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Study Design: Retrospective diagnostic analysis.
Objective: The aim of the study was to establish a new scoring system, the dumbbell scoring system (DSS), for preoperative evaluation of the malignant potential of spinal dumbbell tumors (SDTs).
Summary Of Background Data: Among SDTs, benign tumors such as schwannomas occur frequently, whereas malignant SDTs, including malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, are uncommon. No scoring system has been developed to preoperatively diagnose the malignant potential of SDTs.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 59 consecutive patients with SDTs. The following imaging features were recorded: tumor size, tumor shape, tumor boundary, pattern of enhancement of intratumoral lesions (homogeneous or heterogeneous), cyst formation in the tumors on magnetic resonance imaging, and enlargement of neural foramina and scalloping or osteolytic destruction of surrounding bones on computed tomography. The prevalence of characteristic imaging features in malignant and benign SDTs were evaluated, and appropriate cut-off points for the DSS score were obtained using receiver operating characteristics.
Results: Twenty cases were confirmed to be malignant tumors. Pathological diagnoses of the malignant SDTs were as follows: 11 cases of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor; 3 cases of malignant lymphoma; and 1 case each of extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma, hemangiopericytoma, hemangioendothelioma, malignant myoepithelioma, neuroblastoma, and plasmacytoma. The DSS was based on four characteristic imaging features confirmed as significant predictors of malignant SDTs, namely, maximal diameter greater than 5 cm, irregularly lobulated tumor, tumor boundary indistinguishable from surrounding tissues, and osteolytic bone destruction. Malignant SDTs showed a higher DSS score (median 5.5 points) than did benign SDTs (median 0 point). The optimum cut-off value for the DSS score was 3 points, and the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of malignant SDTs were 90% and 84.6%, respectively.
Conclusion: This scoring system may be helpful for preoperative decision making. If the DSS score is equal to or higher than 3, biopsies was recommended to confirm the histological diagnosis.
Level Of Evidence: 4.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000001582 | DOI Listing |
JAMA Netw Open
September 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.
Importance: Patients with kidney failure (KF) receiving long-term dialysis have increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with KF and AF have increased risk of stroke, death, and bleeding compared with age-matched cohorts. In KF, the use of oral anticoagulants (OACs) increases hemorrhage risk, offsetting potential benefits and making left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) a potentially promising solution for risk reduction in AF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Netw Open
September 2025
Centre de recherche intégrée pour un système apprenant en santé et services sociaux, Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Chaudière-Appalaches, Lévis, Québec, Canada.
Importance: Caregivers of community-dwelling older adults play a protective role in emergency department (ED) care transitions. When the demands of caregiving result in caregiver burden, ED returns can ensue.
Objective: To develop models describing whether caregiver burden is associated with ED revisits and hospital admissions up to 30 days after discharge from an initial ED visit.
J Neurooncol
September 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Background And Objectives: Explore whether community social capital measures (system of resources available to individuals through community engagement) are related to surgical outcomes among intracranial tumor patients.
Methods: Adults who underwent resection at a single medical center for intracranial tumor was identified and their zip codes were matched to three variables derived from the Social Capital Atlas: economic connectedness, volunteering rate, and civic organizations. The economic connectedness score quantifies the degree to which low-income and high-income community members are friends with each other, the volunteering rate is defined as the proportion of a given community engaged in community organizations and the civic organization score is defined as the number of local civic organizations within a given community.
J Clin Monit Comput
September 2025
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, CHU Lille, 59000, Lille, France.
The Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) has been used to assess discomfort in anesthetized adults. The COMFORT Behavior Scale (CBS) is recommended for assessing discomfort in intubated and sedated children. The primary objective of the present study was to assess the validity and performance of the ANI as an indicator of discomfort in intubated, ventilated children in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Trauma Emerg Surg
September 2025
Emergency Medical Services of Karlovy Vary Region, Zavodni 390/98C, Karlovy Vary, 36006, Czech Republic.
Background And Importance: In the Czech Republic, paramedics are required to consult a physician before administering intravenous opioids, which may delay effective prehospital pain management. As paramedic competencies expand in Europe, it is important to evaluate the safety and efficacy of independent opioid administration in prehospital emergency care settings.
Objectives: To assess the safety and effectiveness of intravenous sufentanil administered independently by trained paramedics compared to administration following remote physician consultation in adult trauma patients.