Titanium clips and ligamentum flavum-epidural fat patch graft for midline lumbar durotomy closure in pediatric neurosurgery.

Objective: CSF leaks are a significant source of patient morbidity following intradural spine surgeries. Watertight dural closure is crucial during these procedures to minimize the risk of a CSF leak. This study reports postoperative outcomes and changes in patient management after switching to penetrating titanium clips for dural closure in a large cohort of pediatric patients receiving a tethered cord release (TCR) or a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR).

Proximal median nerve neuropathy: electrodiagnostic and ultrasound findings in 62 patients.

Objectives: Proximal median nerve (PMN) neuropathies are caused by lesions proximal to the carpal tunnel, which include the forearm, elbow, upper arm, and brachial plexus. Differentiating between carpal tunnel syndrome and PMN neuropathies is important to guide management and is based on clinical, electrodiagnostic (EDX), and ultrasound (US) findings. This study describes the clinical, EDX, and US features in 62 patients with PMNs.

Clinical, Electrodiagnostic, Sonographic, and Radiological Findings of Hirayama Disease: A Report of Two Cases and a Review of the Literature.

Hirayama disease (HD) is a rare disorder characterized by insidious asymmetric neurogenic atrophy primarily involving the upper extremities. HD most commonly affects adolescent males and has a favorable prognosis for arrest of progression. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies show chronic denervation changes in the distal upper extremity muscles.

A Retrospective Study of Lateral Antebrachial Cutaneous Nerve Neuropathy: Electrodiagnostic Findings and Etiologies in 49 Cases.

Background: The lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve (LACN) is the terminal sensory branch of the musculocutaneous nerve and is rarely entrapped or injured. This study describes the electrodiagnostic (EDX) findings and etiologies of LACN neuropathy.

Methods: This is a review of 49 patients with pain and/or paresthesia of the forearm who underwent EDX studies.

Frameless image-guided linear accelerator (LINAC) stereotactic radiosurgery for medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia: Clinical outcomes in 116 patients.

Background: Frameless image-guided radiosurgery (IGRS) is an effective and non-invasive method of treating patients who are unresponsive to medical management for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). This study evaluated the use of frameless IGRS to treat patients with medically refractory TN.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of records of 116 patients diagnosed with TN who underwent frameless IGRS using a linear accelerator (LINAC) over 10 years (March 2012-February 2023).

Clinical, Electrodiagnostic, and Ultrasound Findings in 87 Patients With Finger Drop.

Background: The inability to extend the fingers at the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints leads to finger drop. While wrist drop and foot drop are well recognized, the causes of finger drop are poorly understood.

Aims: This study describes the clinical, electrodiagnostic (EDX), and ultrasound (US) features in patients with finger drop.

Unilateral Calf Atrophy: A Case Series of Clinical and Electrodiagnostic Findings With a Review of the Literature.

Unilateral calf atrophy may result from several medical conditions, such as lumbar radiculopathy, asymmetric myopathy/dystrophy, a Baker's (popliteal) cyst leading to tibial nerve compression, and disuse atrophy. We present a case series of four patients with unilateral calf atrophy, including chronic neurogenic atrophy (benign focal amyotrophy, one patient), tibial nerve compression at the popliteal fossa by a Baker's cyst (one patient), and disuse atrophy (two patients). All four patients underwent electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies, and two of them had denervation changes of the gastrocnemius.

Impact of Reirradiation Utilizing Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Background: Patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) have limited treatment options. This study determined whether patients with recurrent GBM treated with initial radiation/temozolomide (TMZ) and reirradiation using fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) had improved outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We identified 95 patients with recurrent GBM, 50 of whom underwent FSRT at recurrence and 45 who had systemic treatment only (control).

Gunshot-related nerve injuries of the upper extremities: clinical, electromyographic, and ultrasound features in 22 patients.

Objectives: Gunshot wounds of the upper extremities may cause permanent neurovascular injuries, leading to significant morbidity, chronic pain, functional loss, and disability. While there are many reports on the incidence and intraoperative findings in gunshot-related nerve injuries (GSNI) sustained during wars, there is a paucity of details pertaining to GSNI of the upper extremities in civilians. The goal of this paper is to provide the clinical, electrodiagnostic (EDX), and ultrasound (US) findings in 22 patients with GSNI of the upper extremities.

Genomic characterization of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma reveals differential gene expression based on clinical outcome.

Objective: The greatest challenge in the management of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) is treatment of recurrent disease where options for surgery and radiation have been exhausted, or treatment of disease where distant metastasis is present. Identification of mutations differentially expressed between tumor from patients who died of aggressive disease and tumor from patients with an indolent course could reveal novel prognostic indicators and guide development of therapeutic drugs.

Methods: From 202 consecutive patients with VSCC, patients who recurred and died of disease (group A) were identified and matched by age, tumor size, depth of invasion and nodal status with those whose disease did not recur (group B).

Clinical Spectrum of Postsurgical Parsonage-Turner Syndrome: A Perspective From an Electrodiagnostic Laboratory.

Background: Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS) is an underdiagnosed disorder characterized by the acute onset of severe pain in the shoulder/scapula/arm followed by muscle weakness/numbness in the distribution of nerves derived from the brachial plexus (BP). Surgical procedures are one of several antecedent events of PTS. This study describes the clinical spectrum of postsurgical Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PSPTS) in a large cohort of patients.

