Article
Clinical Neurology
Martin N. Stienen, Nicolai Maldaner, Marketa Sosnova, Anna M. Zeitlberger, Michal Ziga, Astrid Weyerbrock, Oliver Bozinov, Oliver P. Gautschi
Summary: This study aimed to demonstrate the external content validity of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease. The results showed a significant correlation between TUG test results and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), supporting TUG test as a quick, easy-to-use objective measure for pain and functional impairment assessment.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Victor E. Staartjes, Holger Joswig, Marco V. Corniola, Karl Schaller, Oliver P. Gautschi, Martin N. Stienen
Summary: The study found that medical comorbidities have a certain impact on the objective functional impairment of patients before surgery, but the association is weak and inconsistent. TUG testing may be valid even in patients with relatively severe comorbidities who are able to complete the test.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Victor E. Staartjes, Anita M. Klukowska, Vittorio Stumpo, W. Peter Vandertop, Marc L. Schroder
Summary: This study aims to identify clusters of individuals with objectively functional impairment (OFI) based on the 5R-STS test using unsupervised machine learning (ML). Three types of OFI were identified, and their characteristics and associations were analyzed.
EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Michal Ziga, Marketa Sosnova, Anna M. Zeitlberger, Luca Regli, Oliver Bozinov, Astrid Weyerbrock, John K. Ratliff, Martin N. Stienen, Nicolai Maldaner
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the application of a smartphone-based 6-minute walking test in patients with degenerative lumbar disorders after surgery. The study found that this test could objectively assess patients' functional impairment and detect changes in their recovery after surgery. Additionally, a ceiling effect was observed in some patients, indicating that their patient-reported outcome measures could not further improve.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Nicolai Maldaner, Marketa Sosnova, Michal Ziga, Anna M. Zeitlberger, Oliver Bozinov, Oliver P. Gautschi, Astrid Weyerbrock, Luca Regli, Martin N. Stienen
Summary: This study aimed to validate the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) of the Timed-up-and-go (TUG) test and confirmed that a change of 2.1 seconds in TUG test time or 1.5 in TUG z score indicates a meaningful change in functional status for patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD).
Review
Orthopedics
Jose A. Canseco, Arun P. Kanhere, Gregory D. Schroeder, Alexander R. Vaccaro, Christopher K. Kepler
Summary: This article provides a broad overview, mechanism of action, and evidence behind various intradiscal therapies for discogenic low back pain. While some non-surgical treatments are still in the clinical trial stage, there is limited evidence for many of these techniques.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Nicolai Maldaner, Marketa Sosnova, Anna M. Zeitlberger, Michal Ziga, Oliver P. Gautschi, Luca Regli, Oliver Bozinov, Astrid Weyerbrock, Martin N. Stlenen
Summary: This study correlated smartphone-app-based 6WT and TUG results and found that 6WT demonstrated better internal and external responsiveness compared with the TUG test.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY-SPINE
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Dami Ko, Mary S. Dietrich, Katherine A. Gifford, Sheila H. Ridner
Summary: This study found that there is a fair correlation between the subjective cognition assessments of liver transplant recipients and their caregivers and the objective cognitive assessments. Caregivers may provide more accurate estimation of cognitive functioning in liver transplant recipients compared to the recipients themselves.
