synthesis of the prognostic factors was performed. The following nonmedical factors were found to be predictive of surgical outcomes: socio-demographic (age, marital status, type of insurance, gender, socio-economic status, type of hospital), cognitive (preoperative language and cognitive deficits, performance at TMT-B test), and psychological (preoperative depressive symptoms, personality traits, autonomy for daily activities, altered mental status). This review showed that nonmedical predictors of outcome exist in brain tumor surgery. Consequently, individual characteristics (e.g., emotional state, cognitive status, social relationships) can influence the postoperative course in addition to clinical factors.

Olfactory nerve sparing technique for anterior skull base meningiomas: how I do it.

BACKGROUND: Olfactory function preservation is a desirable objective in anterior skull base (ASB) surgery. The "infracerebral-supraolfactory nerve" corridor is presented. METHOD: The technique for preserving the olfactory nerves (OlfNs) in anterior ASB meningioma removal involves the following points: deep knowledge of the ASB vascular and meningeal anatomy, precise preoperative planning, wide and sharp dissection of the OlfNs away from the frontal lobes, gravity-aided frontal lobe retraction, Gelfoam-assisted hemostasis on nervous structures, and access to the lesion through an infracerebral-supraolfactory nerve corridor. CONCLUSIONS: This technique may be a valid option for patients affected by anterior skull base meningiomas with intact preoperative olfactory function.

Peri-operative prognostic factors for primary skull base chordomas: results from a single-center cohort.

BACKGROUND: Skull base chordomas (SBC) are rare malignant tumors and few factors have been found to be reliable markers for clinical decision making and survival prognostication. The aim of the present work was to identify specific prognostic factors potentially useful for the management of SBC patients. METHODS: A retrospective review of all the patients diagnosed and treated for SBC at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico "Carlo Besta" between January 1992 and December 2017 has been performed. Survival analysis was performed and a logistic regression model was used. Statistically significant predictors were rated based on their log odds in order to preliminarily build a personalized grading scale-the Peri-Operative Chordoma Scale (POCS). RESULTS: Fifty-nine primary chordoma patients were included. The average follow-up from the first treatment was 82.6 months (95% CI, 65.5-99.7). POCS was built over PFS and MR contrast enhancement (intense vs mild/no, value 4), preoperative motor deficit (yes vs no, value 3), and the development of any postoperative complications (yes vs no, value 2). POCS ranges between 0 and 9, with higher scores being associated with reduced likelihood of survival and progression-free state. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that preoperative clinical symptoms (motor deficits), surgical features (extent of tumor resection and surgeon's experience), development of postoperative complications, and KPS decline represent significant prognostic factors. The degree of MR contrast enhancement significantly correlated to both OS and PFS. We also preliminarily developed the POCS as a prognostic grading scale which may help neurosurgeons in the personalized management of patients undergoing potential adjuvant therapies.

Repeated craniotomies for intracranial tumors: is the risk increased? Pooled analysis of two prospective, institutional registries of complications and outcomes.

PURPOSE: Deciding whether to re-operate patients with intracranial tumor recurrence or remnant is challenging, as the data on safety of repeated procedures is limited. This study set out to evaluate the risks for morbidity, mortality, and complications after repeated operations, and to compare those to primary operations. METHODS: Retrospective observational two-center study on consecutive patients undergoing microsurgical tumor resection. The data derived from independent, prospective institutional registries. The primary endpoint was morbidity at 3 months (M3), defined as significant decrease on the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). Secondary endpoints were mortality, rate and severity of complications according to the Clavien-Dindo Grade (CDG). RESULTS: 463/2403 (19.3%) were repeated procedures. Morbidity at M3 occurred in n = 290 patients (12.1%). In univariable analysis, patients undergoing repeated surgery were 98% as likely as patients undergoing primary surgery to experience morbidity (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.72-1.34, p = 0.889). In multivariable analysis adjusted for age, sex, tumor size, histology and posterior fossa location, the relationship remained stable (aOR 1.25, 95% CI 0.90-1.73, p = 0.186). Mortality was n = 10 (0.4%) at discharge and n = 95 (4.0%) at M3, without group differences. At least one complication occurred in n = 855, and the rate (35.5% vs. 35.9%, p = 0.892) and severity (CDG; p = 0.520) was similar after primary and repeated procedures. Results were reproduced in subgroup analyses for meningiomas, gliomas and cerebral metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated surgery for intracranial tumors does not increase the risk of morbidity. Mortality, and both the rate and severity of complications are comparable to primary operations. This information is of value for patient counseling and the informed consent process.

