Volume 10 · Issue 04 · 2024

Complicated mild traumatic brain injury (cmTBI) is a common neurosurgical disorder that consumes a significant amount of healthcare resources without a clearly established benefit. Best practices for the management of cmTBI regarding triage, hospital admission, and the necessity for repeat imaging are controversial. Our objective is to describe the rate of radiographic progression and neurologic decline for isolated traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (itSAH) patients admitted to the hospital. We hypothesized that only a minority of itSAH patients suffer radiographic progression and that radiographic progression is not necessarily associated with neurologic decline.

Database queries and direct patient chart reviews were used to gather patient data. T-tests and Fisher’s exact tests were performed.

A total of 340 patients with cmTBI associated with itSAH were included for analysis. The radiographic progression rate was 5.6%. There was no statistically significant association between age, gender, GCS at presentation, anticoagulation status, and risk of radiographic progression. However, subgroup analysis on anticoagulated patients did show those on warfarin had a statistically significant risk of radiographic progression (p = 0.003). No patient developed neurologic decline, irrespective of whether they developed radiographic progression.

Secondary triaging, hospital admission, ICU stay, and repeat HCT might not be necessary for awake, GCS 13-15 patients with itSAH without any other significant injuries. In the case of anticoagulant use, but not necessarily antiplatelet use, the medication should be reversed, and admission should be considered.

An optimal intracranial pressure (ICP) management target is not well defined in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. The aim of this study was to explore the association between perioperative ICP monitoring parameters and mortality of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hematoma undergoing emergency hematoma removal and decompressive craniectomy (DC), to provide evidence for a target-oriented ICP management.

The clinical and radiological features of 176 consecutive patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage that underwent emergent hematoma evacuation and DC were reviewed. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores were assessed 2 weeks after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors for perioperative death.

Forty-four cases (25.0%) were assigned to the ICP group. In patients with an ICP monitor, the median peak ICP value was 25.5 mmHg; 50% of them had a peak ICP value of more than 25 mmHg. The median duration of ICP > 25 mmHg was 2 days. Without a target-specific ICP management, the mortality at 2 weeks after surgery was similar between patients with or without an ICP monitor (27.3% versus 18.2%, p = 0.20). In multivariable analysis, the peak ICP value (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.004-1.234, p = 0.04) was significantly associated with perioperative death in the ICP group. The area under ROC curve of peak ICP value was 0.78 (95%CI 0.62-0.94) for predicting mortality, with a cut-off value of 31 mmHg.

Compared with a persistent hyperintracranial pressure, a high ICP peak value might provide a better prediction for the mortality of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage evacuation and DC, suggesting a tailored ICP management protocol to decrease ICP peak value.

Post-traumatic headache is a disabling secondary headache disorder often attributed to traumatic brain injury and affects millions of individuals worldwide. Few studies have been done on the treatment needs of these patients in emergency departments. The purpose was to compare the effectiveness of ketorolac intravenous versus acetaminophen intravenous in reducing headaches in patients following head trauma.

This was a semi-experimental study in which the participants were assigned two groups. In the acetaminophen intravenous group, 1 g acetaminophen and in the ketorolac intravenous group, 60 mg of this drug was injected. Statistical analysis was done with IBM SPSS statistical software version 21, and a P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Among samples after 6 h from the injection, the pain score in the ketorolac intravenous group was less than the acetaminophen intravenous group (P = 0.006). Also, the pain reduction rate in the ketorolac intravenous group was more than the acetaminophen intravenous group from before the injection until 2 h after it (P = 0.01) and before injection until 6 h after it (P = 0.001). The frequency of drowsiness in 2 and 6 h after drug administration in the ketorolac intravenous group was lower than the acetaminophen intravenous group, which is significant in 2 h after drug administration (P = 0.038). The verbal analog scale score comparison for two groups 2 h before medicine administration with pain control score (P = 0.03) and 6 h with pethidine use control (P = 0.003) is significant.

