Scholars@Duke
Muhammad Abd-El-Barr

Muhammad Abd-El-Barr

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
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Selected Publications

Nationwide Analysis of Risk Factors Related to Opioid Weaning Following Lumbar Decompression Surgery - A Retrospective Database Study.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · June 2024 BACKGROUND: Opioids are often prescribed for patients who eventually undergo lumbar decompression. Given the potential for opioid-related morbidity and mortality, postoperative weaning is often a goal of surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine th ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Importance of Planning Ahead: A Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Novel Trans-Facet Corridor for Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using Segmentation Technology.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · May 20, 2024 BACKGROUND: The rise of minimally invasive lumbar fusions and advanced imaging technologies has facilitated the introduction of novel surgical techniques with the trans-facet approach being one of the newest additions. We aimed to quantify any pathology-dr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pushing the Limits of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery-From Preoperative to Intraoperative to Postoperative Management.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 20, 2024 The introduction of minimally invasive surgery ushered in a new era of spine surgery by minimizing the undue iatrogenic injury, recovery time, and blood loss, among other complications, of traditional open procedures. Over time, technological advancements ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Early Experience with Prone Lateral Interbody Fusion in Deformity Correction: A Single-Institution Experience.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 15, 2024 Background/Objectives: Lateral spine surgery offers effective minimally invasive deformity correction, but traditional approaches often involve separate anterior, lateral, and posterior procedures. The prone lateral technique streamlines this process by al ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Robot-assisted pedicle screw insertion versus navigation-based and freehand techniques for posterior spinal fusion in scoliosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal Article Spine Deform · April 15, 2024 PURPOSE: The role of robotics in spine surgery remains controversial, especially for scoliosis correction surgery. This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of robotic-assisted (RA) surgery specifically for scoliosis surgery by comparing RA to both ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evolution of the Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF): From Open to Percutaneous to Patient-Specific.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 14, 2024 The transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has seen significant evolution since its early inception, reflecting advancements in surgical techniques, patient safety, and outcomes. Originally described as an improvement over the posterior lumbar inter ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Successful coil embolization of a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the superior gluteal artery after a percutaneous awake robot-assisted sacroiliac joint fusion: illustrative case.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Case Lessons · April 8, 2024 BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion has gained popularity, but it carries the risk of complications such as injury to the superior gluteal artery (SGA). The authors present the case of an awake percutaneous robot-assisted SIJ fusion le ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evolution of Cervical Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Current Progress and Future Directions-A Narrative Review.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 6, 2024 Cervical endoscopic spine surgery is rapidly evolving and gaining popularity for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. This approach significantly reduces muscular damage and blood loss by minimizing soft tissue stripping, leading to less ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using Augmented Reality Technology to Optimize Transfacet Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Case Report.

Journal Article J Clin Med · March 6, 2024 The transfacet minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) is a novel approach available for the management of lumbar spondylolisthesis. It avoids the need to manipulate either of the exiting or traversing nerve roots, both protect ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Airway Management for Emergency Spinal Epidural Hematoma Evacuation With Awake Spine Surgery: Case Report and Literature Review.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · March 4, 2024 BACKGROUND: Postoperative spinal epidural hematomas (pSEHs) are a rare complication of microdiscectomy surgery. The hematoma may be unnoticed intraoperatively, but timely treatment may prevent permanent neurologic impairment. Airway management in patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does Spinal Cord Type Predict Intraoperative Neuro-Monitoring Alerts in Scoliosis Correction Surgery? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Operative and Radiologic Predictors.

Journal Article Global Spine J · March 1, 2024 STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. OBJECTIVES: Predicting patient risk of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) alerts preoperatively can aid patient counselling and surgical planning. Sielatycki et al established an axial-MRI-ba ... Full text Link to item Cite

Advancing Prone-Transpsoas Spine Surgery: A Narrative Review and Evolution of Indications with Representative Cases.

Journal Article J Clin Med · February 16, 2024 The Prone Transpsoas (PTP) approach to lumbar spine surgery, emerging as an evolution of lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), offers significant advantages over traditional methods. PTP has demonstrated increased lumbar lordosis gains compared to LLIF, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Prophylactic Muscle Flaps Decrease Wound Complication Rates in Patients with Oncologic Spine Disease.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · January 1, 2024 BACKGROUND: Patients with oncologic spine disease face a high systemic illness burden and often require surgical intervention to alleviate pain and maintain spine stability. Wound healing complications are the most common reason for reoperation in this pop ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using Novel Segmentation Technology to Define Safe Corridors for Minimally Invasive Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · December 27, 2023 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There has been a rise in minimally invasive methods to access the intervertebral disk space posteriorly given their decreased tissue destruction, lower blood loss, and earlier return to work. Two such options include the percutan ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Two-Year Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes for Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion With an Expandable Titanium Cage Through Kambin's Triangle Without Facetectomy.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · December 26, 2023 BACKGROUND: There has been heightened interest in performing percutaneous lumbar interbody fusions (percLIFs) through Kambin's triangle, an anatomic corridor allowing entrance into the disc space. However, due to its novelty, there are limited data regardi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes for Patients with Cervical Adjacent Segment Disease Treated with Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Integrated Interbody Spacers.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 2023 INTRODUCTION: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is among the most common spine procedures. Adjacent segment disease (ASD), characterized by degenerative disease at an adjacent spinal level to a prior fusion, is a well-recognized and significan ... Full text Link to item Cite

High Prevalence of Cervical Myelopathy among Hip Fracture Patients

Journal Article Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics · December 1, 2023 Hip fractures are devastating injuries for the elderly and an increasing burden to the healthcare system. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), as a common cause of disability, instability, and falls in the elderly population, places patients at risk for ... Full text Cite

Complications of the Prone Transpsoas Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: A Multicenter Study.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · November 1, 2023 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prone transpsoas (PTP) approach for lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) is a novel technique for degenerative lumbar spine disease. However, there is a paucity of information in the literature on the complications of this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Publication retraction in spine surgery: a systematic review.

