Neurosurgical Societies Research Articles

The Association of Neurosurgeons in the German Democratic Republic and its First Congresses in Divided Germany.

The German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC) was founded in Bonn in 1950 and saw itself as the all-German representation of neurosurgeons. The development of neurosurgery in divided Germany was different in each case as part of a system and was not unaffected by the confrontation between the two blocs (cold war), which also had a negative impact on the field of science. Thus, early on, restrictions on intra-German travel from the East made normal relations difficult. But travel restrictions also came from the West, where an Allied Travel Office in West Berlin decided whether an East German could enter a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) country. Nevertheless, it was possible that Georg Merrem from Leipzig took over the second chairmanship of the board of the DGNC of the election period from 1960 to 1962 and eight individual memberships of German Democratic Republic (GDR) neurosurgeons were still tolerated by the state side. The construction of the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961 meant that these connections also collapsed. Merrem, at that time the only full professor of neurosurgery in the GDR, founded the "Association of Neurosurgeons in the GDR" in 1962 in agreement with the state authorities. With the foundation of a GDR neurosurgeons' society, the demarcation from the DGNC desired by the state was visibly accomplished. There were no official relations between the two neurosurgical societies. During the period of its existence until 1990, the entire work of the East German society was under the guidance and control of state institutions, which in turn derived their work from the guidelines of the party and the decisions of the council of ministers. Using the example of the congress activities of the first 5 years after the Wall was built, we show this dependence on state institutions. It extends from congress planning to reporting. With available figures of participating speakers from West Germany and other countries, it is demonstrated for the individual congresses in Leipzig, Magdeburg, and Erfurt that the German-German connection was continued despite all adverse circumstances. The presence of West German colleagues, who were not deterred from attending the congress even by the construction of the Berlin Wall, can be seen as a visible expression of an unbroken togetherness. However, already in 1967, the party and the council of ministers passed the resolution "On the organization of work in the field of science and culture of the GDR to West Germany as well as West Berlin." This regulated membership, the associated travel, and the conditions for publications in West German journals. Among other things, this directive prohibited membership in scientific societies, including the DGNC, based in West Germany. The organization of its own congresses took on a special significance because a congress visit from East to West was regulated by the state and thus only possible in isolated cases.

Japanese Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial of Neurosurgical Clipping versus Endovascular Coiling in 1863 Patients with Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms.

This is a post hoc multivariate analysis of the modified World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grading project, multicenter prospective observational study including 38 neurosurgical institutions across Japan. Japan Neurosurgical Society WFNS grading committee conducted a modified WFNS grading project as a nationwide prospective registry study. We investigate the clinical outcome of both surgical and endovascular interventions after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in Japan. A total of 792 patients received surgical intervention and 417 patients received endovascular treatment. Eight hundred patients were female, and 409 patients were male. The mean age was 61.5 ± 13.7 years. At 3 month follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference in good clinical outcome between surgical (68.2%) and endovascular (60.9%) group (odds ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-1.16; p = 0.381). Unfavorable outcome rate was 31.8% (238 patients) in the surgical group and 39.1% (154 patients) in the endovascular group. Male, elderly people, modified Rankin scale condition before onset, high-grade modified WFNS clinical grading scale, intracerebral hematoma, posttreatment normal pressure hydrocephalus, and neurological deficit due to symptomatic vasospasm were risk factors for the clinical outcome. Treatment modality was not a statistical factor for clinical outcomes. Surgical clipping has still a major role in the management of SAH in Japan. The present study was not a randomized controlled study, but clinical outcome is not influenced by treatment modalities.

Risk factors associated with vasospasm after non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: a retrospective analysis of 456 patients.