LIVER TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Jessica J. Zakrzewski, Rebecca Henderson, Christian Archer, Ofilio R. Vigil, Scott Mackin, Carol A. Mathews
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between self-reported complaints and objective cognitive performance, as well as depression and anxiety symptoms, in individuals with Hoarding Disorder. The results demonstrate a dissociation between perceived and objective functioning in HD.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Marketa Sosnova, Anna Maria Zeitlberger, Michal Ziga, Oliver P. Gautschi, Luca Regli, Astrid Weyerbrock, Oliver Bozinov, Martin N. Stienen, Nicolai Maldaner
Summary: The study found that the majority of patients preferred the smartphone-based outcome measure over conventional paper-based methods, considering it more suitable, convenient, and responsive to their symptoms. Patients also believed that the smartphone app was better at detecting changes in physical performance and differences in symptoms. Most patients indicated a preference for using a smartphone app for future assessment and monitoring of spine-related symptoms.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Jessica E. Manousakis, Nikita Mann, Katherine J. Jeppe, Clare Anderson
Summary: The study found that subjective sleepiness acts as an early warning system for subsequent drowsiness and performance impairment, showing a strong correlation within individuals. While between-subject correlations were more modest, suggesting different individual vulnerabilities to sleep loss.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mattia Siciliano, Lugi Trojano, Rosa De Micco, Valeria Sant'Elia, Alfonso Giordano, Antonio Russo, Luca Passamonti, Gioacchino Tedeschi, Carlo Chiorri, Alessandro Tessitore
Summary: In Parkinson's disease patients, there is a mismatch between objective and subjective measures of cognitive functioning in over 45% of cases, which is related to fatigue and depressive symptoms.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Beatrice Lemesle, Emmanuel J. Barbeau, Emilie Milongo Rigal, Marie Denuelle, Luc Valton, Jeremie Pariente, Jonathan Curot
Summary: The study confirmed objective deficits in very long-term memory in patients with TLE, even when not detected by standard memory assessments. Epireal showed better performance in capturing autobiographical memory and detecting memory deficits in TLE patients.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Yu-Tsung Lin, Jun-Sing Wang, Wei-En Hsu, Yu-Hsien Lin, Yun-Che Wu, Kun-Hui Chen, Chien-Chou Pan, Cheng-Hung Lee
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between quantitative anatomic parameters in MRI and patient-reported outcomes in degenerative lumbar foraminal stenosis. It included 58 patients who underwent surgery for this condition. The findings showed that decreased superior foraminal width was significantly associated with better improvement in disability and quality of life at the one-year follow-up.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Patrick Thornley, Jennifer C. Urquhart, Andrew Glennie, Raja Rampersaud, Charles Fisher, Edward Abraham, Raphaele Charest-Morin, Nicolas Dea, Brian K. Kwon, Neil Manson, Hamilton Hall, Scott Paquette, John Street, Fawaz Siddiqi, Parham Rasoulinejad, Christopher S. Bailey
Summary: Postoperative sagittal spinal alignment has a significant effect on functional outcome after surgery for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Victor E. Staartjes, Holger Joswig, Marco V. Corniola, Karl Schaller, Oliver P. Gautschi, Martin N. Stienen
Summary: The study found that medical comorbidities have a certain impact on the objective functional impairment of patients before surgery, but the association is weak and inconsistent. TUG testing may be valid even in patients with relatively severe comorbidities who are able to complete the test.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Harsh Wadhwa, Kunal Varshneya, Martin N. Stienen, Anand Veeravagu
Summary: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the effect of preoperative epidural steroid injection (ESI) on quality outcomes and costs in patients undergoing surgery for cervical degenerative disease. The results showed that while ESI can offer pain relief, patients who eventually undergo surgery have greater healthcare resource utilization.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Martin N. Stienen, Yoon Ha
Article
Oncology
Nicolas R. Smoll, Zoe Brady, Katrina J. Scurrah, Choonsik Lee, Amy Berrington de Gonzalez, John D. Mathews
Summary: This study found that about 40% of brain tumors in children may be attributable to CT radiation rather than reverse causation. However, due to a relatively low rate of CT scanning in Australia, only 3.7% of all brain cancers are attributable to CT scans. The population-attributable fraction may be greater in countries with higher rates of pediatric scanning.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Johannes Goldberg, Werner J. Z'Graggen, Martin Hlavica, Mattia Branca, Serge Marbacher, Donato D'Alonzo, Javier Fandino, Martin N. Stienen, Marian C. Neidert, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Luca Regli, Martin Seule, Michel Roethlisberger, Raphael Guzman, Daniel Walter Zumofen, Rodolfo Maduri, Roy Thomas Daniel, Amir El Rahal, Marco V. Corniola, Philippe Bijlenga, Karl Schaller, Roland Roelz, Christian Scheiwe, Mukesch Shah, Dieter Henrik Heiland, Oliver Schnell, Juergen Beck, Andreas Raabe, Christian Fung
