Scholars@Duke
Oren N Gottfried

Oren N Gottfried

Professor of Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
oren.gottfried@duke.edu
Box 3807, Durham, NC 27710
200 Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Machine learning in the diagnosis, management, and care of patients with low back pain: a scoping review of the literature and future directions.

Journal Article Spine J · January 2025 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Low back pain (LBP) remains the leading cause of disability globally. In recent years, machine learning (ML) has emerged as a potentially useful tool to aid the diagnosis, management, and prognostication of LBP. PURPOSE: In this review, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Comparative analysis of patient-reported outcomes in myelopathy and myeloradiculopathy: a Quality Outcomes Database study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · December 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: Myelopathy in the cervical spine can present with diverse symptoms, many of which can be debilitating for patients. Patients with radiculopathy symptoms demonstrate added complexity because of the overlapping symptoms and treatment consideration ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Predictors of patient satisfaction in the surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · November 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: Patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) experience progressive neurological impairment. Surgical intervention is often pursued to halt neurological symptom progression and allow for recovery of function. In this paper, the authors ex ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Do class III obese patients achieve similar outcomes and satisfaction to nonobese patients following surgery for cervical myelopathy? A QOD study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · November 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the rate of achievement of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and satisfaction between cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients with and without class ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Impact of educational background on preoperative disease severity and postoperative outcomes among patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis: a Quality Outcomes Database study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · September 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: Deficiency in patient education has been correlated with increased disease-related morbidity and decreased access to care. However, the associations between educational level, preoperative disease severity, and postoperative outcomes in patients ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Comparing posterior cervical foraminotomy with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in radiculopathic patients: an analysis from the Quality Outcomes Database.

Conference J Neurosurg Spine · July 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between posterior foraminotomy and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in patients presenting with cervical radiculopathy. METHODS: The Quality O ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy and driving abilities: defining the prevalence and long-term postoperative outcomes using the Quality Outcomes Database.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · May 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) can cause significant difficulty with driving and a subsequent reduction in an individual's quality of life due to neurological deterioration. The positive impact of surgery on postoperative patient-reported ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Is Upper Extremity or Lower Extremity Function More Important for Patient Satisfaction? An Analysis of 24-Month Outcomes from the QOD Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Cohort.

Journal Article Clin Spine Surg · May 1, 2024 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a prospective, multicenter registry. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether upper or lower limb mJOA improvement more strongly associates with patient satisfaction after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). SUMMA ... Full text Open Access 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

Impact of Educational Background on Preoperative Disease Severity and Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients With Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.

Journal Article Clin Spine Surg · April 1, 2024 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database. OBJECTIVE: Assess differences in preoperative status and postoperative outcomes among patients of different educational backgrounds undergoing surgical management of cervical spondy ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

What predicts the best 24-month outcomes following surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy? A QOD prospective registry study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · April 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of the best 24-month improvements in patients undergoing surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). For this purpose, the authors leveraged a large prospective cohort of surgically treated ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Does the number of social factors affect long-term patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction in those with cervical myelopathy? A QOD study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · April 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: It is not clear whether there is an additive effect of social factors in keeping patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) from achieving both a minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in outcomes and satisfaction after surgery. ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Does diabetes affect outcome or reoperation rate after lumbar decompression or arthrodesis? A matched analysis of the Quality Outcomes Database data set.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · March 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for postsurgical and systemic complications after lumbar spinal surgery. Smaller studies have also demonstrated diminished improvements in patient-reported outcomes (PROs), with increased reoperation ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

What factors influence surgical decision-making in anterior versus posterior surgery for cervical myelopathy? A QOD analysis.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · February 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the preoperative patient characteristics that affect surgical decision-making when selecting an anterior or posterior operative approach in patients diagnosed with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). METHO ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Osteoimmunology: Interactions With the Immune System in Spinal Fusion.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · December 27, 2023 Spinal fusion is important for the clinical success of patients undergoing surgery, and the immune system plays an increasingly recognized role. Osteoimmunology is the study of the interactions between the immune system and bone. Inflammation impacts the o ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cervical laminoplasty versus laminectomy and posterior cervical fusion for cervical myelopathy: propensity-matched analysis of 24-month outcomes from the Quality Outcomes Database.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · November 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: Compared with laminectomy with posterior cervical fusion (PCF), cervical laminoplasty (CL) may result in different outcomes for those operated on for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The aim of this study was to compare 24-month patient-re ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Greater improvement in Neck Disability Index scores in women after surgery for cervical myelopathy: an analysis of the Quality Outcomes Database.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · November 2023 OBJECTIVE: There is a high prevalence of cervical myelopathy that requires surgery; as such, it is important to identify how different groups benefit from surgery. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons launched the Quality Outcomes Database (QO ... Full text Open Access 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

Three-level ACDF versus 3-level laminectomy and fusion: are there differences in outcomes? An analysis of the Quality Outcomes Database cervical spondylotic myelopathy cohort.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · September 2023 OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to compare 3-level anterior with posterior fusion surgical procedures for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). METHODS: The authors analyzed prospective data from the 14 highest enrolling sites of ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Do comorbid self-reported depression and anxiety influence outcomes following surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy?

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: Depression and anxiety are associated with inferior outcomes following spine surgery. In this study, the authors examined whether patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) who have both self-reported depression (SRD) and self-reported ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Which supervised machine learning algorithm can best predict achievement of minimum clinically important difference in neck pain after surgery in patients with cervical myelopathy? A QOD study.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · June 2023 OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of different supervised machine learning algorithms to predict achievement of minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in neck pain after surgery in patients with cervical spondylot ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

How closely are outcome questionnaires correlated to patient satisfaction after cervical spine surgery for myelopathy?

