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Vincent Matthijs, Jelle Vandersteene, and Edward Baert

OBJECTIVE

Surgical techniques to correct scaphocephaly often rely on the implantation of foreign material and/or postoperative helmet therapy and possibly result in minimal correction of frontal bossing. Moreover, foreign material and helmet therapy are associated with extra medical care and financial costs. Frontal bossing is perceived as a prominent, disfiguring feature of scaphocephaly. Herein, authors present the results of a total cranial vault remodeling technique that corrects scaphocephaly features without relying on foreign material or postoperative helmet therapy. It includes frontal release and pterional decompression, which aim to correct frontal bossing.

METHODS

All patients who had been operated on for isolated scaphocephaly at a single institution between January 2011 and December 2020 were included in this retrospective review. Operation time, transfusion volume, hospital stay, complications, cephalic index (CI), and bossing angle (BA) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Sixty-five patients with nonsyndromic scaphocephaly were included in this analysis. Imaging to calculate the CI and BA preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and 1 year postoperatively was available in 22 and 20 patients, respectively. The mean CI increased from 69.2% preoperatively to 74.6% postoperatively and 75.5% 1 year postoperatively. The mean BA decreased from 114.5° preoperatively to 111.6° postoperatively and 108.9° 1 year postoperatively. The mean operating time was 2 hours 4 minutes, and the median blood transfusion volume was 100 ml. There were no major complications or reoperations.

CONCLUSIONS

The described total cranial vault remodeling technique is a safe procedure that mitigates total treatment burden, as no helmet therapy or implantation of foreign material is needed. It is effective in correcting CI and results in significant frontal bossing correction. The latter is attributed to a distinctive feature of the technique: frontal release and pterional decompression.

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Xiaojiang Pu, Bo Yang, Qingshuang Zhou, Haojie Chen, Bin Wang, Zezhang Zhu, Yong Qiu, and Xu Sun

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of preoperative halo-gravity traction (HGT) with subsequent growing rod (GR) treatment in patients with severe early-onset scoliosis (EOS).

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed a cohort of patients with severe EOS who had received preoperative HGT with subsequent GR treatment at their center between January 2008 and January 2020. Patients with a Cobb angle in the coronal or sagittal plane that was > 90° were included. All patients received at least 6 weeks of HGT before GR placement. Results of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and blood gas tests were compared before and after HGT. Radiological parameters were compared pre-HGT, post-HGT, postindex surgery, and at the latest follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 28 patients (17 boys and 11 girls, mean age 6.1 ± 2.3 years) were included in this study. After a mean of 65.2 ± 22.9 days of traction, the Cobb angle decreased from 101.4° ± 12.5° to 74.5° ± 19.3° (change rate 26.5%), and the kyphosis angle decreased from 71.1° ± 21.2° to 42.7° ± 9.5° (change rate 39.9%). There was a significant improvement in BMI but a decrease in hemoglobin levels following HGT. No HGT-related complications were recorded except pin site infections in 2 patients. Statistically significant improvements in PFTs after HGT were observed in forced vital capacity (FVC) (p = 0.011), the percentage predicted FVC (p = 0.007), FEV1 (p = 0.015), and the percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (p = 0.005). Fourteen patients received assisted ventilation due to preoperative hypoxia, alveolar hypoventilation, or hypercapnia. Significant improvement was seen in PaCO2 (p = 0.008), PaO2 (p = 0.005), actual bicarbonate (p = 0.005), and oxygen saturation (p = 0.012) in these patients. After the index surgery, the Cobb angle decreased to 49.5° ± 18.9° and the kyphosis angle decreased to 36.2° ± 25.8°. After a mean of 4.3 ± 1.4 lengthening procedures, the Cobb angle was 56.5° ± 15.8°, and the kyphosis angle was 38.8° ± 19.7°. Surgical complications occurred in 14 (50%) patients, but none of these patients required revision surgery at the latest follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative HGT notably improved both spinal deformity and pulmonary function in patients with severe EOS. GR treatment after HGT is a safe and effective strategy for these patients.

Open access

Asra Askari, Brandon J. Zhu, Jordan L. W. Lam, Kara J. Wyant, Kelvin L. Chou, and Parag G. Patil

OBJECTIVE

The effect of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) on urinary dysfunction and constipation in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is variable. This study aimed to identify potential surgical and nonsurgical variables predictive of these outcomes.

