Prevalence of Aortoiliac Aneurysms in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Using the National Inpatient Sample Database.

Objective: Single-center studies have suggested that solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk for arterial aneurysms. Moreover, they describe a more aggressive natural history with increased rates of expansion and rupture. In this exploratory analysis, we aim to assess the frequency of arterial aneurysms in solid organ transplant recipients using a large-scale national database.

Practice patterns in utilization of atherectomy and embolic protection devices in inpatient and outpatient treatment settings.

Objective: The frequency of atherectomy in lower extremity arterial disease has increased substantially over the past several years, specifically in the office-based laboratory (OBL) setting, yet the efficacy compared with other interventions and the consequences of distal embolization remain unknown. Embolic protection devices (EPDs) have been used at varying rates depending on physician and practice setting. Previous studies have described lesion characteristics to consider when weighing the benefits and drawbacks associated with device use.

Impact of a Hands-on Pre-Clinical Neurosurgery Elective Course on Second-Year Medical Student Interest and Attitudes.

Introduction: Medical student involvement opportunities and educational experiences with surgical residents during medical school have been shown to increase the chance of students deciding to specialize in surgical specialties. This study aims to determine the effect of a neurosurgery elective during the second preclinical year on student interest and opinion of neurosurgery.

Methods: Thirty-nine students completed opinion-based surveys and factual knowledge quizzes during a neurosurgical elective course over 3 iterations, which included lecture and skills lab instruction.

Complications After 3- and 4-Level Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion.

Background: Anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a standard surgical procedure used widely in the treatment of degenerative cervical spine conditions. Although the safety and effectiveness of single-level ACDF is well supported in the literature, reports of multilevel ACDF are sparse and present mixed results. There is concern for greater complications with increasing levels of fusion given the increased complexity, procedure duration, and invasiveness of multilevel ACDF.