The pathophysiology of vasospasm (VS) after non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage is not completely understood. Several risk factors associated with VS were previously reported, partially with conflicting results. The aim of this study was to identify patients at increased risk for VS. Retrospective analysis of data from all patients treated in our institutional intensive care unit (ICU) between 2010 and 2016 after non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Possible contributing factors for VS studied were: age, sex, aneurysm-localization, treatment option, ICU-stay, ICU mortality, pre-existing condition, medication history, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grading system, modified Fisher scale. We obtained data from 456 patients. 184 were male and 272 female patients, respectively. Mean age was 57.7±13.9 and was not different between sexes. In 119 patients, VS was diagnosed after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Incidence of VS was not different between sexes (male: 22.3%, female: 28.7%, P=0.127). Patients with VS were significantly younger (mean age 52.2 vs. 59.7, P<0.001), meanwhile patients aged 36-40 yrs. had the highest incidence of VS. Most VS were found after rupture of middle cerebral artery-aneurysms. Higher incidence of VS was found after aneurysm clipping compared to coiling. VS developed more often in patients with more severe WFNS grade and Fisher scale. In multivariate analysis, age, previous drug abuse and history of anticoagulants were associated with the incidence of VS. Younger age, middle cerebral artery-aneurysms, aneurysm clipping, previous drug abuse and history of anticoagulants were associated with a higher incidence of VS after non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. No gender difference was found.

The added value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage after negative noncontrast CT.

In patients presenting within 6 hours after signs and symptoms of suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), CSF examination is judged to be no longer necessary if a noncontrast CT (NCCT) scan rules out SAH. In this study, the authors evaluated the performance of NCCT to rule out SAH in patients with positive CSF findings. Between January 2006 and April 2018, 1657 patients were admitted with a nontraumatic SAH. Of these patients, 1546 had positive SAH findings on the initial NCCT and 111 patients had an NCCT scan that was reported as negative in the acute setting, but with positive CSF examination for subarachnoid blood. Demographic data, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade, and SAH time points (ictus, time of NCCT, and time of lumbar puncture) were collected. All 111 NCCT scans were reevaluated by an experienced neuroradiologist. Of the 111 patients with positive CSF findings, SAH was initially missed on NCCT in 25 patients (23%). Reevaluation of 21 patients presenting within 6 hours of symptom onset confirmed NCCT negative findings in 12 (5 aneurysms), an aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) pattern in 8 (7 aneurysms), and a perimesencephalic pattern in 1 patient. Reevaluation of 90 patients presenting after 6 hours confirmed negative NCCT findings in 74 patients (37 aneurysms), aSAH pattern in 10 (4 aneurysms), and a perimesencephalic pattern in 6 (2 aneurysms). CSF examination is still mandatory to rule out SAH as NCCT can fail to show blood, even within 6 hours after symptom onset. In addition, the diagnosis SAH was frequently missed during initial reporting.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Part I: Systematic Review of the Literature and Consensus on Anatomy, Diagnosis, and Classification of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies' Section of Peripheral Nerve Surgery.

Although numerous articles have been published not only on the classification of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) but also on diagnostic standards, timing, and type of surgical intervention, there still remains some controversy because of the lack of level 1 evidence. So far, attempts to generate uniform reporting standards have not yielded conclusive results. To systematically review the body of evidence and reach a consensus among neurosurgeons experienced in TOS regarding anatomy, diagnosis, and classification. A systematic literature search on PubMed/MEDLINE was performed on February 13, 2021, yielding 2853 results. Abstracts were screened and classified. Recommendations were developed in a meeting held online on February 10, 2021, and refined according to the Delphi consensus method. Six randomized controlled trials (on surgical, conservative, and injection therapies), 4 "guideline" articles (on imaging and reporting standards), 5 observational studies (on diagnostics, hierarchic designs of physiotherapy vs surgery, and quality of life outcomes), and 6 meta-analyses were identified. The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies' section of peripheral nerve surgery established 18 statements regarding anatomy, diagnosis, and classification of TOS with agreement levels of 98.4 % (±3.0). Because of the lack of level 1 evidence, consensus statements on anatomy, diagnosis, and classification of TOS from experts of the section of peripheral nerve surgery of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies were developed with the Delphi method. Further work on reporting standards, prospective data collections, therapy, and long-term outcome is necessary.

Gender Equality in Neurosurgery and Strategic Goals Toward a More Balanced Workforce.

The Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons published a white paper in 2008 setting an ambitious goal for women to comprise 20% of neurosurgery residents by 2012 and 20% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2020. Although there has been steady progress, we have fallen short of these benchmarks. We take this opportunity to look back at the accomplishments made over the past decade and provide an update on our present status. We evaluate current barriers toward progress and propose new goals, highlighting the systemic changes necessary to accomplish them. We propose the following updated recommendations to recruit and retain diverse talent into the neurosurgical workforce. (1) Neurosurgical departments and societies should provide diverse, early formal mentorship opportunities for medical students, residents, and junior faculty members. (2) Parental leave policies must be delineated, promoted, and enforced for all neurosurgeons, with greater awareness of internal discrimination and normalization of the discussion surrounding this topic. (3) We need to strive for compensation equity, with transparency in compensation mechanisms and regular assessment of compensation metrics. (4) Departments and institutions must have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and discrimination and establish a safe reporting structure. Finally, we propose attainable benchmarks toward achieving gender balance in the neurosurgical workforce, with a goal for women to comprise 30% of the entering residency class by 2030 and to comprise 30% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2038. We hope that this will guide further progress toward our future of building a balanced workforce.

Herniation World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Scale Improves Prediction of Outcome in Patients With Poor-Grade Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Favorable outcomes are seen in up to 50% of patients with World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grade V aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Therefore, the usefulness of the current WFNS grading system for identifying the worst scenarios for clinical studies and for making treatment decisions is limited. We previously modified the WFNS scale by requiring positive signs of brain stem dysfunction to assign grade V. This study aimed to validate the new herniation WFNS grading system in an independent prospective cohort. We conducted an international prospective multicentre study in poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients comparing the WFNS classification with a modified version-the herniation WFNS scale (hWFNS). Here, only patients who showed positive signs of brain stem dysfunction (posturing, anisocoric, or bilateral dilated pupils) were assigned hWFNS grade V. Outcome was assessed by modified Rankin Scale score 6 months after hemorrhage. The primary end point was the difference in specificity of the WFNS and hWFNS grading with respect to poor outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score 4-6). Of the 250 patients included, 237 reached the primary end point. Comparing the WFNS and hWFNS scale after neurological resuscitation, the specificity to predict poor outcome increased from 0.19 (WFNS) to 0.93 (hWFNS) (McNemar, P<0.001) whereas the sensitivity decreased from 0.88 to 0.37 (P<0.001), and the positive predictive value from 61.9 to 88.3 (weighted generalized score statistic, P<0.001). For mortality, the specificity increased from 0.19 to 0.93 (McNemar, P<0.001), and the positive predictive value from 52.5 to 86.7 (weighted generalized score statistic, P<0.001). The identification of objective positive signs of brain stem dysfunction significantly improves the specificity and positive predictive value with respect to poor outcome in grade V patients. Therefore, a simple modification-presence of brain stem signs is required for grade V-should be added to the WFNS classification. URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02304328.

Preoperative predictors of poor outcomes in Thai patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

ObjectiveA scoring system for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is useful for guiding treatment decisions, especially in urgent-care limited settings. This study developed a simple algorithm of clinical conditions and grading to predict outcomes in patients treated by clipping or coiling.MethodsData on patients with aSAH hospitalized in a university’s neurovascular center in Thailand from 2013 to 2018 were obtained for chart review. Factors associated with poor outcomes evaluated at one year were identified using a stepwise logistic regression model. For each patient, the rounded regression coefficients of independent risk factors were linearly combined into a total score, which was assessed for its performance in predicting outcomes using receiver operating characteristic analysis. An appropriate cutoff point of the scores for poor outcomes was based on Youden’s criteria, which maximized the summation between sensitivity or true positive rate and the specificity or true negative rate.ResultsPatients (n, 121) with poor outcomes (modified Rankin Scale, mRS score, 4–6) had a significantly higher proportion of old age, underlying hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, high clinical severity grading, preoperative rebleeding, and hydrocephalus than those (n, 336) with good outcomes (mRS score, 0–3). Six variables, including age >70 years, diabetes mellitus, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) scaling of IV-V, modified Fisher grading of 3–4, rebleeding, and hydrocephalus, were identified as independent risk factors and were assigned a score weight of 2, 1, 2, 1, 3 and 1, respectively. Among the total possible scores ranging from 0–10, the cut point at score 3 yielded the maximum Youden’s index (0.527), which resulted in a sensitivity of 77.7% and specificity of 75.0%.ConclusionA simple 0–10 scoring system on six risk factors for poor outcomes was validated for aSAH and should be advocated for use in limited resource settings.

