Is There an Association Between Spine Surgeon Academic Productivity and Patient Satisfaction Ratings?

Background And Objectives: Physician rating websites (PRWs) are increasingly used by patients to find health care providers. This study explores spine neurosurgeon PRW ratings and their relationship with academic productivity.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from November 2022 to May 2023 that included 1990 neurological surgeons listed in the American Association of Neurological Surgeons database with a subspecialty in spine.

Presence of Cerebrospinal Fluid on Preoperative Imaging and the Associated Cervical Myelopathy Diagnosis and Outcome.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine whether the presence of cerebrospinal fluid is associated with the severity of degenerative cervical myelopathy or postoperative outcomes.

Summary Of Background Data: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a clinical diagnosis characterized as neurologic dysfunction.

Nonoperative versus operative management of type II odontoid fracture in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Odontoid fractures are the most common fracture of the cervical spine in adults older than 65 years of age. Fracture management remains controversial, given the inherently increased surgical risks in older patients. The objective of this study was to compare fusion rates and outcomes between operative and nonoperative treatments of type II odontoid fractures in the older population.

Leveraging published randomized controlled trials to inform clinical trial design: a simulation-based study of laminectomy versus laminectomy and fusion.

Objective: The US-based Spinal Laminectomy versus Instrumented Pedicle Screw (SLIP) trial reported improvement in disability following laminectomy with fusion versus laminectomy alone for patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis. Despite using similar methods, a concurrent Swedish trial investigating the same question did not reach the same conclusion. The authors performed a simulation-based analysis to elucidate potential causes of these divergent results.

Metastatic Breast Cancer to the Spine: Incidence of Somatic Gene Alterations and Association of Targeted Therapies With Overall Survival.

Background: The increase in use of targeted systemic therapies in cancer treatments has catalyzed the importance of identifying patient- and tumor-specific somatic mutations, especially regarding metastatic disease. Mutations found to be most prevalent in patients with metastatic breast cancer include TP53, PI3K, and CDH1.

Objective: To determine the incidence of somatic mutations in patients with metastatic breast cancer to the spine (MBCS).

Multidisciplinary approaches to gliosarcoma: A case report and review of the literature.

A 58-year-old right-handed man presented to our tertiary care center with gliosarcoma (GS) infiltration through the dura, skull, and soft tissue. Patient had a previous history of right temporal GS, with four intracranial surgeries prior to presentation. A multidisciplinary approach was used to treat the lesion and perform reconstruction.

A Retrospective Analysis of the L3-L4 Disc and Spinopelvic Parameters on Outcomes in Thoracolumbar Fusion: Was Art Steffee Right?

Objective: To determine whether the L3-L4 disc angle may be a surrogate marker for global lumbar alignment in thoracolumbar fusion surgery and to explore the relationship between radiographic and patient-reported outcomes after thoracolumbar fusion surgery.

Methods: Retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who had undergone a lumbar fusion involving levels from T9 to pelvis. EuroQol-Five Dimension (EQ-5D-3L) scores and adverse events including adjacent-segment disease and degeneration, pseudoarthrosis, proximal junctional kyphosis, stenosis, and reoperation were collected.

The 2021 Neurosurgery Match: An Analysis of the Impact of Virtual Interviewing and Other COVID-19-Related Changes.

Background: Given the safety concerns during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, residency programs suspended away rotations in 2021, and the interview process was transitioned to a virtual video format. In the present study, we assessed the extent to which these changes had affected match outcomes and whether medical school ranking, international graduate status, or affiliation with a home neurosurgery program had affected these outcomes.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of neurosurgery match data from 2016 to 2021 was performed, and the match outcomes were assessed by matched program geography and program research ranking.

Patient complaints in the postoperative period following spine surgery.

Objective: Patient complaints are associated with a number of surgical and medical outcomes. Despite high rates of patient complaints regarding spine surgeons and efforts to study patient complaints across medicine and surgery, few studies have analyzed the complaints of patients undergoing spinal surgery. The authors present a retrospective analysis that, to their knowledge, is the first study to directly investigate the complaints of spine surgery patients in the postoperative period.

Predictors of Nonelective Surgery for Spinal Metastases: Insights from a National Database.

Study Design: Secondary analysis of a national all-payer database.

Objective: Our objectives were to identify patient- and hospital-level factors independently associated with the receipt of nonelective surgery and determine whether nonelective surgery portends differences in perioperative outcomes compared to elective surgery for spinal metastases.

