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Editorial. Is preoperative bone health assessment and optimization in spine surgery a good idea?

Timothy F. Witham, Ethan Cottrill, and Zach Pennington

InNeurosurgical Focus Volume 49 (2020): Issue 2 (Aug 2020): Lumbar Spinal Osteoporosis

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Systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical utility of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathways in adult spine surgery

Zach Pennington, Ethan Cottrill, Daniel Lubelski, Jeff Ehresman, Nicholas Theodore, and Daniel M. Sciubba

OBJECTIVE

Spine surgery has been identified as a significant source of healthcare expenditures in the United States. Prolonged hospitalization has been cited as one source of increased spending, and there has been drive from providers and payors alike to decrease inpatient stays. One strategy currently being explored is the use of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. Here, the authors review the literature on adult spine ERAS protocols, focusing on clinical benefits and cost reductions. They also conducted a quantitative meta-analysis examining the following: 1) length of stay (LOS), 2) complication rate, 3) wound infection rate, 4) 30-day readmission rate, and 5) 30-day reoperation rate.

开云体育世界杯赔率

Using the PRISMA guidelines, a search of the PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Reviews, Embase, CINAHL, and OVID Medline databases was conducted to identify all full-text articles in the English-language literature describing ERAS protocol implementation for adult spine surgery. A quantitative meta-analysis using random-effects modeling was performed for the identified clinical outcomes using studies that directly compared ERAS protocols with conventional care.

RESULTS

Of 950 articles reviewed, 34 were included in the qualitative analysis and 20 were included in the quantitative analysis. The most common protocol types were general spine surgery protocols and protocols for lumbar spine surgery patients. The most frequently cited benefits of ERAS protocols were shorter LOS (n = 12), lower postoperative pain scores (n = 6), and decreased complication rates (n = 4). The meta-analysis demonstrated shorter LOS for the general spine surgery (mean difference −1.22 days [95% CI −1.98 to −0.47]) and lumbar spine ERAS protocols (−1.53 days [95% CI −2.89 to −0.16]). Neither general nor lumbar spine protocols led to a significant difference in complication rates. Insufficient data existed to perform a meta-analysis of the differences in costs or postoperative narcotic use.

CONCLUSIONS

Present data suggest that ERAS protocol implementation may reduce hospitalization time among adult spine surgery patients and may lead to reductions in complication rates when applied to specific populations. To generate high-quality evidence capable of supporting practice guidelines, though, additional controlled trials are necessary to validate these early findings in larger populations.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 34: Issue 2 (Feb 2021)

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Treatment approaches for Scheuermann kyphosis: a systematic review of historic and current management

Sakibul Huq, Jeffrey Ehresman, Ethan Cottrill, A. Karim Ahmed, Zach Pennington, Erick M. Westbroek, and Daniel M. Sciubba

OBJECTIVE

Scheuermann kyphosis (SK) is an idiopathic kyphosis characterized by anterior wedging of ≥ 5° at 3 contiguous vertebrae managed with either nonoperative or operative treatment. Nonoperative treatment typically employs bracing, while operative treatment is performed with either a combined anterior-posterior fusion or posterior-only approach. Current evidence for these approaches has largely been derived from retrospective case series or focused reviews. Consequently, no consensus exists regarding optimal management strategies for patients afflicted with this condition. In this study, the authors systematically review the literature on SK with respect to indications for treatment, complications of treatment, differences in correction and loss of correction, and changes in treatment over time.

开云体育世界杯赔率

Using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, all full-text publications on the operative and nonoperative treatment for SK in the peer-reviewed English-language literature between 1950 and 2017 were screened. Inclusion criteria involved fully published, peer-reviewed, retrospective or prospective studies of the primary medical literature. Studies were excluded if they did not provide clinical outcomes and statistics specific to SK, described fewer than 2 patients, or discussed results in nonhuman models. Variables extracted included treatment indications and methodology, maximum pretreatment kyphosis, immediate posttreatment kyphosis, kyphosis at last follow-up, year of treatment, and complications of treatment.

