Neurology Commons^™

Neurologic Outcomes For Adult Spinal Cord Ependymomas Stratified By Tumor Location: A Retrospective Cohort Study And 2-Year Outlook, Keanu Chee, Grégoire P Chatain, Michael W Kortz, Stephanie Serva, Keshari Shrestha, Timothy H Ung, Jens-Peter Witt, Michael Finn

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Determine whether craniocaudal spinal cord tumor location affects long-term neurologic outcomes in adults diagnosed with spinal ependymomas (SE). A retrospective cohort analysis of patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent surgical resection for SE over a ten-year period was conducted. Tumor location was classified as cervical, thoracic, or lumbar/conus. Primary endpoints were post-operative McCormick Neurologic Scale (MNS) scores at < 3 days, 6 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years. One-way ANOVA was performed to detect significant differences in MNS scores between tumor locations. Twenty-eight patients were identified. The average age was 44.2 ± 15.4 years. Sixteen were male, and 13 were female. There were 10 cervical-predominant SEs, 13 thoracic-predominant SEs, and 5 lumbar/conus-predominant SEs. No significant differences were observed in pre-operative MNS scores between tumor locations (p = 0.73). One-way ANOVA testing demonstrated statistically significant differences in post-operative MNS scores between tumor locations at < 3 days (p = 0.03), 6 weeks (p = 0.009), and 1 year (p = 0.003); however, no significant difference was observed between post-operative MNS scores at 2 years (p = 0.13). The mean MNS score for patients with thoracic SEs were higher at all follow-up time points. Tumors arising in the thoracic SE are associated with worse post-operative neurologic outcomes in comparison to SEs arising in other spinal regions. This is likely multifactorial in etiology, owing to both anatomical differences including spinal cord volume as well as variations in tumor characteristics. No significant differences in 2-year MNS scores were observed, suggesting that patients ultimately recover from neurological insult sustained at the time of surgery.

Association Of Noncontrast Computed Tomography And Perfusion Modalities With Outcomes In Patients Undergoing Late-Window Stroke Thrombectomy, Guilherme B F Porto, Ching-Jen Chen, Sami Al Kasab, Muhammed Amir Essibayi, Eyad Almallouhi, Zachary Hubbard, Reda Chalhoub, Ali Alawieh, Ilko Maier, Marios-Nikos Psychogios, Stacey Q Wolfe, Pascal Jabbour, Ansaar Rai, Robert M Starke, Amir Shaban, Adam Arthur, Joon-Tae Kim, Shinichi Yoshimura, Jonathan Grossberg, Peter Kan, Isabel Fragata, Adam Polifka, Joshua Osbun, Justin Mascitelli, Michael R Levitt, Richard Williamson, Daniele G Romano, Roberto Crosa, Benjamin Gory, Maxim Mokin, Kaustubh S Limaye, Walter Casagrande, Mark Moss, Ramesh Grandhi, Albert Yoo, Alejandro M Spiotta, Min S Park

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Importance: There is substantial controversy with regards to the adequacy and use of noncontrast head computed tomography (NCCT) for late-window acute ischemic stroke in selecting candidates for mechanical thrombectomy.

Objective: To assess clinical outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting in the late window who underwent mechanical thrombectomy stratified by NCCT admission in comparison with selection by CT perfusion (CTP) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Design, setting, and participants: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, prospectively maintained Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm (STAR) database was used by selecting patients within the late window of acute ischemic stroke and emergent large vessel …

A Taxonomy Of Childhood Pedal Cyclist Injuries From Latent Class Analysis: Associations With Factors Pertinent To Prevention, Joseph Piatt

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Background: Studies of pedal cyclist injuries have largely focused on individual injury categories, but every region of the cyclist's body is exposed to potential trauma. Real-world injury patterns can be complex, and isolated injuries to one body part are uncommon among casualties requiring hospitalization. Latent class analysis (LCA) may identify important patterns in heterogeneous samples of qualitative data.