Journal Article Eur Spine J · November 2023 PURPOSE: The number of articles retracted by peer-reviewed journals has increased in recent years. This study systematically reviews retracted publications in the spine surgery literature. METHODS: A search of PubMed MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Retraction Watch, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nationwide Analysis of Risk Factors Related to Opioid Weaning Following Lumbar Decompression Surgery - A Retrospective Database Study.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · June 2024 BACKGROUND: Opioids are often prescribed for patients who eventually undergo lumbar decompression. Given the potential for opioid-related morbidity and mortality, postoperative weaning is often a goal of surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine th ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Importance of Planning Ahead: A Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Novel Trans-Facet Corridor for Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using Segmentation Technology.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · May 20, 2024 BACKGROUND: The rise of minimally invasive lumbar fusions and advanced imaging technologies has facilitated the introduction of novel surgical techniques with the trans-facet approach being one of the newest additions. We aimed to quantify any pathology-dr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pushing the Limits of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery-From Preoperative to Intraoperative to Postoperative Management.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 20, 2024 The introduction of minimally invasive surgery ushered in a new era of spine surgery by minimizing the undue iatrogenic injury, recovery time, and blood loss, among other complications, of traditional open procedures. Over time, technological advancements ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Early Experience with Prone Lateral Interbody Fusion in Deformity Correction: A Single-Institution Experience.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 15, 2024 Background/Objectives: Lateral spine surgery offers effective minimally invasive deformity correction, but traditional approaches often involve separate anterior, lateral, and posterior procedures. The prone lateral technique streamlines this process by al ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Robot-assisted pedicle screw insertion versus navigation-based and freehand techniques for posterior spinal fusion in scoliosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal Article Spine Deform · April 15, 2024 PURPOSE: The role of robotics in spine surgery remains controversial, especially for scoliosis correction surgery. This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of robotic-assisted (RA) surgery specifically for scoliosis surgery by comparing RA to both ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evolution of the Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF): From Open to Percutaneous to Patient-Specific.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 14, 2024 The transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has seen significant evolution since its early inception, reflecting advancements in surgical techniques, patient safety, and outcomes. Originally described as an improvement over the posterior lumbar inter ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Successful coil embolization of a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the superior gluteal artery after a percutaneous awake robot-assisted sacroiliac joint fusion: illustrative case.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Case Lessons · April 8, 2024 BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion has gained popularity, but it carries the risk of complications such as injury to the superior gluteal artery (SGA). The authors present the case of an awake percutaneous robot-assisted SIJ fusion le ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evolution of Cervical Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Current Progress and Future Directions-A Narrative Review.

Journal Article J Clin Med · April 6, 2024 Cervical endoscopic spine surgery is rapidly evolving and gaining popularity for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. This approach significantly reduces muscular damage and blood loss by minimizing soft tissue stripping, leading to less ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using Augmented Reality Technology to Optimize Transfacet Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Case Report.

Journal Article J Clin Med · March 6, 2024 The transfacet minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) is a novel approach available for the management of lumbar spondylolisthesis. It avoids the need to manipulate either of the exiting or traversing nerve roots, both protect ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Airway Management for Emergency Spinal Epidural Hematoma Evacuation With Awake Spine Surgery: Case Report and Literature Review.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · March 4, 2024 BACKGROUND: Postoperative spinal epidural hematomas (pSEHs) are a rare complication of microdiscectomy surgery. The hematoma may be unnoticed intraoperatively, but timely treatment may prevent permanent neurologic impairment. Airway management in patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does Spinal Cord Type Predict Intraoperative Neuro-Monitoring Alerts in Scoliosis Correction Surgery? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Operative and Radiologic Predictors.

Journal Article Global Spine J · March 1, 2024 STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. OBJECTIVES: Predicting patient risk of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) alerts preoperatively can aid patient counselling and surgical planning. Sielatycki et al established an axial-MRI-ba ... Full text Link to item Cite

Advancing Prone-Transpsoas Spine Surgery: A Narrative Review and Evolution of Indications with Representative Cases.

Journal Article J Clin Med · February 16, 2024 The Prone Transpsoas (PTP) approach to lumbar spine surgery, emerging as an evolution of lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), offers significant advantages over traditional methods. PTP has demonstrated increased lumbar lordosis gains compared to LLIF, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Prophylactic Muscle Flaps Decrease Wound Complication Rates in Patients with Oncologic Spine Disease.

Journal Article Plast Reconstr Surg · January 1, 2024 BACKGROUND: Patients with oncologic spine disease face a high systemic illness burden and often require surgical intervention to alleviate pain and maintain spine stability. Wound healing complications are the most common reason for reoperation in this pop ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using Novel Segmentation Technology to Define Safe Corridors for Minimally Invasive Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · December 27, 2023 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There has been a rise in minimally invasive methods to access the intervertebral disk space posteriorly given their decreased tissue destruction, lower blood loss, and earlier return to work. Two such options include the percutan ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Two-Year Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes for Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion With an Expandable Titanium Cage Through Kambin's Triangle Without Facetectomy.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · December 26, 2023 BACKGROUND: There has been heightened interest in performing percutaneous lumbar interbody fusions (percLIFs) through Kambin's triangle, an anatomic corridor allowing entrance into the disc space. However, due to its novelty, there are limited data regardi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes for Patients with Cervical Adjacent Segment Disease Treated with Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Integrated Interbody Spacers.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 2023 INTRODUCTION: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is among the most common spine procedures. Adjacent segment disease (ASD), characterized by degenerative disease at an adjacent spinal level to a prior fusion, is a well-recognized and significan ... Full text Link to item Cite

High Prevalence of Cervical Myelopathy among Hip Fracture Patients

Journal Article Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics · December 1, 2023 Hip fractures are devastating injuries for the elderly and an increasing burden to the healthcare system. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), as a common cause of disability, instability, and falls in the elderly population, places patients at risk for ... Full text Cite

Complications of the Prone Transpsoas Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: A Multicenter Study.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · November 1, 2023 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prone transpsoas (PTP) approach for lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) is a novel technique for degenerative lumbar spine disease. However, there is a paucity of information in the literature on the complications of this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Publication retraction in spine surgery: a systematic review.

Journal Article Eur Spine J · November 2023 PURPOSE: The number of articles retracted by peer-reviewed journals has increased in recent years. This study systematically reviews retracted publications in the spine surgery literature. METHODS: A search of PubMed MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Retraction Watch, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Measuring Outcomes in Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Journal Article Neurosurg Clin N Am · October 2023 Outcome assessment in adult spinal deformity has evolved from radiographic analysis of curve correction to patient-centered perception of health-related quality-of-life. Oswestry Disability Index and the Scoliosis Research Society-22 Patient Questionnaire ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Surgical technique of combined minimally invasive anterior column realignment at L1-L2 with open extension of prior fusion.

