World Neurosurg
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While studies have examined the relationship between sex and outcomes after lumbar fusion surgery, few have strictly controlled for other patient-level variables. In this study, we use coarsened exact matching (CEM) to determine the effect of patient-reported sex on spinal fusion outcomes. ⋯ Female patients encountered longer hospital stays and higher odds of nonhome discharge after single-level lumbar fusion compared to otherwise exactly matched male patients.
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This study aims to elucidate the anatomical principles governing the surrounding venous structures (VS) of the horizontal part of the third segment of the vertebral artery (V3h) and develop a safe and bloodless surgical technique for exposing V3h. ⋯ The application of the PAOM tension release technique effectively collapses the tent-like structure within the SOT, significantly reducing bleeding during V3h exposure in craniovertebral junction.
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Shunted hydrocephalus patients are at an inherent risk of developing chronic subdural hematomas (cSDHs) from overdrainage. The preliminary results of three much-anticipated clinical trials (STEM, EMBOLISE, MAGIC-MT) have recently been presented, showing efficacy of middle meningeal artery embolization (MMA-E) in reducing observational failure and the need for reoperation in non-shunted patients, but the effect of this procedure in shunted patients remains to be further investigated. In this series, we present our institution's experience with MMA-E in shunted normal pressure hydrocephalus patients in comparison to standard of care (=SOC). ⋯ MMA-E in shunt-induced cSDHs has not shown increased resolution speed compared to SOC and liberal use of MMA-E on this cohort may need to be further investigated.