Atlanto-axial rotatory fixation complicating ventriculo-peritoneal shunt surgery: a case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Atlanto-axial rotatory fixation (AARF) is a rare complication of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VPS) surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors present a unique case of AARF developing early after VP shunting, with persistent torticollis, a "cock-robin" head position, and a thick fibrous band along the catheter path. Due to refractoriness to conservative treatments, AARF, which can be an early-onset complication of VPS surgery, was resolved by removing the distal catheter along with the fibrous band encasing it. CONCLUSION: Surgical removal of the fibrous band might be enough to solve such complication with no need of further surgical fusion procedures.

Long and Very-Long-Chain Ceramides Correlate with A More Aggressive Behavior in Skull Base Chordoma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Skull base chordomas are rare tumors arising from notochord. Sphingolipids analysis is a promising approach in molecular oncology, and it has never been applied in chordomas. Our aim is to investigate chordoma behavior and the role of ceramides. METHODS: Ceramides were extracted and evaluated by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry in a cohort of patients with a skull base chordoma. Clinical data were also collected and correlated with ceramide levels. Linear regression and correlation analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Analyzing the association between ceramides level and MIB-1, total ceramides and dihydroceramides showed a strong association (r = 0.7257 and r = 0.6733, respectively) with MIB-1 staining (p = 0.0033 and p = 0.0083, respectively). Among the single ceramide species, Cer C24:1 (r = 0.8814, p ≤ 0.0001), DHCer C24:1 (r = 0.8429, p = 0.0002) and DHCer C18:0 (r = 0.9426, p ≤ 0.0001) showed a significant correlation with MIB-1. CONCLUSION: Our lipid analysis showed ceramides to be promising tumoral biomarkers in skull base chordomas. Long- and very-long-chain ceramides, such as Cer C24:1 and DHCer C24:1, may be related to a prolonged tumor survival and aggressiveness, and the understanding of their effective biological role will hopefully shed light on the mechanisms of chordoma radio-resistance, tendency to recur, and use of agents targeting ceramide metabolism.

The influence of preoperative dependency on mortality, functional recovery and complications after microsurgical resection of intracranial tumors.

INTRODUCTION: The decision whether to operate on patients with intracranial tumors is complex and influenced by patient-specific factors, including the preoperative functional status. This work assesses the risks for mortality and complications, and post-operative recovery in functionally dependent patients undergoing microsurgical resection of intracranial tumors. METHODS: Observational two-center study, analyzing institutional registry data. Dependency was defined as admission Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) of ≤ 50. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Secondary endpoints were rate and type [Clavien-Dindo grade (CDG)] of complications, as well as postoperative change in KPS until the 3-month follow-up (M3). RESULTS: Of n = 1951 patients, n = 98 (5.0%) were dependent. Mortality rates were 2.0% for dependent and 0.4% for independent patients (p = 0.018). In univariable analysis, dependent patients were more likely than independent patients to die in hospital (OR 5.49, 95% CI 1.12-26.8, p = 0.035). In a multivariable model, the effect was slightly attenuated (OR 4.75, 95% CI 0.91-24.7, p = 0.064). Dependent patients tended to experience more postoperative complications. They were more likely to suffer from a severe complication (CDG 4 and 5; OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.49-8.46, p = 0.004). In 40.8 and 52.4% of cases, dependent patients regained functional independence at discharge and M3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In operated patients with intracranial tumors presenting functionally dependent at admission, the risk for in-hospital mortality and complications is elevated. However, if conducted successfully, surgery may lead to regain of independence in every second patient within 3 months.

The role of indocyanine green videoangiography with FLOW 800 analysis for the surgical management of central nervous system tumors: an update.

