Utility of image-guided external ventriculostomy: analysis of contemporary practice in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Objective: Freehand external ventricular drain (EVD) insertion is associated with a high rate of catheter misplacement. Image-guided EVD placement with neuronavigation or ultrasound has been proposed as a safer, more accurate alternative with potential to facilitate proper placement and reduce catheter malfunction risk. This study aimed to determine the impact of image-guided EVD placement on catheter tip position and drain functionality.

Slow-Growing Pituitary Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma: Literature Review.

Background: Tumor metastasis to the pituitary is rare, most commonly reported with either breast or lung cancer metastasizing to the neurohypophysis. Pituitary metastases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are by contrast infrequently described even within this scarce literature. We present an illustrative case of RCC pituitary metastasis 15 years after radical nephrectomy for primary disease and a review of the published literature.

Surgical consent practice in the UK following the Montgomery ruling: A national cross-sectional questionnaire study.

Background: The Supreme Court case of Montgomery vs Lanarkshire Health Board in 2015 was a landmark case for consent practice in the UK which shifted focus from a traditional paternalistic model of consent towards a more patient-centered approach. Widely recognised as the most significant legal judgment on informed consent in the last 30 years, the case was predicted to have a major impact on the everyday practice of surgeons working in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Two years after the legal definition of informed consent was redefined, we carried out an audit of surgical consent practice across the UK to establish the impact of the Montgomery ruling on clinical practice.

Cross-sectional study of the financial cost of training to the surgical trainee in the UK and Ireland.

Objectives: Applications for surgical training have declined over the last decade, and anecdotally the costs of training at the expense of the surgical trainee are rising. We aimed to quantify the costs surgical trainees are expected to cover for postgraduate training.

Design: Prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study.

Consultant outcomes publication and surgical training: Consensus recommendations by the association of surgeons in training.

Consultant Outcomes Publication (COP) has the longest history in cardiothoracic surgery, where it was introduced in 2005. Subsequently COP has been broadened to include all surgical specialties in NHS England in 2013-14. The Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) fully supports efforts to improve patient care and trust in the profession and is keen to overcome potential unintended adverse effects of COP.

Association of surgeons in training 40th anniversary conference: Liverpool #ASiT2016.

The Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) is a professional body and registered charity working to promote excellence in surgical training for the benefit of junior doctors and patient alike. ASiT is independent of the National Health Service (NHS), Surgical Royal Colleges and specialty associations, and represents trainees in all ten surgical specialities. We were delighted to be celebrating our 40th Anniversary Conference in the fantastic city of Liverpool with over 700 delegates in attendance and in the company of many ASiT Past Presidents.

The future of surgical training in the context of the 'Shape of Training' Review: Consensus recommendations by the Association of Surgeons in Training.

ASiT has long maintained that in order to provide the best quality care to patients in the UK and Republic of Ireland, it is critical that surgeons are trained to the highest standards. In addition, it is imperative that surgery remains an attractive career choice, with opportunities for career progression and job satisfaction to attract and retain the best candidates. In 2013, the Shape of Training review report set out recommendations for the structure and delivery of postgraduate training in light of an ever increasingly poly-morbid and ageing population.

The value of lumbar dorsal root ganglion blocks in predicting the response to decompressive surgery in patients with diagnostic doubt.

Background Context: Pain as a consequence of nerve root compression may not be easy to diagnose. Degenerative changes causing nerve root compression on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are common but not necessarily symptomatic while the distribution of pain attributable to a particular nerve root is variable. Selective dorsal root ganglion blocks (DRGBs) have been used in these situations to aid the diagnostic process, although their use remains controversial.

Idiopathic adult-onset nemaline myopathy presenting with isolated respiratory failure.

Idiopathic adult-onset nemaline myopathy is a rare condition of unknown etiology that usually presents with proximal weakness. This case study reports a 60-year-old woman who presented with isolated type 2 respiratory failure secondary to bilateral hemidiaphragm weakness. A left vastus medialis muscle biopsy examined under light microscopy revealed appearances typical of nemaline myopathy.