Summary: This study collected prospective quality of life (QoL) data on survivors of poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and found that despite high initial mortality, a reasonably large proportion of poor-grade aSAH survivors have good QoL.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Michal Ziga, Marketa Sosnova, Anna M. Zeitlberger, Luca Regli, Oliver Bozinov, Astrid Weyerbrock, John K. Ratliff, Martin N. Stienen, Nicolai Maldaner
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the application of a smartphone-based 6-minute walking test in patients with degenerative lumbar disorders after surgery. The study found that this test could objectively assess patients' functional impairment and detect changes in their recovery after surgery. Additionally, a ceiling effect was observed in some patients, indicating that their patient-reported outcome measures could not further improve.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Vaibhavi Shah, Adrian J. Rodrigues, Shreya Malhotra, Thomas Johnstone, Kunal Varshneya, Ghani Haider, Martin N. Stienen, Anand Veeravagu
Summary: We compared differences in postoperative complications, readmission rates, reoperation rates, lengths of hospital stay, and cost of treatment between patients with Medicare versus private insurance who underwent an anterior discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure. The study found that Medicare and privately insured patients had similar treatment outcomes after ACDF surgery.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Adrian John Rodrigues, Kunal Varshneya, Martin Nikolaus Stienen, Ethan Schonfeld, Khoi Duc Than, Anand Veeravagu
Summary: This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the outcomes and costs of ACDF procedures using synthetic biomechanical intervertebral cage (BC) and structural allograft (SA) implants. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbidities, the clinical outcomes were found to be similar between BC and SA ACDF surgeries. However, physician's fees were higher for BC implantation procedures.
ASIAN SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Adrian John Rodrigues, Ethan Schonfeld, Kunal Varshneya, Martin Nikolaus Stienen, Anand Veeravagu
Summary: This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the outcomes of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in patients with and without myelopathy. The results showed that patients with myelopathy had a higher risk of reoperation and hospital readmission compared to those without myelopathy.
ASIAN SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nicolas R. Smoll, Mahmudul Hassan Al Imam, Connie Shulz, Robert Booy, Gulam Khandaker
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of vaccination in protecting against hospitalisation with symptomatic COVID-19. The results showed that vaccination significantly reduced the hospitalisation rate among the population in Central Queensland, with vaccine effectiveness of 69.9% after the primary vaccination course and 81.8% after a booster dose.
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Tarek ElFiky, Bishoy Bessada, Martin N. Stienen, Ahmed Ezzat Siam, Ahmed Hasan
Summary: This study retrospectively evaluated the MRI results of 103 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). The findings showed that 71.4% of patients aged 50 or older had Modic changes (MC), with the C3-C4 segment being the most common. In contrast, 61.5% of younger patients had no MC. Degenerative changes in the facet joints were found in the majority of patients regardless of age, with grade I degeneration being the most common. The study also revealed a significant correlation between MC and facet joint changes.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Anna L. Kalywis, Robin Samuel, Felix Scholtes, Gilles Reuter, Martin N. Stienen, Erich Seifritz, Werner Surbeck
Summary: This study compared the neuroticism levels of physicians and found that although surgeons have lower levels of neuroticism in the early stages of their career, their neuroticism increases with age. This effect is especially significant for neurosurgeons.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Stefan Motov, Felix Stengel, Florian Ringel, Oliver Bozinov, Martin N. Stienen
Summary: This study aimed to understand the decision-making process of preoperative embolization (PE) for spinal metastasis in European spine centers. The results showed that PE is not routinely performed among European spine surgeons and is mostly considered for elective cases with hypervascularized tumors scheduled in a separate anesthesia <24h before tumor resection. Most participants reported reduced intraoperative blood loss, but also noted the risk of procedure-related complications.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Gregor Fischer, Vincens Kalin, Oliver P. Gautschi, Oliver Bozinov, Martin N. Stienen
