Objective: The local effects of an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) on surrounding brain tissue can be detected bedside using multimodal brain monitoring techniques. The aim of this study is to design a gradient boosting regression model using the R package boostmtree with the ability to predict lactate-pyruvate ratio measurements in ICH.
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 6 spontaneous ICH and 6 traumatic ICH patients who underwent surgical removal of the clot with microdialysis catheters placed in the perihematomal zone.
Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) presents a challenging learning curve, and the correlation between surgeon experience and clinical outcomes remains contentious. This retrospective study aimed to compare the outcomes of PELD performed by a single surgeon at beginner and experienced stages. Propensity score matching selected 150 patients (75 per group) with a minimum 3-year follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: With no cure for Alzheimer disease (AD), current efforts involve therapeutics that prevent further cognitive impairment. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been studied for its potential to mitigate AD symptoms. This systematic review investigates the efficacy of current and previous targets for their ability to slow cognitive decline in treating AD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLaparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion (L-ALIF), which employs laparoscopic cameras to facilitate a less invasive approach, originally gained traction during the 1990s but has subsequently fallen out of favor. As the envelope for endoscopic approaches continues to be pushed, a recurrence of interest in laparoscopic and/or endoscopic anterior approaches seems possible. Therefore, evaluating the current evidence base in regard to this approach is of much clinical relevance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common tremor disorders and are common indications for deep brain stimulation (DBS). In some patients, PD and ET symptoms overlap and diagnosis can be challenging based on clinical criteria alone. The objective of this study was to identify structural brain differences between PD and ET DBS patients to help differentiate these disorders and improve our understanding of the different brain regions involved in these pathologic processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Since its proposal, the Global Alignment and Proportion (GAP) score has been the topic of several external validation studies, which have yielded conflicting results. Given the lack of consensus regarding this prognostic tool, the authors aim to assess the accuracy of GAP scores for predicting mechanical complications following adult spinal deformity correction surgery.
Methods: A systematic search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for the purpose of identifying all studies evaluating the GAP score as a predictive tool for mechanical complications.
Objective: With the increasing prevalence of spine surgery, ensuring effective resident training is becoming of increasing importance. Training safe, competent surgeons relies heavily on effective teaching of surgical indications and adequate practice to achieve a minimum level of technical proficiency before independent practice. American Council of Graduate Medical Education work-hour restrictions have complicated the latter, forcing programs to identify novel methods of surgical resident training.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Despite its relatively low prevalence, schizophrenia has a high burden of illness due to its lifelong effects and the fact that it is often refractory to psychotropic treatment. This review investigated how neurosurgical interventions, primarily neuromodulation through deep brain stimulation (DBS), can mitigate treatment-refractory schizophrenia. Pathophysiological data and ongoing clinical trials were reviewed to suggest which targets hold promise for neurosurgical efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Reduced diffusion along perivascular spaces in adults with Alzheimer's-disease-related-dementias has been reported and attributed to reduced glymphatic function.
Objectives: To apply quantitative measures of diffusion along, and orthogonal to, perivascular spaces in a cohort of older adults with and without clinical symptoms of alpha-synuclein related neurodegeneration.
Methods: 181 adults with Parkinson disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET) additionally sub-classified by the presence of cognitive impairment underwent 3 T MRI.
Voxel-based morphometry is an established technique to study focal structural brain differences in neurologic disease. More recently, texture-based analysis methods have enabled a pattern-based assessment of group differences, at the patch level rather than at the voxel level, allowing a more sensitive localization of structural differences between patient populations. In this study, we propose a texture-based approach to identify structural differences between the cerebellum of patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 280) and essential tremor (n = 109).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often experience reductions in the proficiency to inhibit actions. The motor symptoms of PD can be effectively treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a key structure in the frontal-striatal network that may be directly involved in regulating inhibitory control. However, the precise role of the STN in stopping control is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Minimally invasive anterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery (MIS ALIF) is a technique that restores disc height and lumbar lordosis through a smaller exposure and less soft-tissue trauma compared to open approaches. The mini-open and laparoscopic assistance techniques are two main forms of MIS ALIF. The authors conducted a systematic review that sought to critically summarize the literature on back pain following MIS ALIF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) are commonly encountered movement disorders. Pathophysiologic processes that localize to the cerebellum are described in both. There are limited studies investigating cerebellar structural changes in these conditions, largely because of inherent challenges in the efficiency of segmentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Microvascular decompression (MVD) is highly effective in managing the neuropathic facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Its utility in patients with TN and concurrent multiple sclerosis (MS) has been a subject of debate. The goal of this study was to identify demographic and perioperative variables associated with favorable outcome after MVD over the past 20 years in patients from our institution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe dentate nucleus (DN) is a gray matter structure deep in the cerebellum involved in motor coordination, sensory input integration, executive planning, language, and visuospatial function. The DN is an emerging biomarker of disease, informing studies that advance pathophysiologic understanding of neurodegenerative and related disorders. The main challenge in defining the DN radiologically is that, like many deep gray matter structures, it has poor contrast in T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images and therefore requires specialized MR acquisitions for visualization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Preclinical neurosurgery electives have been shown to increase student familiarity with neurosurgery, yet the impact on students without a home neurosurgery program is unknown. We conducted a preclinical neurosurgery elective in a mixed cohort of students with and without home neurosurgery programs to 1) evaluate changes in neurosurgery perceptions, 2) discern differences between cohorts, and 3) identify important factors in those considering neurosurgery.
Methods: A yearly elective was offered to students at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM; home program) or Meharry Medical College (MMC; no home program) from 2017 to 2018.
Impulsive and compulsive behaviors in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are most often attributed to dopamine agonist therapy; dysregulation of the mesocorticolimbic system accounts for this behavioral phenotype. The clinical presentation is commonly termed (ICD): Behaviors include hypersexuality, compulsive eating, shopping, pathological gambling, and compulsive hobby participation. However, not all PD individuals taking dopamine agonists develop these behavioral changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIonic liquid (IL)-based ion-gel membranes were prepared from a curable poly(IL)-based materials platform with the free ILs 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][TFSI]), bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][FSI]), 1-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4 IMH][TFSI]), and ethylmethylammonium nitrate [EAN][NO3 ] and evaluated for their ionic conductivity performance at ambient and elevated temperatures. The resulting cross-linked, free-standing ion-gel membranes were found to have less than 1 wt% water (with the exception of [EAN][NO3 ] which contained ≈20 wt% water). Increasing free IL content from 50 to 80 wt% produces materials with ionic conductivity values ≥10(-2) S cm(-1) at 25 °C and ≈10(-1) S cm(-1) at 110 °C.
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