Publications by authors named "W R Boydston"

Primary meningeal melanomatosis is an extremely rare tumor with very few documented responses to treatment. A 3-year-old male with a complex past medical history, including prematurity and shunted hydrocephalus, was diagnosed with primary meningeal melanomatosis with peritoneal implants. Molecular testing revealed an NRAS Q61R mutation.

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Objective: The goal of this study was to assess the social determinants that influence access and outcomes for pediatric neurosurgical care for patients with Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) and syringomyelia (SM).

Methods: The authors used retro- and prospective components of the Park-Reeves Syringomyelia Research Consortium database to identify pediatric patients with CM-I and SM who received surgical treatment and had at least 1 year of follow-up data. Race, ethnicity, and insurance status were used as comparators for preoperative, treatment, and postoperative characteristics and outcomes.

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Background: It is expected that the incidence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt malfunctions would remain unchanged during the shelter-in-place period related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To examine the number of shunt surgeries performed in a single institution during this time interval in comparison to equivalent periods in past years.

Methods: The numbers of elective and emergent/urgent shunt surgeries performed at a single institution were queried for a 28-d period starting on the third Monday of March, between years 2015 and 2020.

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Purpose: Ventricular access devices (VAD) are often used for treatment of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) in preterm infants. The reported rates of infection have varied and range from 0 to 22 %. The objective of our study is to present our VAD associated infection at our institution.

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Object: Nonoperative blunt head trauma is a common reason for admission in a pediatric hospital. Adverse events, such as growing skull fracture, are rare, and the incidence of such morbidity is not known. As a result, optimal follow-up care is not clear.

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