World Neurosurg
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to augment clinicians' diagnostic and decision-making capabilities. It is well suited to identify patterns and correlations within data sets and may be applied to identify elements of importance in complex and data-laden areas such as patient selection, diagnostics, treatment, and outcome prediction. The development of modern neurosurgery has been dependent on major technological advances. In line with this, a growing interest is seen in the use of AI to assist in neurosurgical research and enhance neurosurgical practices. ⋯ This review highlights the most-impactful articles pertaining to AI in the field of neurosurgery. Although female authors were significantly underrepresented on the list, their work was at least as impactful as their male peers. Finally, the striking dominance of articles originating from the developed world raises concerns as to the future of AI in attending to the global health crisis.
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To explore a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based bone quality assessment method for predicting pedicle screw loosening in the lumbar spine. ⋯ As an independent risk factor for screw loosening after lumbar spine fusion, the VBQ score provides a new noninvasive protocol for assessing bone quality during surgical planning.
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Multicenter Study
DRG Based Payments for Adult Spine Deformity Surgery Significantly Vary across Centers: Results from a multicenter prospective cohort study.
To investigate the variation in total episode-of-care (EOC) payment and quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gain for complex adult spine deformity surgeries in the United States, adjusting for case type and surgeon preferences. ⋯ Medicare-based payments for complex spine deformity fusions are primarily driven by relative weight of the DRG and the hospital's base rate. Patient and procedural factors are unaccounted for in the DRG-based payments made to the providers.
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Landmarks for transsphenoidal surgery have been described to facilitate resection for pituitary lesions. However, carrying out sphenoidotomy for access to the sellar floor could still be challenging, especially for young surgeons during the steep learning curve. ⋯ The LUTH line is a consistent and easy-to-identify landmark that could be useful in preventing potential complications of access to the pituitary sella through the sphenoid sinus. We believe it to be useful in the absence of intraoperative guidance, especially for young surgeons who are just starting off their career in pituitary surgery.
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Multicenter Study
Upper Extremity Neuropathies following Severe COVID-19 Infection: A Multicenter Case Series.
The purpose of the study is to examine presentation, injury patterns, and clinical course, for COVID-19-related peripheral nerve injury following mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Our series demonstrates that peripheral neuropathies and especially brachial plexopathies have occurred following mechanical ventilation for ARDS-related COVID-19 infections. Contrary to prior COVID-19 studies, only 54.5% of these patients underwent prone positioning. Aside from a traumatic disturbance of prone positioning, the increased incidence of neuropathy may involve an atraumatic effect of COVID-19 via direct invasion of nerves, autoantibody targeting of nervous tissue, or hypercoagulation-induced microthrombotic angiopathy.