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A pilot study of the utility of a laboratory-based spinal fixation training program for neurosurgical residents

Swetha J. Sundar, Andrew T. Healy, Varun R. Kshettry, Thomas E. Mroz, Richard Schlenk, and Edward C. Benzel

OBJECTIVE

Pedicle and lateral mass screw placement is technically demanding due to complex 3D spinal anatomy that is not easily visualized. Neurosurgical and orthopedic surgery residents must be properly trained in such procedures, which can be associated with significant complications and associated morbidity. Current training in pedicle and lateral mass screw placement involves didactic teaching and supervised placement in the operating room. The objective of this study was to assess whether teaching residents to place pedicle and lateral mass screws using navigation software, combined with practice using cadaveric specimens and Sawbones models, would improve screw placement accuracy.

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This was a single-blinded, prospective, randomized pilot study with 8 junior neurosurgical residents and 2 senior medical students with prior neurosurgery exposure. Both the study group and the level of training-matched control group (each group with 4 level of training-matched residents and 1 senior medical student) were exposed to a standardized didactic education regarding spinal anatomy and screw placement techniques. The study group was exposed to an additional pilot program that included a training session using navigation software combined with cadaveric specimens and accessibility to Sawbones models.

RESULTS

A statistically significant reduction in overall surgical error was observed in the study group compared with the control group (p = 0.04). Analysis by spinal region demonstrated a significant reduction in surgical error in the thoracic and lumbar regions in the study group compared with controls (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). The study group also was observed to place screws more optimally in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions (p = 0.02, p = 0.04, and p = 0.04, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical resident education in pedicle and lateral mass screw placement is a priority for training programs. This study demonstrated that compared with a didactic-only training model, using navigation simulation with cadavers and Sawbones models significantly reduced the number of screw placement errors in a laboratory setting.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 24 (2016): Issue 5 (May 2016)

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The role of cancer stem cells in glioblastoma

Swetha J. Sundar, Jason K. Hsieh, Sunil Manjila, Justin D. Lathia, and Andrew Sloan

Recurrence in glioblastoma is nearly universal, and its prognosis remains dismal despite significant advances in treatment over the past decade. Glioblastoma demonstrates considerable intratumoral phenotypic and molecular heterogeneity and contains a population of cancer stem cells that contributes to tumor propagation, maintenance, and treatment resistance. Cancer stem cells are functionally defined by their ability to self-renew and to differentiate, and they constitute the diverse hierarchy of cells composing a tumor. When xenografted into an appropriate host, they are capable of tumorigenesis. Given the critical role of cancer stem cells in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma, research into their molecular and phenotypic characteristics is a therapeutic priority. In this review, the authors discuss the evolution of the cancer stem cell model of tumorigenesis and describe the specific role of cancer stem cells in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma and their molecular and microenvironmental characteristics. They also discuss recent clinical investigations into targeted therapies against cancer stem cells in the treatment of glioblastoma.

InNeurosurgical Focus Volume 37 (2014): Issue 6 (Dec 2014): Glioblastoma: An Update on Pathophysiology and Management Strategies

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Zero-profile hybrid fusion construct versus 2-level plate fixation to treat adjacent-level disease in the cervical spine

Laboratory investigation

Andrew T. Healy, Swetha J. Sundar, Raul J. Cardenas, Prasath Mageswaran, Edward C. Benzel, Thomas E. Mroz, and Todd B. Francis

Object

Single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is an established surgical treatment for cervical myelopathy. Within 10 years of undergoing ACDF, 19.2% of patients develop symptomatic adjacent-level degeneration. Performing ACDF adjacent to prior fusion requires exposure and removal of previously placed hardware, which may increase the risk of adverse outcomes. Zero-profile cervical implants combine an interbody spacer with an anterior plate into a single device that does not extend beyond the intervertebral disc space, potentially obviating the need to remove prior hardware. This study compared the biomechanical stability and adjacent-level range of motion (ROM) following placement of a zero-profile device (ZPD) adjacent to a single-level ACDF against a standard 2-level ACDF.