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · May 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have become the standard means to measure surgical outcomes. Insurers and policy makers are also increasingly utilizing PROs to assess the value of care and measure different aspects of a patient's condition. For ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Characteristics of patients who return to work after undergoing surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a Quality Outcomes Database study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · May 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: Return to work (RTW) is an important surgical outcome for patients who are employed, yet a significant number of patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) who are employed undergo cervical spine surgery and fail to RTW. In this study, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Spine Surgical Subspecialty and Its Effect on Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · May 1, 2023 STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify if intraoperative or postoperative differences in outcomes exist between orthopedic and neurological spine surgeons. SUMMARY OF BACKG ... Full text Open Access 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

Sleep Disturbances in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Prevalence and Postoperative Outcomes-an Analysis From the Quality Outcomes Database.

Journal Article Clin Spine Surg · April 1, 2023 STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study, level of evidence 1 for prognostic investigations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of sleep impairment and predictors of improved sleep quality 24 months postoperatively in cervical spondylotic myelopat ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

High-Impact Chronic Pain Transition in Lumbar Surgery Recipients.

Journal Article Pain Med · March 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: High-impact chronic pain (HICP) is a term that characterizes the presence of a severe and troubling pain-related condition. To date, the prevalence of HICP in lumbar spine surgery recipients and their HICP transitions from before to after surger ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Development of new postoperative neck pain at 12 and 24 months after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a Quality Outcomes Database study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · March 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: Patients who undergo surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) will occasionally develop postoperative neck pain that was not present preoperatively, yet the incidence of this phenomenon is unclear. The authors aimed to elucidate patient ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy with severe axial neck pain: is anterior or posterior approach better?

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · January 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) or posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion (PCLF) is superior for patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and high preoperativ ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Correlation of the Modified Japanese Orthopedic Association With Functional and Quality-of-Life Outcomes After Surgery for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Quality Outcomes Database Study.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · December 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: The modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score is a widely used and validated metric for assessing severity of myelopathy. Its relationship to functional and quality-of-life outcomes after surgery has not been fully described. OBJECT ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Determining the time frame of maximum clinical improvement in surgical decompression for cervical spondylotic myelopathy when stratified by preoperative myelopathy severity: a cervical Quality Outcomes Database study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · November 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: While surgical decompression is an important treatment modality for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), it remains unclear if the severity of preoperative myelopathy status affects potential benefit from surgical intervention and when maximum ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recent Trends in Medicare Utilization and Reimbursement for Spinal Cord Stimulators: 2000-2019.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · October 2022 OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord stimulators (SCS) allow spine surgeons to provide relief for patients who suffer from chronic pain due to several disorders, such as failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, and neuropathy. Despite this, there re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Classification of older adults who underwent lumbar-related surgery using pre-operative biopsychosocial predictors and relationships with surgical recovery: An observational study conducted in the United States.

Journal Article Health Soc Care Community · September 2022 Lumbar surgery is a commonly prescribed intervention for low back pain but poses higher risks and worse outcomes for older adults. Identifying clinical phenotypes based on biopsychosocial factors may help identify older adults who are at greatest risk for ... Full text Link to item Cite

Differences in postoperative quality of life in young, early elderly, and late elderly patients undergoing surgical treatment for degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · September 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a common progressive spine disorder affecting predominantly middle-aged and elderly populations. With increasing life expectancy, the incidence of CSM is expected to rise further. The outcomes of elderly ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Recent Trends in Medicare Utilization and Reimbursement for Lumbar Fusion Procedures: 2000-2019.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · September 2022 OBJECTIVE: Lumbar fusions are commonly performed spinal procedures. Despite this, publicly available lumbar fusion procedural and monetary data are sparse. This study aimed to evaluate trends in utilization and reimbursement for Medicare patients from 2000 ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Collective Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Individuals Who Underwent Lumbar Spine Revision Surgeries: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · September 2022 OBJECTIVE: To analyze the collective effect of social determinants of health (SDH) on lumbar spine revision surgery outcomes using a retrospective cohort study design. METHODS: Data from the Quality Outcomes Database were used, including 7889 adults who re ... Full text Link to item Cite

High-impact chronic pain transition in surgical recipients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: High-impact chronic pain (HICP) is a recently proposed metric that indicates the presence of a severe and troubling pain-related condition. Surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is designed to halt disease transition independent of c ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Social risk factors predicting outcomes of cervical myelopathy surgery.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: Combinations of certain social risk factors of race, sex, education, socioeconomic status (SES), insurance, education, employment, and one's housing situation have been associated with poorer pain and disability outcomes after lumbar spine surge ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Association of ≥ 12 months of delayed surgical treatment for cervical myelopathy with worsened postoperative outcomes: a multicenter analysis of the Quality Outcomes Database.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · April 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) results in significant morbidity. The duration of symptoms prior to surgical intervention may be associated with postoperative surgical outcomes and functional recovery. The authors' objective was to invest ... Full text Link to item Cite

Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion With Exoscope: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Journal Article Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) · February 1, 2022 Posterior cervical decompression and fusion is an effective strategy for correction of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Here, we highlight the operative treatment of a 63-yr-old man entailing a 4-level posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion, with the us ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Robotics in neurosurgery: Current prevalence and future directions.

Journal Article Surg Neurol Int · 2022 BACKGROUND: The first instance of a robotic-assisted surgery occurred in neurosurgery; however, it is now more common in other fields such as urology and gynecology. This study aims to characterize the prevalence of robotic surgery among current neurosurge ... Full text Link to item Cite

Construct Validity and Item Response Theory Analysis of the PROMIS-29 v2.0 in Recipients of Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · December 15, 2021 STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort design involving measurement property assessment. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess construct validity through hypothesis testing and to examine reliability and discrimination of the PROMIS-29 v2.0 using ite ... Full text Link to item Cite

Psychological, mobility, and satisfaction variables mediate the relationship between baseline back pain intensity and long-term outcomes in individuals who underwent lumbar spine surgery.