Analysis of Angiographic Treatment Response to Intra-Arterial Nimodipine Bolus Injection in Patients with Medically Refractory Cerebral Vasospasm After Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Intra-arterial nimodipine (IAN) injections are performed in refractory delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) related to cerebral vasospasm (CVS) after spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (sSAH), but the clinical benefits are inconclusive and angiographic treatment failure is observed. We analyzed angiographic IAN response in a detailed vessel-specific manner and examined the impact of poor angiographic response on the further clinical course. Clinical data were retrospectively assessed in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage with symptomatic CVS receiving IAN bolus treatment. Clinical and angiographic predictors for poor angiographic response, DCI-related infarction, and unfavorable outcome were analyzed. Eighty-nine patients were included and 356 treated vessel segments, mainly located in the anterior circulation (93%), were analyzed. Angiographic response was good in 77% of the treated segments. Older age, poor World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grade 4-5 and early onset of CVS were independently associated with poor angiographic response. The factors short-segment, distal, and bilateral CVS as well as treatment of multiple vessel segments, WFNS grade 4-5, and early onset of CVS were significantly associated with an increased risk of DCI-related infarction. Clinical outcome was significantly influenced by poor WFNS grade and early onset of CVS, whereas poor angiographic response was not related to DCI-related infarction or unfavorable outcome. The risk of angiographic treatment failure is significantly increased in older patients and those with poor WFNS grade as in cases of early-onset CVS. Although the extent of angiographic CVS significantly affected the development of DCI-related infarction, poor angiographic response had no impact on cerebral infarction and clinical outcome.

Neurosurgeons Relate Heterogeneous Practices Regarding Activity and Return to Work After Spine Surgery

Given the paucity of relevant data, the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies Workforce Committee launched a survey of neurosurgeons to assess patterns in activity restriction recommendations following spine surgery; the ultimate goal was to optimize and potentially standardize these recommendations. The aim of this initial study was to determine current practices in activity restrictions and return to work guidelines following common spinal procedures. The survey included questions regarding general demographics and practice data, postoperative bracing/orthosis utilization, and guidelines for postoperative return to different levels of activity/types of work following specific spine surgery interventions. A spectrum of typical spine surgeries was assessed, including microdiscectomy, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), and lumbar fusion, both open and minimal invasive surgery (MIS) approaches. There was significant interprocedure and intraprocedure variation in the neurosurgeons' recommendations for postoperative activity and return to work recommendations after various spinal surgery procedures. Comparisons of the different surgical procedures evaluated revealed significant differences in cervical collar use (more often used following ≥2-level ACDF than single-level ACDF; P < 0.001), return to both sedentary and light physical work (greater restriction with ≥2-level ACDF than with single-level ACDF; P < 0.001), and return to a light exercise regimen (sooner following MIS versus open lumbar fusion; P < 0.001). This survey demonstrated little consistency regarding return to work recommendations, general activity restrictions, and orthosis utilization following common spinal surgical procedures. Addressing this issue also has significant implications for the societal and personal costs of spine surgery.

826 Gender Equality in Neurosurgery and Strategic Goals Towards a More Balanced Workforce

INTRODUCTION: The Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) published a white paper in 2008 setting a goal for women to comprise 20% of neurosurgery residents by 2012 and 20% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2020. There has been notable progress toward these benchmarks, but we ultimately fell short of their achievement. METHODS: A literature review was performed PubMed, Google Scholar, and published data from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and other society websites. to perform a thorough progress assessment. The combined expertise and experience of the authors was used to create new specific recommendations. RESULTS: There was an exponential increase in the number of female neurosurgical trainees in the past several decades, the percentage of female neurosurgery residents increased from 12.7% to 19.3%and the percentage of ABNS certified female neurosurgeons increased from 5% to 12% between 2010 and 2020. The total female authorship in Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery increased from 12 to 16.5% between 2003 and 2018, however there was no increase in senior authorship. Women were more likely to be published as first author with a female senior author than with a male senior author (30.4% v 14.1%). Systemic barriers identified include wage inequity of 10-25%, rampant sexual harassment, and barriers regarding parental leave policies. CONCLUSIONS: We propose the following updated recommendations. Neurosurgical departments and societies should make targeted effort to retain women in academic neurosurgery in order to foster mentorship opportunities. There must be explicit policies regarding sexual harassment, compensation equity, and parental leave. Finally, we propose new benchmarks of women comprising 30% of residents by 2030, and 30% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2040.

