Murphy, Meghan E.

We report a unique case and presentation of a 77-year-old man with atrial fibrillation who presented with complex imaging features, including bifrontal cerebral hematomas that progressed to multifocal macro- and microhemorrhages, vasogenic edema, and cortical/meningeal enhancement. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis was only remarkable for a protein elevation of 65 mg/dL. Leptomeningeal vessel biopsy failed to demonstrate evidence of amyloid angiopathy but did show concentric obstructive intimal fibroplasia, suggestive of chronic venous congestion. Conventional cerebral angiography showed a Cognard type IV dural arteriovenous fistulae fed by bilateral ethmoidal arteries draining directly into ectatic cortical veins. A chronic occlusion of the anterior third of the superior sagittal sinus was also noted. The fistula was successfully surgically obliterated via an uncomplicated left frontal craniotomy approach. After rehabilitation therapy, he was discharged home with a modified Rankin Scale score of 3. Because effective treatment exists, this case underscores the importance of identifying this rare etiology of intracerebral hemorrhage and pursuing adequate workup.

IN BRIEF Diabetes has been associated with the incidence of back pain. However, the relationship between markers of diabetes progression and back pain has not been studied. The objective of this study was to correlate clinical and laboratory measures of diabetes disease severity to the presence of back pain to provide insight into the relationship between these conditions. Findings showed that markers of diabetes disease progression were associated with the presence of back pain, suggesting that uncontrolled diabetes may contribute to the development of chronic back pain.

OBJECTIVETemporal lobectomy is a well-established treatment modality for the management of medically refractory epilepsy in appropriately selected patients. The aim of this study was to assess 30-day morbidity and mortality after temporal lobectomy in cases registered in a national database.METHODSA retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using a multiinstitutional surgical registry compiled between 2006 and 2014. The authors identified patients who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy and/or amygdalohippocampectomy for a primary diagnosis of intractable epilepsy. Univariate and multivariable analyses with regard to patient demographics, comorbidities, operative characteristics, and 30-day outcomes were applied.RESULTSA total of 216 patients were included in the study. The median age was 38 years and 46% of patients were male. The median length of stay was 3 days and the 30-day mortality rate was 1.4%. Fourteen patients (6.5%) developed at least one major complication. Return to the operating room was observed in 7 patients (3.2%). Readmission within 30 days and discharge to a location other than home were available for 2011–2014 (n = 155) and occurred in 11% and 10.3% of patients, respectively. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that increasing age was an independent predictor of discharge disposition other than home and that male sex was a significant risk factor for the development of a major complication. Interestingly, the presence of the attending neurosurgeon and a resident during the procedure was significantly associated with decreased odds of prolonged length of stay (i.e., > 75th percentile [5 days]) and discharge to a location other than home.CONCLUSIONSUsing a multiinstitutional surgical registry, 30-day outcome data after temporal lobectomy for medically intractable epilepsy demonstrates a mortality rate of 1.4%, a major complication rate of 6.5%, and a readmission rate of 11%. Temporal lobectomy is an extremely effective therapy for seizures originating there—however, surgical intervention must be weighed against its morbidity and mortality outcomes.

Abstract BACKGROUND Patients recovering from decompressive laminectomy without fusion may require assistance with activities of daily living and physical/occupational therapy upon hospital discharge. OBJECTIVE To examine comorbidities and perioperative characteristics of patients undergoing lumbar decompression for associations with discharge status using a multicenter database. METHODS A multicenter database was used for this retrospective cohort analysis. Patients admitted from home with degenerative spine disease for lumbar decompression without fusion were included. Thirty-day outcomes and operative characteristics were compared as a function of patient discharge using chi-square and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with discharge to a nonhome facility. RESULTS Of the 8627 patients included for analysis, 9.7% were discharged to a nonhome facility. On multivariable analysis, age (85+ vs <65, odds ratio [OR] 13.59), number of levels of decompression (3+ vs 1, OR 1.75), African American race vs Non-Hispanic or Hispanic White (OR 1.87), female vs male gender (OR 1.97), body mass index (BMI) (40+ vs 18.5-24.9, OR 1.74), American Society of Anesthesiologists physical classification status (4 vs 1 or 2, OR 2.35), hypertension (OR 1.29), dependent functional status (OR 3.92), diabetes (OR 1.47), smoking (OR 1.40), hematocrit (<35 vs 35+, OR 1.76), international normalized ratio (≥1.3 vs <1.3, OR 2.32), and operative time (3+ h vs <1 h, OR 5.34) were significantly associated with an increased odds of discharge to nonhome facilities. CONCLUSION Preoperative status and operative course variables can influence discharge disposition in lumbar decompression patients. Identifying specific factors that contribute to a greater likelihood of dismissal to skilled facility or rehabilitation unit can further inform both surgeons and patients during preoperative counseling and disposition planning.