RESULTS

659个不同的研究中,45满足我们的包容致命一击ia, covering 1829 unique patients. Indications for intervention were pain, deformity, failure of nonoperative treatment, and neural impairment. Among operatively treated patients, the most common complications were hardware failure and proximal or distal junctional kyphosis. Combined anterior-posterior procedures were additionally associated with neural, pulmonary, and cardiovascular complications. Posterior-only approaches offered superior correction compared to combined anterior-posterior fusion; both groups provided greater correction than bracing. Loss of correction was similar across operative approaches, and all were superior to bracing. Cross-sectional analysis suggested that surgeons have shifted from anterior-posterior to posterior-only approaches over the past two decades.

CONCLUSIONS

The data indicate that for patients with SK, surgery affords superior correction and maintenance of correction relative to bracing. Posterior-only fusion may provide greater correction and similar loss of correction compared to anterior-posterior approaches along with a smaller complication profile. This posterior-only approach has concomitantly gained popularity over the combined anterior-posterior approach in recent years.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 32: Issue 2 (Feb 2020)

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Comparison of complete and near-complete endovascular embolization of hypervascular spine tumors with partial embolization

Erick M. Westbroek, Zach Pennington, A. Karim Ahmed, Yuanxuan Xia, Christine Boone, Philippe Gailloud, and Daniel M. Sciubba

OBJECTIVE

Preoperative endovascular embolization of hypervascular spine tumors can reduce intraoperative blood loss. The extent to which subtotal embolization reduces blood loss has not been clearly established. This study aimed to elucidate a relationship between the extent of preoperative embolization and intraoperative blood loss.

开云体育世界杯赔率

Sixty-six patients undergoing preoperative endovascular embolization and subsequent resection of hypervascular spine tumors were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into 3 groups: complete embolization (n = 22), near-complete embolization (≥ 90% but < 100%; n = 22), and partial embolization (< 90%; n = 22). Intraoperative blood loss was compared between groups using one-way ANOVA with post hoc comparisons between groups.

RESULTS

The average blood loss in the complete embolization group was 1625 mL. The near-complete embolization group had an average blood loss of 2021 mL in surgery. Partial embolization was associated with a mean blood loss of 4009 mL. On one-way ANOVA, significant differences were seen across groups (F-ratio = 6.81, p = 0.002). Significant differences in intraoperative blood loss were also seen between patients undergoing complete and partial embolization (p = 0.001) and those undergoing near-complete and partial embolization (p = 0.006). Pairwise testing showed no significant difference between complete and near-complete embolization (p = 0.57). Analysis of a combined group of complete and near-complete embolization also showed a significantly decreased blood loss compared with partial embolization (p < 0.001). Patient age, tumor size, preoperative coagulation parameters, and preoperative platelet count were not significantly associated with blood loss.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative endovascular embolization is associated with decreased intraoperative blood loss. In this series, blood loss was significantly less in surgeries for tumors in which preoperative complete or near-complete embolization was achieved than in tumors in which preoperative embolization resulted in less than 90% reduction of tumor vascular blush. These findings suggest that there may be a critical threshold of efficacy that should be the goal of preoperative embolization.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 33: Issue 2 (Aug 2020)

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Surgical management of giant presacral schwannoma: systematic review of published cases and meta-analysis

Presented at the 2019 AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves

Zach Pennington, Erick M. Westbroek, A. Karim Ahmed, Ethan Cottrill, Daniel Lubelski, Matthew L. Goodwin, and Daniel M. Sciubba

OBJECTIVE

巨人presacral神经鞘瘤是罕见的骶骨肿瘤found in less than 1 of every 40,000 hospitalizations. Current management of these tumors is based solely upon case reports and small case series. In this paper the authors report the results of a systematic review of the available English literature on presacral schwannoma, focused on identifying the influence of tumor size, tumor morphology, surgical approach, and extent of resection (EOR) on recurrence-free survival and postoperative complications.

开云体育世界杯赔率

The medical literature (PubMed and EMBASE) was queried for reports of surgically managed sacral schwannoma, either involving 2 or more contiguous vertebral levels or with a diameter ≥ 5 cm. Tumor size and morphology, surgical approach, EOR, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and survival data were recorded.

