Safety of Acetylsalicylic Acid Continuation in Mono- and Multi-Level Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Multicenter Comparative Study on 332 Patients.

Study designRetrospective Multicenter Comparative Study.ObjectiveThe population's aging is progressively increasing the number of elderly patients on antiplatelet medications undergoing lumbar fusion procedures. Lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) has demonstrated valuable clinical and radiological advantages compared to conventional posterior fusion procedures in treating degenerative spine disorders.

How I do it: simple ad-hoc pulsatile pump model for realistic microsurgical training under pulsatile flow.

Background: This simple pulsatile pump model (PPM) provides a realistic and low-cost model for microsurgical training. In this manner, the use of live animals for realistic microsurgical training is reduced, as it is possible to combine our model with several artificial microsurgical training models while retaining pulsatile flow.

Method: We detail steps for construction of the PPM for realistic microsurgical training under pulsatile flow - as well as microsurgical training examples - in a tried-and-true, cost-effective fashion, from readily available monitoring and infusion materials.

Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring in Contemporary Spinal Surgery: A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness.

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is increasingly used during spinal surgery to reduce the risk of neurological complications. This systematic review evaluates both the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of IONM in contemporary spinal surgery. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify studies evaluating IONM in spinal surgery.

Surgical strategies and outcomes in degenerative myelopathy at the cervico-thoracic junction: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and outcomes of patients with cervico-thoracic junction degenerative myelopathy.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted, involving 51 adult patients with spondylotic myelopathy crossing the cervico-thoracic junction. Data on demographics, comorbidities, surgical procedures, complications, and short-term outcomes were collected.

Stand-Alone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion at L3-L4 with 3D-Printed Porous Titanium Cages: A Safe and Effective Alternative in the Treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD).

Stand-alone lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) remains a debated approach in spinal surgery, with limited published evidence supporting its efficacy without supplemental fixation. This prospective study presents the institutional case series on single-level L3-L4 stand-alone LLIF, using next-generation 3D-printed titanium cages, as treatment for degenerative disc disease (DDD). A cohort of 49 patients with symptomatic DDD, unresponsive to conservative therapy, underwent stand-alone LLIF at L3-L4 (neither posterior pedicle screws nor lateral plating).

Clinical outcomes and hemorrhagic or thromboembolic risks in decompressive craniectomy for patients taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy.

Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a critical surgical intervention for elevated intracranial pressure. However, the impact of preoperative antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy on outcomes and complications remains unclear. A retrospective-prospective study was conducted on 145 patients undergoing DC between November 2021 and May 2023.

Evaluation of clinical outcome and predictive factors for thromboembolism or hemorrhagic complications in patients treated for chronic subdural hematoma. A prospective observational study.

The impact of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications on clinical outcome and risk of complications is uncertain in chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) patients. Currently, evidence-based guidelines and specific neurosurgical scores lacks. CHA₂DS₂-VASc and HAS-BLED scores have been proven to help predicting complications in the perioperative period of non-cardiac surgeries.

Sex Differences in Patient-Rated Outcomes After Lumbar Spinal Fusion for Degenerative Disease: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Study Design: Heterogeneous data collection through a mix of prospective, retrospective, and ambispective methods.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of biological sex on patient-reported outcomes after spinal fusion surgery for lumbar degenerative disease.

Summary Of Background Data: Current literature suggests sex differences regarding clinical outcome after spine surgery may exist.

Multicenter external validation of prediction models for clinical outcomes after spinal fusion for lumbar degenerative disease.

Background: Clinical prediction models (CPM), such as the SCOAP-CERTAIN tool, can be utilized to enhance decision-making for lumbar spinal fusion surgery by providing quantitative estimates of outcomes, aiding surgeons in assessing potential benefits and risks for each individual patient. External validation is crucial in CPM to assess generalizability beyond the initial dataset. This ensures performance in diverse populations, reliability and real-world applicability of the results.

New Axially Expandable Oblique Cage Designed for Anterior to Psoas (ATP) Approach: Indications-Surgical Technique and Clinical-Radiological Outcomes in Patients with Symptomatic Degenerative Disc Disease.

: Standard oblique cages cannot cover endplates side-to-side, which is an important biomechanical factor for reducing the risk of cage subsidence and for restoring correct segmental lordosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the radiological and clinical results of a new oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) axially expandable cage. : This is a prospective observational case-control study.

Interscapular Pain after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Does Zygapophyseal Joints over Distraction Play a Role?

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for cervical disc herniation (CDH) is commonly performed. Specific post-operative complications include dysphagia, dysphonia, cervicalgia, adjacent segment disorder, cage subsidence, and infections. However, interscapular pain is commonly reported by these patients after surgery, although its mechanisms have not been clarified yet.

