Three-dimensional virtual reality-assisted surgical planning for neuronavigated sacrectomy of a chordoma: a technical note.

Purpose: Sacral chordomas are slow growing but locally aggressive tumours with a high rate of local recurrence if not completely removed. Surgical resection with negative margins represents the most important survival predictor but it can be challenging to accomplish. Thanks to improvements in intraoperative imaging and surgical techniques, en bloc resection through a partial sacral resection with wide surgical margins has become feasible but it comes with a significant morbidity rate.

Robot-assisted stereotactic electroencephalography using 3-dimensional intraoperative imaging and frameless registration tool.

Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is the gold standard to investigate the epileptic network in cases of drug-resistant epilepsy. Robot-assisted SEEG is increasingly being used; however, its installation process in the operating room is more difficult than that of the stereotactic frame procedure. New robotic tools and 3D intraoperative imaging ease the setup while achieving the same mechanical precision and a lower complication rate.

Predictors of functional outcomes following spinal meningioma surgery. A single-center retrospective experience of 59 cases.

Background: To better predict the postoperative functional outcomes of patients operated on for a spinal meningioma, we assessed: 1) the prevalence of good and poor postoperative functional outcomes following surgery; 2) the impact of age and frailty on postoperative functional outcomes.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we screened adult patients operated on for a spinal meningioma from 2005 to 2022. Inclusion criteria were: 1) patients ≥18 years; 2) histopathological diagnosis of meningioma; 3) location to the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine (foramen magnum meningioma excluded); 4) surgery as first-line treatment; and 5) available postoperative follow-up ≥1 year.

Impact of frailty on survival glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype patients.

Purpose: Frailty increases the risk of mortality among patients. We studied the prognostic significance of frailty using the modified 5-item frailty index (5-mFI) in patients harboring a newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of patients surgical treated at a single neurosurgical institution at the standard radiochemotherapy era (January 2006 - December 2021).

Tetraparesis following thoracic spine surgery in a patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome and ABCB4 mutation: a case report.

Background: Klippel-Feil syndrome is a rare condition described in 1912 by Maurice Klippel and André Feil. It is defined as a congenital cervical fusion of at least two vertebrae, associated with a classical triad of clinical signs: short neck, low posterior hairline, and limited range of movement. However, Klippel-Feil syndrome manifests with a vast spectrum of phenotypes, ranging from no symptoms to complete triad, with or without other associated malformations.

Robot-assisted endoscopic third ventriculostomy under intraoperative CT imaging guidance.

Background: The robot-assisted neurosurgical procedures have recently benefited of the evolution of intraoperative imaging, including mobile CT unit available in the operating room. This facilitated use paved the way to perform more neurosurgical procedures under robotic assistance. Endoscopic third ventriculocisternostomy requires both a safe transcortical trajectory and a smooth manipulation.

Pediatric Posterior Fossa ATRT: A Case Report, New Treatment Strategies and Perspectives.

Posterior fossa atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a rare childhood tumor usually associated with a dismal prognosis. Although upfront surgical gross total resection (GTR) has classically been the first line of treatment, new multimodal treatments, including two-stage surgery, are showing promising results in terms of overall survival (OS) and complication rate. We present a case of a 9-month-old child treated with two-staged surgery and chemotherapy.

Current Advances in Papillary Craniopharyngioma: State-Of-The-Art Therapies and Overview of the Literature.

Craniopharyngiomas are commonly classified as low-grade tumors, although they may harbor a malignant behavior due to their high rate of recurrence and long-term morbidity. Craniopharyngiomas are classically distinguished into two histological types (adamantinomatous and papillary), which have been recently considered by the WHO classification of CNS tumors as two independent entities, due to different epidemiological, radiological, histopathological, and genetic patterns. With regard to papillary craniopharyngioma, a BRAF V600 mutation is detected in 95% of cases.

Surgical Treatment of Spinal Meningiomas in the Elderly (≥75 Years): Which Factors Affect the Neurological Outcome? An International Multicentric Study of 72 Cases.

(1) Background: With the increasing life expectancy in the Western world, an increasing number of old patients presents with spinal meningioma. Considering the benign nature of these tumors, the functional outcome remains of great importance, since more people reach old age in general conditions of well-being and satisfactory autonomy. (2) Methods: We conducted an international multicenter retrospective study to investigate demographic, clinical and radiological data in a population of elderly patients (≥75 years of age) undergoing surgery for SM from January 2000 to December 2020 in four European referral centers.

Combined sclerotherapy followed by surgical resection of a large extracranial venous malformation in a 14-month-old child: preoperative workup and technical note.

Introduction: Venous malformations affect around 2 per 10,000 newborn and are the most common type of congenital vascular malformation. They are always present at birth and are often misdiagnosed with hemangiomas. Accurate diagnosis and adequate targeted therapy through a multidisciplinary approach is advocated for a successful treatment, considering a combination of modalities in complex cases.

Supratentorial Pediatric Midline Tumors and Tumor-like Lesions: Clinical Spectrum, Natural History and Treatment Options.

Childhood Central Nervous System tumors account for 25% of all pediatric tumors. Large availability and broadening of indications to imaging has made incidental findings more common. Among these, midline lesions have different clinical relevance depending on their intrinsic pattern of behaviour and on their specific location.

