Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics最新文献

Objective: Corpus callosotomy (CC) is one of the palliative epilepsy surgical procedures available for nonlesional generalized epilepsy, but it is more invasive than other palliative surgical procedures. The main challenge is proper selection of suitable patients for CC. Coherence analysis is a method for evaluating brain connectivity, but the correlation between preoperative coherence and surgical outcomes has not previously been clarified. The authors aimed to evaluate correlations between preoperative interhemispheric coherence and surgical outcome in patients with nonlesional generalized epilepsy.

Methods: This retrospective study investigated patients with nonlesional generalized epilepsy who underwent total CC. The authors collected data for patients with good seizure outcome (Oguni classification A or B) and bad seizure outcome (Oguni classification D). For coherence analysis, the authors selected a period without interictal discharges. Preoperative interhemispheric coherence values from 8 pairs of symmetrically opposite scalp electrodes were computed across 5 frequency bands. Then, the authors evaluated correlations between coherence and surgical outcomes.

Results: Forty patients were included (19 males and 21 females). The mean (range) age at the time of surgery was 5.1 (1-18) years. Seizure outcomes were good in 15 patients and bad in the other 25 patients. Age at onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy before surgery, age at time of surgery, and presence of epileptic spasm did not differ significantly between patients with good and bad seizure outcomes (p = 0.36, p = 0.14, p = 0.10, and p = 0.20, respectively). Significant correlations were identified between higher Fp1-Fp2 interhemispheric coherence values in the delta, theta, and alpha frequency bands and bad surgical outcomes (p = 0.0397, p = 0.0322, and p = 0.0476, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic curves of the Fp1-Fp2 coherence values in these frequency bands showed areas under the curve of 67%, 69%, and 67%, respectively. The optimal cutoff values for Fp1-Fp2 interhemispheric coherence to predict surgical outcomes were 55.6 for delta (66.7% sensitivity and 72.0% specificity), 55.9 for theta (60.0% sensitivity and 76.0% specificity), and 50.3 for alpha (53.3% sensitivity and 84.0% specificity).

Conclusions: This is the first study to identify potential predictive factors for surgical outcomes based on preoperative interhemispheric coherence in nonlesional generalized epilepsy. Higher coherence between Fp1-Fp2 in the delta, theta, and alpha frequencies correlated with bad seizure outcome after CC.

Objective: Hindbrain herniation (HH) is a clinical prerequisite for prenatal repair of myelomeningocele/myeloschisis; however, a subset of patients lack HH on initial fetal imaging and may ultimately progress to exhibit herniation on subsequent prenatal or postnatal imaging. The authors sought to explore the cohort of patients without HH at the time of initial fetal consultation for myelomeningocele/myeloschisis repair to define their clinical characteristics and outcome.

Methods: From July 2016 to July 2022, patients evaluated at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment for myelomeningocele/myeloschisis were classified into two cohorts: those with and those without HH. The diagnosis of HH was obtained from prenatal and postnatal MRI. The osseous lesion level, prenatal sac volume, and prenatal ventricular size was obtained from fetal ultrasound. The fronto-occipital horn ratio was measured on the first postnatal ultrasound. Ambulation status was obtained from postnatal evaluation in the spina bifida clinic.

Results: A total of 176 patients with prenatal HH had postnatal follow-up, of whom 95 (54%) had HH resolution and 81 (46%) had herniation persistence. Of 73 patients without prenatal HH, 9 (12%) had herniation on subsequent prenatal imaging while 64 (88%) had no herniation on prenatal imaging. Of these 64 patients, 11 (17%) had postnatal HH, 32 (50%) had no postnatal herniation, and 21 (33%) were lost to follow-up or the pregnancy was terminated. For patients without HH throughout, the sac volume was larger (9 cm3) than those who had herniation progression or initial herniation; however, the rate of talipes was not significantly different among the groups. The majority of patients were also ambulators (with assistive devices or independent), and the atrial diameter was also < 10 mm for most patients. Overall, 53% of those with initial HH compared with 35% with progression of herniation required CSF diversion, while only 25% of those without herniation required diversion.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the natural history of HH in patients with a prenatal diagnosis of myelomeningocele/myeloschisis. The majority of patients without any herniation had larger sac sizes but not higher rates of talipes and smaller ventricles and were ambulatory. These findings improve the ability to guide families during prenatal consultation.

