The Effect of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic on Elective Cervical Spine Surgery Utilization and Complications in the United States: A Nationwide Temporal Trends Analysis.

Objectives: As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, elective surgeries nationwide were suspended. The objective was to compare temporal trends in patient demographics, case volumes, and postoperative complications of patients undergoing elective cervical spine surgery from pre-COVID-19 (2019-2020 Q1) to post-COVID-19 (2020 Q2-Q4).

Methods: The 2019 to 2020 American College of Surgeon's National Surgery Quality Improvement Program database was queried for common elective cervical spine surgeries.

Utilization Trends of Total Ankle Arthroplasty and Ankle Fusion for Tibiotalar Osteoarthritis: A Nationwide Analysis of the United States Population.

: Studies evaluating utilization and trends of total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) and ankle fusion (AF) are sparse. The purpose of this study was to use a nationwide administrative claims database to compare baseline demographics between TAA and ankle arthrodesis and to determine whether patients who had a TAA have increased rates of: (1) utilization, (2) in-hospital length of stay (LOS), and (3) costs of care. : PearlDiver, a nationwide claims database was queried from 2005 to December 2013 for all patients who underwent primary TAA or AF for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the ankle and foot.

Association of Opioid Use Disorder on Postoperative Outcomes Following Lumbar Laminectomy: A Nationwide Retrospective Analysis of the Medicare Population.

Background: Research focused on the association of opioid use disorder (OUD) on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing primary lumbar laminectomy is lacking. This study aims to observe the impact of OUD on (1) hospital length of stay (LOS), (2) readmission rates, (3) medical complications, and (4) health care expenditures.

Methods: A retrospective query was performed using a nationwide claims database from January 2005 to March 2014 for all patients who underwent lumbar laminectomy, yielding a total of 131,635 patients.

Carcinoma of the Tongue Presenting as Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Case Report.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) presents with extreme pain involving one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve (CN V). Although the exact cause of TN is still unknown, most cases have been linked to neurovascular compression of the nerve at the base of the brain. Pain refractory to medications can be treated with an image-guided trigeminal nerve block.

Live Animal Imaging and Cell Sorting Methods for Investigating Neurodegeneration in a C. elegans Excitotoxic Necrosis Model.

Excitotoxic necrosis is a leading form of neurodegeneration. This process of regulated necrosis is triggered by the synaptic accumulation of the neurotransmitter glutamate, and the excessive stimulation of its postsynaptic receptors. However, information on the subsequent molecular events that culminate in the distinct neuronal swelling morphology of this type of neurodegeneration is lacking.