Assessing evidence quality in research reporting neurocognitive outcomes following paediatric temporal lobe surgery for epilepsy.

Purpose: RCTs are the gold standard in determining intervention efficacy with journal impact factor assumed to index research quality. Flint et al's (2017) systematic review examined neurocognitive outcomes following paediatric temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. Retrieved evidence was restricted to non-RCTs, which pose greater risk of bias and thus diminish research quality.

Neurocognitive, academic and functional outcomes in survivors of infant ependymoma (UKCCSG CNS 9204).

Purpose: This is the first UK multi-centre case-controlled study with follow-up in excess of 10 years to report the neurocognitive, academic and psychological outcomes of individuals diagnosed with a brain tumour in early childhood. Children enrolled into the UKCCSG CNS 9204 trial, diagnosed with intracranial ependymoma when aged ≤ 36 months old, who received a primary chemotherapy strategy to defer or avoid radiotherapy, were recruited.

Methods: Outcomes of those who relapsed and subsequently received radiotherapy (n = 13) were compared to those enrolled who did not relapse (n = 16), age-matched controls-diagnosed with solid non-central nervous system (SN-CNS; n = 15) tumours or low-grade posterior fossa pilocytic astrocytoma (PFPA; n = 15), and normative data.

Pre-surgical mapping of eloquent cortex for paediatric epilepsy surgery candidates: Evidence from a review of advanced functional neuroimaging.

Purpose: A review of all published evidence for mapping eloquent (motor, language and memory) cortex using advanced functional neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] and magnetoencephalography [MEG]) for paediatric epilepsy surgery candidates has not been conducted previously. Research in this area has predominantly been in adult populations and applicability of these techniques to paediatric populations is less established.

Methods: A review was performed using an advanced systematic search and retrieval of all published papers examining the use of functional neuroimaging for paediatric epilepsy surgery candidates.

Improving access to pediatric neurorehabilitation for patients with moderate and severe head injuries.

Introduction: The majority of severely injured children in England have a significant head injury and will be seen in Major Trauma Centers (MTCs). The period following brain injury represents an opportunity to influence recovery of neurological function. The study sought to determine whether children who had sustained a head injury were referred for neurorehabilitation.

Interventions for managing weight change following paediatric acquired brain injury: a systematic review.

Objective: To systematically review literature reporting interventions for weight change following paediatric acquired brain injury (ABI).

Method: A systematic search of the literature was conducted using advanced search techniques. The retrieval identified 1562 papers, of which 30 were relevant.