Journal Article J Spine Surg · September 22, 2023 Surgical correction of fixed kyphotic deformity or severe sagittal imbalance traditionally involves three column osteotomies, which are associated with high morbidity rates. Anterior column realignment (ACR) has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Importance of Prospective Registries and Clinical Research Networks in the Evolution of Spinal Cord Injury Care.

Journal Article J Neurotrauma · September 2023 Only 100 years ago, traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) was commonly lethal. Today, most people who sustain SCI survive with continual efforts to improve their quality of life and neurological outcomes. SCI epidemiology is changing as preventative intervent ... Full text Link to item Cite

Demographics, Mechanism of Injury, and Outcomes for Acute Upper and Lower Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries: An Analysis of 470 Patients in the Prospective, Multi-Center, North American Clinical Trials Network Registry.

Journal Article J Neurotrauma · September 2023 There is a paucity of data comparing the demographics, mechanism of injury, and outcomes of upper versus lower cervical spinal cord injuries (cSCI). The study objective was to define different clinical manifestations of cSCI. Data were collected prospectiv ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Bulbocavernosus Reflex Has No Prognostic Features During the Acute Evaluation of Spinal Cord Injuries.

Journal Article J Neurotrauma · September 2023 The bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) has been used during the initial evaluation of a spinal cord injury patient as a metric to determine prognosis and whether the patient is in "spinal shock." This reflex has been less utilized over the last decade, and there ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Interhospital Transfer Delays Care for Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Report from the North American Clinical Trials Network for Spinal Cord Injury.

Journal Article J Neurotrauma · September 2023 Abstract The North America Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a consortium of tertiary medical centers that has maintained a prospective SCI registry since 2004, and it has espoused that early surgical intervention is associate ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Variability in Early Surgery for Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Patients: An Opportunity for Enhanced Care Delivery.

Journal Article J Neurotrauma · September 2023 Data supporting the benefits of early surgical intervention in acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is growing. For early surgery to be accomplished, understanding the causes of variabilities that effect the timing of surgery is needed to achieve this goal. The ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Spinal cord repair is modulated by the neurogenic factor Hb-egf under direction of a regeneration-associated enhancer.

Journal Article Nat Commun · August 11, 2023 Unlike adult mammals, zebrafish regenerate spinal cord tissue and recover locomotor ability after a paralyzing injury. Here, we find that ependymal cells in zebrafish spinal cords produce the neurogenic factor Hb-egfa upon transection injury. Animals with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Awake Spinal Fusion Is Associated with Reduced Length of Stay, Opioid Use, and Time to Ambulation Compared to General Anesthesia: A Matched Cohort Study.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · August 2023 OBJECTIVE: There is increasing interest in performing awake spinal fusion under spinal anesthesia (SA). Evidence supporting SA has been positive, albeit limited. The authors set out to investigate the effects of SA versus general anesthesia (GA) for spinal ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Novel Approach to Percutaneous Lumbar Surgeries via Kambin's Triangle-Radiographic and Surgical Planning Analysis with Nerve Segmentation Technology.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · June 22, 2023 OBJECTIVE: While Kambin's Triangle has become an ever more important anatomic window given its proximity to the exiting nerve root, there have been limited studies examining the effect of disease on the corridor. Our goal was to better understand how patho ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Spinopelvic Fixation for Traumatic Sacral Fractures: Case Series Investigating Early Safety and Efficacy.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · June 12, 2023 BACKGROUND: High-energy traumatic sacral fractures, particularly U-type or AOSpine classification type C fractures, may lead to significant functional deficits. Traditionally, spinopelvic fixation for unstable sacral fractures was performed with open reduc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Awake spinal anesthesia facilitates spine surgery in poor surgical candidates: A case series.

Journal Article Neurochirurgie · May 2023 BACKGROUND: Annually, hundreds of thousands of patients undergo surgery for degenerative spine disease (DSD). This represents only a fraction of patients that present for surgical consideration. Procedures are often avoided due to comorbidities that make p ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A Comparison of Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Accuracy Between Robotic Navigation and Novel Fluoroscopy-Based Instrument Tracking for Patients Undergoing Instrumented Thoracolumbar Surgery.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · April 2023 BACKGROUND: The accuracy of pedicle screws placed with instrument tracking and robotic navigation are individually comparable or superior to placement using standard fluoroscopy, however head-to-head comparisons between these adjuncts in a similar surgical ... Full text Link to item Cite

The "In-Parallel" Technique for Awake, Bilateral Simultaneous Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion and Multilevel Lumbar Decompression.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · March 1, 2023 BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF) and MIS lumbar decompression have been successfully undertaken in the absence of general anesthesia in well-selected patients. By leveraging spinal anesthesia, surgeons may sa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Novel Merging of CT and MRI to Allow for Safe Navigation into Kambin's Triangle for Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion-Initial Case Series Investigating Safety and Efficacy.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · March 1, 2023 BACKGROUND: For percutaneous lumbar fusion (percLIF), magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography are critical to defining surgical corridors. Currently, these scans are performed separately, and surgeons then use fluoroscopy or neuromonitoring to g ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Robot-assisted versus conventional percutaneous sacroiliac screw fixation for posterior pelvic ring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal Article Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol · January 2023 PURPOSE: Robot-assisted pelvic screw fixation is a new technology with promising benefits on intraoperative outcomes for patients with posterior pelvic ring injuries. We aim to compare robot-assisted pelvic screw fixation to the traditional fluoroscopy-ass ... Full text Link to item Cite

Instrument Tracking for Prone Lateral Surgery.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · January 2023 The prone lateral transpsoas approach for lumbar interbody fusion and posterior instrumentation enables a large surface area implant without disruption of the posterior spine musculature from a single position.1,2 The addition of virtual live fluoroscopy i ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

How dimensions can guide surgical planning and training: a systematic review of Kambin's triangle.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · January 2023 OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to analyze the current literature to determine dimensional trends across the lumbar levels of Kambin's triangle, clarify the role of imaging techniques for preoperative planning, and understand the effect of inclusion of the s ... Full text Link to item Cite

Radiographic alignment outcomes after the single-position prone transpsoas approach: a multi-institutional retrospective review of 363 cases.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · January 2023 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the changes in radiographic spinopelvic parameters in a large cohort of patients undergoing the prone transpsoas approach to the lumbar spine. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective observational cohort study ... Full text Link to item Cite

How to start an awake spine program: Protocol and illustrative cases.