Methods: Data were taken from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program of the American College of Surgeons for 2017. Inclusion criteria were age 18 years or less and an external cause of injury code for pedal cyclist. Injuries were characterized by Abbreviated Injury …

A Machine Learning Approach To First Pass Reperfusion In Mechanical Thrombectomy: Prediction And Feature Analysis., Lohit Velagapudi, Nikolaos Mouchtouris, Richard F Schmidt, David Vuong, Omaditya Khanna, Ahmad Sweid, Bryan Sadler, Fadi Al-Saiegh, M Reid Gooch, Pascal Jabbour, Robert H Rosenwasser, Stavropoula Tjoumakaris

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Novel machine learning (ML) methods are being investigated across medicine for their predictive capabilities while boasting increased adaptability and generalizability. In our study, we compare logistic regression with machine learning for feature importance analysis and prediction in first-pass reperfusion.

METHODS: We retrospectively identified cases of ischemic stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) at our institution from 2012-2018. Significant variables used in predictive modeling were demographic characteristics, medical history, admission NIHSS, and stroke characteristics. Outcome was binarized TICI on first pass (0-2a vs 2b-3). Shapley feature importance plots were used to identify variables that strongly affected outcomes.

RESULTS: Accuracy for …

Cervical Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Ossification : Microscopy-Assisted Anterior Corpectomy And Fusion., Wanyi Wang, Tao Ding, James Harrop, Huilin Yang, Xiaofeng Gu, Dehong Feng, Yafeng Zhang, Hao Liu, Fenglin Tang, Yuntao Xue, Miao Lu, Chao Wu

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of microscopy-assisted anterior corpectomy and fusion for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

METHODS: A retrospective review of 32 cervical OPLL patients who underwent microscopy-assisted anterior corpectomy and fusion from June 2012 to March 2017 was carried out. Patients were evaluated with outcome metrics: Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores (17 points method), visual analog scale (VAS), and radiographic parameters of the lordotic angle. The complications during treatment and follow-up were recorded.

RESULTS: This study included 32 patients (15 males and 17 females) with a mean age of 58.3 ± 2.9 …

Intracranial Eeg Fluctuates Over Months After Implanting Electrodes In Human Brain., Hoameng Ung, Steven N. Baldassano, Hank Bink, Abba M. Krieger, Shawniqua Williams, Flavia Vitale, Chengyuan Wu, Dean Freestone, Ewan Nurse, Kent Leyde, Kathryn A. Davis, Mark Cook, Brian Litt

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Implanting subdural and penetrating electrodes in the brain causes acute trauma and inflammation that affect intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recordings. This behavior and its potential impact on clinical decision-making and algorithms for implanted devices have not been assessed in detail. In this study we aim to characterize the temporal and spatial variability of continuous, prolonged human iEEG recordings.

APPROACH: Intracranial electroencephalography from 15 patients with drug-refractory epilepsy, each implanted with 16 subdural electrodes and continuously monitored for an average of 18 months, was included in this study. Time and spectral domain features were computed each day for each channel for …

Association Of Magnet Status With Hospitalization Outcomes For Ischemic Stroke Patients., Kimon Bekelis, Symeon Missios, Todd A. Mackenzie

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: It is not clear whether Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (nursing excellence program) is associated with improved patient outcomes. We investigated whether hospitalization in a Magnet hospital is associated with improved outcomes for patients with ischemic stroke.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a cohort study of patients with ischemic stroke from 2009 to 2013, who were registered in the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database. Propensity-score-adjusted multivariable regression models were used to adjust for known confounders, with mixed effects methods to control for clustering at the facility level. An instrumental variable analysis was …

Duration Of Posttraumatic Amnesia Predicts Neuropsychological And Global Outcome In Complicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury., Tessa Hart, Thomas A. Novack, Nancy Temkin, Jason Barber, Sureyya S. Dikmen, Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Joseph Ricker, Dale C. Hesdorffer, Jack Jallo, Nancy H. Hsu, Ross Zafonte

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Examine the effects of posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) duration on neuropsychological and global recovery from 1 to 6 months after complicated mild traumatic brain injury (cmTBI).

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 330 persons with cmTBI defined as Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13 to 15 in emergency department, with well-defined abnormalities on neuroimaging.