RESULTS

Seventy-six articles were included, covering 123 unique patients (mean age 44.1 ± 1.4 years, 50.4% male). The most common presenting symptoms were leg pain (28.7%), lower back pain (21.3%), and constipation (15.7%). Most surgeries used an open anterior-only (40.0%) or posterior-only (30%) approach. Postoperative complications occurred in 25.6% of patients and local recurrence was noted in 5.4%. En bloc resection significantly improved progression-free survival relative to subtotal resection (p = 0.03). No difference existed between en bloc and gross-total resection (GTR; p = 0.25) or among the surgical approaches (p = 0.66). Postoperative complications were more common following anterior versus posterior approaches (p = 0.04). Surgical blood loss was significantly correlated with operative duration and tumor volume on multiple linear regression (both p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Presacral schwannoma can reasonably be treated with either en bloc or piecemeal GTR. The approach should be dictated by lesion morphology, and recurrence is infrequent. Anterior approaches may increase the risk of postoperative complications.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 31: Issue 5 (Nov 2019)

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Learning curves in robot-assisted spine surgery: a systematic review and proposal of application to residency curricula

Zach Pennington, Brendan F. Judy, Hesham M. Zakaria, Nikita Lakomkin, Anthony L. Mikula, Benjamin D. Elder, and Nicholas Theodore

OBJECTIVE

Spine robots have seen increased utilization over the past half decade with the introduction of multiple new systems. Market research expects this expansion to continue over the next half decade at an annual rate of 20%. However, because of the novelty of these devices, there is limited literature on their learning curves and how they should be integrated into residency curricula. With the present review, the authors aimed to address these two points.

开云体育世界杯赔率

A systematic review of the published English-language literature on PubMed, Ovid, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted to identify studies describing the learning curve in spine robotics. Included articles described clinical results in patients using one of the following endpoints: operative time, screw placement time, fluoroscopy usage, and instrumentation accuracy. Systems examined included the Mazor series, the ExcelsiusGPS, and the TiRobot. Learning curves were reported in a qualitative synthesis, given as the mean improvement in the endpoint per case performed or screw placed where possible. All studies were level IV case series with a high risk of reporting bias.

RESULTS

Of 1579 unique articles, 97 underwent full-text review and 21 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria; 62 articles were excluded for not presenting primary data for one of the above-described endpoints. Of the 21 articles, 18 noted the presence of a learning curve in spine robots, which ranged from 3 to 30 cases or 15 to 62 screws. Only 12 articles performed regressions of one of the endpoints (most commonly operative time) as a function of screws placed or cases performed. Among these, increasing experience was associated with a 0.24- to 4.6-minute decrease in operative time per case performed. All but one series described the experience of attending surgeons, not residents.

CONCLUSIONS

Most studies of learning curves with spine robots have found them to be present, with the most common threshold being 20 to 30 cases performed. Unfortunately, all available evidence is level IV data, limited to case series. Given the ability of residency to allow trainees to safely perform these cases under the supervision of experienced senior surgeons, it is argued that a curriculum should be developed for senior-level residents specializing in spine comprising a minimum of 30 performed cases.

InNeurosurgical Focus Volume 52 (2022): Issue 1 (Jan 2022): Robotics in Neurosurgery

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Removal of instrumentation for postoperative spine infection: systematic review

Andrew Hersh, Robert Young, Zach Pennington, Jeff Ehresman, Andy Ding, Srujan Kopparapu, Ethan Cottrill, Daniel M. Sciubba, and Nicholas Theodore

OBJECTIVE

Currently, no consensus exists as to whether patients who develop infection of the surgical site after undergoing instrumented fusion should have their implants removed at the time of wound debridement. Instrumentation removal may eliminate a potential infection nidus, but removal may also destabilize the patient’s spine. The authors sought to summarize the existing evidence by systematically reviewing published studies that compare outcomes between patients undergoing wound washout and instrumentation removal with outcomes of patients undergoing wound washout alone. The primary objectives were to determine 1) whether instrumentation removal from an infected wound facilitates infection clearance and lowers morbidity, and 2) whether the chronicity of the underlying infection affects the decision to remove instrumentation.

开云体育世界杯赔率

PRISMA guidelines were used to review the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, andClinicalTrials.govdatabases to identify studies that compared patients with implants removed and patients with implants retained. Outcomes of interest included mortality, rate of repeat wound washout, and loss of correction.

RESULTS

Fifteen articles were included. Of 878 patients examined in these studies, 292 (33%) had instrumentation removed. Patient populations were highly heterogeneous, and outcome data were limited. Available data suggested that rates of reoperation, pseudarthrosis, and death were higher in patients who underwent instrumentation removal at the time of initial washout. Three studies recommended that instrumentation be uniformly removed at the time of wound washout. Five studies favored retaining the original instrumentation. Six studies favored retention in early infections but removal in late infections.

