Neurosurg Focus
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Medical malpractice litigation is a significant challenge in neurosurgery, with more than 25% of a neurosurgeon's career on average spent with an open malpractice claim. While earlier research has elucidated characteristics of litigation related to brain tumor treatment, factors impacting outcome and indemnity payment amount are incompletely understood. ⋯ Neurosurgeons were the most common defendants for brain tumor malpractice litigation, averaging more than $3 million per claim paid. Older plaintiff age was associated with case outcome in favor of the physician. Additionally, medical outcome was predictive of both case outcome and indemnity payment amount.
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The incidence of already common chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs) and other nonacute subdural hematomas (NASHs) in the elderly is expected to rise as the population ages over the coming decades. Surgical management is associated with recurrence and exposes elderly patients to perioperative and operative risks. Middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization offers the potential for a minimally invasive, less morbid treatment in this age group. The clinical and radiographic outcomes after MMA embolization treatment for NASHs have not been adequately described in elderly patients. In this paper, the authors describe the clinical and radiographic outcomes after 151 cases of MMA embolization for NASHs among 121 elderly patients. ⋯ MMA embolization can be used safely and effectively as an alternative or adjunctive minimally invasive treatment for NASHs in elderly and advanced elderly patients.
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The authors aimed to evaluate the impact of age and frailty on the surgical outcomes of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) and to assess caregivers' perceptions regarding postdischarge care and challenges faced in the developing country of India. ⋯ Frailty is a better predictor of poorer surgical outcomes than chronological age in terms of duration of hospital and ICU stay, postoperative complications, and in-hospital mortality. It also adds to the psychosocial and financial burdens of the caregivers, making postdischarge care challenging.
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Life expectancy has increased over the past century, causing a shift in the demographic distribution toward older age groups. Elderly patients comprise up to 14% of all patients with pituitary tumors, with most lesions being nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). Here, the authors evaluated demographics, outcomes, and postoperative complications between nonelderly adult and elderly NFPA patients. ⋯ The authors' analysis revealed that TSS for NFPA in elderly patients is safe with low complication rates. In this cohort, more elderly patients experienced postoperative hyponatremia, while more nonelderly patients experienced postoperative DI. These findings, combined with the observation of higher DI in patients with more comorbidities and elderly patients experiencing later peaks and troughs in serum sodium, suggest age-related differences in sodium regulation after NFPA resection. The authors hope that their results will help guide discussions with elderly patients regarding risks and outcomes of TSS.
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Common surgical treatments for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) include microvascular decompression (MVD) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). The use of MVD in elderly patients has been described but has yet to be prospectively compared to SRS, which is well-tolerated and noninvasive. The authors aimed to directly compare long-term pain control and adverse event rates for first-time surgical treatments for idiopathic TN in the elderly. ⋯ In this study cohort, patients who had undergone MVD had a statistically significantly longer duration of pain freedom than those who had undergone MVD+Rhiz or SRS as their first procedure. Fewer adverse events were seen after SRS, though the MVD-associated complication rate was comparable to published rates in younger patients. Overall, the results suggest that both MVD and SRS are effective options for the elderly, despite their advanced age. Treatment choice can be tailored to a patient's unique condition and wishes.