METHODS

The authors used the Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part I to assess urinary dysfunction (item 10) and constipation (item 11) preoperatively and at 6–12 months postoperatively. A multiple linear regression model was used to investigate the impact of global cerebral atrophy (GCA) and active electrode contact location on the urinary dysfunction and constipation follow-up scores, controlling for age, disease duration, baseline score, motor improvement, and levodopa-equivalent dose changes. An electric field model was applied to localize the maximal-effect sites for constipation and urinary dysfunction compared with those for motor improvement.

RESULTS

Among 74 patients, 23 improved, 28 deteriorated, and 23 remained unchanged for urinary dysfunction; 25 improved, 15 deteriorated, and 34 remained unchanged for constipation. GCA score and age significantly predicted urinary dysfunction follow-up score (R2 = 0.36, p < 0.001). Increased GCA and age were independently associated with worsening urinary symptoms. Disease duration, baseline constipation score, and anterior active electrode contacts in both hemispheres were significant predictors of constipation follow-up score (R2 = 0.31, p < 0.001). Higher baseline constipation score and disease duration were associated with worsening constipation; anterior active contact location was associated with improvement in constipation.

CONCLUSIONS

Anterior active contact location was associated with improvement in constipation in PD patients after STN DBS. PD patients with greater GCA scores before surgery were more likely to experience urinary deterioration after DBS.

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John P. Andrews, Daniel D. Cummins, Ramin A. Morshed, Benyam Kinde, Manish K. Aghi, Michael W. McDermott, Mitchel S. Berger, and Philip V. Theodosopoulos

OBJECTIVE

Intraventricular meningiomas (IVMs) of the lateral ventricle are rare tumors that present surgical challenges because of their deep location. Visual field deficits (VFDs) are one risk associated with these tumors and their treatment. VFDs may be present preoperatively due to the tumor and mass effect (tumor VFDs) or may develop postoperatively due to the surgical approach (surgical VFDs). This institutional series aimed to review surgical outcomes following resection of IVMs, with a focus on VFDs.

METHODS

Patients who received IVM resection at one academic institution between the years 1996 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) reconstructions of the optic radiations around the tumor were performed from preoperative IVM imaging. The VFD course and resolution were documented.

RESULTS

Thirty-two adult patients underwent IVM resection, with gross-total resection in 30 patients (93.8%). Preoperatively, tumor VFDs were present in 6 patients, resolving after surgery in 5 patients. Five other patients (without preoperative VFD) had new persistent surgical VFDs postoperatively (5/32, 15.6%) that persisted to the most recent follow-up. Of the 5 patients with persistent surgical VFDs, 4 received a transtemporal approach and 1 received a transparietal approach, and all these deficits occurred prior to regular use of DTI in preoperative imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

New surgical VFDs are a common neurological deficit after IVM resection. Preoperative DTI may demonstrate distortion of the optic radiations around the tumor, thus revealing safe operative corridors to prevent surgical VFDs.

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Solon Schur, Ehab Y. Hanna, Shirley Y. Su, Michael E. Kupferman, Franco DeMonte, and Shaan M. Raza

OBJECTIVE

Expanded endoscopic approaches (EEAs) are increasingly used for the definitive management of sinonasal malignancies. EEAs, in appropriately selected cases, provide similar oncological outcomes but are associated with lower complication rates compared with open surgical approaches. Selection bias is a limitation reported in previous studies comparing EEAs and open surgical approaches for the management of sinonasal malignancies. To address this issue, in this study the authors compared the long-term oncological outcomes of an anatomically matched cohort of patients with locally advanced sinonasal malignancies with skull base involvement (T4 stage). The specific objective of this study was to investigate the extent of resection (EOR), overall survival (OS), and disease progression between the EEA and open surgical cohorts.

METHODS

A cohort of 42 patients with locally advanced sinonasal malignancies and skull base involvement (stage T4) and operated on via an EEA was matched anatomically with a cohort of 54 patients who had undergone open surgery. A retrospective chart review was conducted on these 96 patients who were treated between September 1993 and June 2020. All patients in the cohort were eligible for either an EEA or open surgery according to anatomical criteria. Patients of all ages were included, and the minimum follow-up required for eligibility was 4 months. Patients were excluded if surgery was not offered for curative intent and preoperative imaging did not demonstrate that gross-total resection was achievable.

