A guide to interpreting systematic reviews and meta-analyses in neurosurgery and surgery.

Introduction: Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) are methods of data analysis used to synthesize information presented in multiple publications on the same topic. A thorough understanding of the steps involved in conducting this type of research and approaches to data analysis is critical for appropriate understanding, interpretation, and application of the findings of these reviews.

Methods: We reviewed reference texts in clinical neuroepidemiology, neurostatistics and research methods and other previously related articles on meta-analyses (MAs) in surgery.

Reducing the Gap in Neurosurgical Education in LMICs: A Report of a Non-Profit Educational Program.

Introduction: Central to neurosurgical care, neurosurgical education is particularly needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where opportunities for neurosurgical training are limited due to social and economic constraints and an inadequate workforce. The present paper aims (1) to evaluate the validity and usability of a cadaver-free hybrid system in the context of LMICs and (2) to report their learning needs and whether the courses meet those needs via a comprehensive survey.

Methods: From April to November 2021, a non-profit initiative consisting of a series of innovative cadaver-free courses based on virtual and practical training was organized.

Needs, Roles, and Challenges of Young Asian Neurosurgeons.

Background: Asia has a marked shortage of neurosurgical care, with approximately 2.5 million critical cases left untreated. The Young Neurosurgeons Forum of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies surveyed Asian neurosurgeons to identify research, education, and practice.

Needs, Roles, and Challenges of Young Latin American and Caribbean Neurosurgeons.

Background: Barriers to neurosurgery training and practice in Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) have been scarcely documented. The World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Young Neurosurgeons Forum survey sought to identify young neurosurgeons' needs, roles, and challenges. We present the results focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Historical determinants of neurosurgical inequities in Africa and the African diaspora: A review and analysis of coloniality.

The movement to decolonize global health challenges clinicians and researchers of sub-disciplines, like global neurosurgery, to redefine their field. As an era of racial reckoning recentres the colonial roots of modern health disparities, reviewing the historical determinants of these disparities can constructively inform decolonization. This article presents a review and analysis of the historical determinants of neurosurgical inequities as understood by a group of scholars who share Sub-Saharan African descent.

Decompressive craniectomy: Comparative analysis between surgical time and better prognosis.

Background: Malignant ischemic stroke is characterized by the involvement of 2/3 of the area of the middle cerebral artery, associated with cerebral edema, intracranial hypertension (ICH) and cerebral herniation, generating high morbidity and mortality. Over the years, several therapies have been studied in an attempt to reverse or reduce the damage caused by this vascular disorder, including decompressive craniectomy (DC), a surgical technique reserved for cases that evolve with refractory ICH.

Methods: This study seeks to perform a comparative analysis on the effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy using four randomized clinical trials and the results found in the retrospective study conducted in a neurosurgical reference center between 2010 and 2018.

Diffusion of Technology in the Teaching of Neuroanatomy in Times of Pandemic: A Medical and Academic Perspective on Learning.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused major changes in many sectors of society worldwide. The issue of medical education stands out since it had to adapt to the rules of social isolation, ensuing discussions about the computerization of teaching methodology, particularly in neuroanatomy. In particular, the latter showed satisfactory adaptability to new technologies and highly promising learning results.

Case Report: Pott's Edematous Tumor: Complicated Frontal Sinusitis - An Unremembered Diagnosis.

Pott's Puffy tumor, also called Pott's edematous tumor (PET), is a subperiosteal abscess of the frontal bone, associated with osteomyelitis of the frontal bone. In this paper, we report the case of a 16-year-old patient who presented with headache associated with progressive forehead swelling and fever. Clinical and imaging exams pointed to the hypothesis of PET associated with brain abscess.

Decompressive Craniectomy for Malignant Ischemic Stroke: An Institutional Experience of 145 Cases in a Brazilian Medical Center.

Background: Malignant ischemic stroke (MIS) occurs in a subgroup of patients with cerebrovascular accident who sustain massive or significant cerebral infarction. It is characterized by neurological deterioration owing to progressive edema, raised intracranial pressure, and cerebral herniation. Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a surgical technique that can be used to treat select cases of this condition in the presence of medically refractory intracranial hypertension.

Decompressive hemicraniectomy for acute ischemic stroke: A neurosurgical view in a pandemic COVID-19 time highlights of literature.

: The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which was identified after the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has kept the whole world in tenterhooks due to its severe life-threatening nature of the infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 a pandemic in 2020, an unprecedented challenge, having a high contagious life-threatening condition with unprecedented impacts for worldwide societies and health care systems. Neurologic symptoms related to SARS-CoV-2 have been described recently in the literature, and acute cerebrovascular disease is one of the most serious complications.

Decompressive Craniectomy in Traumatic Brain Injury: An Institutional Experience of 131 Cases in Two Years.

Decompressive craniectomy (DC) effectively reduces intracranial pressure (ICP), but is not considered to be a first-line procedure. We retrospectively analyzed sociodemographic, clinical, and surgical characteristics associated with the prognosis of patients who underwent DC to treat traumatic intracranial hypertension (ICH) at the Restauração Hospital (HR) in Recife, Brazil between 2015 and 2016, and compared the clinical features with surgical timing and functional outcome at discharge. The data were collected from 131 medical records in the hospital database.

Needs of Young African Neurosurgeons and Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Africa has many untreated neurosurgical cases due to limited access to safe, affordable, and timely care. In this study, we surveyed young African neurosurgeons and trainees to identify challenges to training and practice. African trainees and residents were surveyed online by the Young Neurosurgeons Forum from April 25th to November 30th, 2018.

SARS-CoV-2 and Nervous System - Neurological Manifestations in Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review.

Coronavirus (CoV) is a virus infectious disease with a considerable spectrum of clinical presentations. Symptoms ranged from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia that may lead to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and several clinical complications. Neurologic symptoms related to CoV have been described recently in the literature.

Female insertion in neurosurgery: Evolution of a stigma break.

Background: Utilizing the Brazilian Medical Demography analysis and a literature review, we evaluated how women choose to become neurosurgeons in Brazil and around the world, specifically citing the Europe, the USA, India, and Japan.

Methods: We utilized the Brazilian Medical Demography prepared by the Federal Council of Medicine and the Regional Council of Medicine of the State of São Paulo (2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018). We also included an evaluation of 20 articles from PubMed, the Scientific Electronic Library Online, and National Health Library databases (e.