XGBoost Machine Learning Algorithm for Prediction of Outcome in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BackgroundPatients suffered aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) usually develop poor survival and functional outcome. Evaluating aSAH patients at high risk of poor outcome is necessary for clinicians to make suitable therapeutical strategy. This study is conducted to develop prognostic model using XGBoost (extreme gradient boosting) algorithm in aSAH.MethodsA total of 351 aSAH patients admitted to West China hospital were identified. Patients were divided into training set and test set with ratio of 7:3 to testify the predictive value of XGBoost based prognostic model. Additionally, logistic regression model was also constructed and compared with XGBoost based model. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were calculated to evaluate the value of XGBoost and logistic regression.ResultsThere were 74 (21.1%) non-survivors and 148 (42.1%) patients with unfavorable functional outcome. Non-survivors had older age (p=0.025), lower Glasgow coma scale (GCS) (p<0.001), higher World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies WFNS score (p<0.001), mFisher score (p<0.001). The incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (p=0.025) and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) (p<0.001) was higher in non-survivors than survivors. The AUC of XGBoost model for predicting mortality and unfavorable functional outcome were 0.950 and 0.958, which were higher than 0.767 and 0.829 of logistic regression model.ConclusionXGBoost based model is more precise than logistic regression model in predicting outcome of aSAH patients. Using XGBoost prognostic model is helpful for clinicians to identify high-risk aSAH patients and therefore strengthen medical care.

Epidemiology, natural course, and preventive measures of osteoporotic vertebral fractures: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations.

This review aims to search for up-to-date information on epidemiology, natural course, and preventive measures of osteoporotic spine fractures. We reviewed the literature of the last ten years using keywords "natural course and osteoporotic vertebral fractures," "epidemiology and osteoporotic vertebral fractures" and "prevention and osteoporotic vertebral fractures." We then discussed the search results to reach an agreement in two consensus meetings on January and February 2021 of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Spine Committee. Finally, we utilized the Delphi method to administer the questionnaire to preserve a high degree of validity. We summarized seven papers on the natural course, 15 articles on epidemiology, and 84 papers on preventing osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Finally, the consensus results after voting are presented. Natural course of acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures is benign; many patients may have sufficient pain relief during the first three months with conservative treatment. At the end of one year of conservative treatment, 40% may still have pain with VAS-scores ≥4. Since the populations are aging, the incidence of OVF continues to rise. Although the prevalence varies across the globe, the highest rates are from North America and some countries of Asia. Preventive treatment of OVF must involve an active lifestyle, adequate nutrition, prevention of immobilization with physical therapy, and pharmacological therapy. Oral calcium and vitamin D are first-line interventions to prevent the bone mass loss, especially in postmenopausal women. There are many pharmacological treatment options; the decision must be made by fracture risk assessment (clinical factors + BMD + BMI) alone or along with DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) or history of previous fragility fractures. The indication of one respect to the others is based on patient preference, compliance, and risk of discontinuation related to adverse events and administration method. The incidence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures increases with age and other factors. The natural course shows that most patients benefit from conservative therapy without any surgical intervention during the first three months. Preventive measures must include active lifestyle, adequate nutrition, prevention of immobilization with physical therapy, oral calcium, and vitamin D intake, and pharmacological therapy after fracture risk assessment.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures: radiologic diagnosis, clinical and radiologic factors affecting surgical decision making: WFNS spine committee recommendations.

With the varied literature on osteoporotic vertebral fracture that may predispose to diagnostic and management dilemma, it is timely to evaluate and streamline the evidence. The aim of this review is to create recommendations on osteoporotic vertebral fractures regarding radiologic diagnosis, and clinical and radiological factors affecting surgical decision making. A computerized literature search was done using PubMed, Google scholar and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 2010 to 2020. For radiologic diagnosis, the keywords "osteoporotic vertebral fractures" and "radiologic diagnosis" were used yielding 394 articles (19 relevant articles). For clinical and radiological factors affecting surgical decision making, the keywords "osteoporotic vertebral fractures," "radiologic diagnosis," and "surgery" were used yielding 568 articles (25 relevant articles). All pertinent data were reviewed, and consensus statements were obtained in two virtual separate consensus meetings of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Spine committee. The statements were voted and yielded positive or negative consensus using the Delphi method. This review summarizes the WFNS Spine Committee recommendations on the radiologic diagnosis, and clinical and radiological factors affecting surgical decision making of osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

Women in neurosurgery: perspectives from a developing country; Turkey.

