Citations

Study Design Retrospective matched cohort analysis. Objective The majority of the literature on venous thromboembolism (VTE) after spine surgery is limited to studies of thoracolumbar surgery. Less is known regarding the incidence of VTE and associated risk factors following cervical spine surgery. Methods A total of 5,405 patients at our institution underwent cervical diskectomy, laminectomy, corpectomy, laminoplasty, or fusion between 1995 and 2012; 85 of the 5,405 patients (1.57%) suffered either a DVT (55) or pulmonary embolus (51) within 30 days postoperatively. The cases were matched 1:2 to controls based on age, sex, and date of surgery. Data regarding multiple perioperative factors, demographics, and comorbidities was collected. Results Several risk factors were identified for VTE. Significant medical comorbidities included chronic venous insufficiency (odds ratio [OR] = 3.40), atrial fibrillation (OR = 2.69), obesity (OR = 2.67), and ischemic heart disease (OR = 2.18). Staged surgery (OR = 28.0), paralysis (OR = 19.0), combined approach (OR = 7.46), surgery for infection (OR = 18.5), surgery for trauma (OR = 11.1), comorbid traumatic injuries (OR > 10), oncologic procedures (OR = 5.2), use of iliac crest autograft (OR = 4.16), two or more surgical levels (OR = 3.48), blood loss > 300 mL (OR = 1.66), and length of stay 5 days or greater (OR = 3.47) were all found to be risk factors for VTE ( p < 0.05) in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis found staged surgery (OR = 35.7), paralysis (OR = 7.86), and nonelective surgery (OR = 6.29) to be independent risk factors for VTE. Conclusions Although the incidence of VTE following cervical spine surgery is low, we identified several risk factors that may be predictive. More aggressive approaches to prophylaxis and surveillance in certain patient populations may be warranted.

AbstractIntroductionFew studies have examined the effects of amyloid and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on cognition among middle‐aged individuals.MethodsWe included 464 cognitively normal, test‐naïve, participants with Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography amyloid imaging, mean age of 62.7 (range, 51–71 years), enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. Participants completed multiple cognitive assessments, including a standard neuropsychological battery and the CogState computerized battery, over 30 months of follow‐up. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of amyloid and APOE genotype on baseline cognition and cognitive decline.ResultsElevated amyloid was not associated with tests of episodic memory but did predict declines on tests of executive function. APOE genotype was not associated with cognition. Among APOE ɛ4 noncarriers, higher amyloid was predictive of decline on tests of executive function and on one episodic memory test.DiscussionElevated amyloidosis and APOE genotype do not appear to exert a dramatic influence on cognition in middle age.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Valosin containing protein (VCP) mutations cause a rare disorder characterized by hereditary inclusion body myopathy, Paget disease of bone (PDB), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with variable penetrance. VCP mutations have also been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease type 2. Methods: Review of clinical, serological, electrophysiological, and myopathological findings of 6 VCP‐opathy patients from 4 unrelated families. Results: Patients manifested muscle weakness between ages 40 and 53 years and developed predominant asymmetric limb girdle weakness. One patient had distal weakness at onset and co‐existing peripheral neuropathy. Another patient had PDB, 1 had mild cognitive deficits, and 1 had FTD. All patients had myopathic and neurogenic electromyographic findings with predominant neurogenic changes in 2. Rimmed vacuoles were infrequent, while neurogenic changes were prominent in muscle biopsies. Conclusions: VCP‐opathy is a multifaceted disorder in which myopathy and peripheral neuropathy can coexist. The electrophysiological and pathological neurogenic changes raise the possibility of coexisting motor neuron involvement. Muscle Nerve, 2015 Muscle Nerve 54: 94–99, 2016 Muscle Nerve 54: 94–99, 2016