According to this study, ketorolac’s intravenous effect on pain control is better than that of acetaminophen intravenous. With more samples, we can express the survey results more decisively in the future.

Many complications may occur after placement of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VP shunt) for hydrocephalus, and delayed shunt insufficiency (DSI) is among the most common. It is often caused by abdominal adhesions, which increases the difficulty of diagnosis. This study aimed to explore the clinical value of dynamic plain abdominal radiography (DPAR) as a simple diagnostic method for patients with DSI due to terminal adhesion of the peritoneal shunt after VP surgery.

A total of 30 patients with high suspicion of DSI due to abdominal adhesions after VP surgery were included. DPAR was used for prospective assessment. The interval between the first and second PAR was 4-6 h before surgery. If two plain abdominal radiography at different times indicated that the end of the shunt tube in the abdominal segment was fixed, it was diagnosed as DSI due to adhesion of the shunt tube at the abdominal end. The peritoneal end of the shunt tube was surgically repositioned. Postoperative DPAR was repeated to evaluate the distance of the shunt outlet within the abdominal segment.

All cases showed clinical symptoms or imaging findings of shunt insufficiency. The diagnostic accuracy of DPAR was 96.67% (29/30). The end of the shunt tube in the abdominal segment of the preoperative group was fixed with abdominal plain film twice with a mean difference of 1.74 ± 1.18 cm. The mean postoperative change in the position of the end of the shunt tube in the abdominal section was 9.36 ± 2.64 cm, showing a significant difference compared with the preoperative group (P < 0.001). The mean postoperative EVANs index (0.37 ± 0.08) was significantly lower than the preoperative (0.42 ± 0.08) (P = 0.007), Glasgow coma scale score (12.8 ± 2.69) was higher than the mean preoperative score (11.36 ± 2.43) (P = 0.013).

DPAR is a simple and effective method for the diagnosis of shunt insufficiency caused by delayed abdominal end adhesion after VP shunt.

Meningiomas are among the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system. In the past several decades, many researchers have emphasized the importance of radiographic findings and their possible role in predicting the various aspects of the meningioma biology. One of the factors most commonly analyzed with respect to the lesions’ clinical behavior is peritumoral brain edema (PTBE), not only one of the most common signs associated with meningiomas, but also a significant clinical problem. Radiographic predictors of PTBE are usually noted as being the size of the tumor, its location, irregular margins, heterogeneity, and the peritumoral arachnoid plane with its pial vascular recruitment. Here, we review the available literature on the topic of these radiographic predictors of PTBE formation, we analyze the methodology of the research conducted, and we highlight the many controversies still present. Indeed, the evidence about PTBE pathogenesis, predictive factors, and clinical significance still seems to be mostly inconclusive, despite intense research in the area. We believe that by highlighting the many inconsistencies in the methodology used, we can showcase how little is actually known about the pathogenesis of PTBE, which in turn has important clinical implications. Additionally, we provide several MR images of intracranial meningiomas from our own practice which, we believe, showcase the unpredictable nature of PTBE, and demonstrate vividly the topics we discuss.

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) refers to bleeding within the brain’s ventricular system, and hydrocephalus is a life-threatening complication of IVH characterized by increased cerebrospinal fluid accumulation in the ventricles resulting in elevated intracranial pressure. IVH poses significant challenges for healthcare providers due to the complexity of the underlying pathophysiology and lack of standardized treatment guidelines. Herein, we performed a systematic review of the treatment strategies for hydrocephalus secondary to IVH.

This systematic review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023450786). The search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science on July 15, 2023. We included original studies containing valid information on therapy management and outcome of hydrocephalus secondary to primary, spontaneous, and subarachnoid or intracranial hemorrhage following IVH in adults that were published between 2000 and 2023. Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) or modified Ranking Scale (mRS) scores during follow-up were extracted as primary outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for Cohort Studies or Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 Tool.