Although at least half of medical students are women, neurosurgery is not often preferred by women, and the proportion of female neurosurgeons who can participate in the academic platform is very low. In this study, we aimed to show the role of female neurosurgeons in the Turkish Neurosurgical Society and to describe the number and the location of female neurosurgeons in Turkey. We examined the age, academic rank, years of work in the profession, membership rate in society subgroups, h-index parameters, and relationships of certificated female neurosurgeons registered in the Turkish Neurosurgical Society. We examined gender rate differences between society subgroups using chi-square tests. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. According to the year-end 2020 data of the Turkish Neurosurgery Society, 94 (5.5%) of the 1699 neurosurgery specialists registered in Turkey are women. There are currently 94 board-certified female neurosurgeons between the ages of 31 and 92years; 10 are full professors (10.6%), 16 are associate professors (17%), 5 are assistant professors (5.3%), and 63 are neurosurgery specialist physicians (67%). Female neurosurgeons are present among six of the subfields categorized by the Turkish Neurosurgical Society: 7 in pediatric neurosurgery (11.47%); 8 in spinal and peripheral nerve surgery (2.4%); 3 in neurovascular surgery (2.02%); 7 in functional neurosurgery (5.8%); 11 in neuroanatomy (9.2%); and 23 in neurooncology (6.9%). The number of female neurosurgeons in Turkey continues to grow each year. To increase the proportion of women in this field, it is important to support female neurosurgeons and enable them to take on more tasks.

Admission Homocysteine as a Potential Predictor for Delayed Cerebral Ischemia After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BackgroundDelayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a primary cause of poor prognosis after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and needs close medical attention in clinical practice. Homocysteine (Hcy) has been implicated in cerebrovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether serum Hcy could help to predict the occurrence of DCI in aSAH patients, and compare its diagnostic value with traditional methods.MethodsWe enrolled 241 aSAH patients in this study. Serum Hcy levels were collected from each patient. The baseline information was reviewed and analyzed. The binary logistic regression was used to explore the relation of serum Hcy levels with occurrence of DCI, and diagnostic performance of serum Hcy for predicting DCI was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.ResultsThe admission serum Hcy levels were found significantly higher in aSAH patients with DCI than those without (P < 0.001). The serum Hcy levels were positively correlated with the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) scores, modified Fisher scores as well as Hunt and Hess scores at admission. Multivariate analysis revealed that occurrence of DCI was associated with serum Hcy levels (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.257; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.133–1.396, P < 0.001), modified Fisher scores (OR = 1.871; 95%CI, 1.111–3.150, P = 0.018) and Hunt and Hess scores (OR = 2.581; 95%CI, 1.222–5.452, P = 0.013) after adjusting for the significant variables in univariate analysis. Meanwhile, serum Hcy levels achieved good performance for DCI prediction (area under the curve [AUC], 0.781; 95%CI, 0.723–0.831, P < 0.001).ConclusionSerum homocysteine might have the potential to be a useful and cost-effective biomarker for predicting the occurrence of DCI in aSAH patients.

Women in pediatric neurosurgery

Pediatric neurosurgery is an ever-evolving field, and at the heart of it are talented and hardworking neurosurgeons who harness technology and research to enhance the standard of neurosurgical care for children. Recent studies have found that female neurosurgeons tend to choose a career focused on pediatric neurosurgery more than other subspecialties. However, the achievements and contributions of women in pediatric neurosurgery are not well known. To address this, an international working group of pediatric neurosurgeons was established from the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) group and Pediatric Neurosurgery Committee. The working group reviewed the current literature and collected information through personal communications with the global WINS network. Despite the increasing number of women entering neurosurgical training, the number of female pediatric neurosurgeons is still a mere handful worldwide. In this article, the authors summarize the current status of female pediatric neurosurgeons across the globe, highlighting their achievements as well as the gender bias and challenges that they face at every level of progression of their career. A better organized pediatric neurosurgery workforce, with more female representation and mentorship, would encourage future generations of diverse genders toward a career in this field.

Outcome of Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping in Nigeria: A Single-Centre Experience.

