Search

Navigated pedicle screw placement can be particularly challenging for cervical and upper thoracic levels in obese patients. This technical challenge can be compounded by smaller-diameter tools, which can be flexible and therefore confound navigation. It is imperative to avoid excessive manipulation of surrounding tissues to maintain navigation accuracy in the mobile cervical spine. 1 Robotic-assisted spinal approaches use firm guides to aid drilling and screw placement but are hindered by high costs with equipment acquisition. 2,3 Here, we propose a technical nuance that combines robotic surgical principles with tools that are more readily available in many surgical departments (Video 1). We present the case of a 64-year-old woman with a chief complaint of neck pain, irradiating to the left worse than right arm and prior history of C5-7 anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion. Imaging showed multilevel degenerative disease and a solid prior C5-7 anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion with grade I anterolisthesis at C7-T1 due to severe facet degeneration with severe left-sided foraminal stenosis. Given failure of conservative management, the patient was brought to the operating room for left C7-T1 foraminotomy and C7-T1 posterior instrumented fusion. Here, we show the use of a tubular retractor fixed to the surgical bed for solid and reproducible trajectory for all tools to minimize the risk of surrounding tissue manipulation and its effect on navigation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craniopharyngiomas are challenging tumors of the central nervous system that originate from epithelial remnants of the Rathke pouch. 1-3 Despite maximum safe resection, these tumors present a high tendency to recur (∼20%–40%), even after apparent gross total resection. 1,2 The management of recurrent craniopharyngiomas is more challenging, associated with a higher risk of permanent morbidity and complications. 1,3 The endoscopic endonasal approach is an option for recurrent tumors, especially in the presence of a previous transcranial approach. 1,3-7 In Video 1, we present a case of a 63-year-old man with a recurrent craniopharyngioma with a 2-month history of visual decline, confusion, impaired memory, and episodes of urinary incontinence. On physical examination, he presented slow speech, word-finding difficulties, and left homonymous hemianopsia. Magnetic resonance imaging evidenced a large suprasellar, retrochiasmatic mass with solid (calcified) and cystic components with interval progression compared with previous scans. Treatment options were discussed, and the patient consented to undergo maximum safe resection through an extended endoscopic endonasal approach. Surgical techniques are presented side by side with anatomic dissections to illustrate key steps of the procedure. The patient tolerated the procedure well, with gross total resection of the tumor and without complications or postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks. He was subsequently discharged home on postoperative day 5 with continued hormonal replacement therapy. On follow-up, the patient presented marked improvement in his cognitive function. The patient gave informed consent for the use of their images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intramedullary spinal cord tumors are challenging to resect, and their postoperative neurological outcomes are often difficult to predict, with few studies assessing this outcome. We reviewed the medical records of all patients surgically treated for Intramedullary spinal cord tumors at our multisite tertiary care institution (Mayo Clinic Arizona, Mayo Clinic Florida, Mayo Clinic Rochester) between June 2002 and May 2020. Variables that were significant in the univariate analyses were included in a multivariate logistic regression. "MissForest" operating on the Random Forest algorithm, was used for data imputation, and K-prototype was used for data clustering. Heatmaps were added to show correlations between postoperative neurological deficit and all other included variables. Shapley Additive exPlanations were implemented to understand each feature's importance. Our query resulted in 315 patients, with 160 meeting the inclusion criteria. There were 53 patients with astrocytoma, 66 with ependymoma, and 41 with hemangioblastoma. The mean age (standard deviation) was 42.3 (17.5), and 48.1% of patients were women (n = 77/160). Multivariate analysis revealed that pathologic grade >3 (OR = 1.55; CI = [0.67, 3.58], P = 0.046 predicted a new neurological deficit. Random Forest algorithm (supervised machine learning) found age, use of neuromonitoring, histology of the tumor, performing a midline myelotomy, and tumor location to be the most important predictors of new postoperative neurological deficits. Tumor grade/histology, age, use of neuromonitoring, and myelotomy type appeared to be most predictive of postoperative neurological deficits. These results can be used to better inform patients of perioperative risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current methods of neuromodulation have been shown to reduce seizures in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and in a small percentage of patients it has rendered them seizure-free when surgical resection is not feasible. While polytherapy with antiseizure medication is not uncommon, dual neurostimulation has received limited attention. We set out to identify trends and changes in the use of dual neurostimulation to understand choosing device combinations. We reviewed the Mayo Clinic database in Florida of patients who underwent vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) from October 1998 through September 2021. The prevalence of active VNS with DBS or RNS was considered dual therapy. In total, 131 patients (71 female) underwent 164 VNS-associated procedures, 28 received RNS, and 8 received DBS (6 anterior thalamic DBS; 2 thalamic centromedian nucleus DBS). Active dual stimulation occurred in 3 of 28 patients who received RNS and 8 of 8 patients who received DBS (P = 0.006), mean duration of 28 and 16.3 months, respectively. Patients who received VNS-DBS were more likely to have a previous response to VNS (P = 0.025) and were unresponsive to more antiseizure medications (P = 0.020). The VNS-RNS group had focal seizures more likely to have electroclinical localization (P = 0.005) and more frequently underwent invasive electroencephalographic monitoring (P = 0.026). The ability to localize was the primary decision-maker in prompting RNS versus DBS. RNS surgery was more likely to be preceded by invasive electroencephalographic monitoring. Previous VNS responsiveness was more prominent in patients with DBS. Dual therapy was safe. Prospective multicenter studies of dual-device neuromodulation are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]