Journal Article Musculoskelet Sci Pract · October 2021 BACKGROUND: In patients who receive spine surgery, pain is relational to disability and quality of life, but exactly how this influence is mediated is not fully understood. Mediation analyses allow an understanding of a known relationship by exploring the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Discharge destination influences risks of readmission and complications after lumbar spine surgery in severely disabled patients.

Journal Article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · August 2021 OBJECTIVE: For individuals with severe disability requiring spine surgery, appropriate discharge destination is a challenging and complex decision. Past studies have found associations between discharge destination and postoperative outcomes but were limit ... Full text Link to item Cite

True Differences in Poor Outcome Risks Between Revision and Primary Lumbar Spine Surgeries.

Journal Article HSS J · July 2021 Background: Previous studies have shown that the rates of complications associated with revision spine surgery are higher than those of primary spine surgery. However, there is a lack of research exploring the difference in magnitude of risk of poor outcom ... Full text Link to item Cite

The limited influence of neurosurgeons' behavior on inpatient satisfaction: a retrospective multihospital analysis.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · June 1, 2021 OBJECTIVE: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a survey that assesses patient satisfaction, which is an important measure of the quality of hospital care and ultimately the overall hospital rating (OHR). However ... Full text Link to item Cite

Measurement Properties of the Oswestry Disability Index in Recipients of Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · January 15, 2021 STUDY DESIGN: This is an observational study on the measurement properties of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) version 1.0. OBJECTIVES: To (1) determine the construct validity of the tool, specifically structural validity; (2) analyze the criterion vali ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Long-term impact of obesity on patient-reported outcomes and patient satisfaction after lumbar spine surgery: an observational study.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · January 1, 2021 OBJECTIVE: Obese body habitus is a challenging issue to address in lumbar spine surgery. There is a lack of consensus on the long-term influence of BMI on patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction. This study aimed to examine the differences in patient-re ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Influence of Unemployment and Disability Status on Clinical Outcomes in Patients Receiving Surgery for Low Back-Related Disorders: An Observational Study.

Journal Article Spine Surg Relat Res · 2021 INTRODUCTION: Employment status plays an essential role as a social determinant of health. Unemployed are more likely to have a longer length of hospital stay and a nearly twofold greater rate of 30 day readmission than those who were well employed at the ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effect of change in preoperative depression/anxiety on patient outcomes following lumbar spine surgery.

Journal Article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · December 2020 OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between positive change in depression or anxiety within three months post-operation and clinically meaningful changes in long-term clinical outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. METHODS ... Full text Link to item Cite

Institutional review of predictors of in-hospital and 30-day discharge mortality in neurosurgical patients.

Journal Article Clin Neurol Neurosurg · November 2020 OBJECTIVE: Risk of adverse events from neurosurgical diagnoses is high. It is not well described whether there are any demographic, admission, or discharge factors that are associated with inpatient or post-discharge mortality outcomes in neurosurgical pat ... Full text Link to item Cite

The true penalty of the waiting room: the role of wait time in patient satisfaction in a busy spine practice.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 1, 2020 OBJECTIVE: Most clinics collect routine data on performance metrics on physicians for outpatient visits. However, the relationship of these metrics with patient experience is unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quantifying the collective influence of social determinants of health using conditional and cluster modeling.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2020 OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to analyze the collective effect of social determinants of health (SDoH) on lumbar spine surgery outcomes utilizing two different statistical methods of combining variables. METHODS: This observational study analyzed data from ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinic Satisfaction Tool Improves Communication and Provides Real-Time Feedback.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · April 1, 2019 BACKGROUND: Patient-reported assessments of the clinic experience are increasingly important for improving the delivery of care. The Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) survey is the current standard for e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Chief complaints and feedback from clinic satisfaction tool: Thematic analysis of a new outpatient communication tool.

Journal Article Int J Clin Pract · April 2019 OBJECTIVES: Up to half of all patients leave their outpatient clinic visit with an uncommunicated need. We designed the clinic satisfaction tool (CST) as a low-cost, highly utilised assessment of the spine clinic experience that improved communication in o ... 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

Institutional Review of Mortality in 5434 Consecutive Neurosurgery Patients: Are We Improving?

Journal Article Neurosurgery · December 1, 2018 BACKGROUND: Despite increasing emphasis on quality improvement in neurosurgery, few studies have evaluated the impact of quality initiatives on health-assessment metrics including risk of mortality (ROM), severity of illness (SOI), case mix index (CMI), an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of racial disparities on patient-reported satisfaction and short- and long-term perception of health status after elective lumbar spine surgery.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 2018 OBJECTIVE In spine surgery, racial disparities have been shown to impact various aspects of surgical care. Previous studies have associated racial disparities with inferior surgical outcomes, including increased complication and 30-day readmission rates af ... Full text Link to item Cite

Complications and 30-Day readmission rates after craniotomy/craniectomy: A single Institutional study of 243 consecutive patients.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · January 2018 Early hospital readmission has become a proxy for quality of care and contributes significantly to high health care costs in the United States, with more than $20 billion health care dollars are spent on 30-day readmission annually. Cranial neurosurgical p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quality Efforts for Reducing Mortality in Neurosurgery

Chapter · January 1, 2018 Recently, mortality rates have increasingly been used as proxies for quality of care and determinants of hospital reimbursements. As a result, there has been an emphasis on implementing various quality initiatives in order to help reduce the disparaging mo ... Full text Cite

