• Kristín Eyglóardóttir, Isak Michaëlsson, Tobias Hallén, Asgeir Jakola, and Thomas Skoglund.
• Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Neurosurgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: kristin.eygloardottir@gu.se.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Oct 1; 190: 434442.e1434-442.e1.

ObjectiveThere is a need for refined methods to detect and quantify brain injuries that may be undetectable by magnetic resonance imaging and neurologic examination. This review evaluates the potential efficacy of circulating brain injury biomarkers for predicting outcomes following elective neurosurgical procedures.MethodsA comprehensive search was conducted using the Cochrane, PubMed, and Scopus databases.ResultsAnalysis of 23 relevant studies revealed that specific biomarkers, including glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light chain, neuron-specific enolase, S100B, and tau, are significantly associated with the extent of brain injury and could potentially predict postsurgical outcomes. The evaluated studies described intracranial tumor surgeries and miscellaneous neurosurgical interventions and demonstrated the complex relationship between biomarker levels and patient outcomes.ConclusionsCirculating brain injury biomarkers show promise for providing objective insights into the extent of perioperative brain injury and improving prognostication of postsurgical outcomes. However, the heterogeneity in study designs and outcomes along with the lack of standardized biomarker thresholds underscore the need for further research.Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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