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在这种体外生物力学研究尸体,μltidirectional flexibility testing was performed by a robotic spine system that simulates flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation by applying a continuous pure moment load. Testing conditions were as follows: 1) intact, 2) C5–6 ACDF, 3) C4–5 ZPD supraadjacent to simulated fusion at C5–6, and 4) 2-level ACDF (C4–6). The sequence of the latter 2 test conditions was randomized. An unconstrained pure moment of 1.5 Nm with a 40-N simulated head weight load was applied to the intact condition first in all 3 planes of motion and then using the hybrid test protocol, overall intact kinematics were replicated subsequently for each surgical test condition. Intersegmental rotations were measured optoelectronically. Mean segmental ROM for operated levels and adjacent levels was recorded and normalized to the intact condition and expressed as a percent change from intact. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the ROM between test conditions with a 95% level of significance.

Results

No statistically significant differences in immediate construct stability were found between construct Patterns 3 and 4, in all planes of motion (p > 0.05). At the operated level, C4–5, the zero-profile construct showed greater decreases in axial rotation (–45% vs –36%) and lateral bending (–55% vs –38%), whereas the 2-level ACDF showed greater decreases in flexion-extension (–40% vs –34%). These differences were marginal and not statistically significant. Adjacent-level motion was nearly equivalent, with minor differences in flexion-extension.

Conclusions

When treating degeneration adjacent to a single-level ACDF, a zero-profile implant showed stabilizing potential at the operated level statistically similar to that of the standard revision with a 2-level plate. Revision for adjacent-level disease is common, and using a ZPD in this setting should be investigated clinically because it may be a faster, safer alternative.

In开云手机版app下载安装最新版脊柱神经外科杂志》:2开云体育app官方网站下载入口1(2卷014): Issue 5 (Nov 2014)

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Correlation of quality of life and functional outcome measures for cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Daniel Lubelski, Matthew D. Alvin, Sergiy Nesterenko, Swetha J. Sundar, Nicolas R. Thompson, Edward C. Benzel, and Thomas E. Mroz

OBJECT

Studies comparing surgical treatments for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) are heterogeneous, using a variety of different quality of life (QOL) outcomes and myelopathy-specific measures. This study sought to evaluate the relationship of these measures to each other, and to better understand their use in evaluating patients with CSM.

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A retrospective study was performed in all patients with CSM who underwent either ventral or dorsal cervical spine surgery at a single tertiary-care institution between January 2008 and July 2013. Severity of myelopathy was assessed pre- and postoperatively using both the Nurick scale and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) classification of disability. Prospectively collected QOL outcomes data included Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ), Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9), and EQ-5D. Spearman rank correlations were calculated to assess the construct convergent validity for each pair of health status measures (HSMs). To assess each HSM’s ability to discriminate favorable EQ-5D index, we performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and assessed the area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

A total of 119 patients were included. The PDQ total score had the highest correlation with EQ-5D index (Spearman’s rho = −0.82). Neither of the myelopathy scales (mJOA or Nurick) had strong correlations between themselves (0.41) or with the other QOL measures (absolute value range 0.13–0.49). In contrast, the QOL measures correlated relatively well with each other (absolute value range 0.68–0.97). For predicting favorable EQ-5D outcomes, PDQ total score had an AUC of 0.909. The AUCs were significantly greater for the QOL measures in comparison with the myelopathy measures (AUCs were 0.677 and 0.607 for mJOA and Nurick scale scores, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The authors found that all included measures of QOL and CSM-specific (mJOA or Nurick scale) measures were valid and responsive. The PDQ was the most predictive of positive QOL after surgery (as measured by the EQ-5D index) for patients with CSM. The substantially lower correlation between myelopathy and QOL outcomes, compared with the various QOL measures themselves, suggests that these questionnaires are measuring different aspects of the patient experience. Solely assessing the myelopathy or disease-specific signs and symptoms is likely insufficient to fully understand and appreciate clinical outcome in its totality. These questionnaire types should be used together to best evaluate patients pre- and postoperatively.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 24 (2016): Issue 3 (Mar 2016)

