Neurosurgery
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Elevated body mass index (BMI) has been correlated with worse outcomes after treatment for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Venous sinus stenting (VSS) has emerged as a safe and effective treatment for a subset of patients with IIH and evidence of venous sinus stenosis. However, the association between BMI and the efficacy of VSS remains poorly characterized. ⋯ We provide direct evidence for a positive correlation between BMI and intracranial venous pressure in patients with IIH. VSS affords a significantly greater amelioration of intracranial venous hypertension and stenosis for IIH patients with higher BMIs. As such, obesity should not be a deterrent for the use of VSS in the management of IIH.
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Surgical site infections (SSIs) are noteworthy and costly complications. New recommendations from a national organization have urged the elimination of traditional surgeon's caps (surgical skull caps) and mandated the use of bouffant caps to prevent SSIs. ⋯ National efforts at improving healthcare performance are laudable but need to be evidence based. Guidelines, especially when applied in a mandatory fashion, should be assessed for effectiveness. In this large, single-center series of patients undergoing class I surgical procedures, elimination of the traditional surgeon's cap did not reduce infection rates.
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Odontoid fractures are the most common fracture of the axis and the most common cervical spine fracture in patients over 65. Despite their frequency, there is considerable ambiguity regarding optimal management strategies for these fractures in the elderly. Poor bone health and medical comorbidities contribute to increased surgical risk in this population; however, nonoperative management is associated with a risk of nonunion or fibrous union. ⋯ In a frail elderly patient, a fibrous nonunion with close follow-up is an acceptable outcome. If operative management is chosen, a posterior approach is should be chosen when fracture- or patient-related factors make an anterior approach challenging. The high levels of morbidity and mortality associated with odontoid fractures should encourage all providers to pursue medical co-management and optimization of bone health following diagnosis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Emerging Safety of Intramedullary Transplantation of Human Neural Stem Cells in Chronic Cervical and Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury.
Human central nervous system stem cells (HuCNS-SC) are multipotent adult stem cells with successful engraftment, migration, and region-appropriate differentiation after spinal cord injury (SCI). ⋯ A total cell dose of 20 M cells via 4 and up to 40 M cells via 8 perilesional intramedullary injections after thoracic and cervical SCI respectively proved safe and feasible using a manual injection technique.