Race as a predictor of postoperative hospital readmission after spine surgery.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · December 2017 Hospital readmission after surgery results in a substantial economic burden, and several recent studies have investigated the impact of race and ethnicity on hospital readmission rates, with the goal to identify hospitals and patients with high readmission ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Gender Disparities on Short-Term and Long-Term Patient Reported Outcomes and Satisfaction Measures After Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Single Institutional Study of 384 Patients.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · November 2017 BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data determining the impact that gender disparities have on spine outcomes, particularly perception of health and satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in 3-month and 1-year pat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Post-operative delirium is an independent predictor of 30-day hospital readmission after spine surgery in the elderly (≥65years old): A study of 453 consecutive elderly spine surgery patients.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · July 2017 In the last decade, costs of U.S. healthcare expenditures have been soaring, with billions of dollars spent on hospital readmissions. Identifying causes and risk factors can reduce soaring readmission rates and help lower healthcare costs. The aim of this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of surgical site infection and surgical debridement on lumbar arthrodesis: A single-institution analysis of incidence and risk factors.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · May 2017 This study identifies the rate of pseudarthrosis following surgical debridement for deep lumbar spine surgical site infection and identify associated risk factors. Patients who underwent index lumbar fusion surgery from 2013 to 2014 were included if they m ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Intraoperative Monitoring During Elective Complex Spinal Fusions (≥4 Levels) on 30-Day Complication and Readmission Rates: A Single-Institutional Study of 643 Adult Patients with Spinal Deformity.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · May 2017 OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine if there are differences in 30-day postoperative complication and readmission rates between patients with spinal deformity undergoing complex spinal fusion with and without intraoperative monitoring (IOM). M ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comments

Journal Article Neurosurgery · May 1, 2017 Full text Cite

Impact of Obesity on Complications and 30-Day Readmission Rates After Cranial Surgery: A Single-Institutional Study of 224 Consecutive Craniotomy/Craniectomy Procedures.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · April 2017 BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is increasing at a disparaging rate in the United States. Although previous studies have associated obesity with increased surgical complications and readmission rates, the impact of obesity on surgical outcomes after ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Affective Disorders on Recovery of Baseline Function in Patients Undergoing Spinal Surgery: A Single Institution Study of 275 Patients.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · April 2017 BACKGROUND: Decompressive spinal surgery patients have high expectations of recovering functionally, both at work and with leisurely activities. Affective disorders, such as depression or anxiety, are increasingly prevalent in this population and are assoc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Intraoperative Steroids on Postoperative Infection Rates and Length of Hospital Stay: A Study of 1200 Spine Surgery Patients.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 2016 OBJECTIVE: The use of intraoperative steroids and their effects are relatively unknown and remain controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of intraoperative steroid use on postoperative complications and length of hospital stay aft ... Full text Link to item Cite

315 Race as a Predictor of Postoperative Hospital Readmission After Spine Surgery.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · August 2016 INTRODUCTION: Hospital readmission after surgery results in a substantial economic burden, and several recent studies have investigated the impact of race and ethnicity on hospital readmission rates, with the goal to identify hospitals and patients with hi ... Full text Link to item Cite

313 Impact of Intraoperative Steroids on Postoperative Infection Rates and Length of Hospital Stay: A Study of 1200 Spine Surgery Patients.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · August 2016 INTRODUCTION: The effects and use of intraoperative steroids is relatively unknown and remains controversial. There have been conflicting studies demonstrating the efficacy of intraoperative steroids on postoperative dysphagia and inflammation, whereas oth ... Full text Link to item Cite

Independent predictors of mortality following spine surgery.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · July 2016 We investigated the effect of preoperative patient demographics and operative factors on mortality in the 30day postoperative period after spine surgery. Postoperative mortality from surgical interventions has significantly decreased with progressive impro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do obese patients have worse outcomes after direct lateral interbody fusion compared to non-obese patients?

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · March 2016 Obese patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion surgery are a challenge to the operating surgeon. Direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF) has been performed for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine with good outcomes; nevertheless, how obese patients far ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk Assessment and Characterization of 30-Day Perioperative Myocardial Infarction Following Spine Surgery: A Retrospective Analysis of 1346 Consecutive Adult Patients.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · March 2016 STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to perform a risk assessment of 30-day perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) for spine surgery patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There is an increased emphasis to reduce compl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Increasing Age on Outcomes of Spinal Fusion in Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · March 2016 OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of advancing age on postoperative complications and revision surgery after fusion for scoliosis. METHODS: A retrospective, cohort study was performed using the Thomson Reuters MarketScan database, examining patients with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tumors of the Sellar Region: Craniopharyngioma and Pituitary Adenoma

Chapter · January 1, 2016 Craniopharyngiomas are slow-growing, benign epithelial neoplasms of the sellar region that arise from embryonic squamous cells of the hypophysiopharyngeal duct (Rathke’s pouch). Although Erdheim originally described this lesion in 1904, in 1932, Cushing in ... Full text Cite

Independent Predictors of 30-Day Perioperative Deep Vein Thrombosis in 1346 Consecutive Patients After Spine Surgery.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · December 2015 BACKGROUND: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a morbid postsurgical complication. Identifying the perioperative DVT risk profile will improve surgeons' ability to assess patients for surgical candidacy. In addition, these data will help to identify patients wh ... Full text Link to item Cite

Radiculopathy in the setting of lumbar nerve root compression due to an extradural intraforaminal lipoma: a report of 3 cases.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 2015 A true adult spinal lipoma is an exceedingly rare cause of lumbar compression neuropathy. Only 5 cases of true extradural intraforaminal lipomas have been documented in the medical literature. The diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines for this speci ... Full text Link to item Cite

A prospective, multi-institutional comparative effectiveness study of lumbar spine surgery in morbidly obese patients: does minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion result in superior outcomes?

