Availability of Lactation Policies and Facilities for ACGME-Accredited Surgical Residency Training Programs.

Objective: We aimed to investigate availability of lactation policy and facility information among surgical residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Design: Between March 1, 2023 and October 31, 2023, websites of surgical residency training programs on the ACGME Accreditation System List of Programs by Specialty were reviewed for department lactation policies, links to institutional graduate medical education (GME) websites with lactation policies, lists of lactation facilities, and links to institutional GME websites listing lactation facilities. Scatter plots were generated and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess relationships of the percentages of female residents, fellows, and faculty in each surgical specialty with the percentage of residency program websites with available lactation information.

Defining cage subsidence in anterior, oblique, and lateral lumbar spine fusion approaches: a systematic review of the literature.

One of the most common complications of lumbar fusions is cage subsidence, which leads to collapse of disc height and reappearance of the presenting symptomology. However, definitions of cage subsidence are inconsistent, leading to a variety of subsidence calculation methodologies and thresholds. To review previously published literature on cage subsidence in order to present the most common methods for calculating and defining subsidence in the anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF), and lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) approaches.

Pack Years of Tobacco Cigarette Smoking as a Predictor of Bony Fusion after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Objective: Smoking tobacco cigarettes negatively impacts bone healing after spinal fusion. Smoking history is often assessed based on current smoker and nonsmoker status. However, in current research, smoking history has not been quantified in terms of pack years to estimate lifetime exposure and assess its effects.

Transvenous embolization of noncavernous dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) are abnormal connections between arteries and veins within the dura mater. Various treatment modalities, such as surgical ligation, endovascular intervention, and radiosurgery, aim to close the fistulous connection. Although transvenous embolization (TVE) is the preferred method for carotid-cavernous fistulas, its description and outcomes for noncavernous dAVFs vary.

Residual In-Stent Carotid Stenosis and Cigarette Smoking are Independent Predictors of Carotid Restenosis After Carotid Artery Stenting-Results from 738 Carotid Artery Stenting Procedures at a Single Center.

Background And Objectives: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) has become a viable alternative to carotid endarterectomy for the management of carotid stenosis. Our aim was to determine the rate of radiographic restenosis after CAS and clinical, radiographic, and procedural predictors of in-stent restenosis.

Methods: Our single-center, prospectively maintained database was retrospectively reviewed for CAS procedures performed in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients over 12 years (2010-2022).

Strong Correlation Between the Vertebral Bone Quality Score and the Cervical-Vertebral Bone Quality Score in Spine Surgery Patients.

Objective: Osteoporosis is a burgeoning public health problem for over 44 million people in the United States. The magnetic resonance imaging-based vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score and cervical VBQ (C-VBQ) score are two novel approaches that use data routinely gathered during preoperative evaluation to assess bone quality. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the VBQ and C-VBQ scores.

Vertebral Bone Quality Score Independently Predicts Proximal Junctional Kyphosis and/or Failure After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Background: Proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and proximal junctional failure (PJF) can be catastrophic complications associated with adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. These complications are markedly influenced by osteoporosis, leading to additional vertebral fracture and pedicle screw loosening. The MRI-based vertebral bone quality score (VBQ) is a newly developed tool that can be used to assess bone quality.

Risk factors of early complications after thoracic and lumbar spinal deformity surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To determine risk factors increasing susceptibility to early complications (intraoperative and postoperative within 6 weeks) associated with surgery to correct thoracic and lumbar spinal deformity.

Methods: We systematically searched the PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies published between January 1990 and September 2021. Observational studies evaluating predictors of early complications of thoracic and lumbar spinal deformity surgery were included.

Mechanical thrombectomy with a balloon-guide catheter: sheathless transradial versus transfemoral approach.

Background: The transradial approach (TRA) for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke has been limited by the size of catheters usable in the radial artery, with the smaller access site precluding balloon-guide catheter (BGC) use. However, promising results have been reported for a TRA with a sheathless BGC (sTRA). We sought to perform a comparative study of MT with a BGC via the sTRA versus the transfemoral approach (TFA).