Journal Article IBRO Neurosci Rep · December 2022 Surgical techniques and technology are steadily improving, thereby expanding the pool of patients amenable for spine surgery. The growing and aging population in the United States further contributes to the increase in spine surgery cases. Traditionally, s ... Full text Link to item Cite

Retroperitoneal dermoid cyst presenting with radiculopathy symptoms: a case report.

Journal Article J Surg Case Rep · December 2022 Dermoid cysts rarely present in the retroperitoneal space or during adulthood. In this case report, we describe the clinical presentation, operative and post-operative course of a 31-year old with a retroperitoneal dermoid cyst. The patient presented with ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Intraoperative Electromyography in Awake Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Case Study on Nerve Activation Under the Effects of Local Anesthesia.

Journal Article J Clin Neurophysiol · November 1, 2022 With the versatility of lumbar spine surgery continually expanding, intraoperative electromyography (EMG) has become a common adjunct used to reduce risk of nerve injury and postoperative neurologic deficit. EMG monitoring has been deemed particularly usef ... Full text Link to item Cite

Single-position prone transpsoas fusion for the treatment of lumbar adjacent segment disease: early experience of twenty-four cases across three tertiary medical centers.

Journal Article Eur Spine J · September 2022 PURPOSE: Prone transpsoas fusion (PTP) is a minimally invasive technique that maximizes the benefit of lateral access interbody surgery and the prone positioning for surgically significant adjacent segment disease. The authors describe the feasibility, rep ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Surgical Considerations to Improve Recovery in Acute Spinal Cord Injury.

Journal Article Neurospine · September 2022 Acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can be a devastating and costly event for individuals, their families, and the health system as a whole. Prognosis is heavily dependent on the physical extent of the injury and the severity of neurological dysfuncti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of Acute Physical Interventions on Pathophysiology and Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

Journal Article Neurospine · September 2022 Physical rehabilitation is essential for enhancing recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI); however, aside from early surgical intervention and hemodynamic management, there are no proven interventions for promoting recovery in the acute phas ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Using Robotic Navigation: Technical Note and Case Series.

Conference Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · July 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing sacroiliac (SI) fusion can oftentimes experience significant improvements in pain and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel application of robotic navigation to assist with minimally invasive SI joint fusion. METHO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Perioperative outcomes of general versus spinal anesthesia in the lumbar spine surgery population: A systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 2005 through 2021.

Journal Article J Clin Orthop Trauma · July 2022 STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis. OBJECTIVES: Perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the perioperative utility of general versus spinal anesthesia in the lumbar spine surgery population. METHODS: PubMed and Embase were queried for manuscript ... Full text Link to item Cite

Minimally invasive lateral retroperitoneal transpsoas approach for lumbar corpectomy and fusion with posterior instrumentation.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus Video · July 2022 In this video, the authors highlight the operative treatment of a 55-year-old man with chronic osteomyelitis discitis. The operation entailed a minimally invasive lateral retroperitoneal transpsoas approach for L3 and L4 corpectomies, L2-5 interbody fusion ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Perioperative Pain Management for Elective Spine Surgery: Opioid Use and Multimodal Strategies.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · June 2022 In recent years, physicians and institutions have come to recognize the increasing opioid epidemic in the United States, thus prompting a dramatic shift in opioid prescribing patterns. The lack of well-studied alternative treatment regimens has led to a su ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Muscle Flap Closures in Spine Surgery: Predictors of Usage Patterns and Factors Associated With Postoperative Complications From the NSQIP Database.

Journal Article Clin Spine Surg · February 1, 2022 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify preoperative factors that impact the decision to perform prophylactic muscle flap closure and assess ri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Beyond Placement of Pedicle Screws - New Applications for Robotics in Spine Surgery: A Multi-Surgeon, Single-Institution Experience.

Journal Article Front Surg · 2022 Interest in robotic-assisted spine surgery has grown as surgeon comfort and technology has evolved to maximize benefits of time saving and precision. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has currently only approved robotics to assist in determin ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Robotic navigation in spine surgery: Where are we now and where are we going?

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · December 2021 Robotic navigation is a new and rapidly emerging niche within minimally invasive spine surgery. The robotic arms-race began in 2004 and has resulted in no less than four major robotic surgical adjuncts. Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Spine surgery under awake spinal anesthesia: an Egyptian experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · December 2021 OBJECTIVE: Despite tremendous advancements in biomedical science and surgical technique, spine surgeries are still associated with considerable rates of morbidity and mortality, particularly in the elderly. Multiple novel techniques have been employed in r ... Full text Link to item Cite

Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion With an Expandable Titanium Cage Through Kambin's Triangle: A Case Series With Initial Clinical and Radiographic Results.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · December 2021 BACKGROUND: There has been an increased interest in lumbar interbody fusions through Kambin's triangle. In this study, we describe percutaneous access to the lumbar disc and insertion of an expandable titanium cage through Kambin's triangle without facetec ... Full text Link to item Cite

Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion With an Expandable Titanium Cage Through Kambin's Triangle: A Case Series With Initial Clinical and Radiographic Results.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · December 2021 BACKGROUND: There has been an increased interest in lumbar interbody fusions through Kambin's triangle. In this study, we describe percutaneous access to the lumbar disc and insertion of an expandable titanium cage through Kambin's triangle without facetec ... Full text Link to item Cite

Robotic-Assisted Trajectory Into Kambin's Triangle During Percutaneous Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion-Initial Case Series Investigating Safety and Efficacy.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · November 15, 2021 BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has the potential to further advance with the use of robot-assisted (RA) techniques. While RA pedicle screw placement has been extensively investigated, there is a lack of literature on the use of the rob ... Full text Link to item Cite

Robotic-assisted percutaneous iliac screw fixation for destructive lumbosacral metastatic lesions: an early single-institution experience.