Objective: Pediatric neurosurgical practice is prevalent in most low- and lower-middle-income countries but lacks comprehensive documentation of practice patterns, demographics, and case variety. This study aimed to present the current state of pediatric neurosurgery in Ethiopia, including workforce characterization, case variety, and relevant procedures.

Methods: A survey was developed and distributed to all Ethiopian fully trained neurosurgeons (n = 50). Survey questions assessed sociodemographic variables, level of training, case variety, and neurosurgical practice. Statistical analysis was conducted to describe the current practice of pediatric neurosurgery.

Results: A total of 45 neurosurgeons responded (90%). Three respondents (7%) were women. There was only 1 fellowship-trained pediatric neurosurgeon, while most neurosurgeons were general neurosurgeons who served a pediatric patient population. Most neurosurgeons (56%) worked in the capital city, Addis Ababa, while another 13% worked in other urban settings. The top three indications for a pediatric neurosurgical procedure were neural tube defects (NTDs) (96%), hydrocephalus (93%), and trauma (60%). NTD-associated hydrocephalus was the most common hydrocephalus type seen (71%). The most common procedure for hydrocephalus was shunt insertion (96%). A prenatal diagnosis of NTD was made in < 10% of cases, as reported by 84% of respondents.

Conclusions: The study highlights Ethiopia's need for more pediatric neurosurgeons. Suggested strategies to facilitate subspecialty training include the establishment of a fellowship program facilitated by the implementation of a nationwide pediatric neurosurgery registry. Promoting efforts for early diagnosis and treatment of pediatric conditions coupled with NTD prevention initiatives could improve pediatric neurosurgical care in Ethiopia.

Objective: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are the most common cause of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in children, often leading to devastating complications. The current literature from the adult AVM population suggests that both younger age and associated aneurysms carry an increased risk of hemorrhagic presentation. However, detailed analysis of pediatric AVM-associated aneurysms and their link to ICH is relatively unknown, with the literature largely consisting of case reports. This study aimed to determine whether AVM-associated aneurysms predispose pediatric patients to ICH.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 238 pediatric patients with AVMs who presented to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2023 was performed. Hospital records, patient charts, and radiographic imaging studies were reviewed for patient demographic characteristics, presentation status, and AVM architecture.

Results: Of the 238 total patients, 44 (18.5%) children with AVM had associated aneurysms. There were 19 (38.8%) feeding artery aneurysms, 8 (16.3%) intranidal aneurysms, 21 (42.9%) postnidal aneurysms, and 1 (2.0%) unrelated aneurysm of 49 aneurysms. Five patients had venous varices. One hundred forty (58.8%) children presented with hemorrhage. Twenty-one of 44 (47.7%) patients with an AVM-associated aneurysm presented with hemorrhage, whereas 119 of 194 (61.3%) with a solitary AVM presented with hemorrhage (p = 0.10). On multivariate analysis, postnidal aneurysm (OR 0.36, p = 0.037) and an increased number of draining veins (OR 0.66, p = 0.049) were significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of hemorrhagic presentation. Deep venous drainage was associated with an increase in hemorrhagic presentation (OR 2.25, p = 0.0045) on multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: Approximately one-fifth of children with AVMs in this study had accompanying aneurysms, and in this patient population, those with postnidal aneurysms and increased number of draining veins had a decreased incidence of hemorrhage on presentation. Feeding artery and intranidal aneurysms were not associated with an elevated risk of hemorrhagic presentation.

Objective: Little is known about the emotional health of parents caring for children with shunted hydrocephalus. The aim of this pilot study was to find out whether parents caring for shunt-treated hydrocephalic children experience serious psychological problems and psychosocial distress and whether these problems are related to the sociodemographic background of the caregivers, the clinical characteristics of their children, and parents' illness-related concerns and perceived burden of their children's illness.

Methods: This pilot study was performed in an outpatient setting at two German hospitals. The following questionnaires were handed out to parents of children with shunted hydrocephalus (< 21 years of age): the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) for anxiety, the Distress Thermometer (DT) for psychosocial distress, the Hydrocephalus Concerns Questionnaire (HCQ) for assessment of parents' illness-related concerns, and the Hydrocephalus Outcome Questionnaire (HOQ) for assessment of perceived children's disease burden. Clinical data of the respective children were collected from electronic charts. Parents' demographic data were evaluated via questionnaires. Parents' psychological variables were correlated with demographic and clinical data and HCQ and HOQ scores. Regression analyses of HCQ and HOQ scores with psychological items were performed.