Journal Article World Neurosurg · May 2015 BACKGROUND: Obese and morbidly obese patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion surgery are a challenge to the operating surgeon. Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) and open-TLIF have been performed for many years with good ... Full text Link to item Cite

Differences in the outcomes of anterior versus posterior interbody fusion surgery of the lumbar spine: a propensity score-controlled cohort analysis of 10,941 patients.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · May 2015 Few studies have measured outcome differences between the various available spinal fusion techniques. We compare long-term outcomes of anterior versus posterior lumbar interbody fusion. Using the MarketScan database (Truven Health Analytics, Ann Arbor, MI, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implications of spinopelvic alignment for the spine surgeon.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · March 2015 The relation of the pelvis to the spine has previously been overlooked as a contributor to sagittal balance. However, it is now recognized that spinopelvic alignment is important to maintain an energy-efficient posture in normal and disease states. The pel ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical implication of complications on patient perceived health status following spinal fusion surgery.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · February 2015 Approximately 2% to 16% of patients undergoing spinal surgery suffer adverse events or complications. There is a paucity of studies evaluating the impact of complications on long-term outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term effects ... Full text Link to item Cite

Experience with intrawound vancomycin powder for posterior cervical fusion surgery.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · January 2015 OBJECT: Recent studies have reported that the local delivery of vancomycin powder is associated with a decrease in spinal surgical site infection. This retrospective cohort study compares posterior cervical fusion cases before and after the routine applica ... Full text Link to item Cite

Negative pressure wound therapy reduces incidence of postoperative wound infection and dehiscence after long-segment thoracolumbar spinal fusion: a single institutional experience.

Journal Article Spine J · December 1, 2014 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Wound dehiscence and surgical site infections (SSIs) can have a profound impact on patients as they often require hospital readmission, additional surgical interventions, lengthy intravenous antibiotic administration, and delayed rehabi ... Full text Link to item Cite

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Journal Article Operative Neurosurgery · December 1, 2014 Full text Cite

Morbidity, mortality, and health care costs for patients undergoing spine surgery following the ACGME resident duty-hour reform: Clinical article.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · October 2014 OBJECT: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented resident duty-hour restrictions on July 1, 2003, in concern for patient and resident safety. Whereas studies have shown that duty-hour restrictions have increased resident ... Full text Link to item Cite

Psychosocial factors and surgical outcomes: are elderly depressed patients less satisfied with surgery?

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · September 1, 2014 STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we set out to assess the effect of preoperative depression on patient satisfaction after revision lumbar surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Patient satisfaction ratings are increasingly b ... Full text Link to item Cite

No difference in postoperative complications, pain, and functional outcomes up to 2 years after incidental durotomy in lumbar spinal fusion: a prospective, multi-institutional, propensity-matched analysis of 1,741 patients.

Journal Article Spine J · September 1, 2014 BACKGROUND: Incidental durotomies occur in up to 17% of spinal operations. Controversy exists regarding the short- and long-term consequences of durotomies. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of incidental durotomies on the imm ... Full text Link to item Cite

Preoperative serum albumin level as a predictor of postoperative complication after spine fusion.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · August 15, 2014 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between preoperative baseline serum albumin and postoperative surgical complication. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The prevalence of malnutrition in the hospitalized patient ... Full text Link to item Cite

Radiological evidence of spontaneous spinal arthrodesis in patients with lower lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · April 15, 2014 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of a consecutive series of patients with radiological evidence of spondylolisthesis. OBJECTIVE: To establish the incidence and characteristics of spontaneous spinal arthrodesis in the setting of lower lumbar spondylolisth ... Full text Link to item Cite

Initial experience with extreme angle cervical screw for treatment of trauma and cervical spondylosis.

Journal Article Surg Technol Int · March 2014 In this study, we have described our initial experience and surgical technique of extreme angle screw placement in the cervical and upper thoracic spine of a cohort of patients undergoing posterior fusion. This extreme angle screw facilitates rod placement ... Link to item Cite

Impact of subsidence on clinical outcomes and radiographic fusion rates in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a systematic review.

Journal Article J Spinal Disord Tech · February 2014 STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVE: To provide a systematic review of published literature on the impact of subsidence on clinical outcomes and radiographic fusion rates after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plates or without plates. B ... Full text Link to item Cite

Experience with intrawound vancomycin powder for spinal deformity surgery.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · January 15, 2014 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of local vancomycin powder to prevent deep wound infection after thoracolumbar and lumbar spinal fusion for open deformity cases. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Recent studies report ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Complications, reoperation rates, and health-care cost following surgical treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Journal Article J Bone Joint Surg Am · November 6, 2013 BACKGROUND: Surgery remains the mainstay for management of lumbar spondylolisthesis and is considered an effective therapeutic modality following unsuccessful nonoperative treatment. Surgical procedures include decompression, decompression with instrumente ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment and outcomes of epithelioid sarcoma of the spine.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · October 2013 Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a rare soft-tissue neoplasm which is most commonly found in the extremities of young adult males. ES has a poor prognosis due to its aggressiveness as it frequently recurs locally and can undergo lymphatic metastasis to soft tis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cancer after spinal fusion: the role of bone morphogenetic protein.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · September 2013 BACKGROUND: Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is used in tens of thousands of spinal fusions each year. A trial evaluating a high-dose BMP formulation demonstrated that its use may be associated with an increased risk of cancer. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate wheth ... Full text Link to item Cite

Outcomes and complications following spinous process fixation: a single-center analysis of 192 cases.

Journal Article Surg Technol Int · September 2013 Spinous process fixation (SPF) is presented as less invasive than pedicle screws. There has been little quantitative data to support this assertion, and "minimally invasive" has not been well defined in spine surgery. Length of stay (LOS) and blood loss (B ... Link to item Cite

Racial disparities in outcomes after spinal cord injury.

Journal Article J Neurotrauma · March 15, 2013 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is an acute trauma to the neural elements resulting in temporary or permanent sensory and motor deficit. Studies have indicated that although 66% of SCI occur in Caucasians, there are a growing number of other racial groups affecte ... Full text Link to item Cite

Thickness of subcutaneous fat as a risk factor for infection in cervical spine fusion surgery.

