Pre-operative embolization for staged treatment of infantile choroid plexus papilloma

Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are benign but rare neuroepithelial neoplasms of the choroid plexus that represent the non-malignant form of a spectrum of tumors of the choroid plexus. The vast majority of CPPs present in children under 5 years of age. Some CPPs are diagnosed prenatally, but many of them reach a large size before diagnosis. CPPs typically present with signs and symptoms of hydrocephalus. Treatment of these tumors has traditionally been with surgical resection. Large CPPs in young children present a challenge due to risk of high blood loss during resection. Here, the authors describe the case of a 3-month-old presenting with hydrocephalus and a large CPP of the third ventricle that was managed with a staged strategy of embolization followed by a delayed resection, allowing the tumor to involute prior to surgery.

Intracranial gunshot wounds in utero: case report and review

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

We present a rare case of an in utero intracranial gunshot wound with survival of the baby and neurosurgical intervention in the first 6 h of life.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A pregnant 19-year old sustained multiple gunshot wounds and underwent an emergency cesarean section. At the time of delivery, there was a penetrating wound noted to the uterus and to the left side of the baby's head. The baby was taken urgently for craniotomy. Thorough washout was performed, and a pericranial graft was harvested from the frontal vertex to assist in dural closure. The largest displaced bone fragment was soaked in betadine and sutured back into place. The baby was observed for several days and then discharged home with normal neurological examination.

CONCLUSION

There are scattered reports of in utero intracranial gunshot wounds in the literature dating back to the nineteenth century; however, our case appears to be the first reported that involved urgent surgical intervention.

The economic value of an on-call neurosurgical resident physician

OBJECTIVE

The cost of training neurosurgical residents is especially high considering the duration of training and the technical nature of the specialty. Despite these costs, on-call residents are a source of significant economic value, through both indirectly and directly supervised activities. The authors sought to identify the economic value of on-call services provided by neurosurgical residents.

METHODS

A personal call log kept by a single junior neurosurgical resident over a 2-year period was used to obtain the total number of consultations, admissions, and procedures. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes were used to estimate the resident's on-call economic value.

RESULTS

A single on-call neurosurgical resident at the authors' institution produced 8172 work relative value units (wRVUs) over the study period from indirectly and directly supervised activities. Indirectly supervised procedures produced 7052 wRVUs, and directly supervised activities using the CPT modifier 80 yielded an additional 1120 wRVUs. Using the assistant surgeon billing rate for directly supervised activities and the Medical Group Management Association nationwide median neurosurgery reimbursement rate, the on-call activities of a single resident generated a theoretical billing value of $689,514 over the 2-year period, or $344,757 annually. As a program, the on-call residents collectively produced 39,550 wRVUs over the study period, or 19,775 wRVUs annually, which equates to potential reimbursements of $1,668,386 annually.

CONCLUSIONS

Neurosurgery residents at the authors' institution theoretically produce enough economic value exclusively from on-call activities to far exceed the cost of their education. This information could be used to more precisely estimate the true overall cost of neurosurgical training and determine future graduate medical education funding.

Far Lateral Approach for Clipping of a Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm

Objectives  To describe a far lateral approach for microsurgical clipping of a ruptured posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm involving the hypoglossal nerve, with emphasis on the microsurgical anatomy, and technique.

Design  A far lateral craniotomy is performed in the lateral decubitus position and the transverse and sigmoid sinuses were exposed. After opening the dura, sutures are placed to allow gentle mobilization of the sinuses. The ipsilateral cerebellar tonsil is mobilized and the PICA is followed to its junction with the vertebral artery. Hypoglossal nerve rootlets are draped over the dome of the aneurysm. Mobilization of the PICA and the hypoglossal nerve away from the lateral medulla allows microsurgical clipping of the aneurysm neck. Photographs of the region are borrowed from Dr Rhoton's laboratory to illustrate the microsurgical anatomy.

Participants  The senior authors performed the surgery. The video was edited by Drs. V.N. and J.B. Chart review and literature review were performed by Drs. W.M. and J.B.

Outcome Measures  Outcome was assessed with successful clip occlusion and postoperative neurological function.

Results  There was complete clip occlusion of the PICA aneurysm with no postoperative neurological deficits. The patient was discharged home after an uneventful hospital course.

Conclusion  The far lateral approach provides an adequate corridor to the ventrolateral brainstem for microsurgical treatment of PICA aneurysms. An adequate understanding of the relevant microsurgical anatomy is the key to safe and effective clipping in this region.

The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/yhjKRIG5H74 .

Subdural hematoma as a major determinant of short-term outcomes in traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE Early radiographic findings in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been studied in hopes of better predicting injury severity and outcome. However, prior attempts have generally not considered the various types of intracranial hemorrhage in isolation and have typically not excluded patients with potentially confounding extracranial injuries. Therefore, the authors examined the associations of various radiographic findings with short-term outcome to assess the potential utility of these findings in future prognostic models. METHODS The authors retrospectively identified 1716 patients who had experienced TBI without major extracranial injuries, and categorized them into the following TBI subtypes: subdural hematoma (SDH), traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, intraparenchymal hemorrhage (which included intraventricular hemorrhage), and epidural hematoma. They specifically considered isolated forms of hemorrhage, in which only 1 subtype was present. RESULTS In general, the presence of an isolated SDH was more likely to result in worse outcomes than the presence of other isolated forms of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. Discharge to home was less likely and perihospital mortality rates were generally higher in patients with SDH. These findings were not simply related to age and were not fully captured by the admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. The presence of SDH had a much higher sensitivity for poor outcome than the presence of other TBI subtypes, and was more sensitive for these poor outcomes than having a low GCS score (3-8). CONCLUSIONS In these ways, SDH was the most important finding associated with poor outcome, and the authors show that consideration of SDH, specifically, can augment age and GCS score in classification and prognostic models for TBI.