Hearing preservation outcomes using direct cranial nerve eight and auditory brainstem response neuromonitoring in the resection of vestibular schwannomas.

Objective: Advancements in microsurgical technique and technology continue to improve outcomes in patients with skull base tumor. The primary cranial nerve eight monitoring systems used in hearing preservation surgery for vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are direct cranial nerve eight monitoring (DCNEM) and auditory brainstem response (ABR), although current guidelines are unable to definitively recommend one over the other due to limited literature on the topic. Thus, further research is needed to determine the utility of DCNEM and ABR.

Assessing Surgical Approaches for Acoustic Neuroma Resection: Do Patients Perceive a Difference in Quality-of-Life Outcomes?

Objective: The objective of this study is to further patient-physician discussion regarding postoperative quality of life expectations after surgical acoustic neuroma resection.

Study Design: This study is retrospective prospective. Qualifying patients were identified and administered Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality-of-Life (PANQOL) Scale.

Infectious Complications and Operative Management of Intrathecal Baclofen Pumps in the Pediatric Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 20 Years of Pooled Experience.

Background: Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) is a treatment modality used to improve the quality of life of patients with intractable spasticity and dystonia. Although it is an effective solution in patients failing oral interventions, it is associated with potential infectious complications. It is known that pediatric patients with ITB have significantly higher infection rates compared with adult patients.

Early experience on obstetric outcomes of pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 in Ethiopia: A case series analysis.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome affects all groups of population including pregnant women. Currently, there are limited evidences to show an increased risk of infection or increased mortality among pregnant women than the general population. On the 13th of March 2020, Ethiopian government reported the first case of COVID-19.

Combining Hypermethylated Detection Using ddPCR with miR-371a-3p Testing: An Improved Panel of Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers for Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Patients.

The classical serum tumor markers used routinely in the management of testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) patients-alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-show important limitations. miR-371a-3p is the most recent promising biomarker for TGCTs, but it is not sufficiently informative for detection of teratoma, which is therapeutically relevant. We aimed to test the feasibility of hypermethylated () detected in circulating cell-free DNA as a non-invasive diagnostic marker of testicular germ cell tumors, combined with miR-371a-3p.

Geographic landscape of foreign medical graduates in US neurosurgery training programs from 2007 to 2017.

Objective: Although foreign medical graduates (FMGs) have been essential to the US physician workforce, the increasing competitiveness has made it progressively challenging for FMGs to match in US neurosurgery programs. We describe geographic origins and characteristics associated with successful match into US neurosurgery training programs.

Methods: Retrospective review of AANS membership data (2007-2017).

Management of Pre-existing Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in Posterior Vault Distraction for Lambdoid Craniosynostosis: A Case Report and Technical Note.

Posterior vault distraction osteogenesis (DO) is an emerging treatment option for craniosynostosis. Operative nuances detailing surgical management are being described with increasing use and experience. In this article, we discuss the surgical management of an 8-month-old male with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) diagnosed with bilateral lambdoid craniosynostosis and Chiari I malformation.

Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor of the Cervical Spine: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a rare entity that is not well described in the neurosurgical literature. We present a case of a 37-year-old woman with a diffuse subtype TGCT of the cervical spine, affecting the left cervical 6-7 facet joint, with co-incidental cervical trauma. Initial management consisted of subtotal resection and cervical stabilization with cervical 6 to 7 laminectomy, and cervical 4 to thoracic 2 posterior instrumented fusion.

Predictors of the Size and Surgical Freedom of the Trans-Cribriform and Trans-Clival Corridors, a Radiographic Analysis.

 The transcribriform and transclival corridors are endoscopic endonasal approaches used to treat pathologies of the skull base. We present a predictive model that uses the clival length and ethmoidal width to predict the size and surgical freedom (SF) of these corridors.  Adult facial computed tomography scans were reviewed.

Delayed recurrence of acute subdural hematoma in a patient with plasminogen activator inhibitor mutation.

Background: Plasminogen activator inhibitor type I (PAI-1) is important for balancing the fibrinolytic effect of plasmin, and deficiency can result in increased risk of bleeding. We report a case of a patient with PAI-1 deficiency who presented with delayed spontaneous recurrence of an acute subdural hematoma (aSDH) after evacuation.

Case Description: A 29-year-old male presented with altered mental status (AMS) after a fall at a construction site with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS 4T).

Intraoperative CT for Neuronavigation Guidance and Confirmation of Foramen Ovale Cannulation for Glycerol Trigeminal Rhizotomy: A Technical Report and Case Series.

Glycerol rhizotomy was originally described as an initial surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia after the failure of medical therapy. Here we describe its use as a salvage procedure, typically after failure of multiple other modalities including microvascular decompression, stereotactic radiosurgery, and/or other percutaneous procedures. Foramen ovale cannulation as a "salvage procedure" may be complicated by lack of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) return despite adequate cannulation of the foramen ovale, making conventional fluoroscopic confirmation of adequate needle placement less certain.

The Path to U.S. Neurosurgical Residency for Foreign Medical Graduates: Trends from a Decade 2007-2017.

Objective: The increasing competitiveness of the neurosurgical residency match has made it progressively difficult for foreign medical graduates (FMGs) to match in neurosurgery. We compared FMG to U.S.

Repair of a large primary subtemporal encephalocele in a 3-year-old child: case report.

Primary encephaloceles (PEs) present only rarely in the temporal region; in the rare instance that they project through the floor of the middle fossa they are secondary. In this case report the authors report on the management of a giant PE extending through the floor of the middle fossa.An 8-month-old boy presented to the authors' service with a large PE projecting into his neck through a missing left middle fossa floor; the lesion was causing significant meta-, dys-, and hypoplasia of the structures of the anterolateral neck on that side.

High methionine, low folate and low vitamin B6/B12 (HM-LF-LV) diet causes neurodegeneration and subsequent short-term memory loss.

Methionine is an essential amino acid found in rich quantities in average American diet such as meats, fish and eggs. Excessive consumption of such food often exceeds the normal requirement of the methionine in our body; which found to be related to the development of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the mechanistic pathways of methionine's influence on the brain are unclear.

Homocysteine as a Pathological Biomarker for Bone Disease.

In the last few decades, perturbation in methyl-group and homocysteine (Hcy) balance have emerged as independent risk factors in a number of pathological conditions including neurodegenerative disease, cardiovascular dysfunction, cancer development, autoimmune disease, and kidney disease. Recent studies report Hcy to be a newly recognized risk factor for osteoporosis. Elevated Hcy levels are known to modulate osteoclastgenesis by causing detrimental effects on bone via oxidative stress induced metalloproteinase-mediated extracellular matrix degradation and decrease in bone blood flow.

Incidence and correlates of low birth weight at a referral hospital in Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Weight at birth is a good indicator of the newborn's chances for survival, growth, long-term health and psychosocial development. Low birth weight (LBW) babies are significantly at risk of death, contributing to the high perinatal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Hence, this study aims to assess the incidence and associated factors of low birth weight (LBW) in Gondar University Hospital deliveries.