Surgical Outcomes and Their Correlation with Increasing Surgical Experience in a Series of 250 Ruptured or Unruptured Aneurysms Undergoing Microsurgical Clipping

A Comparison of Perioperative Complications and Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping Performed Ultra-Early (≤ 24 hours) versus Late (> 24 hours): A 7-Year Retrospective Study of 302 Patients

Objectives  The intracerebral aneurysm with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has a high morbidity and mortality rate. This study aimed to compare the incidences of perioperative complications in ultra-early surgery (within 24 hours) with those in late surgery (> 24 hours). Methods  Retrospective data were reviewed for 302 patients who underwent craniotomies with aneurysm clipping between January 2014 and December 2020. Perioperative data were obtained from the medical records and reviewed by the investigators. The complications were compared between ultra-early and late operations. We were interested in major complications such as delayed ischemic neurologic deficit (DIND), intraoperative aneurysm rupture (IAR), and anesthesia-related complications. The short-term (in hospital) and long-term (1 year) outcomes in patients with or without DIND and IAR were compared. The collected data was statistically analyzed. Results  Three hundred and two patients were analyzed, and 264 patients had completed follow-up. The ultra-early cases (150 patients) had a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, a lower Glasgow Coma Scale, and higher Hunt and Hess scales. The surgeons operated on more cases of the anterior cerebral artery as ultra-early operations. The incidence rates of DIND, IAR, severe hemodynamic instability, and cardiac arrest were 5.6, 8.3, 6.3, and 0.3%, respectively, which were not different between groups. However, the reintubation rate was higher in the ultra-early surgery cases (0 vs. 3.3%, p  = 0.023). The DIND and IAR patients had poorer short-term (in hospital) outcomes. Conclusions  There were no differences in major complications between ultra-early and late craniotomy with aneurysm clipping. However, the reintubation rate was strikingly higher in the ultra-early group. Patients with major complications had early, unfavorable outcomes.

Trends in the Age of Patients Treated for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms from 1990 to 2020

BACKGROUND

The decision for treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) is often difficult. Innovation in endovascular devices have improved the benefit-to-risk profile especially for elderly patients; however, the treatment guidelines from the past decade often recommend conservative management. It is unknown how these changes have affected the overall age of the patients selected for treatment. Herein, we aimed to study potential changes in the average age of the patients that are being treated over time.

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature was performed to identify all studies describing the age of the UIAs that were treated by any modality. Scatter diagrams with trend lines were used to plot the age of the patients treated over time and assess the presence of a potential significant trend via statistical correlation tests.

RESULTS

A total of 280 studies including 83,437 UIAs treated between 1987 and 2021 met all eligibility criteria and were entered in the analysis. Mean age of the patients was 55.5 years, and 70.7% were female. There was a significant increasing trend in the age of the treated patients over time (Spearman r: 0.250; P < 0.001), with a 1-year increase in the average age of the treated patients every 5 years since 1987.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicates that based on the treated UIA patient data published in the literature, older UIAs are being treated over time. This trend is likely driven by safer treatments while suggesting that re-evaluation of certain UIA treatment decision scores may be of great interest.

Surgical Experience Affects the Outcome of Central Venous Access Catheter Implantation in Children: A Retrospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION

Surgical complications occur in up to third of children, limiting the benefits of tunneled central venous catheters (tCVCs) in children. We aimed to identify risk factors for complications related to catheter implantation.

METHODS

All children and adolescents undergoing tCVC implantation at a single center over a period of 9 years were analyzed. Infection, thrombosis, dislocation, and catheter dysfunction were defined as complications. Both patient-related (ie, age, sex, vessel characteristics, revision surgery) and surgical factors (ie, sex of surgeon, surgical experience) were analyzed for their association with complications.

RESULTS

A total of 1024 catheters were inserted, 887 ports and 137 broviac catheters. In terms of patient-related factors, Broviac catheters, and nononcological patients had a higher complication rate. The use of the internal jugular vein and revision surgery was associated with significantly increased complications in patients with port catheters. Experience of the surgeon correlated with various outcome parameters. Implantation performed by an attending were associated with lower complication rates in comparison to those performed by residents. Within the resident group, insertions performed by experienced residents had more complications compared with those performed by residents during their first years.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that the outcome of tCVCs insertion is affected by the type of catheter used, the utilized vessel and above all by surgical experience. Residents had significantly increased complication rates in comparison to board-certified surgeons and amongst resident's outcome got worse with increasing experience of the residents. The presence of an experienced attending did not compensate for this effect. To improve the outcome of tCVCs, strategies like direct feedback after every procedure to achieve proficiency should be implanted in residency programs.