Summary Of Background Data: Spinal metastases may progress to symptomatic epidural spinal cord compression that warrants urgent surgical intervention.

Identifying treatment patterns in patients with Bertolotti syndrome: an elusive cause of chronic low back pain.

Background Context: Bertolotti Syndrome is a diagnosis given to patients with lower back pain arising from a lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV). These patients can experience symptomatology similar to common degenerative diseases of the spine, making Bertolotti Syndrome difficult to diagnose with clinical presentation alone. Castellvi classified the LSTV seen in this condition and specifically in types IIa and IIb, a "pseudoarticulation" is present between the fifth lumbar transverse process and the sacral ala, resulting in a semi-mobile joint with cartilaginous surfaces.

Predictors of Operative Duration and Complications in Single-Level Posterior Interbody Fusions for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Background: The goal of this study was to identify predictors of prolonged operative time (OT) in patients receiving posterior/transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (P/TLIF) and examine the relationship between prolonged OT and perioperative outcomes in this population.

Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for patients undergoing single-level P/TLIF (Common Procedural Terminology code) between 2012 and 2018. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to identify factors independently associated with changes in OT and examine the relationship between prolonged OT and perioperative outcomes (overall complications, surgical complications, medical complications, 30-day readmission, 30-day reoperation, and length of stay).

Key drivers of patient satisfaction with spine surgeons in the outpatient setting.

Objective: The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Clinician & Group Survey (CG-CAHPS) was developed as a result of the value-based purchasing initiative by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It allows patients to rate their experience with their provider in the outpatient setting. These ratings are then reported in aggregate and made publicly available, allowing patients to make informed choices during physician selection.

The association of preoperative TNF-alpha inhibitor use and reoperation rates in spinal fusion surgery.

Background Context: Preoperative TNF-AI use has been associated with increased rate of postoperative infections and complications in a variety of orthopedic procedures. However, the association between TNF-AI use and complications following spine surgery has not yet been studied.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to assess the risk of reoperation in patients prescribed TNF-AI undergoing spinal fusion surgery.

The Impact of Preoperative Depression on Patient Satisfaction With Spine Surgeons in the Outpatient Setting.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between preoperative depression and patient satisfaction in the outpatient spine clinic after lumbar surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: The Clinician and Group Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey is used to measure patient experience in the outpatient setting.

The association between patient rating of their spine surgeon and quality of postoperative outcome.

Objective: The Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a result of their value-based purchasing initiative. It allows patients to rate their experience with their provider in the outpatient setting. This presents a unique situation in healthcare in which the patient experience drives the marketplace, and since its creation, providers have sought to improve patient satisfaction.

The Association Between Physicians' Communication and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Spine Surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected data.

Objective: Determine the association between satisfaction with physician communication and patient-reported outcomes in the inpatient spine surgery setting.

Summary Of Background Data: Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys measure the patient experience of care and influence reimbursement for hospital systems and providers in the United States.

Are There Nationwide Socioeconomic and Demographic Disparities in the Use of Outpatient Orthopaedic Services?

Background: Although disparities in the use of healthcare services in the United States have been well-documented, information examining sociodemographic disparities in the use of healthcare services (for example, office-based and emergency department [ED] care) for nonemergent musculoskeletal conditions is limited.

Questions/purposes: This study was designed to answer two important questions: (1) Are there identifiable nationwide sociodemographic disparities in the use of either office-based orthopaedic care or ED care for common, nonemergent musculoskeletal conditions? (2) Is there a meaningful difference in expenditures associated with these same conditions when care is provided in the office rather than the ED?

Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2007 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The MEPS is a nationally representative database administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that tracks patient interactions with the healthcare system and expenditures associated with each visit, making it an ideal data source for our study.

Health Disparities in the Access and Cost of Health Care for Otolaryngologic Conditions.

Objective: To demonstrate whether race, education, income, or insurance status influences where patients seek medical care and the cost of care for a broad range of otolaryngologic diseases in the United States.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, from 2007 to 2015.

Setting: Nationally representative database.

The Impact of Preoperative Depression on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey Results in a Cervical Spine Surgery Setting.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected data.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association between preoperative depression and patient experience in a cervical spine surgery population.

Summary Of Background Data: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is used to measure patient experience and its scores directly influence reimbursement in the United States.