Improving Quality Care and Patient Safety With Implementation of an Oversew Stitch in Lumbar Drains.

The lumbar drain exit site purse string oversew stitch is a well-described bedside intervention to stop or prevent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. It is not routinely placed at the time of lumbar drain placement. Via four plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles, we test the effect of prophylactic utilization of the lumbar drain exit site oversew stitch on house officers' paging burden, need to redress the drain, need to oversew the drain to stop a CSF leak, and need to replace the drain.

Toward rational use of repeat imaging in children with mild traumatic brain injuries and intracranial injuries.

Objective: Limited evidence exists on the utility of repeat neuroimaging in children with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) and intracranial injuries (ICIs). Here, the authors identified factors associated with repeat neuroimaging and predictors of hemorrhage progression and/or neurosurgical intervention.

Methods: The authors performed a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of children at four centers of the Pediatric TBI Research Consortium.

Operative Technique: Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma-Unique Case and Management.

 We describe the first jugular foramen angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (AFH) case and the first treatment with preoperative endovascular embolization. AFH is a rare intracranial neoplasm, primarily found in pediatric patient extremities. With an increase in AFH awareness and a well-described genetic profile, intracranial prevalence has also subsequently increased.

Rare Case of Pediatric Disseminated Choroid Plexus Papilloma: Literature Review and Call for Reclassification.

Introduction: Choroid plexus tumors are rare neuroectodermal tumors that arise from the choroid plexus. Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) represent the lowest grade of these types of tumors and have a WHO grade I designation. Despite their typical low grade, some CPPs can exhibit aggressive behaviors including parenchymal invasion and dissemination throughout the neuro-axis.

Measures of Intracranial Injury Size Do Not Improve Clinical Decision Making for Children With Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Intracranial Injuries.

Background: When evaluating children with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) and intracranial injuries (ICIs), neurosurgeons intuitively consider injury size. However, the extent to which such measures (eg, hematoma size) improve risk prediction compared with the kids intracranial injury decision support tool for traumatic brain injury (KIIDS-TBI) model, which only includes the presence/absence of imaging findings, remains unknown.

Objective: To determine the extent to which measures of injury size improve risk prediction for children with mild traumatic brain injuries and ICIs.

Emerging Frontline Leaders' Voices in Response to COVID-19 Crisis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected healthcare institutions, introducing new challenges for nurse leaders and their colleagues. However, little is known about how the pandemic has specifically affected the lives of these leaders and what methods and strategies they are using to overcome pandemic-related challenges.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the 2019 pandemic on emerging healthcare leaders and highlight methods and strategies they used to overcome pandemic-related challenges.

Standardizing postoperative care for pediatric intradural Chiari decompressions to decrease length of stay.

Objective: Amid national and local budget crises, cutting costs while maintaining quality care is a top priority. Chiari malformation is a relatively common pediatric neurosurgical pathology, and postoperative care varies widely. The postoperative course can be complicated by pain and nausea, which can extend the hospital stay.

Combined Laminoplasty and Posterior Fusion for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Treatment: A Literature Review.

Study Design: A literature review.

Purpose: To explore the utility of laminoplasty in combination with instrumented fusion, with a focus on neurological outcomes and changes in kyphotic deformity.

Overview Of Literature: Management of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) to reduce morbidity within the neurosurgical population.

Incidence of symptomatic tethered spinal cord in pediatric patients presenting with neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2.

OBJECTIVE The relationship between a tethered cord (TC) and neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and NF2 is not known. The purpose of this study was to define the incidence of TC in pediatric neurosurgical patients who present with NF. METHODS The authors performed a single-institution (tertiary care pediatric hospital) 10-year retrospective analysis of patients who were diagnosed with or who underwent surgery for a TC and/or NF.

Identifying Factors Predictive of Atlantoaxial Fusion Failure in Pediatric Patients: Lessons Learned From a Retrospective Pediatric Craniocervical Society Study.

Study Design: Multicenter retrospective cohort study with multivariate analysis.

Objective: To determine factors predictive of posterior atlantoaxial fusion failure in pediatric patients.

Summary Of Background Data: Fusion rates for pediatric posterior atlantoaxial arthrodesis have been reported to be high in single-center studies; however, factors predictive of surgical non-union have not been identified by a multicenter study.

Transfrontal and Transsphenoidal Approaches to Pediatric Craniopharyngioma: A National Perspective.

Introduction: This study compared transsphenoidal (TS) and transfrontal (TF) approaches to craniopharyngioma utilizing a national database.

Methods: The Kids' Inpatient Database (2003, 2006, and 2009) was surveyed for patients with a diagnosis of craniopharyngioma who underwent a subset of surgical interventions to compare TS and TF surgery. Demographics, hospital variables, and complications/comorbidities were analyzed with multivariate regression.

Neurosurgical management in lateral meningocele syndrome: case report.

