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Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a rare disease of unknown aetiology related possibly to disturbed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and characterised by elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) causing optic nerve atrophy if not timely treated. We studied CSF dynamics of the IIH patients based on the available literature and our well-defined cohort. Method: A literature review was performed from PubMed between 1980 and 2020 in compliance with the PRISMA guideline. Our study includes 59 patients with clinical, demographical, neuro-ophthalmological, radiological, outcome data, and lumbar CSF pressure measurements for suspicion of IIH; 39 patients had verified IIH while 20 patients did not according to Friedman's criteria, hence referred to as symptomatic controls. Results: The literature review yielded 19 suitable studies; 452 IIH patients and 264 controls had undergone intraventricular or lumbar CSF pressure measurements. In our study, the mean CSF pressure, pulse amplitudes, power of respiratory waves (RESP), and the pressure constant (P0) were higher in IIH than symptomatic controls (p < 0.01). The mean CSF pressure was higher in IIH patients with psychiatric comorbidity than without (p < 0.05). In IIH patients without acetazolamide treatment, the RAP index and power of slow waves were also higher (p < 0.05). IIH patients with excess CSF around the optic nerves had lower relative pulse pressure coefficient (RPPC) and RESP than those without (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our literature review revealed increased CSF pressure, resistance to CSF outflow and sagittal sinus pressure (SSP) as key findings in IIH. Our study confirmed significantly higher lumbar CSF pressure and increased CSF pressure waves and RAP index in IIH when excluding patients with acetazolamide treatment. In overall, the findings reflect decreased craniospinal compliance and potentially depleted cerebral autoregulation resulting from the increased CSF pressure in IIH. The increased slow waves in patients without acetazolamide may indicate issues in autoregulation, while increased P0 could reflect the increased SSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the trends and regional variations in the operative techniques used for degenerative or rheumatoid cervical spine disease in Finland between 1999 and 2015. Methods: The Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR) was searched for the data on all the primary operations for degenerative cervical spine disease (DCSD) or rheumatoid atlanto-axial subluxation (rAAS). Operative codes were used to identify the patients from the FHDR and combined with diagnosis codes to verify patient inclusion. The patients were classified into three groups: anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF), posterior decompression and fusion (PDF) and decompression. Results: A total of 19,701 primary operations were included. The adjusted incidence of ACDF rose from 6.5 to 27.3 operations/100,000 adults. ACDF became the favoured technique in all the diagnostic groups except AAS, and by 2015, ACDF comprised 84.5% of the operations. The incidence of PDF for DCSD increased from 0.2 to 0.7/100,000 people. Solely decompressive operations declined from 13.7 to 4.0 operations/100,000 people. The regional differences in the incidence of operations were most marked in the incidence of ACDF, with overall incidences ranging from 11.2 to 37.0 operations/100,000. The distribution of the operative techniques used varied as well. Conclusions: Between 1999 and 2015, the operative techniques used for DCSD changed from prevalently decompressive to utilising ACDF in 68.8 to 91.0% of the operations, depending on the treating hospital. ACDF became the most commonly applied technique for all degenerative diagnoses except AAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of surgery for degenerative cervical spine disease (DCSD) has risen by almost 150% in the USA in the last three decades and stabilized at slightly over 70 operations/100,000 people. There has been significant regional variation in the operation incidences. We aim to assess the diagnosis-based, age-adjusted trends in the operation incidences and the regional variation in Finland between 1999 and 2015. Methods: Data from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR), the Cause of Death Register, and the registers of the Social Insurance Institution were combined to analyze all the primary operations for DCSD or rheumatoid atlanto-axial subluxation (rAAS). Combinations of the operative and the diagnosis codes were used to classify the patients into five diagnostic groups. Results: A total of 19,701 primary operations were included. The age-adjusted operation incidence rose from 21.0 to 36.5/100,000 people between 1999 and 2013 and plateaued thereafter. The incidence of surgery for radiculopathy increased from 13.1 to 23.3 operations/100,000 people, and the incidence of surgery for DCM increased from 5.8 to 7.0 operations/100,000 people. The rise was especially pronounced in surgery for foraminal stenosis, which increased from 5.3 to 12.4 operations/100,000 people. Of the five diagnostic groups, only operations for rAAS declined. Operations increased especially in the 40- to 65-year-old age group. The overall operation incidences varied from 18.3 to 43.1 operations/100,000 people between the university hospitals. Conclusions: The age-adjusted incidence of surgery for DCSD has risen in Finland by 76%, but the rise has plateaued. Surgery for radiculopathy, especially for foraminal stenosis, increased more steeply than surgery for degenerative medullopathy, with vast regional differences in the operation incidences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim was to assess anterior pituitary hormone levels during the acute phase of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and analyze the possible association with the clinical condition and outcome. Material and methods: Forty patients with aSAH whose aneurysm was secured by endovascular coiling were enrolled. Basal secretions of cortisol, testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels were measured up to 14 days after the incident. Results: The main finding was that hypocortisolism was rare whereas testosterone deficiency was common in male patients. Furthermore, various other hormone deviations were frequent and there was wide interindividual variability. We found no association between delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), outcome of the patients or aneurysm location, and hormone abnormalities, while both Hunt & Hess and Fisher grade were associated with low PRL levels. Hunt & Hess 5 was associated with low PRL concentration when compared to grades 1 (OR = 4.81, 95% CI 1.15–20.14, p = 0.03), 3 (OR 7.73, 95% CI 1.33–45.01, p = 0.02), and 4 (OR = 6.86 95% CI 1.28–26.83, p = 0.02). Fisher grade 4 was associated with low PRL concentration when compared to grades 3 (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.06–10.73, p = 0.03) and 2 (OR 9.71, 95% CI 1.22–77.10, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Deviations from normal and huge interindividual differences are common in hormone levels during the acute phase of aSAH. Routine assessment of anterior pituitary function in the acute phase of aSAH is not warranted. During the follow-up in the outpatient clinic, hormone concentrations were not measured, which would have brought a more long-term perspective into our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgound/Objective: To determine the level of association between uptake of the amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent [18F]flutemetamol and the level of amyloid-β measured by immunohistochemical and histochemical staining in a frontal cortical region biopsy site. Methods: Seventeen patients with probable normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) underwent prospective [18F]flutemetamol PET and subsequent frontal cortical brain biopsy during ventriculoperitoneal shunting. Tissue amyloid-β was evaluated using the monoclonal antibody 4G8, thioflavin S and Bielschowsky silver stain. Results: Four of the 17 patients (23.5%) had amyloid-β pathology based on the overall pathology read and also showed increased [18F]flutemetamol uptake. [18F]Flutemetamol standardized uptake values from the biopsy site were significantly associated with biopsy specimen amyloid-β levels (Pearson's r = 0.67; p = 0.006). There was also good correlation between the biopsy specimen amyloid-β level and uptake of [18F]flutemetamol in the region contralateral to the biopsy site (r = 0.67; p = 0.006), as well as with composite cortical [18F]flutemetamol uptake (r = 0.65; p = 0.008). The blinded visual read showed a high level of agreement between all readers (κ = 0.88). Two of 3 readers were in full agreement on all images; 1 reader disagreed on 1 of the 17 NPH cases. Blinded visual assessments of PET images by 1 reader were associated with 100% sensitivity to the overall pathology read, and assessments by the 2 others were associated with 75% sensitivity (overall sensitivity by majority read was 75%); specificity of all readers was 100%. Conclusions: [18F]Flutemetamol detects brain amyloid-β in vivo and shows promise as a valuable tool to study and possibly facilitate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease both in patients with suspected NPH and among the wider population. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]