Journal Article J Bone Joint Surg Am · February 20, 2013 BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections increase the incidence of morbidity and mortality as well as health-care expenses. The cost of care increases threefold to fourfold as a consequence of surgical site infection after spinal surgery. The aim of the presen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Revision lumbar surgery in elderly patients with symptomatic pseudarthrosis, adjacent-segment disease, or same-level recurrent stenosis. Part 2. A cost-effectiveness analysis: clinical article.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · February 2013 OBJECT: Despite advances in technology and understanding in spinal physiology, reoperation for symptomatic adjacent-segment disease (ASD), same-level recurrent stenosis, and pseudarthrosis in elderly patients continues to occur. While revision lumbar surge ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of superior-level facet joint violations during open and percutaneous pedicle screw placement.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · November 2012 BACKGROUND: Superior-level facet joint violation by pedicle screws may result in increased stress to the level above the instrumentation and may contribute to adjacent segment disease. Previous studies have evaluated facet joint violations in open or percu ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Dorsal thoracic spinal cord herniation: report of an unusual case and review of the literature.

Journal Article Spine J · October 2012 BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Spinal cord herniation is a rare but well-documented condition that has been associated with tethering through the dural defect. Both spinal cord herniation and cord tethering result in progressive myelopathy that can be improved or sta ... Full text Link to item Cite

2012 Young Investigator Award winner: The distribution of body mass as a significant risk factor for lumbar spinal fusion postoperative infections.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · September 1, 2012 Featured Publication STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the role in body habitus and weight distribution on developing a surgical site infection (SSI). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: SSI after lumbar spine surgery remains a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Renal osteodystrophy: neurosurgical considerations and challenges.

Journal Article World Neurosurg · July 2012 BACKGROUND: Dialysis-associated destructive spondyloarthropathy (DSA) is the major bony complication of end-stage renal disease, most commonly found in the lower cervical region. The risk factors for developing dialysis-associated DSA include duration of h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sagittal spinopelvic parameters in children with achondroplasia: identification of 2 distinct groups.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 2012 OBJECT: Spinopelvic parameters in children with achondroplasia have not been described. Because they observed a unique sagittal spinopelvic phenotype in some achondroplastic children with very horizontal sacrums, the authors sought to quantify the spinopel ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dorsal column mapping for intramedullary spinal cord tumor resection decreases dorsal column dysfunction.

Journal Article J Spinal Disord Tech · June 2012 STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study and technical report. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate, through our institutional series of intramedullary spinal tumor resection, the potential avoidance of dorsal column dysfunction after using dorsal column mapping. SUM ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implications of spinopelvic alignment for the spine surgeon.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · January 1, 2012 The relation of the pelvis to the spine has previously been overlooked as a contributor to sagittal balance. However, it is now recognized that spinopelvic alignment is important to maintain an energy-efficient posture in normal and disease states. The pel ... Cite

Tumors of the Cervical Spine

Journal Article · December 1, 2011 Full text Cite

Reversal of lifelong mutism after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for myelopathy.

Journal Article BMJ case reports · December 1, 2011 A 34-year-old man with a history of spina bifida occulta, fetal alcohol syndrome and mutism presented with an acute on chronic decline of unsteady gait and right arm and leg weakness over the period of a few months. The patient was non-verbal and communica ... Cite

Reversal of lifelong mutism after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for myelopathy.

Journal Article BMJ Case Rep · November 21, 2011 A 34-year-old man with a history of spina bifida occulta, fetal alcohol syndrome and mutism presented with an acute on chronic decline of unsteady gait and right arm and leg weakness over the period of a few months. The patient was non-verbal and communica ... Full text Link to item Cite

Safety and efficacy of concurrent pediatric spinal cord untethering and deformity correction.

Journal Article J Spinal Disord Tech · August 2011 Featured Publication STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective clinical records analysis of concurrent pediatric spinal cord deformity correction and tethered cord release compared with a 2-staged approach. OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and efficacy of a single-staged approach for pedi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Postoperative surgical site infections in patients undergoing spinal tumor surgery: incidence and risk factors.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · August 1, 2011 Featured Publication STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective, case control study on patients undergoing surgery for spinal tumors. OBJECTIVE.: Our aim was to determine the incidence and to identify risk factors for surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients undergoing surg ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sacral tumor resection and the impact on pelvic incidence.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · January 2011 Featured Publication OBJECT: pelvic incidence (PI) directly regulates lumbar lordosis and is a key determinant of sagittal spinal balance in normal and diseased states. Pelvic incidence is defined as the angle between the line perpendicular to the S-1 endplate at its midpoint ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tumors of the Cervical Spine

Chapter · December 7, 2010 Full text Cite

Spondylolysis of C-2 in 2 athletically active individuals.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · July 2010 Cervical spondylolysis is an uncommon disorder involving a cleft at the pars interarticularis. It is most often found at the C-6 level, and clinical presentations have included incidental radiographic findings, neck pain, and rarely neurological compromise ... Full text Link to item Cite

Severe dysphagia secondary to posterior C1-C3 instrumentation in a patient with atlantoaxial traumatic injury: a case report and review of the literature.

Journal Article Dysphagia · June 2010 There are only a few reports of dysphagia cases in patients who underwent surgery for posterior cervical fusion, but none provides an explanation for the occurrence of dysphagia. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case report showing evidence o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and tumorigenesis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · January 2010 Featured Publication Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant disease characterized by complex and multicellular neurofibroma tumors, and less frequently by malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) and optic nerve gliomas. Significant advances hav ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pediatric tethered cord syndrome: response of scoliosis to untethering procedures. Clinical article.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Pediatr · September 2009 Featured Publication OBJECT: Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) is frequently associated with scoliosis in the pediatric population. Following spinal cord untethering, many patients continue to experience progression of spinal deformity. However, the incidence rate, time course, and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Traumatic burst fracture in a patient with a lumbar artificial disc.

