Patient Satisfaction in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Patient satisfaction reflects the patients' perception of the outcome of care and is being considered for use in future reimbursement schemes. No consensus exists regarding the best instrument to measure patient satisfaction in the field of spine surgery. This systematic review aimed to determine how patient satisfaction for spine surgery has been measured previously and whether a disease-specific, comprehensive instrument to measure patient satisfaction has been established; we also aimed to define the dimensions of care that determine patient satisfaction in spine surgery.

Patient Satisfaction in Surgery for Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

The objective of the study was to establish how patient satisfaction with surgical treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been previously measured, determine whether an ideal patient satisfaction instrument exists, and to define the dimensions of care that determine patient satisfaction with the surgical treatment of PD. A systematic search of four online databases, unpublished sources, and citations was undertaken to identify 15 studies reporting patient satisfaction with the surgical treatment of PD. Manuscripts were reviewed and instruments were categorized by content and method axes.

Localization of the corticospinal tract within the porcine spinal cord: Implications for experimental modeling of traumatic spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) researchers have predominately utilized rodents for SCI modeling and experimentation. Unfortunately, a large number of novel therapies developed in rodent models have failed to demonstrate efficacy in human clinical trials which suggests that improved animal models are an important translational tool. Recently, porcine models of SCI have been identified as a valuable intermediary model for preclinical evaluation of promising therapies to aid clinical translation.

Gynecomastia and Hyperprolactinemia Secondary to Advanced Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis in a Pediatric Patient.

Hyperprolactinemia is a rare entity in the pediatric population. The most common causes of hyperprolactinemia include drug use, hypothyroidism and renal insufficiency, though rarely a pituitary or sellar mass is discovered. We present an immunocompetent pediatric patient who presented with gynecomastia and was found to have hyperprolactinemia.

Predictors of delayed recovery following pediatric sports-related concussion: a case-control study.

OBJECT Pediatric sports-related concussions are a growing public health concern. The factors that determine injury severity and time to recovery following these concussions are poorly understood. Previous studies suggest that initial symptom severity and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are predictors of prolonged recovery (> 28 days) after pediatric sports-related concussions.

Worsening or development of syringomyelia following Chiari I decompression: case report.

Object: The effects of posterior fossa decompression on Chiari malformation Type I-induced syringomyelia have been well described. However, treatment of worsening syringomyelia after Chiari decompression remains enigmatic. This paper defines patient and clinical characteristics as well as treatment and postoperative radiological and clinical outcomes in patients experiencing this complication.

Progression of Chiari I malformations while on growth hormone replacement: a report of two cases.

Purpose: The effect of growth hormone replacement on Chiari I malformation (CIM) associated with growth hormone deficiency is not clear.

Case Reports: Two patients are presented, who were found to have CIM and growth hormone deficiency. While on hormone replacement therapy, both experienced disease progression with development of syringomyelia and required surgical intervention.

Stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of brain metastasis of primary tumors that rarely metastasize to the central nervous system.

We evaluated the local control of gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSRS) in the treatment of cerebral metastases from primary tumors that rarely metastasize to the central nervous system (CNS). There is little published data on this subject with very few series on specific primary tumors. We present our experience treating these lesions with GKSRS combined with a review of the salient literature.

X-configuration stent-assisted coiling.

Background: Proximal basilar artery aneurysms are rare and when they occur they are often found in association with a fenestrated basilar artery. These lesions are often amenable to treatment by endovascular techniques

Case Description: A 48-year-old woman with a proximal basilar artery aneurysm was treated by reconstructing the fenestrated basilar artery, placing two stents in an X-configuration, and subsequent coiling of the wide-necked aneurysm. The lesion was successfully coiled without new neurological deficit and there was no recanalization at 15 month follow-up.