Surgical Techniques for Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations.

To formulate the specific guidelines for the recommendation of thoracolumbar fracture regarding surgical techniques and nonfusion surgery. WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee organized 2 consensus meeting. For nonfusion surgery and thoracolumbar fracture, a systematic literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar database was done from 2010 to 2020. The search was further refined by excluding the articles which were duplicate, not in English or were based on animal or cadaveric subjects. After thorough shortlisting, only 50 articles were selected for full review in this consensus meeting. To generate a consensus, the levels of agreement or disagreement on each item were voted independently in a blind fashion through a Likert-type scale from 1 to 5. The consensus was achieved when the sum for disagreement or agreement was ≥ 66%. Each consensus point was clearly defined with evidence strength, recommendation grade, and consensus level provided. A magnitude of prospective papers were analyzed to formulate consensus on various surgical techniques that can be employed to address different types of thoracolumbar fractures. Surgical treatment of thoracolumbar fractures can be a better option over the nonoperative approach, especially for those who cannot tolerate months in an orthosis or cast, such as those with multiple extremity injuries, skin lesions, obesity, and so forth. It generally allows early mobilization, less hospital stay, reduced pulmonary complications, and better correction of sagittal balance. Current available literature fails to demonstrate any statistically significant benefit of fusion surgery over nonfusion in thoracolumbar fractures.

The Challenges in Neurosurgery Training in a Third World Country.

BACKGROUND: Neurosurgery in Pakistan is an advanced field with significant challenges. The training program tests one's endurance, knowledge, empathy, and dedication. The training structure in Pakistan consists of 5 years, of which 2 years are spent in general surgery followed by 3 years of dedicated neurosurgery. This study aimed to conduct a survey to address the quality of neurosurgery training in Pakistan so that its strengths and deficiencies could be identified, recommendations could be made, and actions could be taken toward improvement. METHODS: A nationwide survey was conducted of neurosurgery residents from all over Pakistan. An e-mail invitation was sent to 177 neurosurgery residents certified by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan from 22 institutes in all provinces of Pakistan. The questionnaire was divided into the following sections: sociodemographics of participants, infrastructure of training site, clinical skills training and exposure, and knowledge-based education. Data were collected through Google Forms and analyzed using statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 151 residents responded to the survey. More than half of the institutes had >10 neurosurgery residents in their department (59.6%). More than half of the residents did not attend any international conference during their residency (51%). More than one fourth of the residents did not participate in any hands-on workshop during their residency tenure. CONCLUSIONS: The neurosurgical training program in Pakistan requires updating of the curriculum with better implementation. These data will help the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan in standardizing neurosurgical training across Pakistan to improve competence among trainees.

Clinical and Radiological Factors Affecting Thoracolumbar Fractures Outcome: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations.

To obtain a list of recommendations about clinical and radiological factors affecting outcome in thoraco-lumbar fractures with the aim of helping spine surgeons in daily practice. A systematic literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar database was done from 2010 to 2020 on the topic "thoracolumbar fracture AND radiology AND surgical outcomes" and "thoracolumbar fracture AND radiology AND surgical outcomes." A total of 58 papers were analyzed and WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee organized 2 consensus meetings to formulate the specific recommendations the first in Peshawar in December 2019 and in a subsequent virtual meeting in June 2020 to reach an agreement. Both meetings utilized the Delphi method to analyze preliminary literature review statements based on the current evidence levels to generate recommendations through a comprehensive voting session. Eight statements were presented and reached the consensus about this topic. A variety of clinical factors is known to influence outcome of patients with thoracolumbar fractures. Some of these are well-known established factors such as blood pressure augmentation and patient age, while some are not well studied. Overall, the quality of evidence is low and we need more randomized controlled studies to validate our results. Similarly, radiological factors that can predict outcome are well stated and there is a high accordance worldwide. In reverse, still under debate is the application to choose which surgical treatment is advisable based on them.

Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy: Role of Image Guidance in Reducing the Complications.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is performed by neurosurgeons around the world for the management of hydrocephalus. ETV has been associated with multiple complications, the most significant being iatrogenic injury to the fornix. We aim to establish the fact that the use of image guidance while planning a trajectory can reduce the incidence of complications as it significantly alters the usual approach for ETV, i.e., the coronal burr hole can be useful for young neurosurgeons to overcome the learning curve associated with the procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, observational study conducted at Liaquat National Hospital. In this study, 43 patients were included who underwent ETV for hydrocephalus. Complications were divided into three major groups: arterial hemorrhage, venous hemorrhage, and injury to neural structures (fornix, hypothalamus, and oculomotor nerve). The data were compared with studies showing the complications of ETV with and without usage of image guidance. RESULTS: Among the 43 patients who underwent ETV with image guidance, only two patients (4.65%) had iatrogenic fornix contusions. Neither of them developed memory impairment. None of the patients (0%) encountered other major iatrogenic complications, including injury to the mammillary body, basilar artery, or oculomotor nerve. CONCLUSION: The use of image guidance can reduce trajectory-related complications, including hemorrhage and iatrogenic injuries to the fornix. This study showed that the altered trajectory was beneficial in avoiding major neurological structures while introducing an endoscope through the cortex into the ventricular system.

Atypical sellar cyst: A rare case.

BACKGROUND: Sellar cysts are common in neurosurgery. Around 90% of these are diagnosed as pituitary adenomas. The other 10% are nonadenomatous, inflammatory, infective, metastatic, or cystic in nature. Some rare cysts include dermoid, epidermoid, colloid, and arachnoid. They all have different histological features. The case we present demonstrates a unique cyst with features that are not previously documented. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 60-year-old female presented to the neurosurgical department complaining of blurring of vision and severe headache for more than ½ year. Imaging was done which revealed a bony erosive lesion in the region of sella. Magnetic resonance imaging with contrast showed high signals with no contrast enhancement. A clear diagnosis could not be made based on radiology. Surgery was done and sample was sent for histopathology. Based on histopathological report findings, a diagnosis of benign atypical sellar cyst was made. Post procedure, the patient recovered and was discharged. CONCLUSION: Sellar cysts present similarly. They are differentiated based on their histological features. The sellar cyst we encountered had features different from the ones already described in the literature.

Fusion Surgery for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations.

Lumbar spine stenosis represents a complex degenerative pathology that has been a subject of significant dispute when it comes to fusion. A review of the literature from 2008 to 2019 was performed on the role of fusion in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis using PubMed, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Using the key words "lumbar spinal stenosis," "lumbar fusion," "lumbar decompression," and "lumbar pedicle screw fixation," the search revealed 490 papers. Of these, only Level 1 or Level 2 evidence papers were selected, leading to only 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were analyzed. None of the good-quality studies (RCTs) performed so far have proven any clinical benefit of adding fusion to degenerative lumbar spine decompression. The effect of spinal instability on the outcome following decompression remains controversial. At present, no unanimous criteria exist among the RCTs to identify what constitutes true instability. Fusion for instability or stenosis alone remains controversial, and the results are unconvincing. At this point, the issue expands to not only lumbar degenerative diseases but spinal fractures and lumbar isthmic spondylolisthesis. We thereby present the consensus of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Spine Committee, which formulated the indications for lumbar spine fusion in degenerative lumbar stenosis.

Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery: How to Keep out of Trouble.

Innovative techniques have revolutionized minimally invasive surgeries, which has significant benefits for the patients. Despite the benefits, these advancements require a longer learning curve for an inexperienced surgeon. The authors have collected some pearls from their experience and from other surgeons. Tips and tricks about common MISS procedures such as minimally invasive endoscopic transforaminal lumbar disc and interlaminar discectomy, MIS, TLIF, LLIF, ALIF, spinal tumor excision, posterior cervical fixation and foraminotomy are described. How to stay out of trouble is explained with these surgeries. These techniques will help young surgeons to become proficient and achieve better outcome.