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Felix C. Stengel, Oliver Bozinov, Martin N. Stienen
Article
Clinical Neurology
Guilu He, Jianhao Lin, Jing Ye, Fobao Huang, Changzhi Yan, Zesi Liu, Xiuming Zhou, Qiao Li, Liang Zhang
Summary: This article introduces long tunneled external ventricular drain (LTEVD), which effectively avoids multiple surgeries by connecting an external shunt valve. It allows visual control of drainage flow, prolongs catheter indwelling time, and eliminates the need for multiple surgeries.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Vinay Suresh, H. S. Suresh, Bharath Raju, Himanshu Jindal, Ahmad Ozair
Summary: This study investigated the outcomes of postoperative discitis treated with debridement and a novel technique focused on reducing outpatient antibiotic requirement in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) setting. The results showed that patients with medically refractory postoperative discitis potentially have good outcomes after debridement plus 2-week local antibiotic instillation in LMICs.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Beatrice C. Bono, Davide Milani, Fabio Ferreli, Simone Olei, Luca Raspagliesi, Maria Pia Tropeano, Giovanni B. Lasio, Federico Pessina
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Avi A. Gajjar, Shrey Patel, Raj Swaroop Lavadi, Rida Mitha, Rohit Prem Kumar, Tavis Taylor, Galal A. Elsayed, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Summary: Art in neurosurgery has played a crucial role in the discipline for centuries. Medical illustrations help visualize anatomy and surgical procedures, contributing to education, surgical planning, and navigation.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Joaquin Perez Zabala, Yamila Basilotta Marquez, Romina Arganaraz, Beatriz Mantese
Summary: We present a low-cost and easily accessible adaptation system for stereotactic procedures in infants. By using a headband cast technique, a stereotactic biopsy was successfully performed in a 5-month-old patient, achieving precise targeting, histopathological diagnosis, and no associated complications.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Muhammad Kusdiansah, Arnau Benet, Yosuke Suzuki, Kenichi Haraguchi, Nakao Ota, Kosumo Noda, Rokuya Tanikawa
Summary: Fusiform vertebral artery aneurysms are difficult to treat, and endovascular and open microsurgical treatments are used for different situations. This report presents a case with complex anatomy and branch involvement and describes the treatment strategy used.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Victor M. Lu
Summary: This review emphasizes four essential domains that should be considered when interpreting pediatric neurosurgical SRMAs and provides examples to ensure accurate and effective interpretation of findings in this niche.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Lapo Bonosi, Angelo Torrente, Filippo Brighina, Cateno Concetto Tito Petralia, Pietro Merlino, Chiara Avallone, Vincenzo Gulino, Roberta Costanzo, Lara Brunasso, Domenico Gerardo Iacopino, Rosario Maugeri
Summary: Corticocortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) have emerged as a valuable intraoperative monitoring technique in eloquent brain tumor surgery, aiding in preserving critical functional areas. Current research shows the potential of CCEPs in guiding surgical decision making, reducing the risk of postoperative neurological deficits, and mapping functional connectivity, but further research and standardization are needed.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Yuchen Duan, Dagang Feng, Min Zhu, Heng Qiu, Tong Li, Zhen Chen, Leiming Jiang, Yong Huang
Summary: This study aimed to compare the effect of different Modic changes (MC) grades on the cage subsidence rate after spinal interbody fusion surgery. A meta-analysis was conducted on relevant randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. The results showed that MC may be associated with a higher cage subsidence rate. With the increase in MC grades, the incidence of subsidence decreased gradually, but it was always higher than that in the non-Modic changes (NMC). Oblique lumbar interbody fusion may be a better treatment choice for lumbar degenerative disease with MC.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Brian F. Saway, Conor M. Cunningham, Mustafa Ismail, Alejandro M. Spiotta
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Joanna M. Roy, Michael M. Covell, Carmelo Venero Jr, Christian A. Bowers
Summary: Early exposure to neurosurgery during medical school is critical for improving recruitment into the specialty. However, about 30% of medical schools in the U.S. lack a neurosurgery program, limiting students' exposure to the field. Virtual education, facilitated by webinars during the pandemic, has advantages such as global outreach and accessibility for international medical students. This review identifies and describes 16 educational resources, serving as a guide for medical students interested in neurosurgery.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2024)