Lateral meningocele syndrome (LMS) is a rare genetic connective tissue disorder. It is associated with morphological changes similar to those of other connective tissue disorders, with the unique distinction of multiple, often bilateral and large, lateral meningoceles herniating through the spinal foramina. In some cases, these lateral meningoceles can cause pain and discomfort due to their presence within retroperitoneal tissues or cause direct compression of the spinal nerve root exiting the foramen; in some cases compression may also involve motor weakness.

Multicenter retrospective evaluation of the validity of the Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score system in children.

OBJECTIVE The Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score (TLICS) system was developed to streamline injury assessment and guide surgical decision making. To the best of the authors' knowledge, external validation in the pediatric age group has not been undertaken prior to this report. METHODS This study evaluated the use of the TLICS in a large retrospective series of children and adolescents treated at 4 pediatric medical centers (Texas Children's Hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Riley Children's Hospital, and Doernbecher Children's Hospital).

Use of subtransverse process polyester bands in pediatric spine surgery: a case series of 4 patients with a minimum of 12 months' follow-up.

OBJECT In a previous study, the authors reported on their experience with the use of sublaminar polyester bands as part of segmental spinal constructs. However, the risk of neurological complications with sublaminar passage of instrumentation, such as spinal cord injury, limits the use of this technique. The present study reports the novel use of subtransverse process polyester bands in posterior instrumented spinal fusions of the thoracic and lumbar spines and sacrum or ilium in 4 patients.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome after Surgical Resection of a Giant Vestibular Schwannoma: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a constellation of neurologic symptoms-seizures, headaches, altered mental status, and visual changes-associated with characteristic brain magnetic resonance imaging findings seen on T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences. Classically, this condition is caused by hypertension, but several other risk factors have been described. The development of PRES after surgical resection of posterior fossa tumors has mostly been linked to the pediatric neurosurgical practice.

Infected Subgaleal Hematoma Following Blunt Head Trauma in a Child: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Subgaleal hematoma (SGH), an uncommon but potentially dangerous complication, has been reported to occur with delivery in newborns, as well as in young patients following head trauma. Infection of a SGH is extremely rare, especially in cases where no disruption of the skin barrier occurs. We report a case of an infected SGH in an 8-month-old following closed skull fracture.

Routine use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in posterior fusions of the pediatric spine and incidence of cancer.

OBJECT The aim of this study was to determine the safety of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) use in posterior instrumented fusions in the pediatric population, focusing on cancer risk. In a previous study, the authors reported the short-term (mean follow-up of 11 months) safety and efficacy of rhBMP-2 in the pediatric age group. The present study reports their results with a minimum of 24 months' follow-up.

The efficacy of routine use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in occipitocervical and atlantoaxial fusions of the pediatric spine: a minimum of 12 months' follow-up with computed tomography.

OBJECT The purpose of this study focusing on fusion rate was to determine the efficacy of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) use in posterior instrumented fusions of the craniocervical junction in the pediatric population. The authors previously reported the short-term (mean follow-up 11 months) safety and efficacy of rhBMP-2 use in the pediatric age group. The present study reports on their long-term results (minimum of 12 months' follow-up) and focuses on efficacy.

The feasibility and safety of using sublaminar polyester bands in hybrid spinal constructs in children and transitional adults for neuromuscular scoliosis.

Object: The authors have previously reported on their early experience with sublaminar polyester bands in spine surgery. In this paper, the authors describe the use of sublaminar polyester bands in long-segment posterior instrumented spinal fusions from the upper thoracic spine to the ilium in 21 children and transitional adults with progressive neuromuscular scoliosis. Transitional adults were patients older than 18 years of age with a spinal disorder of pediatric onset, such as spina bifida.

Increased spasticity from a fracture in the baclofen catheter caused by Charcot spine: case report.

In patients with Charcot spine, a loss of normal feedback response from the insensate spine results in spinal neuropathy. Increasing deformity, which can manifest as sitting imbalance, crepitus, or increased back pain, can result. We present the case of a patient with a high-thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) who subsequently developed a Charcot joint at the T10-11 level that resulted in a dramatic increase in previously controlled spasticity after fracture of an existing baclofen catheter.

Soft-tissue defects after spinal instrumentation in 5 children: risk factors, management strategies, and outcomes.

Object: Wound-related complications following complex posterior spine procedures in children may result in the need for serial debridements and may place spinal instrumentation at risk. In this study, the authors review their experience with the management of soft-tissue defects from spinal instrumentation in 5 high-risk pediatric patients. The use of various rotational and transpositional flaps in the management of these complicated cases is discussed, as well as their outcomes.

Nationwide practice patterns in the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in pediatric spine surgery as a function of patient-, hospital-, and procedure-related factors.

Object: Current national patterns as a function of patient-, hospital-, and procedure-related factors, and complication rates in the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) as an adjunct to the practice of pediatric spine surgery have scarcely been investigated.

Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, and p values < 0.