CONCLUSIONS

关于这个主题的数据保持异构和罗w in quality. Retention may be preferred in the setting of early infection, when the risk of underlying spine instability is still high and the risk of mature biofilm formation on the implants is low. However, late infections likely favor instrumentation removal. Higher-quality evidence from large, multicenter, prospective studies is needed to reach generalizable conclusions capable of guiding clinical practice.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 35: Issue 3 (Sep 2021)

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Comparison of operator and patient radiation exposure during fluoroscopy-guided vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Srujan Kopparapu, Daniel Lubelski, Zach Pennington, Majid Khan, Nicholas Theodore, and Daniel Sciubba

OBJECTIVE

Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) and balloon kyphoplasty (BK) are two minimally invasive techniques used to treat mechanical pain secondary to spinal compression fractures. A concern for both procedures is the radiation exposure incurred by both operators and patients. The authors conducted a systematic review of the available literature to examine differences in interventionalist radiation exposure between PV and BK and differences in patient radiation exposure between PV and BK.

开云体育世界杯赔率

The authors conducted a search of the PubMed, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Reviews, Embase, and Web of Science databases according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Full-text articles in English describing one of the primary endpoints in ≥ 5 unique patients treated with PV or BK of the mobile spine were included. Estimates of mean operative time, radiation exposure, and fluoroscopy duration were reported as weighted averages. Additionally, annual occupational dose limits provided by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) were used to determine the number needed to harm (NNH).

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included 27 articles. For PV, the mean fluoroscopy times were 4.9 ± 3.3 minutes per level without protective measures and 5.2 ± 3.4 minutes with protective measures. The mean operator radiation exposures per level in mrem were 4.6 ± 5.4 at the eye, 7.8 ± 8.7 at the neck, 22.7 ± 62.4 at the torso, and 49.2 ± 62.2 at the hand without protective equipment and 0.3 ± 0.1 at the torso and 95.5 ± 162.5 at the hand with protection. The mean fluoroscopy times per level for BK were 6.1 ± 2.5 minutes without protective measures and 6.0 ± 3.2 minutes with such measures. The mean exposures were 31.3 ± 39.3, 19.7 ± 4.6, 31.8 ± 34.2, and 174.4 ± 117.3 mrem at the eye, neck, torso, and hand, respectively, without protection, and 1, 9.2 ± 26.2, and 187.7 ± 100.4 mrem at the neck, torso, and hand, respectively, with protective equipment. For protected procedures, radiation to the hand was the limiting factor and the NNH estimates were 524 ± 891 and 266 ± 142 for PV and BK, respectively. Patient exposure as measured by flank-mounted dosimeters, entrance skin dose, and dose area product demonstrated lower exposure with PV than BK (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Operator radiation exposure is significantly decreased by the use of protective equipment. Radiation exposure to both the operator and patient is lower for PV than BK. NNH estimates suggest that radiation to the hand limits the number of procedures an operator can safely perform. In particular, radiation to the hand limits PV to 524 and BK to 266 procedures per year before surpassing the threshold set by the USNRC.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 35: Issue 1 (Jul 2021)

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Is dorsal root entry zone lesioning effective and safe for managing continuous versus paroxysmal pains post–brachial plexus avulsion?

Daniel Lubelski, Zach Pennington, Arinze J. Ochuba, Jawad Khalifeh, Abdel-Hameed Al-Mistarehi, and Allan J. Belzberg

OBJECTIVE

Patients with brachial plexus avulsion (BPA) experience chronic deafferentation pain characterized by two patterns: continuous background pain and electrical shooting paroxysmal attacks. The authors’ aim was to report the effectiveness and safety of dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning in relieving the two forms of pain over short and long periods.

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All patients who underwent DREZ lesioning performed by the senior author for medically refractory BPA-related pain between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2020, in Johns Hopkins Hospital were followed up. The intensity levels for continuous and paroxysmal pains were evaluated using the numeric rating scale (NRS) preoperatively and at 4 time points postsurgery, including the day of discharge, with a mean hospital stay of 5.6 ± 1.8 days; first postoperative clinic visit (33.0 ± 15.7 days); short-term follow-up (4.0 ± 1.4 months); and long-term follow-up (3.1 ± 1.3 years). The percent of pain relief according to the NRS was categorized into excellent (≥ 75%), fair (25%–74%), and poor (< 25%).