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The impact of skull thickness on pediatric stereoencephalography electrode implantation and technical considerations

Ansh Desai, Akshay Sharma, Swetha J. Sundar, Jason K. Hsieh, Efstathios Kondylis, Arpan Patel, Juan Bulacio, Ajay Gupta, Lara Jehi, and William Bingaman

OBJECTIVE

One consideration in pediatric stereoencephalography (SEEG) is decreased skull thicknesses compared with adults, which may limit traditional bolt-based anchoring of electrodes. The authors aimed to investigate the safety profile, complication rates, and technical adaptations of placing SEEG electrodes in pediatric patients.

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The authors retrospectively reviewed all patients aged 12 years or younger at the time of SEEG implantation at their institution. Postimplantation CT scans were used to measure skull thickness at the entry point of each SEEG lead. Postimplantation lead accuracy was also assessed.

RESULTS

Fifty-three patients were reviewed. The median skull thickness was 4.1 (interquartile range [IQR] 3.15–5.2) mm. There were 5 total complications: 1 retained bolt fragment, 3 asymptomatic subdural hematomas, and 1 asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Median radial error from the lead target was 3.5 (IQR 2.24–5.25) mm. Linear regression analysis revealed that increasing skull thickness decreased the deviation from the intended target, implying an improved accuracy to target at thicker skull entry points; this trended towards improved accuracy, but did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.54).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found a 1.9% hardware complication rate and a 9.4% asymptomatic hemorrhage rate. Suturing electrodes to the scalp may represent a reasonable option if there are concerns of young age or a thin skull. These data indicate that invasive SEEG evaluation is safe among patients 12 years old or younger.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics Publish Before Print

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Determinants of epileptogenic zone identification and seizure outcome in children with refractory epilepsy undergoing stereoelectroencephalography

Jason K. Hsieh, Swetha J. Sundar, Elaine Lu, Ansh Desai, Ajay Gupta, Ahsan N. Moosa, William Bingaman, Lara Jehi, and Juan Bulacio

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this paper was to investigate the factors associated with successful epileptogenic zone (EZ) identification and postsurgical seizure freedom in pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent first-time stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG).

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作者进行了一项回顾性队列研究of all consecutive patients younger than 18 years of age at the time of recommendation for invasive evaluation with SEEG who were treated from July 2009 to June 2020. The authors excluded patients who had undergone failed prior resective epilepsy surgery or prior intracranial electrode evaluation for seizure localization. For their primary outcome, the authors evaluated the relationship between clinical and radiographic factors and successful identification of a putative EZ. For their secondary outcome, the authors investigated whether these factors had a significant relationship with seizure freedom (according to the Engel classification) at last follow-up.

RESULTS

The authors included 101 patients in this study. SEEG was safe, with no major morbidity or mortality experienced. The population was complex, with an MRI lesion present in less than 40% of patients and patients as young as 2.9 years included. A proposed EZ was identified in 88 (87%) patients. Patients with an older onset of epilepsy (OR 1.20/year, p = 0.04) or epilepsy etiology suspected to be due to a developmental lesion (OR 8.38, p = 0.02) were more likely to have proposed EZ identification. Patients with a preimplantation bilateral seizure-onset hypothesis (OR 0.29, p = 0.047) and those who underwent longer periods of monitoring (OR 0.86/day, p = 0.006) were somewhat less likely to have proposed EZ identification. The presence of an MRI lesion was a positive factor on secondary analyses (OR 4.18, p = 0.049; 1-tailed test). Fifty percent of patients who underwent surgical treatment with resection or laser ablation achieved Engel class I outcomes, in contrast to 0% of patients who underwent neuromodulation. Patients with a preimplantation hypothesis in the frontal/parietal lobes had increased odds of seizure freedom compared with patients with a hypothesis in other locations (OR 3.64, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric SEEG is safe and often identifies a proposed resectable EZ. These results suggest that SEEG is effective in patients with frontal/parietal preimplantation hypothesis, with or without identified lesions on MRI.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics Publish Before Print

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