Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2018
The impact of spine disease, relative to cranial disease, on perception of health and care experience: an analysis of 1484 patients in a tertiary center.
OBJECTIVEPatient-reported outcomes have been increasingly mandated by regulators and payers to evaluate hospital and physician performance. The purpose of this study is to delineate the differences in patient-reported experience of hospital care for cranial and spinal operations. METHODSThe authors selected all patients who underwent inpatient, elective cranial or spinal procedures and completed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey at a single, high-volume, tertiary care institution between October 2012 and September 2015. ⋯ CONCLUSIONSSignificant differences in patient-reported experience with hospital care exist across different cranial and spine surgery patient populations. Overall, spinal patients, particularly those with degenerative spine disease, rated their health and their hospital experience lower relative to cranial patients. Identifying weaker areas of hospital performance in target populations can stimulate quality initiatives that aim to increase the overall hospital score.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2018
A novel scale for describing visual outcomes in patients following resection of lesions affecting the optic apparatus: the Unified Visual Function Scale.
OBJECTIVEHistorically, descriptions of visual acuity and visual field change following intracranial procedures have been very rudimentary. Clinicians and researchers have often used basic descriptions, such as "improved," "worsened," and "unchanged," to describe outcomes following resections of tumors affecting the optic apparatus. These descriptors are vague, difficult to quantify, and challenging to apply in a clinical perspective. ⋯ RESULTSUsing the UVFS the authors were able to capture the overall visual change; the scale was sensitive enough to define the overall visual improvement or worsening quantitatively, using categories that are clinically relevant and understandable. CONCLUSIONSThe UVFS is a robust way to assess a patient's vision, combining visual fields and acuity. The implementation of pre- and postoperative assessment is sensitive enough to assess overall change while also providing clinically relevant information for surgeons, and allows for comparisons between treatment groups.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2018
Assessment of MR stereotactic imaging and image co-registration accuracy for 3 different MR scanners by 3 different methods/phantoms: phantom and patient study.
OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to compare 3 different methods to assess the geometrical distortion of two 1.5-T and one 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) scanners and to evaluate co-registration accuracy. The overall uncertainty of each particular method was also evaluated. METHODSThree different MR phantoms were used: 2 commercial CIRS skull phantoms and PTGR known target phantom and 1 custom cylindrical Perspex phantom made in-house. ⋯ CONCLUSIONSAll 3 methods/phantoms used were evaluated as satisfactory for the image distortion measurement. The method using the PTGR phantom had the lowest uncertainty as no reference CT imaging was needed. Image co-registration can improve stereotactic image definition when fiducial-based definition is not accurate.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2018
Decision tree analysis in subarachnoid hemorrhage: prediction of outcome parameters during the course of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage using decision tree analysis.
OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to create prediction models for outcome parameters by decision tree analysis based on clinical and laboratory data in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODSThe database consisted of clinical and laboratory parameters of 548 patients with aSAH who were admitted to the Neurocritical Care Unit, University Hospital Zurich. To examine the model performance, the cohort was randomly divided into a derivation cohort (60% [n = 329]; training data set) and a validation cohort (40% [n = 219]; test data set). ⋯ The most important differentiating factor was hyperglycemia on admission. CONCLUSIONSThe multiple variable analysis capability of decision trees enables exploration of dependent variables in the context of multiple changing influences over the course of an illness. The decision tree currently generated increases awareness of the early systemic stress response, which is seemingly pertinent for prognostication.