Journal Article J Neurosurg Spine · September 2009 Lumbar disc arthroplasty is now a common treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease. Whereas the immediate and delayed complications in patients with artificial lumbar discs are well reported, the durability of artificial disc hardware after severe spi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Spinopelvic parameters in postfusion flatback deformity patients.

Journal Article Spine J · August 2009 Featured Publication BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Fixed sagittal imbalance (FSI) may result from loss of adequate lumbar lordosis (LL) after spinal fusion. Pelvic incidence (PI) is a fixed anatomical parameter that determines LL and overall spinal sagittal alignment. PURPOSE: We descri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mesenchymal stem cell and gene therapies for spinal fusion.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · September 2008 Featured Publication THE IDEAL GRAFT material to promote spinal fusion should possess osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and osteogenic properties. Although autogenous bone graft has all three qualities and is the standard for comparison, research has focused on finding alternat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ruptured intracranial dermoid cysts: clinical, radiographic, and surgical features.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · February 2008 OBJECTIVE: Intracranial dermoid cysts are pathologically characterized by a thick, stratified squamous epithelium cyst wall containing dermal elements. Rupture into the subarachnoid spaces and ventricles is extremely rare. We review the clinical, radiograp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adjunct and minimally invasive techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of vertebral tumors.

Journal Article Neurosurg Clin N Am · January 2008 Featured Publication As more minimally invasive modalities for the diagnosis and treatment of primary spinal column tumors are developed, patients increasingly have the option of procedures that reduce the risk for morbidity and mortality and shorten recovery times. This revie ... Full text Link to item Cite

Total intravenous anesthesia: advantages for intracranial surgery.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · November 2007 OBJECTIVE: Although volatile anesthetics have been widely accepted in anesthetic management for neurosurgery, they reduce vascular resistance, resulting in increased cerebral blood flow and increased intracranial pressure (ICP). In patients with elevated I ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trigeminal amyloidoma: case report and review of the literature.

Journal Article Skull Base · September 2007 The authors present a case of amyloid infiltration involving the trigeminal nerve that mimicked a malignant cavernous sinus tumor with perineural tumor infiltration. A 64-year-old man presented with trigeminal nerve numbness. Imaging revealed a plaque-like ... Full text Link to item Cite

Epidural venous engorgement resulting in progressive cervical myelopathy from shunt-related intracranial hypotension: Case report and review of the literature

Journal Article Journal of Neurosurgery · December 1, 2006 The authors report an unusual case of engorged epidural veins causing progressive cervical myelopathy after long-term cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt therapy and intracranial hypotension. An 18-year-old woman, who had previously undergone shunt placement w ... Cite

The combined transmastoid retro- and infralabyrinthine transjugular transcondylar transtubercular high cervical approach for resection of glomus jugulare tumors.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · July 2006 Complex tumors OF the glomus jugulare present a surgical challenge because of their difficult location, extreme vascularity, and involvement with multiple cranial nerves. Modern microneurosurgical and cranial base techniques have enabled safe total removal ... Full text Link to item Cite

Primary spinal yolk sac tumor with brain metastasis: case report and review of the literature.

Journal Article J Neurooncol · July 2006 OBJECT: Central nervous system primary germ cell tumors are typically pineal or suprasellar. Primary germ cell tumors of the spinal axis are very rare, with only a few case reports of germinomas and teratomas described in the literature. METHODS: We presen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Failure of cerebrospinal fluid shunts: part II: overdrainage, loculation, and abdominal complications.

Journal Article Pediatr Neurol · March 2006 Complications from cerebrospinal fluid shunts are common and can present with a variety of signs and symptoms. In this second part of a two-part review, shunt overdrainage, loculation of the ventricular system in patients with shunts, and abdominal complic ... Full text Link to item Cite

N-myc can substitute for insulin-like growth factor signaling in a mouse model of sonic hedgehog-induced medulloblastoma.

Journal Article Cancer Res · March 1, 2006 Featured Publication Medulloblastoma is a malignant brain tumor that arises in the cerebellum in children, presumably from granule neuron precursors (GNP). Advances in patient treatment have been hindered by a paucity of animal models that accurately reflect the molecular path ... Full text Link to item Cite

Failure of cerebrospinal fluid shunts: part I: Obstruction and mechanical failure.

Journal Article Pediatr Neurol · February 2006 Ventricular shunts are commonly employed to treat children with hydrocephalus. Complications from shunts are common and can present with a variety of signs and symptoms. This pair of reviews discusses the common findings in patients with shunt malfunction, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Molecular, genetic, and cellular pathogenesis of neurofibromas and surgical implications.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · January 2006 Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant disease characterized by complex and multicellular neurofibroma tumors. Significant advances have been made in the research of the cellular, genetic, and molecular biology of NF1. The NF1 gene was id ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rathke cleft cyst intracystic nodule: a characteristic magnetic resonance imaging finding.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · November 2005 OBJECT: The fluid content of Rathke cleft cysts (RCCs) displays variable appearances on magnetic resonance (MR) images and can appear indistinguishable from other intrasellar or suprasellar cystic lesions. Intracystic nodules associated with individual RCC ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diffusion restriction of a spinal arachnoid cyst: Case illustration

Journal Article Journal of Neurosurgery · May 1, 2005 Cite

Thrombosed basilar apex aneurysm presenting as a third ventricular mass and hydrocephalus.

Journal Article Acta Neurochir (Wien) · April 2005 Aneurysms presenting as third ventricular masses are uncommon; most are giant aneurysms arising from the basilar apex. We present a case of a thrombosed basilar apex aneurysm presenting as a third ventricular mass and hydrocephalus in a 55-year-old man. Th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Distal ventriculoperitoneal shunt failure secondary to Clostridium difficile colitis.

