Proposed definition of competencies for surgical neuro-oncology training

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this work is to define competencies and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to be imparted within the framework of surgical neuro-oncological residency and fellowship training as well as the education of medical students. Improved and specific training in surgical neuro-oncology promotes neuro-oncological expertise, quality of surgical neuro-oncological treatment and may also contribute to further development of neuro-oncological techniques and treatment protocols. Specific curricula for a surgical neuro-oncologic education have not yet been established.

METHODS

We used a consensus-building approach to propose skills, competencies and EPAs to be imparted within the framework of surgical neuro-oncological training. We developed competencies and EPAs suitable for training in surgical neuro-oncology.

RESULT

In total, 70 competencies and 8 EPAs for training in surgical neuro-oncology were proposed. EPAs were defined for the management of the deteriorating patient, the management of patients with the diagnosis of a brain tumour, tumour-based resections, function-based surgical resections of brain tumours, the postoperative management of patients, the collaboration as a member of an interdisciplinary and/or -professional team and finally for the care of palliative and dying patients and their families.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The present work should subsequently initiate a discussion about the proposed competencies and EPAs and, together with the following discussion, contribute to the creation of new training concepts in surgical neuro-oncology.

Endovascular aneurysm closure during out of office hours is not related to complications or outcome

Purpose

A possible disadvantage of endovascular occlusion outside work hours is that complex procedures might expose patients to additional risk when performed in a suboptimal setting. In this prospective cohort study, we evaluated whether treatment during out of office hours is a risk factor for per-procedural complications and clinical outcome.

Methods

We included 471 endovascular-treated, consecutive aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients (56.6 ± 13.1, 69% female), from two prospective observational databases which were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcome was the occurrence of per-procedural complications. Secondary outcomes were good clinical outcome (modified ranking scale ≤ 2) and death at 6-month follow-up. We determined odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) by ordered polytomous logistic regression analysis and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for age, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade, and time to treatment.

Results

Most patients were treated during office hours (363/471; 77.1%). Treatment during out of office hours did not result in an increased risk of per-procedural complications (OR 0.85 (95% CI 0.53–1.37; p = 0.51). Patients treated during out of office hours displayed similar odds of good clinical outcome and death after 6 months (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.68–1.97 and 1.16 95% CI 0.56–2.29, respectively) compared to patients treated during office hours.

Conclusion

In our study, endovascular coil embolization during out of office hours did not expose patients to an increased risk of procedural complications or affect functional outcome after 6 months.

Volume of cerebrospinal fluid drainage as a predictor for pretreatment aneurysmal rebleeding

OBJECTIVE

Initiation of external CSF drainage has been associated with a significant increase in rebleeding probability after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). However, the implications for acute management are uncertain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of the amount of drained CSF on aneurysmal rebleeding.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with aSAH were analyzed retrospectively. Radiologically confirmed cases of aneurysmal in-hospital rebleeding were identified and predictor variables for rebleeding were retrieved from hospital records. Clinical predictors were identified through multivariate analysis, and logistic regression analysis was performed to ascertain the cutoff value for the rebleeding probability.

RESULTS

The study included 194 patients. Eighteen cases (9.3%) of in-hospital rebleeding could be identified. Using multivariate analysis, in-hospital rebleeding was significantly associated with initiation of CSF drainage (p = 0.001) and CSF drainage volume (63 ml [interquartile range (IQR) 55–69 ml] vs 25 ml [IQR 10–35 ml], p < 0.001). Logistic regression showed that 58 ml of CSF drainage within 6 hours results in a 50% rebleeding probability. The relative risk (RR) for rebleeding after drainage of more than 60 ml in 6 hours was 5.4 times greater compared with patients with less CSF drainage (RR 5.403, 95% CI 2.481–11.767; p < 0.001, number needed to harm = 1.687).

CONCLUSIONS

Volume of CSF drainage was highly correlated with the probability of in-hospital aneurysmal rebleeding. These findings suggest that the rebleeding probability can be affected in acute management should the placement of an external ventricular catheter be necessary. This finding necessitates meticulous control of the amount of drained CSF and the development of a definitive treatment protocol for this group of patients.

An introduction to the pathophysiology of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Pathophysiological processes following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) present survivors of the initial bleeding with a high risk of morbidity and mortality during the course of the disease. As angiographic vasospasm is strongly associated with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and clinical outcome, clinical trials in the last few decades focused on prevention of these angiographic spasms. Despite all efforts, no new pharmacological agents have shown to improve patient outcome. As such, it has become clear that our understanding of the pathophysiology of SAH is incomplete and we need to reevaluate our concepts on the complex pathophysiological process following SAH. Angiographic vasospasm is probably important. However, a unifying theory for the pathophysiological changes following SAH has yet not been described. Some of these changes may be causally connected or present themselves as an epiphenomenon of an associated process. A causal connection between DCI and early brain injury (EBI) would mean that future therapies should address EBI more specifically. If the mechanisms following SAH display no causal pathophysiological connection but are rather evoked by the subarachnoid blood and its degradation production, multiple treatment strategies addressing the different pathophysiological mechanisms are required. The discrepancy between experimental and clinical SAH could be one reason for unsuccessful translational results.

Aneurysm diameter as a risk factor for pretreatment rebleeding: a meta-analysis

OBJECT

Aneurysmal rerupture prior to treatment is a major cause of death and morbidity in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Recognizing risk factors for aneurysmal rebleeding is particularly relevant and might help to identify the aneurysms that benefit from acute treatment. It is uncertain if the size of the aneurysm is related to rebleeding. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate whether an association could be determined between aneurysm diameter and the rebleeding rate before treatment. Potentially confounding factors such age, aneurysm location, and the presence of hypertension were also evaluated.

METHODS

The authors systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases up to April 3, 2013, for studies of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage that reported the association between aneurysm diameter and pretreatment aneurysmal rebleeding. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were used to evaluate study quality.

RESULTS

Seven studies, representing 2121 patients, were included in the quantitative analysis. The quality of the studies was low in 2 and very low in 5. Almost all of the studies used 10 mm as the cutoff point for size among other classes, and only one used 7 mm. An analysis was performed with this best unifiable cutoff point. Overall rebleeding occurred in 360 (17.0%) of 2121 patients (incidence range, from study to study, 8.7%–28.4%). The rate of rebleeding in small and large aneurysms was 14.0% and 23.6%, respectively. The meta-analysis of the 7 studies revealed that larger size aneurysms were at a higher risk for rebleeding (OR 2.56 [95% CI 1.62–4.06]; p = 0.00; I2 = 60%). The sensitivity analysis did not alter the results. Five of the 7 studies reported data regarding age; 4 studies provided age-adjusted results and identified a persistent relationship between lesion size and the risk of rebleeding. The presence of hypertension was reported in two studies and was more prevalent in patients with rebleeding in one of these. Location (anterior vs posterior circulation) was reported in 5 studies, while in 4 there was no difference in the rebleeding rate. One study identified a lower risk of rebleeding associated with posterior location aneurysms.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis showed that aneurysm size is an important risk factor for aneurysmal rebleeding and should be used in the clinical risk assessment of individual patients. The authors' results confirmed the current guidelines and underscored the importance of acute treatment for large ruptured aneurysms.