RESULTS

There were more complications in the conventional surgery cohort than in the EEA cohort (33.33% vs 14.29%, p = 0.033). There was no significant difference in the EOR between the EEA and conventional surgery cohorts, as demonstrated by comparable rates of positive margins in both groups (5.56% vs 2.38%, respectively). Disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] 0.47, 95% CI 0.17–1.27, p = 0.137) was lower and OS (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.26–1.29, p = 0.183) was higher in the EEA cohort, but these findings did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

The EEA was found to be associated with lower risks of complications than conventional craniofacial surgical approaches. There were no significant differences in OS and progression-free survival between the EEA and conventional surgical cohorts when comparing anatomically matched cohorts of patients with stage T4 sinonasal malignancies and skull base involvement.

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Elizabeth Yi Zheng, Shoko Hara, Motoki Inaji, Yoji Tanaka, Tadashi Nariai, and Taketoshi Maehara

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether indirect revascularization in pediatric patients with moyamoya disease leads to periventricular anastomosis (PVA) regression, which is markedly developed in moyamoya vessels and is regarded as a risk factor for hemorrhage.

METHODS

Pediatric patients with moyamoya disease treated with indirect revascularization from 2011 to 2021 were included in this study. Magnetic resonance angiography and arterial spin labeling images acquired before and 1 year after surgery were assessed to obtain a visual scale of postoperative collateral artery formation, moyamoya vessels, PVA, and quantitative values of cerebral blood flow (CBF). The relationship between background information (age, sex, RNF213 p.R4810K variant status, and preoperative CBF) and postoperative collateral artery formation, as well as postoperative CBF improvement and regression of moyamoya vessels and PVA, was evaluated.

RESULTS

Of 89 hemispheres in 58 patients (34 females; mean [SD] patient age 8.0 [3.4] years), 74.2% showed good postoperative collateral artery formation and a significant increase in CBF (p < 0.001). Postoperative PVA showed significant regression (postoperative score 1.46 [1.06] vs 2.02 [1.69], p = 0.001), especially in those arising from choroidal arteries (postoperative score 0.28 [0.50] vs 0.72 [0.67], p < 0.001). Compared with hemispheres without good collateral artery formation, those with good collateral artery formation were more likely to show a higher increase in CBF (9.74 [12.44] ml/min/100 g vs −4.86 [9.68] ml/min/100 g, p < 0.001) and regression of PVA (54.5% [36/66] vs 30.4% [7/23], p = 0.015). Although not statistically significant, patients with postoperative PVA progression were younger than those with regression (6.75 [3.03] years vs 8.18 [3.17] years, p = 0.188), and patients with the RNF213 p.R4810K variant were more likely to show regression (28/57 [49.1%] hemispheres vs 5/13 [38.5%] hemispheres, p = 0.069).

CONCLUSIONS

Indirect revascularization in pediatric patients with moyamoya disease resulted in good collateral extracranial artery formation and an increase in CBF and PVA regression, especially of vessels arising from choroidal arteries. With good postoperative collateral artery development, patients were more likely to show improved CBF and regression of moyamoya vessels, including PVA. Whether postoperative PVA changes reduce future hemorrhage risk requires further investigation.

Open access

Zhouzerui Liu, Angeliki Mela, Michael G. Argenziano, Matei A. Banu, Julia Furnari, Corina Kotidis, Colin P. Sperring, Nelson Humala, Aayushi Mahajan, Jeffrey N. Bruce, Peter Canoll, and Peter A. Sims

OBJECTIVE

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumor, and resection is a key part of the standard of care. In fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS), fluorophores differentiate tumor tissue from surrounding normal brain. The heme synthesis pathway converts 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), a fluorogenic substrate used for FGS, to fluorescent protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). The resulting fluorescence is believed to be specific to neoplastic glioma cells, but this specificity has not been examined at a single-cell level. The objective of this study was to determine the specificity with which 5-ALA labels the diversity of cell types in GBM.

METHODS

The authors performed single-cell optical phenotyping and expression sequencing–version 2 (SCOPE-seq2), a paired single-cell imaging and RNA sequencing method, of individual cells on human GBM surgical specimens with macroscopically visible PpIX fluorescence from patients who received 5-ALA prior to surgery. SCOPE-seq2 allowed the authors to simultaneously image PpIX fluorescence and unambiguously identify neoplastic cells from single-cell RNA sequencing. Experiments were also conducted in cell culture and co-culture models of glioma and in acute slice cultures from a mouse glioma model to investigate cell- and tissue-specific uptake and secretion of 5-ALA and PpIX.