Results: Sixty-three parents were included in this study. Of these, 60% reported clinically relevant levels of either depression (11%), anxiety (10%), and/or psychosocial distress (57%). There were no associations between parental sociodemographic or children's clinical characteristics with parents' psychosocial well-being or psychosocial distress. Depression, anxiety, and DT scores were highly intercorrelated and significantly correlated with HCQ scores (r = 0.508, r = 0.516, r = 0.442; p < 0.01). Thereby, worries about shunt-related complications were the most reported concern in the HCQ. Depression and anxiety correlated with the scores of some HOQ subcategories. In preliminary regression analyses, higher illness-related concerns predicted occurrence of parents' anxiety.

Conclusions: The authors' results support the notion that there is a need for psychosocial support for a proportion of parents who care for shunted hydrocephalic children. Perceived child symptom burden and parental illness concerns were identified as relevant correlates of parental psychological well-being. Thus, concerns specific to shunt-related problems could be a first starting point for the development of individual support measures.

Objective: Considering Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and brain CT scans in a group of children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI), the scope of this study was to identify the criteria established for the indication of emergency neurosurgical treatment in a level 1 trauma center.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with consecutive review of medical records of children and adolescents < 17 years with TBI who were hospitalized and underwent neurosurgical treatment between January 2016 and December 2023. Two groups were formed for analysis: patients with GCS scores ≤ 8 versus patients with GCS scores > 8. Based on the GCS score and brain CT scan of each patient, the authors investigated the criteria established for the surgical indications in this group.

Results: In the period considered for the study, 376 children and adolescents with TBI were hospitalized and 31% required neurosurgical treatment. The median age was 5 years (interquartile range 1-11 years) and there was a predominance of males (68%). Home accidents predominated in 77% of children < 5 years of age, whereas road accidents predominated among those older than 5 (47%). Diffuse brain lesions on CT scans predominated in patients with GCS scores ≤ 8 when compared to the group with GCS scores > 8 (89% vs 19%; p < 0.0001). Regarding neurosurgical access, decompressive craniectomies (70%) and invasive intracranial pressure monitoring (44%) prevailed among patients with GCS scores ≤ 8, whereas craniotomies for drainage of intracranial hematomas (70%) and surgical correction of depressed skull fracture (21%) prevailed among those with GCS scores > 8.

Conclusions: Based on the GCS scores and CT scans, the authors were able to define the criteria used for neurosurgical indications in a Brazilian level 1 trauma center. They found a high prevalence of decompressive craniectomy in patients with severe TBI in their department due to the irregular supply of disposable catheters necessary for intracranial pressure monitoring.

Objective: Because there is not a link between COVID-19 and pediatric hydrocephalus, the COVID-19 pandemic should not have altered the incidence of pediatric hydrocephalus or the rate of CSF diversion procedures or shunt failure. Therefore, hydrocephalus-related surgical volume should have remained constant. The goal of this study was to evaluate the rates of hydrocephalus surgeries in the COVID-19 era compared with the baseline pre-COVID-19 era.

Methods: Ten institutions collected information about all hydrocephalus-related surgeries performed between March 2018 and February 2022. The period after March 1, 2020, was considered the COVID-19 era; the period prior to this date was considered the baseline pre-COVID era. Four COVID surge periods were defined using the New York Times COVID-19 database. Total case volumes were compared between the COVID era and baseline, both overall and for each surge period. Sex, race, ethnicity, insurance status, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and rural-urban commuter area were collected for each surgery. Proportions of patients were then compared overall and for each surge based on these variables.

Results: Of 8056 procedures, 54% were in male patients (n = 4375), 65% in White patients (n = 5247), 18% in Hispanic patients (n = 1423), and 54% in patients with public insurance (n = 4371). There was no change in the number of surgeries per site per month in the COVID era compared with baseline (16.7 vs 17.9, p = 0.113). However, there was a significant decrease in the first surge period (April 2020; 11.5 vs 17.7, p = 0.034). Male sex (p < 0.0039) and Black race (p < 0.001) were found to be associated with a significantly higher proportion of hydrocephalus procedures during the COVID-19 era. Some surge periods showed different proportions of privately insured patient and ADI levels. However, these relationships were inconsistent between surges.

Conclusions: Overall average monthly case numbers were not significantly different between the pre-COVID and COVID eras. There was a significant decrease in hydrocephalus surgery during the first COVID surge. More hydrocephalus surgeries were performed in children of male sex and Black race proportionally during the COVID period overall, but not during individual surges.