Management of Severe Pyogenic Spinal Infections: The 2SICK Study by the EANS Spine Section.

Background Context: Spondylodiscitis management presents significant clinical challenges, particularly in critically ill patients, where the risks and benefits of surgical intervention must be carefully balanced. The optimal timing of surgery in this context remains a subject of debate.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early surgery versus delayed surgery or conservative management in critically ill patients with de novo pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

Bioimpedance Analysis in CKD and HF Patients: A Critical Review of Benefits, Limitations, and Future Directions.

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a validated non-invasive technique already proven to be useful for the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of body fluids in subjects with heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although BIA has been widely employed for research purposes, its clinical application is still not fully widespread. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of BIA utilization by analyzing the clinical benefits, limitations, and potential future developments in this clinically unexplored field.

The role of surgery in recurrent local cerebral metastases: a multi-institutional retrospective analysis.

Background: Local recurrent brain metastases are defined as lesions that recur in the brain at the same site after a previous local therapy. In patients already submitted to surgery, a second operation may be potentially challenging due to scar formation, infiltration of cerebral vessels or eloquent brain areas and local effect of previous radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to retrospectively review the results and complications of a second surgical treatment in a series of local recurrent lesions and to review the literature on this topic.

Sex Differences in Patient-rated Outcomes After Lumbar Spinal Fusion for Degenerative Disease: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Study Design: Heterogeneous data collection via a mix of prospective, retrospective, and ambispective methods.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of biological sex on patient-reported outcomes after spinal fusion surgery for lumbar degenerative disease.

Summary Of Background Data: Current literature suggests sex differences regarding clinical outcome after spine surgery may exist.

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Advanced Refractory Meningiomas: Efficacy and Toxicity in a Long Follow-up.

Recurrence of meningiomas after surgery and radiotherapy deserves specific attention because of the lack of active third-line therapies. Somatostatin receptors are usually overexpressed on the cell membrane of meningiomas, and this has led the way to a radionuclide theranostic approach. Diagnoses with Ga-DOTA-octreotide and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with Y/Lu-DOTA-octreotide are currently possible options within experimental protocols or as compassionate use in small patient groups.

Dendritic cell vaccines as cancer treatment: focus on 13 years of manufacturing and quality control experience in advanced therapy medicinal products.

Background Aims: Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells of the mammalian immune system. Ex vivo differentiated DCs represent a unique Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP), used in several clinical trials as personalized cancer immunotherapy. The therapy's reliability depends on its capacity to produce high-quality mature DCs (mDCs) in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices.

Effects of Emergent Carotid Stenting Performed before or after Mechanical Thrombectomy in the Endovascular Management of Patients with Tandem Lesions: A Multicenter Retrospective Matched Analysis.

Background And Purpose: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) along with emergent carotid stent placement (eCAS) has been suggested to have a greater benefit in patients with tandem lesions (TL), compared with other strategies of treatment. Nonetheless, there is no agreement on whether the intracranial occlusion should be treated before the cervical ICA lesion, or vice versa. In this retrospective multicenter study, we sought to compare clinical and procedural outcomes of the 2 different treatment approaches in patients with TL.

Surgical and Functional Outcomes of Posterior Cordotomy and Partial Arytenoidectomy with CO LASER in the Treatment of Bilateral Vocal Cord Immobility: A Single Institution Experience.

: The purpose of this study is to investigate surgical and functional outcomes of patients affected by bilateral vocal cord immobility (BVCI) and treated with posterior cordotomy and partial arytenoidectomy. : We performed a retrospective analysis on pre- and postoperative findings on a series of 27 patients affected by BVCI and treated with posterior cordotomy and partial arytenoidectomy from January 2017 to January 2022. Perceptual voice evaluations were performed using the GRBAS scale.

Multicenter external validation of prediction models for clinical outcomes after spinal fusion for lumbar degenerative disease.

Background: Clinical prediction models (CPM), such as the SCOAP-CERTAIN tool, can be utilized to enhance decision-making for lumbar spinal fusion surgery by providing quantitative estimates of outcomes, aiding surgeons in assessing potential benefits and risks for each individual patient. External validation is crucial in CPM to assess generalizability beyond the initial dataset. This ensures performance in diverse populations, reliability and real-world applicability of the results.

Hypothalamic Hemangioma-like Pilocytic Astrocytoma in an Adult Patient: A Systematic Review with a Focus on Differential Diagnosis and Neurological Presentation.

