Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2023
Multicenter StudyMagnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for essential tremor: 5-year follow-up results.
The objective of this study was to evaluate, at 4 and 5 years posttreatment, the long-term safety and efficacy of unilateral MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy for medication-refractory essential tremor in a cohort of patients from a prospective, controlled, multicenter clinical trial. ⋯ Unilateral MRgFUS thalamotomy demonstrates sustained and significant tremor improvement at 5 years with an overall improvement in quality-of-life measures and without any progressive or delayed complications. Clinical trial registration no.: NCT01827904 (ClinicalTrials.gov).
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2023
The impact of a night float system on operative experience in neurosurgery residency.
Since the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented duty-hour restrictions in 2003, many residency programs have adopted a night float system to comply with time constraints. However, some surgical subspecialities have been concerned that use of a night float system deprives residents of operative experience. In this study, the authors describe their training program's transition to a night float system and its impact on resident operative experience. ⋯ Transitioning to a night float call system at the authors' institution increased overall resident operative cases, particularly for lead resident surgeons. Based on the results of this study, the authors recommend the use of a night float call system to consolidate night calls, which increases junior resident-level educational opportunities and senior resident cases.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2023
Observational StudyNomogram for predicting an individual prospective hemorrhage risk in untreated brainstem cavernous malformations.
In this study, the authors aimed to create a nomogram for precisely predicting the 5-year prospective hemorrhage risk in brainstem cavernous malformations (BSCMs). ⋯ Independent predictors of the 5-year hemorrhage risk in untreated BSCMs were selected to create the first nomogram for predicting individual prospective hemorrhage. The nomogram was able to stratify patients into different risk groups and assist in clinical decision-making.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2023
Trends in utilization of standardized letters of recommendation in the 2021-2022 neurosurgery application process.
Standardized letters of recommendation (SLORs) were introduced during the 2020-2021 neurosurgery residency application cycle, but suffered from poor interrater reliability and grade inflation. Changes were made to the SLOR template and utilization patterns in response to these shortcomings. The authors examined the second year of SLOR utilization. They hypothesized that grade inflation and interrater reliability would be improved from the first iteration. They also hypothesized that increased numbers of letters by single writers would correlate with broader rating distributions. ⋯ Changes in the format and subsequent utilization patterns of SLORs have slightly decreased grade inflation; however, interrater reliability remains poor. The most wide-ranging evaluators submitted the highest number of SLORs, suggesting that future evaluation and usage of SLORs should emphasize letter-writer characteristics and numbers of SLORs written. Overall, SLORs have been well and broadly accepted with subtle improvements in the second year of utilization.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Apr 2023
Automated detection and analysis of subdural hematomas using a machine learning algorithm.
Machine learning algorithms have shown groundbreaking results in neuroimaging. Herein, the authors evaluate the performance of a newly developed convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect and quantify the thickness, volume, and midline shift (MLS) of subdural hematoma (SDH) from noncontrast head CT (NCHCT). ⋯ The described Viz.ai SDH CNN performed exceptionally well at identifying and quantifying key features of SDHs in an independent validation imaging data set.