RESULTS

SCOPE-seq2 analysis of human GBM surgical specimens revealed that 5-ALA treatment resulted in labeling that was not specific to neoplastic glioma cells. The cell culture further demonstrated that nonneoplastic cells could be labeled by 5-ALA directly or by PpIX secreted from surrounding neoplastic cells. Acute slice cultures from mouse glioma models showed that 5-ALA preferentially labeled GBM tumor tissue over nonneoplastic brain tissue with significant labeling in the tumor margins, and that this contrast was not due to blood-brain barrier disruption.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, these findings support the use of 5-ALA as an indicator of GBM tissue but question the main advantage of 5-ALA for specific intracellular labeling of neoplastic glioma cells in FGS. Further studies are needed to systematically compare the performance of 5-ALA to that of potential alternatives for FGS.

Open access

Elias Elias, Kimmo J Hatanpaa, Matthew MacAllister, Ali Daoud, Charbel Elias, and Zeina Nasser

BACKGROUND

Traumatic neuroma typically refers to a reactive process in the injured peripheral nerve, characterized by an excessive growth of axons, Schwann cells, and fibroblasts at the proximal end of the nerve after its interruption. The authors report a case of a traumatic neuroma in the cervical nerve root in a patient with no history of trauma.

OBSERVATIONS

The patient presented with sensation loss in the right-hand ulnar distribution, right flank around the T4–11 region, and right small toe along with motor power weakness over the right upper and lower extremity. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary mass lesion with extension along the C7 nerve root. Histological examination showed traumatic neuroma. A total resection of the lesion along with the resolution of sensory and motor deficits was achieved directly after surgery.

LESSONS

Traumatic neuroma should always be kept in the armamentarium for diagnosis of an intradural nerve sheath tumor.

Open access

Brooke Elberson, Hayden Scott, Rohit Dhall, and Erika Petersen

BACKGROUND

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established neurosurgical intervention for a growing number of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Patients who are affected by Parkinson’s disease may benefit from DBS of either the subthalamic nucleus or the globus pallidus internus. Patients who undergo DBS often notice a significant reduction in their clinical symptoms; however, the procedure is not without risks. Multicenter studies have reported postoperative complications such as hardware infection, intracranial hemorrhage, and perielectrode edema.

OBSERVATIONS

The authors report a case of a perielectrode cyst managed conservatively. Tracking the impedance trend was a novel approach to monitor for changes within the cyst and to herald a clinical change in the patient. Perielectrode cystic formation can be a transient process that resolves spontaneously or with conservative, nonoperative management, and all diagnostic information is valuable in making clinical decisions.

LESSONS

Impedance values have provided an appropriate estimation of this patient’s clinical picture. The authors suggest treatment of edema and a cyst after DBS lead implantation through conservative management and observation, avoiding the removal of hardware if a patient’s clinical picture is either stable or improving and forgoing additional clinical imaging if the impedance values are trending in an appropriate direction.

Open access

Irakliy Abramov, Charuta G Furey, Yuan Xu, Jennifer M Eschbacher, Kris A Smith, and Mark C Preul

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative frozen sections play a critical role in surgical strategy because of their ability to provide rapid histopathological information. In cases in which intraoperative biopsy carries a significant risk of bleeding, intraoperative confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) can assist in decision-making.

OBSERVATIONS

The authors present a rare case of a large sellar hemangioblastoma. Preoperative radiographic imaging and normal pituitary function suggested a differential diagnosis that included hemangioblastoma. The patient underwent partial preoperative embolization and a right-sided pterional craniotomy for resection of the lesion. Gross intraoperative examination revealed a highly vascular sellar lesion requiring circumferential dissection to minimize blood loss. The serious vascularity precluded intraoperative frozen section analysis, and CLE imaging was performed. CLE imaging provided excellent visualization of the remarkable vascular structure and characteristic histoarchitecture with microvasculature, intracytoplasmic vacuoles, and atypical cells consistent with hemangioblastoma. Resection and decompression of the chiasm was accomplished, and the patient was discharged with improved vision. The final histopathological diagnosis was hemangioblastoma.

LESSONS

When the benefits of obtaining intraoperative frozen sections greatly outweigh the associated risks, CLE imaging can aid in decision-making. CLE imaging offers real-time, on-the-fly evaluation of intraoperative tissue without the need to biopsy a vascular lesion.