OBJECTIVE Indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-VA) is an intraoperative technique used to highlight vessels in neurovascular surgery. Its application in the study of the vascular pathophysiology in CNS tumors and its role in their surgical management are still rather limited. A recent innovation of ICG-VA (i.e., the FLOW 800 algorithm integrated in the surgical microscope) allows a semiquantitative evaluation of cerebral blood flow. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the systematic application of ICG-VA and FLOW 800 analysis during surgical removal of CNS tumors. METHODS Between May 2011 and December 2017, all cases in which ICG-VA and FLOW 800 analysis were used at least one time before, during, or after the tumor resection, and in which surgical videos were available, were retrospectively reviewed. Results of the histological analysis were analyzed together with the intraoperative ICG-VA with FLOW 800 in order to investigate the tumor-related videoangiographic features. RESULTS Seventy-one patients who underwent surgery for cerebral and spinal tumors were intraoperatively analyzed using ICG-VA with FLOW 800, either before or after tumor resection, for a total of 93 videoangiographic studies. The histological diagnosis was meningioma in 25 cases, glioma in 14, metastasis in 7, pineal region tumor in 5, hemangioblastoma in 4, chordoma in 3, and other histological types in 13 cases. The authors identified 4 possible applications of ICG-VA and FLOW 800 in CNS tumor surgery: extradural surveys allowed exploration of sinus patency and the course of veins before dural opening; preresection surveys helped in identifying pathological vascularization (arteriovenous fistulas and neo-angiogenesis) and regional venous outflow, and in performing temporary venous clipping tests, when necessary; postresection surveys were conducted to evaluate arterial and venous patency and parenchymal perfusion after tumor removal; and a premyelotomy survey was conducted in intramedullary tumors to highlight the posterior median sulcus. CONCLUSIONS The authors found ICG-VA with FLOW 800 to be a useful method to monitor blood flow in the exposed vessels and parenchyma during microsurgical removal of CNS tumors in selected cases. In particular, a preresection survey provides useful information about pathophysiological changes of brain vasculature related to the tumor and aids in the individuation of helpful landmarks for the surgical approach, and the postresection survey helps to prevent potential complications associated with the resection (such as local hypoperfusion or venous infarction).

Use of ICG videoangiography and FLOW 800 analysis to identify the patient-specific venous circulation and predict the effect of venous sacrifice: a retrospective study of 172 patients.

OBJECTIVE The best management of veins encountered during the neurosurgical approach is still a matter of debate. Even if venous sacrifice were to lead to devastating consequences, under certain circumstances, it might prove to be desirable, enlarging the surgical field or increasing the extent of resection in tumor surgery. In this study, the authors present a large series of patients with vascular or oncological entities, in which they used indocyanine green videoangiography (ICG-VA) with FLOW 800 analysis to study the patient-specific venous flow characteristics and the management workflow in cases in which a venous sacrifice was necessary. METHODS Between May 2011 and December 2017, 1972 patients were admitted to the authors' division for tumor and/or neurovascular surgery. They retrospectively reviewed all cases in which ICG-VA and FLOW 800 were used intraoperatively with a specific target in the venous angiographic phase or for the management of venous sacrifice, and whose surgical videos and FLOW 800 analysis were available. RESULTS A total of 296 ICG-VA and FLOW 800 studies were performed intraoperatively. In all cases, the venous structures were clearly identifiable and were described according to the flow direction and speed. The authors therefore defined different patterns of presentation: arterialized veins, thrombosed veins, fast-draining veins with anterograde flow, slow-draining veins with anterograde flow, and slow-draining veins with retrograde flow. In 16 cases we also performed a temporary clipping test to predict the effect of the venous sacrifice by the identification of potential collateral circulation. CONCLUSIONS ICG-VA and FLOW 800 analysis can provide complete and real-time intraoperative information regarding patient-specific venous drainage pattern and can guide the decision-making process regarding venous sacrifice, with a possible impact on reduction of surgical complications.

Patients' reported outcome measures and clinical scales in brain tumor surgery: results from a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess surgical outcome in brain tumor surgery using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and to compare their results with traditional clinical outcome measurements. METHOD: Neuro-oncological patients undergoing surgical removal for the lesion were enrolled; MOCA test, PROMs (EUROHIS-QoL, PGWB-S, WHODAS-12), and the clinical scale Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) were administered to evaluate respectively cognitive status, quality of life, well-being, disability, and functional status before surgery and at 3-month follow-up. Wilcoxon test was performed to evaluate the longitudinal change of test scores, the smallest detectable difference to classify the change of patients in PROMs, the Cohen kappa to investigate the concordance between KPS and PROMs in classifying the patients' change, and Mann-Whitney U test to compare patients with complications and no complications. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients were enrolled (54 woman, mean age 50.2 ± 14.1, range 20-85): psychological well-being improved at follow-up; 95 patients (94.1%) were improved/unchanged and 6 (5.9%) were worsened according to PROMs; functional status measured with KPS had a slight agreement with quality of life and disability and no agreement with psychological well-being questionnaires; patients with complications had a greater worsening in KPS. CONCLUSIONS: According to PROMs measuring QoL, disability, and psychological well-being, most of the patients were improved/unchanged after surgery. Since PROMs and KPS detect different aspects of the patients' health status, PROMs should be integrated in surgical outcome evaluation. Furthermore, their association with complications and with other clinical and subjective variables that could influence patient's perception of health status should be investigated.