Impact of Technology on Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Admissions and Length of Stay: A Retrospective Study.

Background Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) provide essential medical care to neonates; however, they are associated with hospital-acquired infections, less maternal-newborn bonding, and high costs. Implementing strategies to lower NICU admission rates and shorten NICU length of stay (LOS) is essential. This study uses causal-inference methods to evaluate the impact of care managers using new technology to identify and risk stratify pregnancies on NICU admissions and NICU LOS.

Clinical Features of a Newly Described Mutation of Myelin Protein Zero in a Family.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common hereditary neuropathy. Duplication of the () gene is the most frequent genetic abnormality in CMT disease. Although rare compared to gene mutations, many different () gene mutations have been described in patients with CMT disease.

Iatrogenic Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy Following Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: Electrodiagnostic Findings in 18 Patients.

Background A reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is often recommended for rotator cuff pathology and may be associated with a myriad of complications, including prosthetic instability, infection, humeral problems, and glenoid loosening. Neurological injuries following an RTSA are infrequent and are usually related to brachial plexus or proximal nerve injury in the affected arm. Iatrogenic ulnar nerve neuropathy is exceedingly rare.

Causes of Dorsal Cutaneous Branch of the Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy Among Patients Undergoing Electrodiagnostic Studies: A Series of 14 Patients.

Background: Isolated neuropathy of the dorsal cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve (DCBUN) is rare and most cases are secondary to trauma, often iatrogenic. The topography of sensory abnormalities and abnormal electrodiagnostic (EDX) findings are crucial in confirming DCBUN neuropathy.  Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with isolated involvement of the DCBUN from among patients referred for EDX studies for upper extremity symptoms.

Etiology of spastic foot drop among 16 patients undergoing electrodiagnostic studies: patient series.

Background: Differentiating foot drop due to upper motor neuron (UMN) lesions from that due to lower motor neuron lesions is crucial to avoid unnecessary surgery or surgery at the wrong location. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies are useful in evaluating patients with spastic foot drop (SFD).

Observations: Among 16 patients with SFD, the cause was cervical myelopathy in 5 patients (31%), cerebrovascular accident in 3 (18%), hereditary spastic paraplegia in 2 (12%), multiple sclerosis in 2 (12%), chronic cerebral small vessel disease in 2 (12%), intracranial meningioma in 1 (6%), and diffuse brain injury in 1 (6%).

Impact of Occupations and Hobbies on the Severity of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: An Electrodiagnostic Perspective.

Objective: This study describes the clinical and electrodiagnostic (EDX) findings as well as occupations and hobbies in 613 patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods: Patients with moderate, moderately severe, or severe CTS based on EDX criteria were included.

Results: The most common occupations included workers in offices, construction/maintenance, and assembly lines.

Etiological study of superficial radial nerve neuropathy: series of 34 patients.

Objectives: Superficial radial nerve (SRN) neuropathy is a rare focal neuropathy leading to pain and paresthesia of the dorsolateral aspect of the hand. Reported causes include trauma, extrinsic compression, or it may be idiopathic. We describe the clinical and electrodiagnostic (EDX) features of 34 patients with SRN neuropathy of varied etiology.

Anti-cancer therapeutic agents and carpal tunnel syndrome: Clinical, electrodiagnostic, and ultrasound findings in seven patients.

Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy and rarely develops after drug therapy. This study describes the clinical, electrodiagnostic (EDX), and ultrasound (US) findings in seven patients who experienced CTS due to anti-cancer therapeutic agents.

Methods: All patients underwent EDX testing, and four patients had an US study.

Impact of Dyslexia and Health Literacy on Racial and Gender Disparity in the Incarcerated Population.

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and involves difficulty in reading, writing, and spelling in your native language despite at least average intelligence. A disproportionate share of incarcerated individuals have both dyslexia and are African American. Behavior manifestations associated with dyslexia often lead to life choices resulting in incarceration.

Iatrogenic median and ulnar nerve injuries during carpal tunnel release: clinical, electrodiagnostic, and ultrasound features in 12 patients. Patient series.

Background: Nerve injuries during carpal tunnel release (CTR) are rare. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) and ultrasound (US) studies may be helpful in evaluating iatrogenic nerve injuries during CTR.

Observations: Nine patients sustained a median nerve injury, and 3 patients experienced ulnar nerve damage.

Using a Harm Reduction Approach to Treat Inpatients With Substance Use Disorders.

Objective: This study investigated harm reduction (HR) strategies at our institution to decrease the number of patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) who left against medical advice (AMA).

Background: HR is a public health strategy used for adult substance use problems for whom abstinence is not feasible.

Methods: An HR program was established at 1 institution to enhance the care of hospitalized patients with a SUD.

Importance of Electrodiagnostic Testing Prior to a Tethered Cord Release in a Patient with Overlapping Symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common inherited neuromuscular disorder causing a symmetric, slowly progressive distal neuropathy of the legs and arms. Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) encompasses a constellation of neurological, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and urinary abnormalities resulting from spinal cord traction. The signs and symptoms of CMT and TCS may be very similar.