RESULTS

A total of 19 patients were included, with 4 (21.1%) lost to long-term follow-up. The mean age was 52.7 ± 13.6 years; 16 (84.2%) were men, and 10 (52.6%) had left-sided injuries. A motor vehicle accident was the most common etiology of BPA (n = 16, 84.2%). Preoperatively, all patients had motor deficits, and 8 (42.1%) experienced somatosensory deficits. The greatest pain relief was observed at the first postoperative and short-term follow-up visits, with the lowest proportions of patients having continuous pain (26.3% and 23.5%, respectively) and paroxysmal pain (5.3% and 5.9%, respectively). Also, the highest reductions in mean NRS scores were observed for first postoperative and short-term follow-up visits (continuous 1.1 ± 2.1 and 1.1 ± 2.3; paroxysms 0.4 ± 1.4 and 0.5 ± 1.7, respectively) compared to the preoperative symptomatology (continuous 6.7 ± 3.0; paroxysms 7.9 ± 4.3) (p < 0.001). Most patients had excellent relief of continuous pain (82.4% and 81.3%) and of paroxysms (90.9% and 90.0%) at the first postoperative visit and short-term follow-up visit, respectively. The pain relief benefits had diminished by 3 years after surgery but remained significantly better than in the preoperative assessment. At the last evaluation, the proportion of patients achieving excellent relief of paroxysmal pain (66.7%) was double that for continuous pain (35.7%) (p < 0.001). New sensory phenomena were observed among 10 patients (52.6%), and 1 patient developed a motor deficit.

CONCLUSIONS

DREZ lesioning is an effective and safe option for relieving BPA-associated pain, with good long-term outcomes and better benefits for paroxysmal pain than for the continuous pain component.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Publish Before Print

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Predicting nonroutine discharge in patients undergoing surgery for vertebral column tumors

Jeff Ehresman, Zach Pennington, James Feghali, Andrew Schilling, Andrew Hersh, Bethany Hung, Daniel Lubelski, and Daniel M. Sciubba

OBJECTIVE

每年有超过8000名患者治疗vertebral column tumors, of whom roughly two-thirds will be discharged to an inpatient facility (nonroutine discharge). Nonroutine discharge is associated with increased care costs as well as delays in discharge and poorer patient outcomes. In this study, the authors sought to develop a prediction model of nonroutine discharge in the population of vertebral column tumor patients.

开云体育世界杯赔率

Patients treated for primary or metastatic vertebral column tumors at a single comprehensive cancer center were identified for inclusion. Data were gathered regarding surgical procedure, patient demographics, insurance status, and medical comorbidities. Frailty was assessed using the modified 5-item Frailty Index (mFI-5) and medical complexity was assessed using the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of nonroutine discharge, and multivariable linear regression was used to identify predictors of prolonged length of stay (LOS). The discharge model was internally validated using 1000 bootstrapped samples.

RESULTS

作者确定了350名患者(平均年龄57.0± 13.6 years, 53.1% male, and 67.1% treated for metastatic vs primary disease). Significant predictors of prolonged LOS included higher mCCI score (β = 0.74; p = 0.026), higher serum absolute neutrophil count (β = 0.35; p = 0.001), lower hematocrit (β = −0.34; p = 0.001), use of a staged operation (β = 4.99; p < 0.001), occurrence of postoperative pulmonary embolism (β = 3.93; p = 0.004), and surgical site infection (β = 9.93; p < 0.001). Significant predictors of nonroutine discharge included emergency admission (OR 3.09; p = 0.001), higher mFI-5 score (OR 1.90; p = 0.001), lower serum albumin level (OR 0.43 per g/dL; p < 0.001), and operations with multiple stages (OR 4.10; p < 0.001). The resulting statistical model was deployed as a web-based calculator (https://jhuspine4.shinyapps.io/Nonroutine_Discharge_Tumor/).

CONCLUSIONS

The authors found that nonroutine discharge of patients with surgically treated vertebral column tumors was predicted by emergency admission, increased frailty, lower serum albumin level, and staged surgical procedures. The resulting web-based calculator tool may be useful clinically to aid in discharge planning for spinal oncology patients by preoperatively identifying patients likely to require placement in an inpatient facility postoperatively.

InJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine Volume 34: Issue 3 (Mar 2021)

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