Two hundred and seven patients from nine published papers, including two randomized controlled trials, were included in the analysis. The GOS was used in five studies, while the mRS was used in four. Seven interventions were applied, including craniotomy for removal of hematoma, endoscopic removal of hematoma with/without endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), traditional external ventricular drainage (EVD), and various combinations of EVD, lumbar drainage (LD), and intraventricular fibrinolysis (IVF). Endoscopic removal of hematoma was performed in five of nine studies. Traditional EVD had no obvious benefit compared with new management strategies. Three different combinations of EVD, LD, and IVF demonstrated satisfactory outcomes, although more studies are required to confirm their reliability. Removal of hematoma through craniotomy generated reliable result. Generally, endoscopic removal of hematoma with ETV, removal of hematoma through craniotomy, EVD with IVF, and EVD with early continuous LD were useful.

EVD is still crucial for the management of IVH and hydrocephalus. Despite a more reliable result from the removal of hematoma through craniotomy, a trend toward endoscopic approach was observed due to a less invasive profile.

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is one of the most common diseases in neurosurgery. It is the result of chronic intracranial hemorrhage that converges between the dura mater and arachnoid three weeks after externally injuring the head. Chronic subdural hematomas are a common complication in neurosurgery. With the gradual increase in the amount of hematoma, the surrounding brain tissue is pushed and compressed, resulting in corresponding clinical symptoms and signs. It is reported that the overall incidence rate of CSDH is 1.72 to 20.6 per 100,000 people every year, and the incidence rate of the elderly is particularly high.

The computer retrieves eight databases to obtain controlled trials at home and abroad on the effects of neuroendoscopy-assisted surgery in patients with chronic subdural hematoma. After a rigorous literature quality evaluation, data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software.

Twenty studies were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Seventeen studies reported the Recurrence rate of the test group and the control group, which was significantly lower (OR 0.27; 95% Cl 0.18, 0.38; P < 0.01) than the control group, Recovery rate (OR 1.18; 95% Cl 1.01, 1.38; P = 0.03), Total effective rate (OR 1.11; 95% Cl 1.04, 1.17; P < 0.01), Operative time (SMD 15.78; 95% Cl 9.69, 21.86; P < 0.01), Hospital stay (SMD - 1.66; 95% Cl - 2.17, - 1.14; P < 0.01) and Complications (OR 0.48; 95% Cl 0.30, 0.78; P < 0.01).

The results of this study suggest that neuroendoscopy-assisted surgery may be effective in patients with chronic subdural hematoma, as evidenced by recurrence rate, recovery rate, total effective rate, operative time, hospital stay, complications, and the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.

The importance of mentorships in medical education and neurosurgery is highly attributed to the support and encouragement of the advances and learning opportunities for medical students and junior neurosurgeons. Planning a mentorship program according to the target audience offers to satisfy different interests and enhance education. One of the main issues with most of the already implemented programs is the sustainability and inability to maintain continuous cycles of mentorship, which have a negative impact and have led to an interrupted pattern of learning which eventually leads to a decline in the engagement of participants and loss of interest. This problem is most pronounced in war-torn countries, with Iraq as an example, where external circumstances lead to an arrest in the educational process and a depletion of the resources useful for such programs and training courses. This paper aims to address the main pathways essential in planning a sustainable mentorship program in a war-torn country by highlighting our experience in maintaining an ongoing mentorship with nine consecutive courses over the last 6 years in Iraq.

Tumor-related trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a deeply debilitating condition that severely impacts patient quality of life. Two principal treatment methods in use are open surgical resection of the causative tumor or the use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). In this letter, we aim to evaluate the use of both treatment methods and highlight that in patients with commensurate anatomy, open surgical resection continues to provide greater rates of symptomatic relief, lower rates of recurrence, and complication compared to stereotactic radiosurgery.