Initial experience in the microsurgical treatment of ruptured brain aneurysms in the endovascular era: characteristics and safety of the learning curve in the first 300 consecutively treated patients

PURPOSE

Currently, there is an increasing tendency to refer only complex aneurysms for microsurgery. The formation of new neurosurgeons dedicated to open vascular neurosurgery becomes challenging in a situation in which complex aneurysms must be dealt with early in the career, raising questions about the safety of the learning curve.

METHODS

We analyzed the characteristics and surgical results of the first 300 consecutively treated patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage by a single neurosurgeon. The incidence of surgical complications and clinical outcomes during the learning curve were analyzed, looking for critical periods regarding patient safety. Microsurgical operative times were also studied.

RESULTS

A high frequency of wide-necked aneurysms was observed (70.3%), and, as a result, large (> 10 mm), MCA and paraclinoid aneurysms were overrepresented. A statistically significant correlation between surgical experience and clinical outcomes was observed, with progressive surgical experience resulting in a lower incidence of unfavorable outcomes. We also observed a higher frequency of major surgical complications, unfavorable clinical outcomes, and lower complete occlusion rates among the first 40 patients. Microsurgical operative times progressively and significantly decreased during the learning curve.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a high prevalence of wide-necked aneurysms. Young neurosurgeons must be trained and prepared to deal with these aneurysms early in their careers. Although we observed a decrease in unfavorable results with cumulative surgical experience, the first 40 cases were associated with higher rates of major surgical complications, worse clinical outcomes, and lower complete occlusion rates, indicating that this period may be more critical to patient safety.

Clipping versus coiling for treatment of middle cerebral artery aneurysms: a retrospective Italian multicenter experience

Endovascular treatment has emerged as the predominant approach in intracranial aneurysms. However, surgical clipping is still considered the best treatment for middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms in referral centers. Here we compared short- and long-term clinical and neuroradiological outcomes in patients with MCA aneurysms undergoing clipping or coiling in 5 Italian referral centers for cerebrovascular surgery. We retrospectively reviewed 411 consecutive patients admitted between 2015 and 2019 for ruptured and unruptured MCA aneurysm. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the association between demographic, clinical, and radiological parameters and ruptured status, type of surgical treatment, and clinical outcome at discharge and follow-up were performed. Clipping was performed in 340 (83%) cases, coiling in 71 (17%). Clipping was preferred in unruptured aneurysms and in those showing collateral branches originating from neck/dome. Surgery achieved a higher rate of complete occlusion at discharge and follow-up. Clipping and coiling showed no difference in clinical outcome in both ruptured and unruptured cases. In ruptured aneurysms age, presenting clinical status, intracerebral hematoma at onset, and treatment-related complications were significantly associated with outcome at both short- and long-term follow-up. The presence of collaterals/perforators originating from dome/neck of the aneurysms also worsened the short-term clinical outcome. In unruptured cases, only treatment-related complications such as ischemia and hydrocephalus were associated with poor outcome. Clipping still seems superior to coiling in providing better short- and long-term occlusion rates in MCA aneurysms, and at the same time, it appears as safe as coiling in terms of clinical outcome.

Microsurgical and endovascular treatment of un-ruptured cerebral aneurysms by European hybrid neurosurgeons to balance surgical skills and medical staff management

Background

In Europe, aneurysm treatment performed by dually trained neurosurgeons is extremely scarce. We provide outcome data for un-ruptured aneurysm patients treated at a European hybrid center to prove that hybrid neurosurgeons achieve clinical and angiographical results allowing to integrate hybrid neurosurgery into routine aneurysm treatment. This will not only help to maintain neurovascular microsurgical skills but will influence staff costs in related hospitals.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed all consecutively treated un-ruptured aneurysm patients between 2000 and 2016. The decision-making took into account the pros and cons of both modalities and considered patient and aneurysm characteristics. Clinical outcome was assessed by the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Occlusion rates were stratified into grade I for 100%, grade II for 99–90%, and grade III for <90% occlusion. To account for the introduction of stents, two treatment periods (p1, 2000 to 2008; p2, 2009 to 2016) were defined.