Journal Article Acta Neurochir (Wien) · November 2021 BACKGROUND: Robotic-assisted surgery is becoming more widely applied in surgical subspecialties due to its intraoperative and postoperative advantages such as minimally invasive approach, reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and decreased incidence o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk factors for prolonged length of stay in patients undergoing surgery for intramedullary spinal cord tumors.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · September 2021 UNLABELLED: Primary spine tumors are rare neoplasms that affect about 0.62 per 100,000 individuals in the US. Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) are the rarest of all primary tumors involving the spine and can cause pain, imbalance, urinary dysfunc ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Prospective Comparison of the Effects of Instrument Tracking on Time and Radiation During Minimally Invasive Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · August 2021 BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgical techniques have resulted in improved patient outcomes. One drawback has been the increased reliance on fluoroscopy and subsequent exposure to ionizing radiation. We have previously shown the efficacy of a novel instr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Operative time and learning curve between fluoroscopy-based instrument tracking and robot-assisted instrumentation for patients undergoing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF).

Journal Article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · July 2021 INTRODUCTION: Instrument-navigation modalities including CT-guided and robot-assisted methods claim both efficacy and accuracy when applied to spine surgery, yet often increase setup and operating times which can translate to increased costs. To see the im ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Impact of Instrumentation and Implant Surface Technology on Cervical and Thoracolumbar Fusion.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · June 15, 2021 Spinal fusion has undergone significant evolution and improvement over the past 50 yr. Historically, spine fusion was noninstrumented and arthrodesis was based entirely on autograft. Improved understanding of spinal anatomy and materials science ushered in ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Impact of US hospital center and interhospital transfer on spinal cord injury management: An analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank.

Journal Article J Trauma Acute Care Surg · June 1, 2021 BACKGROUND: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious public health problem. Outcomes are determined by severity of immediate injury, mitigation of secondary downstream effects, and rehabilitation. This study aimed to understand how the center type a ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Pseudarthrosis rate following anterior cervical discectomy with fusion using an allograft cellular bone matrix: a multi-institutional analysis.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · June 2021 OBJECTIVE: The use of osteobiologics, engineered materials designed to promote bone healing by enhancing bone growth, is becoming increasingly common for spinal fusion procedures, but the efficacy of some of these products is unclear. The authors performed ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Characterization and rate of symptomatic adjacent-segment disease after index lateral lumbar interbody fusion: a single-institution, multisurgeon case series with long-term follow-up.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · May 21, 2021 OBJECTIVE: The rate of symptomatic adjacent-segment disease (ASD) after newer minimally invasive techniques, such as lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), is not known. This study aimed to assess the incidence of surgically significant ASD in adult patie ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interhospital transfer status for spinal metastasis patients in the United States is associated with more severe clinical presentations and higher rates of inpatient complications.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · May 2021 OBJECTIVE: In patients with metastatic spinal disease (MSD), interhospital transfer can potentially impact clinical outcomes as the possible benefits of transferring a patient to a higher level of care must be weighed against the negative effects associate ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend": Unrecognized incidental findings on intraoperative computed tomography during spine instrumentation surgery.

Journal Article Clin Imaging · April 2021 BACKGROUND: Intraoperative computed tomography (CT) is becoming more widely utilized in spine fusion surgeries. The use of CT-based image guidance has been shown to increase the accuracy in instrumentation placement and to reduce the rate of reoperation. H ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevention of proximal junctional kyphosis or failure: Soft landings and tension band augmentation

Conference Techniques in Orthopaedics · March 1, 2021 As adult spinal deformity surgery becomes more prevalent, the rates of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) will rise proportionally. The exact mechanism of PJK is unknown. However, it is thought to be multifactorial and includes violation of the facets and ... Full text Cite

Gender disparities in clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes in metastatic spine disease.

Journal Article Cancer Epidemiol · February 2021 BACKGROUND: The incidence of metastatic spine disease (MSD) is increasing among cancer patients. Given the poor outcomes and high rates of morbidity associated with MSD, it is important to determine demographic factors that could impact interventions and o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hematocrit as a predictor of preoperative transfusion-associated complications in spine surgery: A NSQIP study.

Journal Article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · January 2021 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Preoperative optimization of medical comorbidities prior to spinal surgery is becoming an increasingly important intervention in decreasing postoperative complications and ensuring a satisfactory postoperative course. The treatment of p ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Biomechanics, evaluation, and management of subaxial cervical spine injuries: A comprehensive review of the literature.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · January 2021 STUDY DESIGN: Literature review. OBJECTIVES: It has been reported that 2.4-3.7% of all blunt trauma victims suffer some element of cervical spine fracture, with the majority of these patients suffering from C3-7 (subaxial) involvement. With the improvement ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Generating artificial sensations with spinal cord stimulation in primates and rodents.

Journal Article Brain Stimul · 2021 For patients who have lost sensory function due to a neurological injury such as spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, or amputation, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may provide a mechanism for restoring somatic sensations via an intuitive, non-visual pathway. I ... Full text Link to item Cite

Management of Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Review of the Literature.

Journal Article Front Surg · 2021 Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is a debilitating disease that poses significant functional and economic burden on both the individual and societal levels. Prognosis is dependent on the extent of the spinal injury and the severity of neurological dysfu ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Improved Dysphagia Outcomes in Anchored Spacers Versus Plate-Screw Systems in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Systematic Review.

Journal Article Global Spine J · December 2020 STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review of clinical outcomes between stand-alone anchored spacers and traditional cages with plate fixation for dysphagia and pseudoarthrosis using data from clinical tria ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Patient outcomes and tumor control in single-fraction versus hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy for spinal metastases.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · November 6, 2020 OBJECTIVE: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) offers efficient, noninvasive treatment of spinal neoplasms. Single-fraction (SF) high-dose SBRT has a relatively narrow therapeutic window, while hypofractionated delivery of SBRT may have an improved ... Full text Link to item Cite

The medicolegal impact of misplaced pedicle and lateral mass screws on spine surgery in the United States.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · November 2020 Spine surgery has been disproportionately impacted by medical liability and malpractice litigation, with the majority of claims and payouts related to procedural error. One common area for the potential avoidance of malpractice claims and subsequent payout ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Spinal cord stimulation and rehabilitation in an individual with chronic complete L1 paraplegia due to a conus medullaris injury: motor and functional outcomes at 18 months.

Journal Article Spinal Cord Ser Cases · October 16, 2020 INTRODUCTION: Epidural electrical stimulation of the conus medullaris has helped facilitate native motor recovery in individuals with complete cervicothoracic spinal cord injuries (SCI). A theorized mechanism of clinical improvement includes supporting cen ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Smartphone App With a Digital Care Pathway for Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery: Development and Feasibility Study.

