A synthesized view of the CSF-blood barrier and its surgical implications for aging disorders.

In this review, we explore the mechanisms of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier and CSF transport. We briefly review the mathematical framework for CSF transport as described by a set of well-studied partial differential equations. Moreover, we describe the major contributors of CSF flow through both diffusive and convective forces beginning at the molecular level and extending into macroscopic clinical observations.

Evaluating Linear Heuristics for Ventricular Volume in Healthy Adults Using a Fully Automated Algorithm: Implications for Defining the Normal.

Background And Objectives: Linear metrics for ventricular volume play a large role in the rapid, approximate evaluation of ventricular volume. In this article, we automatically extract linear measures of ventricular volume to explore their correlation with lateral ventricular volume (LVV) in the healthy adult population and comprehensively define normal values.

Methods: We automatically extract Evans' ratio (ER), Frontal-Occipital Horn Ratio (FOHR), and anteroposterior lateral ventricle index (ALVI) from an open MRI data set of healthy adults ( https://brain-development.

Anterior versus Posterior Ventricular Catheter Placement in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement is the mainstay of treatment for hydrocephalus, but there are relatively high rates of malfunction. Shunt catheter entry can be performed anteriorly or posteriorly, with the body of evidence from randomized controlled trials and retrospective studies suggesting conflicting findings.

Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science was performed adherent to PRISMA guidelines, searching for clinical studies examining outcomes for anterior or frontal and posterior or occipital ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement.

Initial Clinical Experience With ClearPoint SmartFrame Array-Aided Stereotactic Procedures.

Background: The ClearPoint SmartFrame Array (ClearPoint Neuro, Inc., Solana Beach, CA) system consists of a magnetic resonance imaging compatible frame supported by a customized neuro navigation software. This system received U.

Learning Curve Associated with ClearPoint Neuronavigation System: A Case Series.

Background: The ClearPoint neuronavigation system affords real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance during stereotactic procedures. While such information confers potential clinical benefits, additional operative time may be needed.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of procedural time associated with ClearPoint Stereotaxis, with hypothesis that this procedural time is comparable with that associated with frame-based biopsy.

Online Reviews of Hemodialysis Centers Correlate With Medicare and Medicaid Survey Measures of Patient Experience.

Background And Objectives: Patient experience in outpatient hemodialysis has been shown to be significantly correlated with health outcomes. The current gold standard for assessing patient experience in outpatient hemodialysis is the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH-CAHPS). Online reviews of outpatient hemodialysis centers could potentially serve as an additional source of information regarding patient experience, but they have not been well validated.

Potential and limitations of radiomics in neuro-oncology.

Radiomics seeks to apply classical methods of image processing to obtain quantitative parameters from imaging. Derived features are subsequently fed into algorithmic models to aid clinical decision making. The application of radiomics and machine learning techniques to clinical medicine remains in its infancy.

State of Radiomics in Glioblastoma.

Radiomics is an emerging discipline that aims to make intelligent predictions and derive medical insights based on quantitative features extracted from medical images as a means to improve clinical diagnosis or outcome. Pertaining to glioblastoma, radiomics has provided powerful, noninvasive tools for gaining insights into pathogenesis and therapeutic responses. Radiomic studies have yielded meaningful biological understandings of imaging features that are often taken for granted in clinical medicine, including contrast enhancement on glioblastoma magnetic resonance imaging, the distance of a tumor from the subventricular zone, and the extent of mass effect.

Detection of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Mutated Glioblastomas Through Anomaly Detection Analytics.

Background: The rarity of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase mutated (mIDH) glioblastomas relative to wild-type IDH glioblastomas, as well as their distinct tumor physiology, effectively render them "outliers". Specialized tools are needed to identify these outliers.

Objective: To carefully craft and apply anomaly detection methods to identify mIDH glioblastoma based on radiomic features derived from magnetic resonance imaging.

Increases in female academic productivity and female mentorship highlight sustained progress in previously identified neurosurgical gender disparities.

Objective: A meta-analysis was performed to understand disparities in the representation of female authorship within the neurosurgical literature and implications for career advancement of women in neurosurgery.

Methods: Author names for articles published in 16 of the top neurosurgical journals from 2002 to 2019 were obtained from MEDLINE. The gender of each author was determined using automated prediction methods.

An integrated disease-specific graded prognostic assessment scale for melanoma: contributions of KPS, CITV, number of metastases, and BRAF mutation status.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) remains a mainstay therapy in the treatment of melanoma brain metastases (BM). While prognostic scales have been developed for melanoma patients who underwent SRS treatment for BM, the pertinence of these scales in the context of molecularly targeted therapies remains unclear.

Methods: Through a multi-institutional collaboration, we collated the survival patterns of 331 melanoma BM patients with known BRAF mutation status treated with SRS.

Missing diversity in brain tumor trials.

Background: Clinical trials for brain tumors represent a significant opportunity for both patients and providers to understand and combat a disease with substantial morbidity. The aim of this study was to quantify and map ethnic and racial representation in brain tumor trials and examine the potential gaps in trial recruitment. We also show that these representation gaps persist even in large multicultural cities like New York City.

Glioblastomas located in proximity to the subventricular zone (SVZ) exhibited enrichment of gene expression profiles associated with the cancer stem cell state.

Introduction: Conflicting results have been reported in the association between glioblastoma proximity to the subventricular zone (SVZ) and enrichment of cancer stem cell properties. Here, we examined this hypothesis using magnetic resonance (MR) images derived from 217 The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) glioblastoma subjects.

Methods: Pre-operative MR images were segmented automatically into contrast enhancing (CE) tumor volumes using Iterative Probabilistic Voxel Labeling (IPVL).