Focused Ultrasound in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Current Applications and Future Directions.

Introduction: Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder, affecting nearly 1% of the global population. Despite recent advancements in medical therapies, approximately one-third of patients remain refractory to treatment, necessitating consideration of surgical intervention. Historically, epilepsy surgery has been invasive and maximalist in nature, involving extensive brain resections with significant risk for morbidity.

Understanding treatment preferences and cognitive outcomes in patients with gliomas.

Objective: Understanding how glioma patients value cognitive outcomes is essential to personalizing their treatment plans. The purpose of this study was to identify the modifiable cognitive functions most affected by treatment and most important to patient quality of life.

Methods: Patients with gliomas were prospectively enrolled in focus groups and individual interviews using a standardized guide focusing on cognitive functions until saturation was achieved.

Automated translation accurately translates recorded pediatric neurosurgery clinic conversations between Spanish and English.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze an automated voice to text translation device by reporting the translation accuracy for recorded pediatric neurosurgery clinic conversations, classifying errors in translation according to their impact on overall understanding, and comparing the incidence of these errors in English to Spanish vs. Spanish to English conversations.

Methods: English and Spanish speaking patients at a single academic health system's outpatient pediatric neurosurgery clinic had their conversations recorded.

Low surgical weight associated with ETV failure in pediatric hydrocephalus patients.

The use of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus has higher failure rates in younger patients. Here we investigate the impact of select perioperative variables, specifically gestational age, chronological age, birth weight, and surgical weight, on ETV failure rates. A retrospective review was performed on patients treated with ETV - with or without choroid plexus cauterization (CPC) - from 2010 to 2021 at a large academic center.

Noninvasive Treatment of Venous Pulsatile Tinnitus with an Internal Jugular Vein Compression Collar.

Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mild internal jugular (IJV) compression via an FDA approved compression collar for symptomatic treatment of venous pulsatile tinnitus.

Methods: This is a prospective study that recruited 20 adult patients with venous pulsatile tinnitus. Participants completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), were fitted with the collar, and rated symptom intensity on a 10-point tinnitus intensity scale before and during collar use.

Day one postoperative MRI findings following electrode placement for deep brain stimulation: analysis of a large case series.

Objective: This study sought to characterize postoperative day one MRI findings in deep brain stimulation (DBS) patients.

Methods: DBS patients were identified by CPT and had their reviewed by a trained neuroradiologist and neurosurgeon blinded to MR sequence and patient information. The radiographic abnormalities of interest were track microhemorrhage, pneumocephalus, hematomas, and edema, and the occurrence of these findings in compare the detection of these complications between T1/T2 gradient-echo (GRE) and T1/T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance (MR) sequences was compared.

Machine learning for automated and real-time two-dimensional to three-dimensional registration of the spine using a single radiograph.

Objective: The goal of this work was to methodically evaluate, optimize, and validate a self-supervised machine learning algorithm capable of real-time automatic registration and fluoroscopic localization of the spine using a single radiograph or fluoroscopic frame.

Methods: The authors propose a two-dimensional to three-dimensional (2D-3D) registration algorithm that maximizes an image similarity metric between radiographic images to identify the position of a C-arm relative to a 3D volume. This work utilizes digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs), which are synthetic radiographic images generated by simulating the x-ray projections as they would pass through a CT volume.