Gastrostomy tube placement increases the risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection: a multiinstitutional study.

Objective: Gastrostomy tube placement can temporarily seed the peritoneal cavity with bacteria and thus theoretically increases the risk of shunt infection when the two procedures are performed contemporaneously. The authors hypothesized that gastrostomy tube placement would not increase the risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection. The object of this study was to test this hypothesis by utilizing a large patient cohort combined from multiple institutions.

Fivefold higher rate of pseudarthrosis with polyetheretherketone interbody device than with structural allograft used for 1-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

In BriefThe authors examined fusion rates after single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, comparing use of a structural allograft with use of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) interbody devices packed with bone graft. The results demonstrate superior results of structural allograft in terms of arthrodesis rates and reoperation rates. Currently, reimbursement rates substantially favor the use of PEEK and other synthetic devices, which the authors believe should be changed based on the results of this study.

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.

Utility of Intracranial Pressure Monitoring for Diagnosis of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension in the Absence of Papilledema.

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterized by headaches, visual obscurations, and papilledema, and the diagnosis involves lumbar puncture (LP) with an elevated opening pressure (OP) ≥20 cm H0. When papilledema is absent, the diagnosis becomes less clear. Some physicians have argued that the absence of papilledema rules out IIH, whereas others maintain that elevated OP is sufficient for diagnosis.

Complication rates associated with open versus percutaneous pedicle screw instrumentation among patients undergoing minimally invasive interbody fusion for adult spinal deformity.

OBJECTIVE High-quality studies that compare outcomes of open and minimally invasively placed pedicle screws for adult spinal deformity are needed. Therefore, the authors compared differences in complications from a circumferential minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery and those from a hybrid surgery. METHODS A retrospective review of a multicenter database of patients with spinal deformity who were treated with an MIS surgery was performed.

Technique of Minimally Invasive Cervical Foraminotomy.

Background: Posterior cervical foraminotomy is a long utilized and commonly performed procedure, but has been supplanted in many cases by anterior procedures. With the advent of minimally invasive techniques, posterior foraminotomy may again deserve a prominent place in the treatment of cervical foraminal stenosis.

Objective: To report in detail a successfully utilized minimally invasive technique and the results in a large series of patients, by a single author.

Holospinal epidural abscesses - Institutional experience.

Purpose: The authors present a holospinal epidural abscesses (HEA) case series and a single institution's experience with varied surgical approaches and outcomes.

Methods: Medical records were queried and reviewed (6 years) for patients with a spinal abscess diagnosis; HEA were selected. Medical history, comorbidities, blood and epidural pathogens, presentation symptoms, abscess location, presence of mass effect, surgical procedures, treatment regimens, and neurological outcomes were collected.

IgG4-related disease presenting as intradural extramedullary lesion: a case report and review of the literature.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibro-inflammatory disorder affecting various anatomical sites, and only recently was identified to affect the dura of the spine. The authors present the second reported case of an intradural extramedullary lesion consistent with IgG4-related spinal disease. A literature review was performed that identified 15 other cases of spinal disease, and common features of all known reported spinal IgG4-RD are discussed.

Candida Meningitis After Transsphenoidal Surgery: A Single-Institution Case Series and Literature Review.

Candida meningitis after neurosurgical procedures is a rare but potentially devastating complication. The presentation of meningitis can be insidious in immunosuppressed patients and thus can be easily overlooked. Cerebrospinal fluid studies often resemble bacterial profiles, and cultures can be falsely negative.

Seeding of Abdomen with Primary Intracranial Hemangiopericytoma by Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt: Case Report.

Background: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement has been implicated in extraneural metastasis of many primary central nervous system tumors. Reported cases include, but are not limited to, medulloblastoma, germ cell tumor, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, lymphoma, ependymoma, melanoma, and choroid plexus tumors. However, a literature review reveals no reported cases of extraneural metastasis of solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT/HPC).

Pseudogout of the cervical and thoracic spine mimicking infection after lumbar fusion: case report.

Pseudogout is a form of acute calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease that typically afflicts the elderly. CPPD commonly involves larger joints, such as the knees, wrists, shoulders, and hips, and has been known to involve the spine. The authors report the case of a 66-year-old woman with a recent history of lumbar laminectomy and fusion who presented 5 weeks postprocedure with a clinical and radiographic picture consistent with multilevel skip lesions involving the cervical and thoracic spine, thoracic discitis, and epidural abscess.

Stereotactic radiosurgery versus surgical resection for spinal hemangioblastoma: A systematic review.

Spinal cord hemangioblastomas are benign vascular tumors arising sporadically in approximately 70-80% of cases. They can also be manifestations of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, as these patients will often have multiple spinal hemangioblastomas. Historically, surgical management of symptomatic intramedullary hemangioblastomas has been considered the treatment of choice.

The formulaic schema in the minds of two generations of native speakers.

Schemata are expressions that are fixed except for slots available for novel words (). Our goals were to quantify speakers' knowledge, examine semantic flexibility in open slots, and compare performance data in two generations of speakers using cloze procedures in formulaic expressions, schemata open slots, fixed portions of schemata, and novel sentences. Fewer unique words appeared for the schemata-fixed and formulaic exemplars, reflecting speakers' knowledge of these utterances; the most semantic categories appeared for schemata-open responses.

Older Sibling Influences on the Language Environment and Language Development of Toddlers in Bilingual Homes.

Two separate studies examined older siblings' influence on the language exposure and language development of U.S.-born toddlers who were being raised in bilingual homes.

Formulaic Language in Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Studies of productive language in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have focused on formal testing of syntax and semantics but have directed less attention to naturalistic discourse and formulaic language. Clinical observations suggest that individuals with AD retain the ability to produce formulaic language long after other cognitive abilities have deteriorated.

Aims: This study quantifies production of formulaic expressions in the spontaneous speech of individuals with AD.

The role of subcortical structures in recited speech: Studies in Parkinson's disease.

The role of subcortical structures in language function is complex and dependent on language task, with studies increasingly showing subcortical involvement for the production of formulaic language, including recited speech. Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), with ( = 6) and without ( = 7) surgical treatment, deep brain stimulation (DBS), were compared to healthy adults ( = 14) to determine whether individuals with subcortical dysfunction produce more errors during a recitation speech task. Participants were asked to recite poems, prayers, and rhymes familiar to them in order to determine the effects of subcortical disease on recited speech ability.

Non-word repetition assesses phonological memory and is related to vocabulary development in 20- to 24-month-olds.

Two studies test the hypotheses that individual differences in phonological memory among children younger than two years can be assessed using a non-word repetition task (NWR) and that these differences are related to the children's rates of vocabulary development. NWR accuracy, real word repetition accuracy and productive vocabulary were assessed in 15 children between 1 ; 9 and 2 ; 0 in Study 1 and in 21 children between 1 ; 8 and 2 ; 0 in Study 2. In both studies, NWR accuracy was significantly related to vocabulary percentile and, furthermore, uniquely accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in vocabulary when real word repetition accuracy was held constant.