Pediatric glossopharyngeal neuralgia with incidental trigeminal compression treated using microvascular decompression: illustrative case.

Background: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is a rare condition typically manifesting as paroxysms of sharp, lancinating pain localized to the middle ear and auditory canal, base of the tongue, tonsillar fossa, and region just inferior to the angle of the mandible. Vascular compression is a common etiology, and microvascular decompression (MVD) has been established as a safe and efficacious treatment in adults. With the exception of one report of an adult patient undergoing the procedure for symptomatology that began in adolescence, there are no published cases of MVD for GPN in pediatric patients to the author's knowledge.

Povidone-iodine-induced scalp lesions in pediatric neurosurgery patients: a case series.

Purpose: Povidone-iodine, or Betadine® (Atlantis Consumer Healthcare Inc., Bridgewater, NJ), is a commonly used agent for surgical site preparation. Although commonly used, it carries the risk of skin reactions, and multiple cases of intra-operative contact dermatitis and chemical burns have been reported.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement following endoscopic third ventriculostomy failure in the treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) failure on subsequent risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify pediatric patients receiving ETV followed by a VPS at Oklahoma Children's Hospital between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021. A control group of patients receiving a VPS alone was also gathered.

Pediatric neuromodulation for drug-resistant epilepsy: Survey of current practices, techniques, and outcomes across US epilepsy centers.

Neuromodulation via Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) or Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an emerging treatment strategy for pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Knowledge gaps exist in patient selection, surgical technique, and perioperative care. Here, we use an expert survey to clarify practices.

Pediatric neurosurgery through the lens of time-driven activity-based costing: a pilot study.

Objective: Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) is a method used in cost accounting that has gained traction in health economics to identify value optimization initiatives. It measures time, assigns value to time increments spent on a patient, and integrates the cost of material and human resources utilized in each episode of care. In this study, the authors report the first use of TDABC to evaluate costs in a pediatric neurosurgical practice.

A systematic review of the power of standardization in pediatric neurosurgery.

In the current neurosurgical field, there is a constant emphasis on providing the best care with the most value. Such work requires the constant optimization of not only surgical but also perioperative services. Recent work has demonstrated the power of standardized techniques in limiting complication while promoting optimal outcomes.

Learning Curve in Robotic Stereoelectroencephalography: Single Platform Experience.

Background: Learning curve, training, and cost impede widespread implementation of new technology. Neurosurgical robotic technology introduces challenges to visuospatial reasoning and requires the acquisition of new fine motor skills. Studies detailing operative workflow, learning curve, and patient outcomes are needed to describe the utility and cost-effectiveness of new robotic technology.

The evolution of stereoelectroencephalography: symbiotic progress in medical imaging and procedural technologies.

Stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) was pioneered in France, at a time when cerebral anatomy was invisible to contemporaneous imaging modalities. Epilepsy surgeons relied on indirect targeting techniques to identify epileptogenic tissue. Since then, alongside the rapid rise of medical imaging technology, sEEG has experienced dramatic stepwise progress.

Aspirator-Assisted Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in an Infant: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is an effective treatment for hydrocephalus in carefully selected patients. Studies have shown that larger ostomy size may be associated with higher ETV success and reduced ostomy closure in pediatric and adult patients. Therefore dilation of the ostomy is a key step in this procedure, which is traditionally accomplished with a balloon catheter, leaving behind loose redundant tissue at the ostomy site.

Deep brain stimulation in a pediatric dystonia patient with cochlear implants and mitochondrial disorder: novel application of a frameless stereotactic system and navigating the anesthesia choice and neurosurgical complexities. Illustrative case.

Background: This report presents a case of medically refractory dystonia in a pediatric patient successfully treated with bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) while under general anesthesia by using microelectrode recordings (MERs) with intraoperative computed tomography (CT).

Observations: The patient was an 18-year-old female with primary dystonia secondary to mitochondrial Leigh syndrome. Her past medical history was significant for complex partial epilepsy and hearing loss treated with cochlear implants.

Surgical management of pediatric occipital neuralgia: a single-center experience of an uncommon pathology.

Objective: Occipital neuralgia (ON) is a rare headache disorder characterized by sharp pain in the distribution of the greater occipital nerve (GON), lesser occipital nerve, or third occipital nerve. ON is commonly associated with traumatic injury, and effective identification and diagnosis can be difficult given the infrequent presentation and similarities to other pediatric headache disorders. While GON decompression has been well described in adults for refractory pain, there is a paucity of data in the pediatric population, with no previously published series on ON.

Treatment of pediatric trigeminal neuralgia with microvascular decompression: a case series and systematic review.

Objective: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a rare disorder, affecting 4-13 per 100,000 people annually. Only 1%-1.5% of these cases are reported before the age of 18 years.