OBJECTIVEThe mechanism by which greater institutional case volume translates into improved outcomes after surgical clipping of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) is not well established. The authors thus aimed to assess the effect of case volume on the rate of various types of complications after clipping of UIAs.METHODSUsing information on the outcomes of inpatient admissions for surgical clipping of UIAs collected within a national database, the relationship of institutional case volume to the incidence of different types of complications after clipping was investigated. Complications were subdivided into different categories, which included all complications, ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, medical complications, infectious complications, complications related to anesthesia, and wound complications. The relationship of case volume to different types of complications was assessed using linear regression analysis. The relationships between case volume and overall complication and stroke rates were fit with both linear and quadratic equations. The numerical cutoff for institutional case volume above and below which the authors found the greatest differences in mean overall complication and stroke rate was determined using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis.RESULTSBetween October 2012 and September 2015, 125 health care institutions reported patient outcomes from a total of 6040 cases of clipping of UIAs. On linear regression analysis, increasing case volume was negatively correlated to both overall complications (r2 = 0.046, p = 0.0234) and stroke (r2 = 0.029, p = 0.0557) rate, although the relationship of case volume to the complication (r2 = 0.092) and stroke (r2 = 0.067) rate was better fit with a quadratic equation. On CART analysis, the cutoff for the case number that yielded the greatest difference in overall complications and stroke rate between higher- or lower-volume centers was 6 cases/year and 3 cases/year, respectively.CONCLUSIONSAlthough the authors confirm that increasing case volume is associated with reduced complications after clipping of UIAs, their results suggest that the relationship between case volume and complications is not necessarily linear. Moreover, these results indicate that the effect of case volume on outcome is most evident between very-low-volume centers relative to centers with a medium-to-high volume.

Split cord malformation (SCM) is a rare abnormality of notochord development. The majority of cases occur in the thoracolumbar region, with more than 30 cases of cervical SCM reported. The clinical impact of SCMs involving the cervical cord is therefore largely unknown. In addition, the concomitant finding of brainstem involvement is presumably incompatible with life in the majority of patients, resulting in a paucity of data regarding this clinical scenario. In this paper the authors present the first case, to their knowledge, of an incomplete cervical SCM involving the brainstem and discuss its clinical impact, diagnosis, and management.

OBJECTIVE With improving medical therapies for chronic conditions, elderly patients increasingly present as candidates for operative intervention for degenerative diseases of the spine. To date, there is a paucity of studies examining complications in lumbar decompression, without fusion, that include patients older than 80 years. Using a multicenter national database, the authors of this study evaluated lumbar decompression in the elderly, including octogenarians, to evaluate for associations between age and patient outcomes. METHODS The 2011–2013 American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set was queried for patients 65 years and older with diagnosis and procedure codes inclusive of degenerative spine disease and lumbar decompression without fusion. Morbidity and mortality within the 30-day postoperative period were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes of interest included unplanned readmission within 30 days or discharge to a nonhome facility. Outcomes and operative characteristics were compared using chi-square tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS A total of 8744 patients were identified; of these patients 4573 (52.30%) were 65 years and older. Elderly patients were stratified into 3 age categories: 85 years or older (n = 314), 75–84 years (n = 1663), and 65–74 years (n = 2596). Univariate analysis showed that, compared with age younger than 65 years, increased age was associated with the number of levels (≥ 3), readmissions within 30 days, nonhome discharge, any complication, length of stay, and blood transfusion (all p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis and with younger than 65 years as the reference, increased age was associated with any minor complication (p < 0.001; ≥ 85 years: OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.69–7.13; 75–84 years: OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.45–3.78; and 65–74 years: OR 1.44, 95% CI 0.94–2.20), as well as discharge location other than home (p < 0.001; ≥ 85 years: OR 13.59, 95% CI 9.47–19.49; 75–84 years: OR 5.64, 95% CI 4.33–7.34; and 65–74 years: OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.05–3.32). CONCLUSIONS The authors' high-powered, multicenter analysis of lumbar decompression without fusion in the elderly, specifically including patients older than 80 years, demonstrates that increased age is associated with more extensive operations, resulting in longer hospital stays, increased rates of nonhome discharge, and minor complications.

OBJECTIVEHypoplasia of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery is frequently observed in patients with anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysms. The effect of this anatomical variant on ACoA aneurysm morphology is not well understood.METHODSDigital subtraction angiography images were reviewed for 204 patients presenting to the authors' institution with either a ruptured or an unruptured ACoA aneurysm. The ratio of the width of the larger A1 segment to the smaller A1 segment was calculated. Patients with an A1 ratio greater than 2 were categorized as having A1 segment hypoplasia. The relationship of A1 segment hypoplasia to both patient and aneurysm characteristics was then assessed.RESULTSOf 204 patients that presented with an ACoA aneurysm, 34 (16.7%) were found to have a hypoplastic A1. Patients with A1 segment hypoplasia were less likely to have a history of smoking (44.1% vs 62.9%, p = 0.0410). ACoA aneurysms occurring in the setting of a hypoplastic A1 were also found to have a larger maximum diameter (mean 7.7 vs 6.0 mm, p = 0.0084). When considered as a continuous variable, increasing A1 ratio was associated with decreasing aneurysm dome-to-neck ratio (p = 0.0289). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of A1 segment hypoplasia between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms (18.9% vs 10.7%; p = 0.1605).CONCLUSIONSOur results suggest that a hypoplastic A1 may affect the morphology of ACoA aneurysms. In addition, the relative lack of traditional risk factors for aneurysm formation in patients with A1 segment hypoplasia argues for the importance of hemodynamic factors in the formation of ACoA aneurysms in this anatomical setting.