Journal Article JMIR Perioper Med · October 16, 2020 BACKGROUND: There is a great unmet clinical need to provide patients undergoing spinal surgery and their caregivers with ongoing, high-quality care before and after surgery in an efficiency-focused health care environment. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Awake percutaneous transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with expandable cage and robotic-assisted navigation and instrumentation: Case report and review of literature

Journal Article Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management · June 1, 2020 Awake surgeries are commonly performed in many specialties through the use of local or regional anesthesia. These methods avoid the risks associated with general endotracheal anesthesia and allow faster recovery times. In neurosurgery, awake surgeries are ... Full text Cite

Effect of Instrument Navigation on C-arm Radiation and Time during Spinal Procedures: A Clinical Evaluation.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · June 2020 INTRODUCTION: As minimally invasive spine surgery gains popularity, a focused effort must be made to reduce intraoperative radiation exposure to levels as low as reasonably achievable. Here, we demonstrate the clinical efficacy of a novel technology to aid ... Full text Link to item Cite

Importance of Spinal Alignment in Primary and Metastatic Spine Tumors.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 2019 Spinal alignment, particularly with respect to spinopelvic parameters, is highly correlated with morbidity and health-related quality-of-life outcomes. Although the importance of spinal alignment has been emphasized in the deformity literature, spinopelvic ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Crossing the Cervicothoracic Junction in Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion: A Cohort Analysis.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · November 2019 BACKGROUND: The cervicothoracic junction (CTJ) has often been identified as an area of biomechanical vulnerability; however, few studies have examined the relative merits of extending fusions across this area. In this study, we sought to investigate the tr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Computer-Assisted Instrument Navigation Versus Conventional C-Arm Fluoroscopy for Surgical Instrumentation: Accuracy, Radiation Time, and Radiation Exposure.

Journal Article AJR Am J Roentgenol · September 2019 OBJECTIVE. Compared with open procedures, minimally invasive surgical procedures are associated with increased radiation exposure and long-term health risks. Ultralow radiation imaging coupled with image enhancement and instrument tracking (ULRI-IE/IT) is ... Full text Link to item Cite

Erratum to intraoperative ketamine may increase risk of post-operative delirium after complex spinal fusion for adult deformity correction.

Journal Article J Spine Surg · September 2019 [This corrects the article DOI: 10.21037/jss.2018.12.10.]. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neurosurgical complications: what the radiologist needs to know.

Journal Article Emerg Radiol · June 2019 Visits to the emergency department by patients who have recently undergone neurosurgery are a common occurrence, and these patients frequently receive emergent cross-sectional head imaging in order to evaluate for complications. Different neurosurgical app ... Full text Link to item Cite

Total en bloc resection of primary and metastatic spine tumors.

Journal Article Ann Transl Med · May 2019 Primary and metastatic tumors of the spine represent a significant cause of patient morbidity, and present a management challenge to treating providers. From a neurosurgical standpoint, resection surgery may be warranted in cases of spinal instability, pro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Independent Associations With 30- and 90-Day Unplanned Readmissions After Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery: A National Trend Analysis of 144 123 Patients.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · March 1, 2019 BACKGROUND: Unplanned hospital readmissions contribute significantly to soaring national healthcare expenditures. To alleviate this burden, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented initiatives to penalize hospitals for unplanned 30-d hospital ... Full text Link to item Cite

Intraoperative ketamine may increase risk of post-operative delirium after complex spinal fusion for adult deformity correction.

Journal Article J Spine Surg · March 2019 BACKGROUND: For complex surgery, intraoperative ketamine administration is readily used to reduce post-operative pain. However, there have been a few studies suggesting that intraoperative ketamine may have deleterious effects and impact post-operative del ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rate of instrumentation changes on postoperative and follow-up radiographs after primary complex spinal fusion (five or more levels) for adult deformity correction.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · January 11, 2019 OBJECTIVEIn the United States, healthcare expenditures have been soaring at a concerning rate. There has been an excessive use of postoperative radiographs after spine surgery and this has been a target for hospitals to reduce unnecessary costs. However, t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Spinal cord astrocytomas: progresses in experimental and clinical investigations for developing recovery neurobiology-based novel therapies.

Journal Article Exp Neurol · January 2019 Spinal cord astrocytomas (SCAs) have discernibly unique signatures in regards to epidemiology, clinical oncological features, genetic markers, pathophysiology, and research and therapeutic challenges. Overall, there are presently very limited clinical mana ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utility of Cervical Collars Following Cervical Fusion Surgery. Does It Improve Fusion Rates or Outcomes? A Systematic Review.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 26, 2018 BACKGROUND: The use of postoperative cervical collars following cervical fusions is common practice. Its use has been purported to improve fusion rates and outcomes. There is a paucity in the strength of evidence to support its clinical benefit. Our object ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Preemptive analgesia for postoperative pain relief in thoracolumbosacral spine operations: a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · December 1, 2018 OBJECTIVEPreemptive administration of analgesic medication is more effective than medication given after the onset of the painful stimulus. The efficacy of preoperative or preemptive pain relief after thoracolumbosacral spine surgery has not been well stud ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of frailty on complications in patients with thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal fracture.

Journal Article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · June 2018 OBJECTIVES: It is well-documented that geriatric patients are at risk for serious injuries after fracture due to pre-existing medical conditions, physical changes of aging, and medication effects. Frailty has been demonstrated to be a predictor of morbidit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recent advances in intradural spinal tumors.

Journal Article Neuro Oncol · May 18, 2018 Intradural spinal tumors are rare tumors of the central nervous system. Due to the eloquence of the spinal cord and its tracts, the compact architecture of the cord and nerves, and the infiltrative nature of some of these tumors, surgical resection is diff ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vascular complications in cervical spine surgery (anterior and posterior approach)

Chapter · January 1, 2018 This chapter explores the vascular complications associated with cervical spine surgery for both anterior and posterior approaches. Recognizing that cervical decompression and instrumentation are common procedures, it is important to understand the complic ... Full text Cite

Use of Intraoperative Ultrasound During Spinal Surgery.