Ruptured cerebral artery aneurysms (RCAA) are devastating diseases with high morbidity and mortality rates if not promptly managed. In Nigeria, access to timely neurosurgical services remains a challenge and aneurysm coiling is still not possible in virtually all centres in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to report on our 9 years' experience with clipping of cerebral aneurysm and on the attendant clinical outcomes. A retrospective analysis of all consecutive operated RCAA between March 2012 and June 2021 was conducted. Patients' demographic parameters, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grade, Hunt and Hess (HH) grade, aneurysm location, timing of surgery and outcome were analysed. Outcome was measured using Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score. A total 29 were included in the study. The most common age group affected was between 50-59 years. RCAA were mainly in the region of the middle cerebral artery and posterior communicating artery (PComA) territories. All the patients presented after 24 hours of the ictus. Two (6.9%) patients had multiple aneurysms. Early clipping (<72hours after presentation) was possible in 8 (27.6%) patients. At least one episode of a rebleed occurred in 19 (65.5%) patients prior to surgery. Mortality rate was 17.2%. None of the patients with PComA aneurysm died. The patients' pre-operative WFNS and HH grades were significantly associated with GOS. Modifiable factors like under diagnoses, delayed referral, cultural belief and financial challenges may account for the low number of patients presenting for neurosurgical care. The possibility of a sizeable number of patients dying due to these factors is a strong possibility for the low number of patients presenting for neurosurgical care.

Global comparison of awake and asleep mapping procedures in glioma surgery: An international multicenter survey.

BackgroundMapping techniques are frequently used to preserve neurological function during glioma surgery. There is, however, no consensus regarding the use of many variables of these techniques. Currently, there are almost no objective data available about potential heterogeneity between surgeons and centers. The goal of this survey is therefore to globally identify, evaluate and analyze the local mapping procedures in glioma surgery.MethodsThe survey was distributed to members of the neurosurgical societies of the Netherlands (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Neurochirurgie—NVVN), Europe (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies—EANS), and the United States (Congress of Neurological Surgeons—CNS) between December 2020 and January 2021 with questions about awake mapping, asleep mapping, assessment of neurological morbidity, and decision making.ResultsSurvey responses were obtained from 212 neurosurgeons from 42 countries. Overall, significant differences were observed for equipment and its settings that are used for both awake and asleep mapping, intraoperative assessment of eloquent areas, the use of surgical adjuncts and monitoring, anesthesia management, assessment of neurological morbidity, and perioperative decision making. Academic practices performed awake and asleep mapping procedures more often and employed a clinical neurophysiologist with telemetric monitoring more frequently. European neurosurgeons differed from US neurosurgeons regarding the modality for cortical/subcortical mapping and awake/asleep mapping, the use of surgical adjuncts, and anesthesia management during awake mapping.DiscussionThis survey demonstrates the heterogeneity among surgeons and centers with respect to their procedures for awake mapping, asleep mapping, assessing neurological morbidity, and decision making in glioma patients. These data invite further evaluations for key variables that can be optimized and may therefore benefit from consensus.

Decision making and surgical modality selection in glioblastoma patients: an international multicenter survey.

Due to the lack of consensus on the management of glioblastoma patients, there exists variability amongst surgeons and centers regarding treatment decisions. Though, objective data about the extent of this heterogeneity is still lacking. We aim to evaluate and analyze the similarities and differences in neurosurgical practice patterns. The survey was distributed to members of the neurosurgical societies of the Netherlands (NVVN), Europe (EANS), the United Kingdom (SBNS) and the United States (CNS) between January and March 2021 with questions about the selection of surgical modality and decision making in glioblastoma patients. Survey respondents (224 neurosurgeons) were from 41 countries. Overall, the most notable differences observed were the presence and timing of a multidisciplinary tumor board; the importance and role of various perioperative factors in the decision-making process, and the preferred treatment in various glioblastoma cases and case variants. Tumor boards were more common at academic centers. The intended extent of resection for glioblastoma resections in eloquent areas was limited more often in European neurosurgeons. We found a strong relationship between the surgeon's theoretical survey answers and their actual approach in presented patient cases. In general, the factors which were found to be theoretically the most important in surgical decision making were confirmed to influence the respondents' decisions to the greatest extent in practice as well. This survey illustrates the theoretical and practical heterogeneity among surgeons and centers in their decision making and treatment selection for glioblastoma patients. These data invite further evaluations to identify key variables that can be optimized and may therefore benefit from consensus.