ObjectiveTo determine long‐term surgical outcomes of salvage autologous fascial sling placement after a failed synthetic midurethral sling.MethodsWomen who had undergone autologous fascial sling placement without concomitant pelvic surgery for a failed synthetic midurethral sling utilizing mesh with a minimum follow up of 36 months were identified. Charts were reviewed, and patients were contacted by telephone. Success was determined by the Patient Global Impression of Improvement. Secondary measures included the Incontinence Severity Index questionnaire, patient recommendation of the autologous fascial sling and need for further incontinence surgery.ResultsA total of 35 patients met the criteria, and 21 were successfully contacted. Of those contacted, the median age at surgery was 67 years (range 53–81 years) and at the time of the survey was 75 years (range 63–84 years) with median follow up of 74 months (range 36–127 years). Preoperatively, 12 patients (57.1%) had urethral hypermobility and 13 patients (61.9%) had mixed urinary incontinence. Eight patients (38.1%) had concomitant sling excision with five of those combined with urethrolysis at the time of the salvage operation. Patient Global Impression of Improvement success was noted in 16 patients (76.2%). A total of 11 patients (52.4%) were dry or had slight incontinence by the Incontinence Severity Index. One patient required additional anti‐incontinence surgery (4.8%). A total of 18 patients (85.7%) recommended the autologous fascial sling. No statistical impact was noted with sling excision (P = 0.62), mixed urinary incontinence (P = 0.61), age at surgery (P = 0.23), age at follow up (P = 0.15), length of follow up (P = 0.71) or first surgery type (transobturator tape vs retropubic; P = 1.00).ConclusionsAutologous fascial sling provides reasonable long‐term success as a salvage operation for failed midurethral slings.

OBJECT Surgical procedures and/or adjuvant therapies are effective modalities for the treatment of symptomatic spinal metastases. However, clinical results specific to the skin cancer spinal metastasis cohort are generally lacking. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature for treatments, clinical outcomes, and survival following the diagnosis of a skin cancer spinal metastasis and evaluate prognostic factors in the context of spinal skin cancer metastases stratified by tumor subtype. METHODS The authors performed a literature review using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science to identify articles since 1950 that reported survival, clinical outcomes, and/or prognostic factors for the skin cancer patient population with spinal metastases. The methodological quality of reviews was assessed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) tool. RESULTS Sixty-five studies met the preset criteria and were included in the analysis. Of these studies, a total of 25, 40, 25, and 12 studies included patients who underwent some form of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or observation alone, respectively. Sixty-three of the 65 included studies were retrospective in nature (Class of Evidence [CoE] IV), and the 2 prospective studies were CoE II. Based on the studies analyzed, the median overall survival for a patient with a spinal metastasis from a primary skin malignancy is 4.0 months; survival by tumor subtype is 12.5 months for patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 4.0 months for those with melanoma, 4.0 months for those with squamous cell carcinoma, 3.0 months for those with pilomatrix carcinoma, and 1.5 months for those with Merkel cell carcinoma (p < 0.0001). The overall percentage of known continued disease progression after spine metastasis diagnosis was 40.1% (n = 244/608, range 25.0%–88.9%), the rate of known recurrence of the primary skin cancer lesion was 3.5% (n = 21/608, range 0.2%–100.0%), and the rate of known spine metastasis recurrence despite treatment for all skin malignancies was 2.8% (n = 17/608, range 0.0%–33.3%). Age greater than 65 years, sacral spinal involvement, presence of a neurological deficit, and nonambulatory status were associated with decreased survival in patients diagnosed with a primary skin cancer spinal metastasis. All other clinical or prognostic parameters were of low or insufficient strength. CONCLUSIONS Patients diagnosed with a primary skin cancer metastasis to the spine have poor overall survival with the exception of those with BCC. The median duration of survival for patients who received surgical intervention alone, medical management (chemotherapy and/or radiation) alone, or the combination of therapies was similar across interventions. Age, spinal region, and neurological status may be associated with poor survival following surgery.

AbstractIntroductionThe objective of our study was to investigate cross‐sectional associations of atrial fibrillation with neuroimaging measures of cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease and their interactions with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).MethodsMagnetic resonance imaging scans of individuals from a population‐based study were analyzed for infarctions, total gray matter, and hippocampal and white matter hyperintensity volumes. A subsample underwent positron emission tomography imaging.ResultsAtrial fibrillation was associated with infarctions and lower total gray matter volume. Compared with subjects with no atrial fibrillation and no infarction, the odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for MCI was 2.99 (1.57–5.70; P = .001) among participants with atrial fibrillation and infarction, 0.90 (0.45–1.80; P = .77) for atrial fibrillation and no infarction, and 1.50 (0.96–2.34; P = .08) for no atrial fibrillation and any infarction.DiscussionParticipants with both atrial fibrillation and infarction are more likely to have MCI than participants with either infarction or atrial fibrillation alone.