Surgical specialists face higher a risk for malpractice compared to their non-surgical colleagues.

In previous studies, surgical specialties accounted for most malpractice claims. The objective of the present study was to determine the risk for malpractice claims for physicians working in hospitals. A retrospective observational study using anonymized closed malpractice claims between 2007 up to 2021 from two Dutch insurers was carried out.

Medical Malpractice in Neurosurgery: An Analysis of Claims in the Netherlands.

Background And Objectives: Studying malpractice claims is important to improve quality of health care and patient safety and to educate the individual healthcare providers. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of neurosurgical claims in the Netherlands.

Methods: A nationwide retrospective observational study of neurosurgery-related claims closed by Centramed and MediRisk, 2 major insurance companies in the Netherlands, was performed.

Traumatic Spinal Injury in Children; Time to Revise Pre-Hospital and Diagnostic Protocols?

: Traumatic spinal injury in children is a rare but serious life event. Predicting pediatric patients at risk for spinal injury remains difficult. This study focuses on the cause of the injury and predictors to identify children at risk and appropriate diagnostic procedures.

Cognition and health-related quality of life in long-term survivors of high-grade glioma: an interactive perspective from patient and caregiver.

Background: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cognition are important indicators for the quality of survival in patients with high-grade glioma (HGG). However, data on long-term survivors and their caregivers are scarce. We aim to investigate the interaction between cognition and HRQoL in long-term survivors, their caregivers' evaluations, and the effect on caregiver strain and burden.

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes dopaminergic neuron senescence.

COVID-19 patients commonly present with signs of central nervous system and/or peripheral nervous system dysfunction. Here, we show that midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are selectively susceptible and permissive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection of DA neurons triggers an inflammatory and cellular senescence response.

Incomplete spinal cord injury following minor trauma in two siblings with spondylocostal dysostis type 6.

Biallelic pathogenic variants of the RIPPLY2 gene have been recognized to cause a subtype of autosomal recessive spondylocostal dysostosis (SCDO6), characterized by predominant cervical spine malformation with minor or absent involvement of the ribs. To date, RIPPLY2 associated SCDO6 has been described in ten patients in five studies with accompanying clinical symptoms varying from transient and recurrent torticollis to flaccid quadriplegia. Here, we describe two additional patients in one family in which the c.

Sympathetic components in left and right human cervical vagus nerve: implications for vagus nerve stimulation.

Cervical vagus nerve stimulation is in a great variety of clinical situations indicated as a form of treatment. It is textbook knowledge that at the cervical level the vagus nerve contains many different fiber classes. Yet, recently, several reports have shown that this nerve also may contain an additional class of potentially noradrenergic fibers, suggested to denote efferent sympathetic fibers.

Potential higher risk of tethered spinal cord in children after prenatal surgery for myelomeningocele: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the incidence of secondary tethered spinal cord (TSC) between prenatal and postnatal closure in patients with MMC. The objectives was to understand the incidence of secondary TSC after prenatal surgery for MMC compared to postnatal surgery for MMC.

Material And Methods: On May 4, 2023, a systematic search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to gather relevant data.

Trapped fourth ventricle: to stent, shunt, or fenestrate-a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.

Trapped or isolated fourth ventricle (TFV) is a rare but critical neurosurgical condition, mostly occurring in pediatric patients, caused by a blockage of the in- and outlets of the fourth ventricle. The purpose of this study is to review all available data on the treatment options of TFV and to compare their safety, efficacy, and durability. MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to September 13, 2022, for prospective or retrospective cohorts, case-control studies, case series or case reports, reporting detailing outcomes of TFV patients, treated with an endoscopic-, microsurgical-, shunt placement,- or hybrid approaches to TFV.

Development of a simulator for training of fetoscopic myelomeningocele surgery.

Objective: To develop a realistic simulation model for laparotomy-assisted fetoscopic spina bifida aperta (SBa) surgery, to be used for training purposes and preoperative planning.

Methods: The predefined general requirement was a realistic model of an exteriorized uterus, allowing all neurosurgical steps of the intervention. The uterus was modelled using ultrasound and MRI images of a 25 weeks' gravid uterus, consisting of flexible polyurethane foam coated with pigmented silicone.

Brain stem encephalitis is a rare complication of COVID-19.

Here, we describe the clinical phenotype of SARS-CoV-2-related CNS disease and evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 antibody index as a tool to differentiate between a direct (viral) and indirect etiology. Out of >4000 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, we included 13 patients with neurological symptoms with suspicion of neuroinflammation. On clinical grounds, eight were classified as having a possible/probable relationship between neurological symptoms and COVID-19.

Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapies in Children With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Neuroprognostication in severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) is challenging and occurs in critical care settings to determine withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies (WLST). However, formal pediatric sTBI neuroprognostication guidelines are lacking, brain death criteria vary, and dilemmas regarding WLST persist, which lead to institutional differences. We studied WLST practice and outcome in pediatric sTBI to provide insight into WLST-associated factors and survivor recovery trajectory ≥1 year post-sTBI.

