Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Jun 2020
Impact of multidisciplinary engagement in a quality improvement blood conservation protocol for craniosynostosis.
Patients undergoing open cranial vault remodeling for craniosynostosis frequently experience substantial blood loss requiring blood transfusion. Multiple reports in the literature have evaluated the impact of individual blood conservation techniques on blood transfusion rates during craniosynostosis surgery. The authors engaged a multidisciplinary team and assessed the impact of input from multiple stakeholders on the evolution of a comprehensive quality improvement protocol aimed at reducing or eliminating blood transfusion in patients undergoing open surgery for craniosynostosis. ⋯ Patients undergoing open calvarial vault remodeling procedures benefit from the input of a multidisciplinary stakeholder group in blood conservation protocols. Further research into comprehensive protocols for blood conservation may benefit from input from the full surgical team (plastic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology) as well as additional pediatric subspecialty stakeholders including transfusion medicine, critical care, and hematology.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · May 2020
Hydrocephalus in children with ruptured cerebral arteriovenous malformation.
Hydrocephalus is a strong determinant of poor neurological outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In children, ruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) are the dominant cause of ICH. In a large prospective cohort of pediatric patients with ruptured bAVMs, the authors analyzed the rates and predictive factors of hydrocephalus requiring acute external ventricular drainage (EVD) or ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS). ⋯ In a large cohort of pediatric patients with ruptured bAVM, almost half of the patients required EVD and 4.4% required permanent VPS. Use of a low iGCS score and a semiquantitative mGS score as indicators of the IVH burden may be helpful for decision making in the emergency setting and thus improve treatment.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · May 2020
Association between supratentorial pediatric high-grade gliomas involved with the subventricular zone and decreased survival: a multi-institutional retrospective study.
The subventricular zone (SVZ), housed in the lateral walls of the lateral ventricles, is the largest neurogenic niche in the brain. In adults, high-grade gliomas in contact or involved with the SVZ are associated with decreased survival. Whether this association holds true in the pediatric population remains unexplored. To address this gap in knowledge, the authors conducted this retrospective study in a pediatric population with high-grade gliomas treated at three comprehensive centers in the United States. ⋯ High-grade glioma contact with the SVZ neural stem cell niche was associated with a significant decrease in survival in the pediatric population, as it is in the adult population. This result suggests that tumor contact with the SVZ is a general negative prognosticator in high-grade glioma independent of age group and invites biological investigations to understand the SVZ's role in glioma pathobiology.
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Cavernous malformations (CMs) are commonly treated cerebrovascular anomalies in the pediatric population; however, the data on radiographic recurrence of pediatric CMs after surgery are limited. The authors aimed to study the clinical presentation, outcomes, and recurrence rate following surgery for a large cohort of CMs in children. ⋯ Patients with either acute radiographic hemorrhage or multiple CMs are at higher risk for subsequent surgery and require long-term MRI surveillance. In contrast, patients with a single CM are unlikely to require additional surgery and may require less frequent routine imaging.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Apr 2020
Residual thoracolumbar/lumbar curve is related to self-image after posterior spinal fusion for Lenke 1 and 2 curves in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.
Although it is well known that major curve severity in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is inversely related to self-image, surgeons often encounter patients who complain of low self-image with preoperatively mild curves or postoperatively well-corrected main curves, suggesting the presence of other factors. This study examined factors contributing to self-image in AIS. ⋯ Preoperative MT curve AVT appears more strongly related to self-image than does Cobb angle. Two years postoperatively, persistent TL/L region curvature and high Risser grade may also be associated with diminished patient self-image.