Accuracy of Depth Electrodes is Not Time-Dependent in Robot-Assisted Stereoelectroencephalography in a Pediatric Population.

Background And Objectives: Robot-assisted stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) is steadily supplanting traditional frameless and frame-based modalities for minimally invasive depth electrode placement in epilepsy workup. Accuracy rates similar to gold-standard frame-based techniques have been achieved, with improved operative efficiency. Limitations in cranial fixation and placement of trajectories in pediatric patients are believed to contribute to a time-dependent accumulation of stereotactic error.

Influence of the living Pareto chart and data transparency on patient outcomes in neurosurgery.

Objective: Quality improvement (QI) tools are increasingly being used to calibrate healthcare quality. Achieving healthcare quality is essential, as there is a movement toward value-based healthcare delivery. Visual management, such as a living Pareto chart, is a strategy for improvement within the QI framework.

Concomitant brain abscess and spinal cord abscess in an immunocompetent teenage male: illustrative case.

Background: Multiple bilateral brain abscesses occur rarely in immunocompetent patients. Hematogenous spread to the central nervous system (CNS) allows suppuration and abscess formation in the privileged immune environment of the CNS; hematogenous spread to the spinal cord is extremely rare and the combination of multifocal brain abscesses and intramedullary abscesses has not been reported. This report presents a rare presentation and diagrams a treatment algorithm involving iterative minimal access surgeries and prolonged medical management.

Predictors of Seizure Freedom in Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas.

Objective: Pediatric low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are found in approximately one to three percent of patients with childhood epilepsy. Epilepsy in these patients is often medically refractory and therefore represents a unique cohort with significant morbidity from concomitant pathology. Similar studies in adult patients with low-grade gliomas have identified predictors of seizure freedom including gross-total resection, preoperative seizure control on antiepileptic medication and duration of seizures of less than one year.

Torcular pseudomass in a 14-month-old child: illustrative case.

Background: "Torcular pseudomass," or redundant soft tissue in the torcular region, is not an infrequent incidental finding on advanced imaging of the brain in infants and young children. It was recently codified among pediatric neuroradiologists; however, its report in the pediatric neurosurgical community has not previously been elucidated.

Observations: The authors present a case of a 14-month-old child who presented with fever and a first-time seizure.

Spinal cord stimulation for treatment of chronic neuropathic pain in adolescent patients: a single-institution series, systematic review, and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Objective: Neuropathic pain is undertreated in children. Neurosurgical treatments of pediatric chronic pain are limited by the absence of both US Food and Drug Administration approval and pediatric-specific hardware, as well as weak referral patterns due to a lack of physician education. This study presents a single-institution retrospective case series of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in children ≤ 19 years of age and a systematic review of SCS in children.

Academic productivity in pediatric neurosurgery in relation to elective surgery slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: COVID-19 has not only impacted healthcare systems directly via hospitalizations and resource utilization, but also indirectly via adaptations in healthcare practice, such as the evolution of the academic environment and the rise of telemedicine and virtual education. This void in clinical responsibilities has been filled with academic productivity in various fields. In this study the authors investigate the influence of COVID-19 on the academic focus within pediatric neurosurgery.

Multidisciplinary neurocutaneous syndrome clinics: a systematic review and institutional experience.

Objective: Neurocutaneous syndromes have variable multisystem involvement. The multiorgan involvement, potential pathologies, and various treatment options necessitate collaboration and open discussion to ensure optimal treatment in any given patient. These disorders provide quintessential examples of chronic medical conditions that require a lifelong, multidisciplinary approach.

Iatrogenic Spinal Deformity Following Spinal Intradural Arachnoid Cyst Fenestration Despite Minimal Access With Laminoplasty and Endoscopy in a Pediatric Patient.

Spinal intradural arachnoid cysts (SAC) are non-neoplastic lesions that can cause spinal cord compression and present with myelopathy, radiculopathy, and/or back pain. Because these cysts typically span multiple levels, endoscopy could be a useful tool to avoid wide exposure. We present an 8-year-old patient with a history of gait imbalance and urinary incontinence who was found to have a SAC spanning C7 to T6 causing spinal cord compression.

The Role of Instrumentation in the Surgical Treatment of Spondylodiscitis and Spinal Epidural Abscess: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Despite the high incidence of spinal infections that require an operation, there is no consensus on the most appropriate initial surgical management for these patients regarding decompression with vs without instrumented fusion. In this study, we investigated the differences in clinical outcomes, complication rates, and reoperation rates between patients with spinal epidural abscess who underwent decompression alone vs decompression with instrumented fusion.

Methods: Records of patients undergoing operative intervention for spondylodiscitis with spinal epidural abscess at the authors' institution between 2011 and 2018 were reviewed.