Segmental and overall lumbar lordosis after single-level minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Because of heterogeneity in previous studies, the effect of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) on postoperative segmental lordosis (SL) and lumbar lordosis (LL) remains unclear. Given this evidence gap, the authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting lordotic outcomes after single-level MI-TLIF. The authors also performed a meta-regression to identify preoperative factors associated with lordosis after surgery and assessed correlations between lordotic changes and patient-reported outcomes.

Hospital cost differences between open and endoscopic lumbar spine decompression surgery.

Objective: In recent years, fully endoscopic decompression surgery for degenerative spine disease has become increasingly popular in the US. Although an endoscopic approach has demonstrated some benefits compared with open procedures in randomized controlled trials, the cost of advanced technologies remains contested. The authors evaluated the differences in costs and cost drivers between open and endoscopic decompression surgical procedures performed at a single institution.

Impact of premorbid oral anticoagulant use on survival in patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage.

Objective: Although oral anticoagulant use has been implicated in worse outcomes for patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), prior studies have mostly examined the use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). In an era of increasing use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in lieu of VKAs, the authors compared the survival outcomes of TBI patients on different types of premorbid anticoagulation medications with those of patients not on anticoagulation.

Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 1186 adult patients who presented at a level I trauma center with an intracranial hemorrhage after blunt trauma between 2016 and 2022.

Management Patterns and Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury With Associated Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury.

Background And Objectives: Although blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVIs) are relatively common in patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), uncertainty remains regarding optimal management strategies to prevent neurological complications, morbidity, and mortality. Our objectives were to characterize common care patterns; assess the prevalence of adverse outcomes, including stroke, functional deficits, and death, by BCVI grade; and evaluate therapeutic approaches to treatment in patients with BCVI and TBI.

Methods: Patients with TBI and BCVI treated at our Level I trauma center from January 2016 to December 2020 were identified.

Using Frailty Measures to Predict Functional Outcomes and Mortality After Type II Odontoid Fracture in Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Study Design: Single-center retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Type II odontoid fractures occur disproportionately among elderly populations and cause significant morbidity and mortality. It is a matter of debate whether these injuries are best managed surgically or conservatively.

Pituitary Apoplexy Precipitated by Systemic Chemotherapy.

Pituitary apoplexy often occurs in patients with previously undiagnosed pituitary adenomas and no predisposing factors. Among patients with precipitating events, there are very few cases of pituitary apoplexy occurring in the setting of systemic chemotherapy treatment. A 31-year-old man with newly diagnosed metastatic testicular cancer developed headaches, nausea, and a right-sided visual field deficit one week after initiation of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin chemotherapy.

Developmentally anomalous cerebellar encephalocele arising within the cerebellopontine angle and extending into the adjacent skull base in a pediatric patient.

Lesions of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) in young children are rare, with the most common being arachnoid cysts and epidermoid inclusion cysts. The authors report a case of an encephalocele containing heterotopic cerebellar tissue arising from the right middle cerebellar peduncle and filling the right internal acoustic canal in a 2-year-old female patient. Her initial presentation included a focal left 6th nerve palsy.