World Neurosurg
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To determine prognostic value of preoperative Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) physical composite score (PCS) on outcomes in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). ⋯ ACDF patients with VR-12 PCS <35 experienced inferior PF, mental health, and disability postoperatively until final follow-up. There were no significant differences in postoperative improvement magnitude and MCID achievement. Results suggest that baseline VR-12 PCS in ACDF patients may indicate poorer PF, mental health, and disability postoperatively. However, VR-12 PCS does not limit extent of postoperative improvement.
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Case Reports
Case report: Successful use of BRAF/MEK inhibitors in aggressive BRAF-mutant craniopharyngioma.
Although a benign intracranial tumor, craniopharyngioma treatment has always been considered a challenging clinical problem. Recently, BRAF V600E mutation in the pathogenesis of papillary craniopharyngioma (PCP) has been further revealed. Thus, BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) serve as an applicable treatment for patients with PCP. ⋯ Under specific conditions, individuals diagnosed with PCP can attain a complete tumor response following combined treatment with BRAFi/MEKi.
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This study aimed to determine the accuracy and reliability of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to characterize thoracic pedicle morphology in the normal population. ⋯ Pedicle measurements obtained by MRI may be used to estimate pedicle dimensions, allowing surgeons to preoperatively determine pedicle screw sizes based on MRI scans alone.
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Spinal cord injury is a frequent debilitating neurologic condition with increasing prevalence and related morbidity over the last decades. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a promising biomarker for determining different medical conditions' disease course and outcome such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the outcome of SCI. ⋯ A high NLR is unequivocally linked with poor outcomes in patients suffering from acute SCI and should be considered a negative prognostic factor; however, the NLR had approached significant predicting value in patients enrolled in the study.