Journal Article Acta Neurochir (Wien) · March 2005 Distal ventriculoperitoneal shunt obstruction is typically associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infection, fluid pseudocysts, bowel obstruction, bowel perforation, or improper shunt placement in the abdomen. We describe a unique etiology for distal sh ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neurosurgical workforce trends in the United States.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · February 2005 Featured Publication OBJECT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the US neurosurgery workforce by reviewing journal recruitment advertisements published during the past 10 years. METHODS: The number of available academic and private neurosurgical staff positions was dete ... Full text Link to item Cite

Aneurysms of the petrous internal carotid artery: anatomy, origins, and treatment.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · November 15, 2004 Aneurysms arising in the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) are rare. Although the causes of petrous ICA aneurysms remain unclear, traumatic, infectious, and congenital origins have been implicated in their development. These lesions can ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cavernous hemangioma of the skull presenting with subdural hematoma. Case report.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · October 15, 2004 Cavernous hemangioma of the calvaria is a very rare disease, and patients usually present with headaches or a visible skull deformity. Few reports of patients presenting with intradiploic or epidural hemorrhages are found in the literature. No case of an i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Minimally invasive treatments for metastatic tumors of the spine.

Journal Article Neurosurg Clin N Am · October 2004 Featured Publication Minimally invasive approaches are finding their way into all aspects of metastatic spinal disease from diagnosis to treatment of patients who are diagnosed early in their course as well as patients with multifocal metastases. For patients who are found to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Embolization of metastatic spinal tumors.

Journal Article Neurosurg Clin N Am · October 2004 Embolization is a safe and valuable primary and adjunctive treatment option for metastatic spinal tumors. Close consultation between the neurosurgeon, the oncologist, the radiation oncologist, and the interventionalist should lead to more applications of e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of radiosurgery and conventional surgery for the treatment of glomus jugulare tumors.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · August 15, 2004 OBJECT: The optimal management of glomus jugulare tumors remains controversial. Available treatments were once associated with poor outcomes and significant complication rates. Advances in skull base surgery and the delivery of radiation therapy by stereot ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hyponatremia in the neurosurgical patient: diagnosis and management.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · April 15, 2004 Hyponatremia is frequently encountered in patients who have undergone neurosurgery for intracranial processes. Making an accurate diagnosis between the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) and cerebral salt wasting (CSW) in p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Oligodendroglioma and juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma presenting as synchronous primary brain tumors. Case report with histological and molecular differentiation of the tumors and review of the literature.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · April 2004 Multiple metastatic brain tumors and multifocal primary brain tumors of a single histological type are well described in the literature. The concurrent presence of multiple primary brain tumors with different histological characteristics, however, is very ... Full text Link to item Cite

Porous polyethylene implant for cranioplasty and skull base reconstruction.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · March 15, 2004 OBJECT: Cranial reconstruction after skull base surgery is important for restoration of function and cosmesis. The authors describe their experience with the Medpor porous polyethylene implant for cosmetic cranioplasty and reconstruction after skull base s ... Full text Link to item Cite

Efficacy of multiple intraarterial papaverine infusions for improvement in cerebral circulation time in patients with recurrent cerebral vasospasm.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · March 2004 OBJECT: Cerebral vasospasm that is caused by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and that is refractory to maximal medical management can be treated with selective intraarterial papaverine infusions. The effects of single papaverine treatments on cerebral c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Central neurocytoma: a review.

Journal Article J Neurooncol · February 2004 Central neurocytomas are rare intraventricular neoplasms of the central nervous system, compromising 0.25-0.5% of brain tumors. The diagnosis and management of these tumors remains controversial since most clinical series are small. Typically, patients wit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Suprasellar displacement of intracavernous internal carotid artery: case report.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · December 2003 OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We present a previously undescribed variant of the cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) and review the literature concerning other variants of the cavernous ICA. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient, a 53-year-old woman with fibr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Embolization of sacral tumors.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · August 15, 2003 The management of sacral tumors is challenging because of difficulties in accessing the lesion, the high rate of local recurrence, extensive vascularity causing significant intraoperative blood loss, resistance to radiation therapy, and risk of malignant t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Spontaneous hemorrhage associated with a pilomyxoid astrocytoma. Case report.

Journal Article J Neurosurg · August 2003 Pilomyxoid astrocytomas have been identified as a more aggressive variant of pilocytic astrocytomas that occur in infants and in young children. These tumors are characterized by a perivascular arrangement of pilocytic cells that has a monomorphous archite ... Full text Link to item Cite

Surgical management of posterior petrous meningiomas.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · June 15, 2003 Posterior petrous meningiomas (commonly termed posterior pyramid meningiomas and/or meningiomas of the posterior surface of the petrous pyramid) are the most common meningiomas of the posterior cranial fossa. They are located along the posterior surface of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Spinal meningiomas: surgical management and outcome.

Journal Article Neurosurg Focus · June 15, 2003 Featured Publication Advances in imaging and surgical technique have improved the treatment of spinal meningiomas; these include magnetic resonance imaging, intraoperative ultrasonography, neuromonitoring, the operative microscope, and ultrasonic cavitation aspirators. This st ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biportal thoracoscopic sympathectomy: surgical techniques and clinical results for the treatment of hyperhidrosis.

Journal Article Neurosurgery · February 2002 OBJECTIVE: To describe a bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy procedure, using a biportal approach, for the treatment of severe hyperhidrosis. METHODS: Between May 1996 and September 2000, 103 consecutive patients underwent thoracoscopic sympathectomy pro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Flow cytometric detection of p53 protein expression in archival (frozen) pediatric neural tumors

Journal Article Journal of Investigative Medicine · January 1, 1999 Purpose: This study defines how frozen, non-fixed pediatric neural tumors can be utilized to rapidly quantify p53 status (mere presence is indicative of abnormal nonfunctioning p53) using immunochemically labeled detection and flow cytometry (FCM). Patient ... Cite