Journal Article Global Spine J · October 2017 STUDY DESIGN: Review and technical report. OBJECTIVE: Intraoperative ultrasound has been used by spine surgeons since the early 1980s. Since that time, more advanced modes of intraoperative imaging and navigation have become widely available. Although the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ventriculostomy-associated hemorrhage: a risk assessment by radiographic simulation.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · September 2017 OBJECTIVE Ventriculostomy entry sites are commonly selected by freehand estimation of Kocher's point or approximations from skull landmarks and a trajectory toward the ipsilateral frontal horn of the lateral ventricles. A recognized ventriculostomy complic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Large-scale identification of patients with cerebral aneurysms using natural language processing.

Journal Article Neurology · January 10, 2017 OBJECTIVE: To use natural language processing (NLP) in conjunction with the electronic medical record (EMR) to accurately identify patients with cerebral aneurysms and their matched controls. METHODS: ICD-9 and Current Procedural Terminology codes were use ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Effects of Thermal Preconditioning on Oncogenic and Intraspinal Cord Growth Features of Human Glioma Cells.

Journal Article Cell Transplant · December 13, 2016 The adult rodent spinal cord presents an inhibitory environment for donor cell survival, impeding efficiency for xenograft-based modeling of gliomas. We postulated that mild thermal preconditioning may influence the fate of the implanted tumor cells. To te ... Full text Link to item Cite

Direct heart shunt placement for CSF diversion: technical note.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Pediatr · December 2016 The authors report a complex case of an 18-year-old male with a history of hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular hemorrhage of prematurity, with more than 30 previous shunt revisions, who presented to the authors' institution with shunt malfunction. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Combined preoperative traction with instrumented posterior occipitocervical fusion for severe ventral brainstem compression secondary to displaced os odontoideum: technical report of 2 cases.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Pediatr · December 2016 Severe os odontoideum causing ventral brainstem compression is a rare and difficult entity to treat. It is generally accepted that severe os odontoideum causing ventral brainstem compression and neurological deficits warrants surgical treatment. This often ... Full text Link to item Cite

Frontal dermoid cyst coexisting with suprasellar craniopharyngioma: a spectrum of ectodermally derived epithelial-lined cystic lesions?

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · December 2016 There is a wide group of lesions that may exist in the sellar and suprasellar regions. Embryologically, there is varying evidence that many of these entities may in fact represent a continuum of pathology deriving from a common ectodermal origin. The autho ... Full text Link to item Cite

Targeted Treatment of Experimental Spinal Cord Glioma With Dual Gene-Engineered Human Neural Stem Cells.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · September 2016 BACKGROUND: There are currently no satisfactory treatments or experimental models showing autonomic dysfunction for intramedullary spinal cord gliomas (ISCG). OBJECTIVE: To develop a rat model of ISCG and investigate whether genetically engineered human ne ... Full text Link to item Cite

The frequency and severity of intracranial hypotension post-intraoperative lumbar drainage using a Tuohy needle and the traditional needle.

Journal Article Br J Neurosurg · August 2016 Background Intraoperative lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage is a well-recognised technique in cranial and vascular surgery. The goal of the study was to assess the frequency and severity of intracranial hypotension post-intraoperative lumbar draina ... Full text Link to item Cite

Infiltrating spinal cord astrocytomas: Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatments and future directions.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · July 2016 Spinal cord gliomas, consisting mostly of ependymomas and astrocytomas, are rare entities. Of the gliomas, infiltrating astrocytomas are particularly challenging entities to treat due to their invasive nature. Surgical resection is oftentimes not possible ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Neurocritical and Neurosurgical Care of Subdural Hematomas.

Journal Article Neurocrit Care · April 2016 Subdural hematomas (SDHs), though frequently grouped together, can result from a variety of different etiologies, and therefore many different subtypes exist. Moreover, the high incidence of these lesions in the neurocritical care settings behooves practit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Connexin 36 and rod bipolar cell independent rod pathways drive retinal ganglion cells and optokinetic reflexes.

Journal Article Vision Res · February 2016 Rod pathways are a parallel set of synaptic connections which enable night vision by relaying and processing rod photoreceptor light responses. We use dim light stimuli to isolate rod pathway contributions to downstream light responses then characterize th ... Full text Link to item Cite

The role of simulation in neurosurgery.

Journal Article Childs Nerv Syst · January 2016 PURPOSE: In an era of residency duty-hour restrictions, there has been a recent effort to implement simulation-based training methods in neurosurgery teaching institutions. Several surgical simulators have been developed, ranging from physical models to so ... Full text Link to item Cite

Minimally Invasive Muscle Sparing Posterior-Only Approach for Lumbar Circumferential Decompression and Stabilization to Treat Spine Metastasis--Technical Report.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · November 2015 OBJECTIVE: Palliative tumor resection and subsequent stabilization are important for maximizing function and quality of life for patients suffering from spinal metastases. However, traditional operative techniques for spinal metastases with vertebral body ... Full text Link to item Cite

"Extraoperative" MRI (eoMRI) for Brain Tumor Surgery: Initial Results at a Single Institution.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · June 2015 BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence that extent of resection (EOR) in intrinsic brain tumor surgery prolongs overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). One of the strategies to increase EOR is the use of intraoperative MRI (ioMRI); h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Extensive spinal epidural abscess treated with "apical laminectomies" and irrigation of the epidural space: report of 2 cases.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · March 2015 Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare but often devastating infection of the epidural space around the spinal cord. When an SEA is widespread, extensive decompression with laminectomy is often impossible, as it may subject the patient to very long operat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Chiari malformations: diagnosis, treatments and failures.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Sci · December 2014 Chiari malformations refer to abnormalities of the hindbrain originally described by the Austrian pathologist Hans Chiari in the early 1890s. These malformations range from herniation of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum to complete agenesi ... Link to item Cite

Deep brain stimulation and ablation for obsessive compulsive disorder: evolution of contemporary indications, targets and techniques.

Journal Article Int J Neurosci · June 2014 Surgical therapy for treatment-resistant obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) remains an effective option for well-selected patients managed within a multidisciplinary setting. Historically, lesions within the limbic system have been used to control both ob ... Full text Link to item Cite

Deep brain stimulation for tremor associated with underlying ataxia syndromes: a case series and discussion of issues.

Journal Article Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y) · 2014 BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been utilized to treat various symptoms in patients suffering from movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia, and essential tremor. Though ataxia syndromes have not been formally or frequently add ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effect of disease and recovery on functional anatomy in brain tumor patients: insights from functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging.