Severe Basilar impression in osteogenesis imperfecta treated with halo gravity traction, occipitocervicothoracic fusion, foramen magnum and upper cervical decompression and expansive duroplasty: a technical note.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare bone disease due to an abnormal synthesis of 1-type collagen. OI is frequently associated with basilar impression (BI), defined by the elevation of the clivus and floor of the posterior fossa with subsequent migration of the upper cervical spine and the odontoid peg into the base of the skull. Bone intrinsic fragility leading to fractures and deformity, brainstem compression and impaired CSF circulation at cranio-vertebral junction (CVJ) makes the management of these conditions particularly challenging.

Atlantoaxial posterior screw fixation using intra-operative spinal navigation with three-dimensional isocentric C-arm fluoroscopy.

Purpose: Intra-operative image acquisition coupled with navigation aims to increase screw placement accuracy, and it is particularly helpful in complex spinal procedures. The aim of this study is to analyze the accuracy and reliability of posterior atlanto-axial fixation using spinal navigation combined with intra-operative 3D isocentric C-arm.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients presenting with C1-C2 instability and treated by posterior atlanto-axial fixation in our center between December 2016 and September 2018.

Spinal Meningiomas: Influence of Cord Compression and Radiological Features on Preoperative Functional Status and Outcome.

Background: Radiological parameters predicting the postoperative neurological outcome after resection of a spinal meningioma (SM) are poorly studied, with controversial results.

Methods: Observational multicenter cohort (2011-2018) of adult patients undergoing surgery for resection of SM. Tumor-canal volume ratio (TCR), the areas related to the cord and tumor occupancy at maximum compression, the presence of dural tail, calcifications, signs of myelopathy, and postoperative cord expansion were compared with the modified McCormick scale (mMCS) preoperative and at follow-up.

Foramen magnum meningiomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Foramen magnum meningiomas (FMMs) account for 1.8-3.2% of all meningiomas.

Assessing model mismatch and model selection in a Bayesian uncertainty quantification analysis of a fluid-dynamics model of pulmonary blood circulation.

This study uses Bayesian inference to quantify the uncertainty of model parameters and haemodynamic predictions in a one-dimensional pulmonary circulation model based on an integration of mouse haemodynamic and micro-computed tomography imaging data. We emphasize an often neglected, though important source of uncertainty: in the mathematical model form due to the discrepancy between the model and the reality, and in the measurements due to the wrong noise model (jointly called 'model mismatch'). We demonstrate that minimizing the mean squared error between the measured and the predicted data (the conventional method) in the presence of model mismatch leads to biased and overly confident parameter estimates and haemodynamic predictions.

Markov chain Monte Carlo with Gaussian processes for fast parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification in a 1D fluid-dynamics model of the pulmonary circulation.

The past few decades have witnessed an explosive synergy between physics and the life sciences. In particular, physical modelling in medicine and physiology is a topical research area. The present work focuses on parameter inference and uncertainty quantification in a 1D fluid-dynamics model for quantitative physiology: the pulmonary blood circulation.

Role of Robotics in Improving Surgical Outcome in Spinal Pathologies.

Background: The desire to improve accuracy and safety and to favor minimally invasive techniques has given rise to spinal robotic surgery, which has seen a steady increase in utilization in the past 2 decades. However, spinal surgery encompasses a large spectrum of operative techniques, and robotic surgery currently remains confined to assistance with the trajectory of pedicle screw insertion, which has been shown to be accurate and safe based on class II and III evidence. The role of robotics in improving surgical outcomes in spinal pathologies is less clear, however.

Influence of image segmentation on one-dimensional fluid dynamics predictions in the mouse pulmonary arteries.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are emerging tools for assisting in diagnostic assessment of cardiovascular disease. Recent advances in image segmentation have made subject-specific modelling of the cardiovascular system a feasible task, which is particularly important in the case of pulmonary hypertension, requiring a combination of invasive and non-invasive procedures for diagnosis. Uncertainty in image segmentation propagates to CFD model predictions, making the quantification of segmentation-induced uncertainty crucial for subject-specific models.

Hemodynamic assessment of pulmonary hypertension in mice: a model-based analysis of the disease mechanism.

This study uses a one-dimensional fluid dynamics arterial network model to infer changes in hemodynamic quantities associated with pulmonary hypertension in mice. Data for this study include blood flow and pressure measurements from the main pulmonary artery for 7 control mice with normal pulmonary function and 5 mice with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. Arterial dimensions for a 21-vessel network are extracted from micro-CT images of lungs from a representative control and hypertensive mouse.

An inducible tool for random mutagenesis in Aspergillus niger based on the transposon Vader.

The ascomycete Aspergillus niger is widely used in the biotechnology, for instance in producing most of the world's citric acid. It is also known as a major food and feed contaminant. While generation of gene knockouts for functional genomics has become feasible in ku70 mutants, analyzing gene functions or metabolic pathways remains a laborious task.

Development and validation of a fast and optimized screening method for enhanced production of secondary metabolites using the marine Scopulariopsis brevicaulis strain LF580 producing anti-cancer active scopularide A and B.

Natural compounds from marine fungi are an excellent source for the discovery and development of new drug leads. The distinct activity profiles of the two cyclodepsipeptides scopularide A and B against cancer cell lines set their marine producer strain Scopulariopsis brevicaulis LF580 into the focus of the EU project MARINE FUNGI. One of the main goals was the development of a sustainable biotechnological production process for these compounds.

RNA processing in plant mitochondria is independent of transcription.

We analyzed the ability of plant mitochondria to process introduced RNA. Arabidopsis thaliana cox2 transcripts were synthesized in vitro. The in vitro transcribed mRNA was electroporated into maize and cauliflower mitochondria and incubated in organello.