Comparing efficacy and safety of direct aspiration versus stent retriever thrombectomy in acute basilar artery occlusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) can lead to severe stroke and is linked to significant disability or death if not treated. This meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness and safety of first-line thrombectomy options: Direct Aspiration (DA) and Stent Retriever Thrombectomy (SRT) for acute BAO. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Central, ScienceDirect, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception until July 2025.

Efficacy and safety of transradial versus transfemoral access for mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BackgroundMechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke has traditionally been performed via transfemoral access (TFA). However, newer literature on the subject suggests that transradial access (TRA) may be equally efficacious.MethodsOnline databases (including PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and Cochrane) were queried from inception until May 2024.

What Provides the Best Value for Your Time in Spine Surgery? An Analysis of Relative Value Units.

Design: Retrospective database analysis.

Objective: This study aims to assess the RVU compensation model for the most common spine surgeries.

Background: Physician work is commonly valued by utilizing the relative value unit (RVU) model for compensation.

Arterial Lesion Location and Outcomes of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease.

Intracranial atherosclerosis is a leading cause of stroke with a high recurrence rate despite treatment. Numerous factors are proposed to influence stroke recurrence due to intracranial atherosclerosis including lesion eccentricity, plaque characteristics, and computational fluid dynamic metrics, such as wall shear stress. An overlooked variable that intrinsically relates to intracranial atherosclerosis is the location of the arterial segment where the lesion occurs.

Hyperglycemia Is Associated With Computed Tomography Perfusion Core Volume Underestimation in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke With Large-Vessel Occlusion.

Background: CT Perfusion (CTP) predictions of infarct core play an important role in the determination of treatment eligibility in large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Prior studies have demonstrated that blood glucose can affect cerebral blood flow (CBF). Here we examine the influence of acute and chronic hyperglycemia on CTP estimations of infarct core.

An interpretable framework to identify responsive subgroups from clinical trials regarding treatment effects: Application to treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Randomized Clinical trials (RCT) suffer from a high failure rate which could be caused by heterogeneous responses to treatment. Despite many models being developed to estimate heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE), there remains a lack of interpretable methods to identify responsive subgroups. This work aims to develop a framework to identify subgroups based on treatment effects that prioritize model interpretability.

Heart Brain Clinic: An Integrated Approach to Stroke Care.

Background And Objectives: Multidisciplinary clinics have been shown to improve care. Patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO)-associated stroke need evaluation by cardiology and neurology specialists. We report our experience creating a multidisciplinary Structural Heart Brain Clinic (HBC) with a focus on patients with PFO-associated stroke.

Clinical manifestations and outcome of patients with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Pakistan. A single-center experience.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressing central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm freshwater. The disease progression is very rapid, and the outcome is nearly always fatal. We aim to describe the disease course in patients admitted with PAM in a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between the periods of 2010 to 2021.

Sex differences in the inflammatory response to stroke.

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and disproportionally affects women, in part due to their higher longevity. Older women have poorer outcomes after stroke with high rates of cognitive deficits, depression, and reduced quality of life. Post-stroke inflammatory responses are also sexually dimorphic and drive differences in infarct size and recovery.

Prognostic implication of size on outcomes of pituitary macroadenoma: a comparative analysis of giant adenoma with non-giant macroadenoma.

Background: Due to the differences in size and invasiveness when compared to non-giant macroadenomas (nGPAs), giant pituitary adenomas (GPAs) are considerably harder to resect. This study aimed to differentiate GPAs from nGPAs, based on the presenting complaints, surgical approaches, peri- and postoperative outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cases of pituitary macroadenomas that underwent surgical resection at a tertiary care hospital.

AKU Giant Pituitary Adenoma Score: A Novel Scoring System to Predict the Outcomes of Surgery for Giant Pituitary Adenomas.

Background No scoring system is available to predict the extent of resection of giant pituitary adenomas (GPAs) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters. We developed a novel AKU Giant Pituitary Adenoma (AGPA) score and assessed the predictive ability of the scoring system concerning the extent of resection of GPAs. Methodology We retrospectively collected data of patients presenting with GPAs and used our scoring system to assess the surgical resection of these tumors.

Mobile Stroke Units: Current Evidence and Impact.

Purpose Of Review: Several approaches have been developed to optimize prehospital systems for acute stroke given poor access and significant delays to timely treatment. Specially equipped ambulances that directly initiate treatment, known as Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs), have rapidly proliferated across the world. This review provides a comprehensive summary on the efficacy of MSUs in acute stroke, its various applications beyond thrombolysis, as well as the establishment, optimal setting and cost-effectiveness of incorporating an MSU into healthcare systems.

What are the major drivers of outcomes in cervical deformity surgery?

Background Context: Cervical deformity (CD) correction is becoming more challenging and complex. Understanding the factors that drive optimal outcomes has been understudied in CD correction surgery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the factors associated with improved outcomes (IO) following CD surgery.

Role of Bone Biopsy During Kyphoplasty in the Setting of Known Cancer: A Case Report.

Study Design: Case report.

Objective: The aim of this study was to emphasize the utility of routine biopsy during kyphoplasty and to report on a unique case of a patient with known history of prostate cancer found to have a new metastatic cancer.

Summary Of Background Data: Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) may cause debilitating pain with nearly one-third of them leading to chronic pain resulting in a tremendous impact on quality of life in patients.

Heparin for Vertebral Intraluminal Thrombus Causing Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage from Occult Renal Angiomyolipoma.

Stroke is a common cause of mortality and serious long-term disability worldwide. In the acute setting, current American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines do not recommend routine anticoagulation for the management of acute ischemic strokes. However, short-term use of unfractionated heparin (UFH) in select subpopulations has demonstrated improved outcomes.