World Neurosurg
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Spine tumors, both primary and metastatic, impose significant morbidity and mortality on patients and physicians. Patient-reported outcomes are valuable tools to assess a patient's impression of their health status and enhance communication between physicians and patients. Various spine generic patient-reported outcome tools have traditionally been used but have not been validated in the spine tumor patient population. ⋯ Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, which has recently been developed, employs computerized adaptive testing to assess multiple health domains. It has been shown to capture information in both generic and specific questionnaires and has the potential to be used as a universal tool in the spine oncology patient population. Further long-term studies, as well as, cross-cultural adaptations, are needed to validate Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System's applicability and effectiveness.
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Paravertebral abscess represents a prevalent manifestation of thoracic tuberculosis, often necessitating surgical intervention. In this study, we introduced a novel approach by employing bilateral endoscopic debridement (BED) to address large Paravertebral abscesses associated with thoracic tuberculosis, a method not previously proposed in the literature. The clinical efficacy was examined through a comprehensive 4-year follow-up. ⋯ The application of BED + LAD in the treatment of thoracic tuberculosis and paravertebral abscess proved to be a safe, effective, and feasible approach.
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Meta Analysis
Diagnostic Accuracy of Intraoperative Brain Smear: A Meta-Analysis of Studies from Resource-Limited Settings.
Intraoperative brain smear is an easy, rapid, and cost-effective technique for immediate diagnosis of brain tumors. Earlier studies have gauged its application on limited number of samples, but its diagnostic accuracy especially in low-resource settings, where its practice would be extremely helpful, is still undetermined. To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative brain smear in resource-limited settings for diagnosis of brain tumors. ⋯ Our study shows that intraoperative brain smear is not only an accurate and sensitive diagnostic modality in resource-rich settings, but it is also equally useful in resource-limited settings, making it an ideal method for rapid diagnosis.
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Review
The role of international collaborations in sustainable neurosurgical development in Nigeria.
Despite 6 decades of existence, neurosurgery is still in the developing stages in Nigeria. In this era of collaborative health system capacity-building in low- and middle-income countries, this article reviews past efforts and future prospects for collaborative neurosurgical development in Nigeria. ⋯ Current and previous neurosurgical collaborations have led to sustainable progress in Nigeria. Further local, regional, and international collaborations would enhance the capacity to address the needs and challenges affecting neurosurgery in Nigeria.
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The structure and specifics of neurosurgery residency training vary substantially across programs and countries, potentially leading to differences in clinical reasoning, surgical skills, and professionalism. The Greek neurosurgical training system is unique in numerous respects. This manuscript delineates the current state of neurosurgical residency training in Greece and outlines future directions. ⋯ Neurosurgery residency training in Greece has been largely unchanged for many years. This review leads to suggested modification of the existing training process may improve the quality of training and equip neurosurgeons to respond to the rapidly changing landscape of the field.