Newborns with myelomeningocele: their health-related quality of life and daily functioning 10 years later.

Objective: Ten years ago, the authors reported on the outcome of their study investigating the degree of discomfort and pain in newborns with myelomeningocele (MMC), using the parameters of unbearable and hopeless suffering. In the current study, they investigated the quality of life, daily functioning, pain and fatigue, ability to communicate, and number of surgeries in the same cohort of patients. They subdivided their study population into severe (Lorber) and less severe (non-Lorber) cases and compared these cases with a healthy population (non-MMC group) and with each other.

Pragmatism in Pediatric Neurosurgery: More Than a Pipe Dream? A Systematic Literature Review and Analysis.

Background: Classic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) form the cornerstone for medical guidelines and protocols. However, in neurosurgery, RCTs are not always applicable to everyday clinical practice. Pragmatic controlled trials aim to incorporate real-life data with the preservation of the methodologic quality.

Quantifying the burden of disease in patients with Lennox Gastaut syndrome.

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe epileptic encephalopathy but there is limited literature characterizing the disease burden despite this being crucial for disease management strategies, and for designing and interpreting clinical trials. We searched the Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy Patient Outcome Registry including over 7000 patients with drug‑resistant epilepsy (DRE). Propensity Score Matching (PSM) matched LGS-DRE patients and non-LGS-DRE patients and frequencies of individual seizure types were assessed.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection Causes Dopaminergic Neuron Senescence.

COVID-19 patients commonly present with neurological signs of central nervous system (CNS) and/or peripheral nervous system dysfunction. However, which neural cells are permissive to infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been controversial. Here, we show that midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are selectively permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection both and upon transplantation , and that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers a DA neuron inflammatory and cellular senescence response.

Proposed definition of competencies for surgical neuro-oncology training.

Objective: The aim of this work is to define competencies and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to be imparted within the framework of surgical neuro-oncological residency and fellowship training as well as the education of medical students. Improved and specific training in surgical neuro-oncology promotes neuro-oncological expertise, quality of surgical neuro-oncological treatment and may also contribute to further development of neuro-oncological techniques and treatment protocols. Specific curricula for a surgical neuro-oncologic education have not yet been established.

Disappointing results of spring-assisted cranial vault expansion in patients with Crouzon syndrome presenting with sagittal synostosis.

The aim of this study was to report on a single center's experience with spring-assisted cranial vault expansion (SAE) in patients with Crouzon syndrome and sagittal suture synostosis. Strip craniotomy with SAE has resulted in successful outcomes with low complication and revision rates in patients with isolated scaphocephaly. However, recent experience suggests that outcomes in patients with Crouzon syndrome and sagittal synostosis (SS) who undergo SAE are less favorable compared with the outcomes of those who undergo frontobiparietal (FBP) expansion.

Fetoscopic myelomeningocoele closure: Is the scientific evidence enough to challenge the gold standard for prenatal surgery?

Since the completion of the Management of Myelomeningocoele Study, maternal-fetal surgery for spina bifida has become a valid option for expecting parents. More recently, multiple groups are exploring a minimally invasive approach and recent outcomes have addressed many of the initial concerns with this approach. Based on a previously published framework, we attempt to delineate the developmental stage of the surgical techniques.

Does conus morphology have implications for outcome in lumbosacral lipoma?

Objective: Lumbosacral lipomas (LSL) of the 'dorsal' type have been associated with more favourable outcomes compared with other conus region lipomas. We hypothesised that integrity of the conus on MRI underpins the improved prognosis in this subgroup of LSL patients.

Methods: The definition of 'dorsal lipomas' included lipomas with attachment to the conus, but where the conus could be delineated on MRI (Morota type 1) as reported by Morota et al.

Secondary vault reconstruction after open or minimal invasive correction for unisutural, multisutural or syndromic craniosynostosis: A cohort study on the impact of diagnosis and type of initial surgical technique.

Background: The aim of this study is to identify if certain types of craniosynostosis and/or surgical procedures are more likely to require a secondary intracranial procedure because of insufficient correction of skull shape or raised ICP after initial surgery.

Methods: All consecutive cases with craniosynostosis that were operated at our center between January 2010 and January 2019 were included and the number of secondary operations of the vault were determined, as well as diagnosis, the indication and type and timing of initial surgery. Monobloc and facial bipartition procedures were excluded.

Vagus nerve stimulation in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome: A meta-analysis.

Objectives: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is among the most severe epileptic and developmental encephalopathies. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS Therapy) in patients with LGS.

Materials & Methods: PubMed database was queried (January 1997 to September 2018) to identify publications reporting on the efficacy of VNS Therapy in patients with LGS, with or without safety findings.