Citations

Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature-reported outcomes of CRYO compared to standard of care without CRYO (non-CRYO) after PEx repair. Summary Background Data: Surgical repair of pectus excavatum (PEx) via the Nuss or Ravitch procedures is associated with substantial postoperative pain. Intercostal nerve cryoablation (CRYO) performed during the primary surgical repair has been adopted as a non-opioid modality for pain management. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and using additional online approaches to identify comparative studies of patients undergoing the Nuss or Ravitch procedure for PEx repair with CRYO versus non-CRYO between years 2014-24. Meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively evaluate primary outcomes of hospital length of stay (LOS) and opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes were hospital costs and complications, summarized qualitatively. Results: Of 178 studies, 32 comparative studies encompassing 13,103 patients were included; 28% (n=3,620) received CRYO. Random effects meta-analyses demonstrated a significantly shortened LOS by 1.8 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.12, -1.42) and a significant reduction in inpatient and outpatient opioid consumption with CRYO by 186 morphine mg equivalents (MME) (95% CI: -262.26, -109.08) and 147 MME (95% CI: -255.72, -38.26), respectively. Complications with CRYO were either decreased or similar between groups and resolved over time. Hospital costs were similar. Conclusions: This systematic review suggests CRYO during PEx repair is associated with a significantly shorter hospital LOS, as well as decreased opioid consumption both in the hospital and after discharge. Complications were infrequent and time-limited.

Objective: To evaluate treatment trends and compare outcomes following fenestrated-branched endovascular aortic repair (FB-EVAR) versus open surgical repair (OSR) of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA). Background: FB-EVAR has been increasingly utilized as a less invasive alternative to OSR for treatment of TAAAs. Methods: We studied patients who underwent elective FB-EVAR or OSR of TAAAs (2008-2020), since the initiation of an Advanced Endovascular Aortic Program. Primary endpoints were early major adverse events (MAE) and early and late all-cause mortality. Propensity score overlap weighting analysis was performed to adjust for measured confounders between groups. Results: There were 357 (70.8%) patients treated by FB-EVAR and 147 (29.2%) with OSR. The use of FB-EVAR increased from 16.7% in 2008 to >80% since 2017 ( P <0.001). Incidences of early MAEs were 25.8% and 49.0%, respectively; early mortality rates for FB-EVAR and OSR were 2.5% and 6.8%, respectively. In the weighted cohort, FB-EVAR patients had decreased early MAEs (weight-adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18-0.41; P <0.001) and mortality (aOR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.73; P =0.005) versus OSR patients. Five-year survival estimates were 52.2% (95% CI, 45.2-60.4%) and 78.0% (95% CI, 70.6-86.2%), respectively. In the weighted cohort, there was no significant difference in late survival between groups (weight-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.74-2.39; P =0.34). Conclusions: This study confirmed the change in practice from OSR to FB-EVAR for treatment of TAAAs over the past decade. Incidences of early MAEs and mortality were lower with FB-EVAR, with no significant difference in late survival in the weighted cohort.

Neuromotor control of the diaphragm muscle (DIAm) after C 2 spinal hemisection (C 2 SH) is impacted differentially between ipsilateral and contralateral sides. We show neural drive to ipsilateral phrenic motor neurons decreases after C 2 SH, leading to a reduction in the number of DIAm motor units (MUs) recruited. Contralateral neural drive increases after C 2 SH, leading to an increase in the number of MU recruited. These results provide novel information about the impact of C 2 SH on DIAm neuromotor control.

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Clonus is a disabling symptom of upper motor neuron dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We report immediate termination of mechanically evoked clonus by epidural lumbosacral spinal cord stimulation (ES) in a 58-year-old man with secondary progressive MS. This observation was captured during training using video and skin surface electromyography of soleus muscle activity. ES immediately reduced mechanically evoked clonus duration and cycle count compared to trials without stimulation, as determined by a Kruskal–Wallis test ( p < 0.05, n = 2–3 trials), and reverted to baseline status when stimulation was off.

Following lung cancer, prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men. High-risk localized tumor burden or metastatic disease often progresses, refractory to initial treatment regimens. There is ongoing development of technology to appropriately identify high-risk patients, stage them correctly, and offer appropriate treatments to obtain the best clinical outcomes. Prostate cancer-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane glutamate carboxypeptidase, which helps regulate folate absorption, and its overexpression is pathologically directly proportional and associated with prostate cancer. Increased PSMA expression is a known independent risk factor for poorer survival, and most metastatic lesions in CRPC are PSMA positive. Over the last decade, several PSMA-based PET radiopharmaceuticals have demonstrated superior sensitivities and specificities compared to traditional imaging methods. These outcomes have been demonstrated by several large clinical trials. As the data emerges, these diagnostics are being integrated into standard of care protocol to facilitate nuanced identification of malignant lesions. PSMA is also being targeted through several therapeutics, including radioligands and immunotherapies such as CAR-T, BiTEs, and ADCs. This review will discuss the landscape of PSMA-based theranostics in the context of prostate cancer.