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Abstract Background The rates of emergency neurosurgery in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients vary between populations and trauma centers. In planning acute TBI treatment, knowledge about rates and incidence of emergency neurosurgery at the population level is of importance for organization and planning of specialized health care services. This study aimed to present incidence rates and patient characteristics for the most common TBI-related emergency neurosurgical procedures. Methods Oslo University Hospital is the only trauma center with neurosurgical services in Southeast Norway, which has a population of 3 million. We extracted prospectively collected registry data from the Oslo TBI Registry – Neurosurgery over a five-year period (2015–2019). Incidence was calculated in person-pears (crude) and age-adjusted for standard population. We conducted multivariate multivariable logistic regression models to assess variables associated with emergency neurosurgical procedures. Results A total of 2151 patients with pathological head CT scans were included. One or more emergency neurosurgical procedure was performed in 27% of patients. The crude incidence was 3.9/100,000 person-years. The age-adjusted incidences in the standard population for Europe and the world were 4.0/100,000 and 3.3/100,000, respectively. The most frequent emergency neurosurgical procedure was the insertion of an intracranial pressure monitor, followed by evacuation of the mass lesion. Male sex, road traffic accidents, severe injury (low Glasgow coma score) and CT characteristics such as midline shift and compressed/absent basal cisterns were significantly associated with an increased probability of emergency neurosurgery, while older age was associated with a decreased probability. Conclusions The incidence of emergency neurosurgery in the general population is low and reflects neurosurgery procedures performed in patients with severe injuries. Hence, emergency neurosurgery for TBIs should be centralized to major trauma centers.

Background: Bicyclists are vulnerable road users. The aim of this paper was to describe all bicycle-related traumatic cervical spine injuries (CSIs) in the South-East region of Norway (2015–2019), and to investigate whether certain types of CSIs are typical for bicyclists. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected registry data of all CSIs in the South-East region of Norway (3.0 million inhabitants), from 2015 to 2019. Patient characteristics, injury types, and treatment were summarized with descriptive statistics. Bayesian multivariable logistic regression was used to identify potential factors associated with occipital condyle fractures (OC-Fx) or odontoid fractures (OFx). Results: During the five-year study period, 2,162 patients with CSIs were registered, and 261 (12%) were bicycle-related. The incidence of bicycle-related CSIs was 1.7/100,000 person-years. The median age of the patients with bicycle-related CSIs was 55 (IQR: 22) years, 83% were male, 71% used a helmet, 16% were influenced by ethanol, 12% had a concomitant cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), and 64% sustained multiple traumas. The three most common bicycle-related CSIs were C6/C7 fracture (Fx) (28%), occipital condyle Fx (OC-Fx) (23%) and C5/C6 Fx (19%). Patients with bicycle-related CSIs compared to patients with non-bicycle related CSIs were younger, more often male, had fewer comorbidities, more likely multiple traumas, more often had OC-Fx, and less often sustained an odontoid fracture (OFx). Multivariable logistic regression of potential risk factors for OC-Fx demonstrated a significantly increased risk of OC-Fx for bicyclists compared to non-bicyclists (OR=2.8).The primary treatment for bicycle-related CSIs was external immobilization in 187/261 (71.6%) cases, open surgical fixation in 44/261 (16.8%), and no treatment in 30/261 (11.5%). Conclusion: Bicycle crashes are a frequent cause of CSIs in the Norwegian population and should be of concern to the public society. The three most common bicycle-related CSIs were C6/C7 fracture, occipital condyle fracture and C5/C6 fracture.