METHODS: Enrollment within 24 hours of injury with follow-up at 1, 3, and 6 months.

MEASURES: Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended, California Verbal Learning Test II, and Controlled Oral Word Association Test. Duration of PTA was retrospectively measured with structured interview at 30 days postinjury.

RESULTS: Despite all having a …

A Prospective, Multicenter, Phase I Matched-Comparison Group Trial Of Safety, Pharmacokinetics, And Preliminary Efficacy Of Riluzole In Patients With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury., Robert G Grossman, Michael G Fehlings, Ralph F Frankowski, Keith D Burau, Diana S L Chow, Charles Tator, Angela Teng, Elizabeth G Toups, James Harrop, Bizhan Aarabi, Christopher I Shaffrey, Michele M Johnson, Susan J Harkema, Maxwell Boakye, James D Guest, Jefferson R Wilson

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

A prospective, multicenter phase I trial was undertaken by the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) to investigate the pharmacokinetics and safety of, as well as obtain pilot data on, the effects of riluzole on neurological outcome in acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Thirty-six patients, with ASIA impairment grades A-C (28 cervical and 8 thoracic) were enrolled at 6 NACTN sites between April 2010 and June 2011. Patients received 50 mg of riluzole PO/NG twice-daily, within 12 h of SCI, for 14 days. Peak and trough plasma concentrations were quantified on days 3 and 14. Peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and …

Hyperosmolar Therapy For Raised Intracranial Pressure., Ethan A Benardete

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Early Versus Delayed Decompression For Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: Results Of The Surgical Timing In Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (Stascis), Michael G. Fehlings, Alexander Vaccaro, Jefferson R. Wilson, Anoushka Singh, David W. Cadotte, James S. Harrop, Bizhan Aarabi, Christopher Shaffrey, Marcel Dvorak, Charles Fisher, Paul Arnold, Eric M. Massicotte, Stephen Lewis, Raja Rampersaud

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Background: There is convincing preclinical evidence that early decompression in the setting of spinal cord injury (SCI) improves neurologic outcomes. However, the effect of early surgical decompression in patients with acute SCI remains uncertain. Our objective was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of early (,24 hours after injury) versus late ($24 hours after injury) decompressive surgery after traumatic cervical SCI.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, international, prospective cohort study (Surgical Timing in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study: STASCIS) in adults aged 16–80 with cervical SCI. Enrolment occurred between 2002 and 2009 at 6 North American centers. The primary outcome was …

Macrophage Imbalance (M1 Vs. M2) And Upregulation Of Mast Cells In Wall Of Ruptured Human Cerebral Aneurysms: Preliminary Results., David Hasan, Nohra Chalouhi, Pascal Jabbour, Tomoki Hashimoto

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: M1 and M2 cells are two major subsets of human macrophages that exert opposite effects on the inflammatory response. This study aims to investigate the role of macrophage M1/M2 imbalance and mast cells in the progression of human cerebral aneurysms to rupture.

METHODS: Ten patients with cerebral aneurysms (five ruptured and five unruptured) underwent microsurgical clipping. During the procedure, a segment of the aneurysm dome was resected and immunostained with monoclonal antibodies for M1 cells (anti-HLA DR), M2 cells (anti-CD 163), and mast cells (anti-tryptase clone AA). A segment of the superficial temporal artery (STA) was also removed and …

Global Cns Gene Transfer For A Childhood Neurogenetic Enzyme Deficiency: Canavan Disease., Paola Leone, Christopher G Janson, Scott J Mcphee, Matthew J During

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

The neurogenetic prototypic disease on which we chose to test our gene therapy strategy is Canavan disease (CD). CD is an autosomal recessive leukodystrophy associated with spongiform degeneration of the brain. At present the disease is uniformly fatal in affected probands. CD is characterized by mutations in the aspartoacylase (ASPA) gene, resulting in loss of enzyme activity. In this review, recent evidence is summarized on the etiology and possible treatments for CD. In particular, we discuss two gene delivery systems representing recent advances in both viral and liposome technology: a novel cationic liposome-polymer-DNA (LPD) complex, DCChol/DOPE-protamine, as well as recombinant …