Results

The study population consisted of 274 patients (median age 55 years) harboring 338 un-ruptured aneurysms. Microsurgery (MS) was performed in 51.8% and endovascular therapy (EVT) in 43.1%; 5.1% required combined treatment. Overall, 93% showed a favorable clinical outcome (mRS 0–2), 94.3% after MS and 91.5% after EVT. Grade I aneurysm occlusion was achieved in 82.6% patients, 91.9% after MS and 72.9% after EVT. Procedure-related complications occurred after MS in 5.6% and after EVT in 4.4% patients. Mortality was recorded for five (1.8%) patients, one patient after MS and four after EVT. For the EVT cohort, significant improvement from p1 to p2 was seen with clinical outcomes (P=0.030, RR = 0.905, CI: 0.8351–0.9802) and occlusion rates (P=0.039, RR = 0.6790, CI: 0.499–0.923).

Conclusion

Hybrid neurosurgeons achieve qualified clinical and angiographic results. Dual training will allow to maintain neurovascular caseloads and preserve future aneurysm treatment within neurosurgery. Furthermore economic benefits could be observed in hospital management.

Management of intracranial aneurysms in France: Place of microsurgery and demography of vascular neurosurgeons

STUDY DESIGN

Observational retrospective survey-based study.

INTRODUCTION

Intracranial aneurysms (IA) can be treated with microsurgery or by endovascular treatments (EVT). EVT have taken an increasingly important part in IA management; the ability of neurosurgical teams to perform such surgery as well as the quality of their training is being questioned. We therefore wanted to assess the proportion of IA treated by microsurgery in France, the demography and caseload of surgeons trained in vascular neurosurgery.

METHODOLOGY

A 60-question survey was sent to the 34 French neurosurgical centers treating IA. Twenty-seven questions dealt with the demography of neurovascular surgeons and caseload. Descriptive data are reported here.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven centers answered, giving us a response rate of 79.4%. A total of 209 neurosurgeons worked in these centers. Forty-six neurosurgeons were designated as referents in vascular neurosurgery, 47% of them were under 45 years old. Among the centers, 96.3% had at least one surgeon that was a referent in neurovascular surgery. A total of 88 surgeons performed IA surgery, but only 11 operated more than 20 IA per year. Two thousand four hundred and thirty seven unruptured IA were treated every year in these centers, 25% of which by microsurgery. A total of 2727 ruptured IA were treated in these centers, of which 15% were treated by microsurgery. The most common indications for microsurgical treatment of IA were: middle cerebral artery aneurysms, wide-neck intracranial aneurysms, and giant intracranial aneurysms, as well as aneurysms associated with a hematoma for the ruptured ones.

CONCLUSION

Demography of vascular neurosurgeons remains favorable, with a referent neurosurgeon in most centers, who, in half of the cases, is a young practitioner. The percentage of microsurgery in the treatment of IA is low, especially for ruptured ones. The most frequently operated types of intracranial aneurysm correspond to good practice recommendations.

Tracking Scan to Incision Time in Patients with Emergent Operative Traumatic Brain Injuries as a Measure for Systems-Based Practice in Neurosurgical Trainees

BACKGROUND

Evaluation of trainee performance remains a challenge in resident education, particularly for systems-based practice (SysBP) metrics including care coordination and interdisciplinary teamwork. Time to intervention is an important modifiable outcome variable in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may serve as a trackable metric for SysBP evaluation.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied time from computed tomography head scan to surgical incision (CTH-INC, minutes) among neurosurgical trainees treating patients with emergently operative TBI as a proxy SysBP measure. Our institutional operative database was utilized to identify all emergent TBI cases between July 2015 and June 2020. Patients evaluated by program year (PGY)-2 residents proceeding directly to the operating room from the emergency department were included. Statistical analysis was performed using linear regression.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty-six cases triaged by 14 PGY-2 neurosurgical trainees were analyzed. Median CTH-INC was 104 minutes (interquartile range, 82-136 minutes). CTH-INC improved 20.1% over the academic year (95% confidence interval, 4.3%-33.2%, P = 0.015). Between the first and second 6-month periods, the rate of CTH-INC within 90 minutes (29% vs. 46%, P = 0.04) improved. On a per-individual PGY-2 basis, median CTH-INC ranged from 83-127 minutes, 25th percentile CTH-INC ranged from 62-108 minutes, and fastest CTH-INC ranged from 45-92 minutes.

CONCLUSIONS

CTH-INC is an objective and trackable proxy measure for evaluating SysBP during neurosurgical training. Use of CTH-INC or other time metrics in resident evaluations should not supersede the safe and effective delivery of patient care.