Geometry and Symmetry of Willis' Circle and Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysms Development.

: A relationship between the geometry and symmetry of Willis' circle and intracranial aneurysms was reported for anterior communicating and posterior communicating (PCom) aneurysms. A similar association with the middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms instead appeared weaker. : We reviewed 432 patients from six Italian centers with unilateral MCA aneurysms, analyzing the relationship between the caliber and symmetry of Willis' circle and the presence of ruptured and unruptured presentation.

Preoperative elastoplasty of aggressive vertebral hemangiomas in elderly patients: a new strategy for reducing intraoperative bleeding and complications.

Purpose: Preoperative elastoplasty could be an alternative strategy for treating aggressive vertebral hemangiomas (VHs) in frail patients needing for spinal cord decompression, combining the advantages of embolization and vertebroplasty.

Methods: Three elderly patients with spinal cord compression from thoracic aggressive VHs underwent XperCT-guided percutaneous injection of silicone (VK100), filling the whole affected vertebra, followed by a decompressive laminectomy. At 12-months follow-up no recurrences, vertebral collapse or segmental kyphosis were noted at the CT scans, with patients reporting an improvement of preoperative neurological deficits, VAS and Smiley-Webster pain scale (SWPS) parameters.

The neurosurgical outpatient clinic: comparison between accesses in public and private activities.

Background: Neurosurgical clinic assesses presence and extent of pathologies of central and peripheral nervous system or disorders affecting the spine, to identify most effective treatment and possible recourse to surgery. The aim of the study is to evaluate the appropriateness of request for a neurosurgical consult both in private and in public outpatient clinics.

Materials And Methods: We collected and analyzed all the reports of outpatient visits of public and private clinic over a period between January and December 2018.

Gait analysis, trunk movements, and electromyographic patterns after minimally invasive spine surgery for lumbar instability: An observational prospective study.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate trunk kinematics and spine muscle activation during walking after minimally invasive surgery in patients with L4-L5 degenerative spondylolisthesis suffering from lumbar instability (LI).

Methods: Eleven patients suffering from LI and 13 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Trunk kinematics and spine muscle activation patterns during walking were collected.

Defining the Learning Curve of the Exoscope in Spine Surgery.

Introduction: In recent years, introduction of the exoscope system has been responsible for a new era of optics in surgery. Such a system has started to be widely used in neurosurgery. More recently, the exoscope has also been increasingly used for spinal procedures.

Changes in mucosal IgG4- and IL-10-cell frequencies in adults with eosinophilic esophagitis on a two-food elimination diet.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is increasingly diagnosed in patients with dysphagia. Type-2 immunity can induce EoE histopathology via non-IgE-dependent mechanisms, possibly involving IgG4 and IL-10. To elucidate the contribution of this response to EoE pathogenesis, we examined its association with clinical and histologic endpoints in adult EoE patients given a two-food elimination diet.

Two-Level Corpectomy and Fusion vs. Three-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion without Plating: Long-Term Clinical and Radiological Outcomes in a Multicentric Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) represent effective alternatives in the management of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). A consensus on which of these techniques should be used is still missing.

Methods: The databases of three centers were reviewed (January 2011-December 2018) for patients with three-level CSM, who underwent three-level ACDF without plating or two-level ACCF with expandable cage (VBRC) or mesh (VBRM).

Expression of targets of the RNA-binding protein AUF-1 in human airway epithelium indicates its role in cellular senescence and inflammation.

Introduction: The RNA-binding protein AU-rich-element factor-1 (AUF-1) participates to posttranscriptional regulation of genes involved in inflammation and cellular senescence, two pathogenic mechanisms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Decreased AUF-1 expression was described in bronchiolar epithelium of COPD patients versus controls and cytokine- and cigarette smoke-challenged human airway epithelial cells, prompting the identification of epithelial AUF-1-targeted transcripts and function, and investigation on the mechanism of its loss.

Results: RNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (RIP-Seq) identified, in the human airway epithelial cell line BEAS-2B, 494 AUF-1-bound mRNAs enriched in their 3'-untranslated regions for a Guanine-Cytosine (GC)-rich binding motif.

Stand-Alone Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion (OLIF) for the Treatment of Adjacent Segment Disease (ASD) after Previous Posterior Lumbar Fusion: Clinical and Radiological Outcomes and Comparison with Posterior Revision Surgery.

: Radiological evidence of adjacent segment disease (ASD) has been reported to have a prevalence of more than 30% and several risk factors have been reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with symptomatic ASD treated with stand-alone OLIF and compare results with a posterior revision surgery cohort. : This is a retrospective case-control study.