Journal Article Imaging Med · August 1, 2013 Patients with brain tumors provide a unique opportunity to understand functional brain plasticity. Using advanced imaging techniques, such as functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, we have gained tremendous knowledge of brain tumor behavior, transfor ... Full text Link to item Cite

The origin and evolution of neuroendoscopy.

Journal Article Childs Nerv Syst · May 2013 INTRODUCTION: Neuroendoscopy has become an integral field within neurosurgery. It has allowed neurosurgeons unprecedented access to deep structures within both the cranial and spinal compartments, while allowing for minimal incisions, tissue retraction, an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Initial experience with the use of an expandable titanium cage as a vertebral body replacement in patients with tumors of the spinal column: a report of 95 patients.

Journal Article Eur Spine J · January 2012 OBJECTIVE: Vertebral body resection to treat spine tumors necessitates reconstruction to maintain spinal stability. The durability of reconstruction may be a challenge in cancer patients as treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation coupled with poor nut ... Full text Link to item Cite

The cancer stem cell hypothesis: failures and pitfalls.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · February 2011 Based on the clonal evolution model and the assumption that the vast majority of tumor cells are able to propagate and drive tumor growth, the goal of cancer treatment has traditionally been to kill all cancerous cells. This theory has been challenged rece ... Full text Link to item Cite

Atypical Rasmussen's encephalitis treated with temporal lobectomy.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · February 2011 Rasmussen's encephalitis is characterized by seizures, progressive neurological deterioration and chronic inflammation of the brain. It typically presents in childhood and requires anatomic or functional hemispherectomy for seizure control. Here, we report ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 as an adjunct for spine fusion in a pediatric population.

Journal Article Pediatr Neurosurg · 2011 BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is responsible for multiple different signaling processes including positive effects on bone formation and fusion. In 2002, rhBMP-2 was approved for use in anterior lumbar spinal fus ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of interleukin-1β on the expression of actin isoforms in cultured mouse astroglia.

Journal Article Anat Rec (Hoboken) · January 2011 Cytokines are soluble mediators that are thought to act as communication signals between astroglia and neighboring neural cells. They are both released by, and act on, astroglia. It is hypothesized that it is this effect on astroglia that may be important ... Full text Link to item Cite

Investigational therapies for brain metastases.

Journal Article Neurosurg Clin N Am · January 2011 Contrary to the incidence of primary cancers, the incidence of brain metastasis has been increasing. This increase is likely because of the effects of an aging population, improved neuroimaging surveillance, and better control of systemic cancer, allowing ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vagus nerve stimulation for drop attacks in a pediatric population.

Journal Article Epilepsy Behav · November 2010 A retrospective analysis of 43 patients with drop attack seizures who were treated with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was undertaken to determine the efficacy of VNS and to determine pre-implantation characteristics associated with VNS success. It was foun ... Full text Link to item Cite

Disrupting abnormal electrical activity with deep brain stimulation: is epilepsy the next frontier?

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · August 2010 Given the tremendous success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of movement and neuropsychiatric disorders, clinicians have begun to open up to the possible use of electrical stimulation for the treatment of patients with uncontrolled seizur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Genetic dissection of rod and cone pathways in the dark-adapted mouse retina.

Journal Article J Neurophysiol · September 2009 A monumental task of the mammalian retina is to encode an enormous range (>10(9)-fold) of light intensities experienced by the animal in natural environments. Retinal neurons carry out this task by dividing labor into many parallel rod and cone synaptic pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Book Review

Journal Article Duke Magazine · 2009 Cite

Safety and pharmokinetics of triamcinolone hexacetonide in rabbit eyes.

Journal Article J Ocul Pharmacol Ther · April 2008 PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether intravitreal triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH) is a safe, longer lasting alternative to intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in the rabbit eye. METHODS: Three groups, each comprising of 15 Dutch-bel ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impaired photoreceptor protein transport and synaptic transmission in a mouse model of Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

Journal Article Vision Res · December 2007 Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an oligogenic syndrome whose manifestations include retinal degeneration, renal abnormalities, obesity and polydactylia. Evidence suggests that the main etiopathophysiology of this syndrome is impaired intraflagellar transpor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relative contributions of rod and cone bipolar cell inputs to AII amacrine cell light responses in the mouse retina.

Journal Article J Physiol · April 15, 2007 AII amacrine cells (AIIACs) are crucial relay stations for rod-mediated signals in the mammalian retina and they receive synaptic inputs from depolarizing and hyperpolarizing bipolar cells (DBCs and HBCs) as well as from other amacrine cells. Using whole-c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Long-term retinal toxicity of intravitreal commercially available preserved triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog) in rabbit eyes.

Journal Article Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci · January 2007 PURPOSE: To investigate whether intravitreal Kenalog (IVTK; Bristol Meyers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) produces histologic or electroretinographic changes in the rabbit retina up to 3 months after injection. METHODS: Ten Dutch-belted rabbits were inject ... Full text Link to item Cite

Phenotypic characterization of Bbs4 null mice reveals age-dependent penetrance and variable expressivity.

Journal Article Hum Genet · September 2006 Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare oligogenic disorder exhibiting both clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Although the BBS phenotype is variable both between and within families, the syndrome is characterized by the hallmarks of developmental and learn ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optical imaging of cervical pre-cancers with structured illumination: an integrated approach.

Journal Article Gynecol Oncol · December 2005 OBJECTIVE: Structured illumination microscopy is an inexpensive alternative to confocal microscopy that allows optical sectioning at a sub-cellular resolution. However, its application in imaging biological tissue has been limited by inadequate contrast pr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optimal visual perception and detection of oral cavity neoplasia.

Journal Article IEEE Trans Biomed Eng · March 2003 The most common way to detect disease is by visual inspection of the suspect tissue. However, the human eye is not optimized for this task because the perceived spectrum of light is divided into three channels, all of which have overlapping spectral sensit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optical sectioning wide-field microscopy for imaging oral cancer

Conference Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology - Proceedings · December 1, 2002 We describe the use of an optical sectioning wide-field microscope with an exogenous dye in order to improve the visualization of early oral cancer detection. We show positive results in imaging and optically sectioning turbid tissue phantoms stained with ... Cite