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PCA) are commonly observed as slow-growing noncancerous brain tumors in pediatric populations, but they can also occur in adults, albeit rarely. When located in diencephalic regions, particularly in the hypothalamus, they present unique diagnostic and management challenges due to their rarity and overlapping clinical and radiological features with other intracranial pathologies. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of hypothalamic PCA in adults, focusing on their differential diagnosis, neurological presentation, diagnostic modalities, treatment strategies.

Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis After Vestibular Schwannoma Surgery: Should We Anticoagulate?

Background: The incidence of dural venous sinus thrombosis (DVST) following vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery remains understudied. The diverse clinical presentation complicates forming anticoagulation treatment guidelines. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the incidence of DVST post-VS surgery and to evaluate the role of anticoagulation.

Expertise in surgical neuro-oncology. Results of a survey by the EANS neuro-oncology section.

Introduction: Technical advances and the increasing role of interdisciplinary decision-making may warrant formal definitions of expertise in surgical neuro-oncology.

Research Question: The EANS Neuro-oncology Section felt that a survey detailing the European neurosurgical perspective on the concept of expertise in surgical neuro-oncology might be helpful.

Material And Methods: The EANS Neuro-oncology Section panel developed an online survey asking questions regarding criteria for expertise in neuro-oncological surgery and sent it to all individual EANS members.

Nerve transfer for upper extremity reanimation in people with spinal cord injury: A 2-year follow-up case series.

Objective: To describe the 2-year functional outcomes of nerve transfer (NT) for upper extremity reanimation.

Study Design: A prospective case series.

Setting: A highly specialized rehabilitation hospital for spinal cord injury (SCI) in Italy.

Baseline clinical and neuroradiological predictors of outcome in patients with large ischemic core undergoing mechanical thrombectomy: A retrospective multicenter study.

Background: Recent randomized trials have shown the benefit of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) also in patients with an established large ischemic core.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to define baseline predictors of clinical outcome in patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the anterior circulation and an Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (ASPECTS) ⩽ 5, undergoing MT.

Material And Methods: The databases of 16 comprehensive stroke centers were retrospectively screened for patients with LVO and ASPECTS ⩽5 that received MT.

Bedside Laparoscopy in the Critically Ill: A Review of the Literature.

Critically ill patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) can present with many abdominal conditions that need a prompt diagnosis and timely treatment because of their general frailty. Clinical evaluation and diagnostic tools like ultrasound or CT scans are not reliable or feasible in these patients. Bedside laparoscopy (BSL) is a minimally invasive procedure that allows surgeons to assess the abdominal cavity directly in the ICU, thus avoiding unnecessary exploratory laparotomy or incidents related to intra-hospital transfer.

Preoperative elastoplasty of aggressive vertebral hemangiomas in elderly patients: a new strategy for reducing intraoperative bleeding and complications.

Purpose: Preoperative elastoplasty could be an alternative strategy for treating aggressive vertebral hemangiomas (VHs) in frail patients needing for spinal cord decompression, combining the advantages of embolization and vertebroplasty.

Methods: Three elderly patients with spinal cord compression from thoracic aggressive VHs underwent XperCT-guided percutaneous injection of silicone (VK100), filling the whole affected vertebra, followed by a decompressive laminectomy. At 12-months follow-up no recurrences, vertebral collapse or segmental kyphosis were noted at the CT scans, with patients reporting an improvement of preoperative neurological deficits, VAS and Smiley-Webster pain scale (SWPS) parameters.

The neurosurgical outpatient clinic: comparison between accesses in public and private activities.

Background: Neurosurgical clinic assesses presence and extent of pathologies of central and peripheral nervous system or disorders affecting the spine, to identify most effective treatment and possible recourse to surgery. The aim of the study is to evaluate the appropriateness of request for a neurosurgical consult both in private and in public outpatient clinics.

Materials And Methods: We collected and analyzed all the reports of outpatient visits of public and private clinic over a period between January and December 2018.

Early management of adult traumatic spinal cord injury in patients with polytrauma: a consensus and clinical recommendations jointly developed by the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) & the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS).

Background: The early management of polytrauma patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is a major challenge. Sparse data is available to provide optimal care in this scenario and worldwide variability in clinical practice has been documented in recent studies.

Methods: A multidisciplinary consensus panel of physicians selected for their established clinical and scientific expertise in the acute management of tSCI polytrauma patients with different specializations was established.

Dexamethasone and overall survival and progression free survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: Glioblastomas, the most common primary malignant brain tumors in adults, still hold poor prognosis. Corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone, are usually prescribed to reduce peritumoral edema and limit neurological symptoms, although potential detrimental effects of these drugs have been described. The present meta-analysis aimed to explore the association of dexamethasone with overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.