Search

Objective: Virtual mentorship and research programs are becoming increasingly popular to facilitate education and career development for students and residents. We review virtual research initiatives for early trainees in neurosurgery and describe our effort to expand access to resources and shared objective mentorship (SOM) via the novel Neurosurgery Education and Research Virtual Group (NERVE)., Methods: A systematic review of neurosurgical programming delivered via a virtual platform was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Identified articles were screened. Those meeting prespecified inclusion criteria were reviewed in full and examined for relevant data. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel, and means and standard deviations were calculated. Descriptive analysis of NERVE characteristics was also performed., Results: Of the 2438 identified articles, 10 were included. The most common (70%) implementation style was a webinar-based lecture series. The least common (10%) was a longitudinal curricular interest group. Of the total NERVE cohort, 90% were first generation medical students and 82% attended institutions without home programs. Survey results indicated 73.8% had contributed to at least 2 research projects throughout the year., Conclusions: There is a scarcity of virtual neurosurgical resources which facilitate SOM opportunities for trainees. In our systematic review, NERVE is the only multi-institutional virtual initiative aimed at increasing access to neurosurgical education and research opportunities for the purpose of SOM among early trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds. This highlights the group's niche and potential impact on increasing diversity in neurosurgery, improving trainees' career development, and facilitating future resident research productivity., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: It is well established that insurance status is a mediator of disease management, treatment course, and clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Our study assessed differences in clinical presentation, treatment course, mortality rates, and in-hospital complications for patients admitted to the hospital with late-stage cancer - specifically, metastatic spine disease (MSD), by insurance status., Methods: The United States National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2012-2014) was queried to identify patients with visceral metastases, metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) or pathological fracture of the spine in the setting of cancer. Clinical presentation, type of intervention, mortality rates, and in-hospital complications were compared amongst patients by insurance coverage (Medicare, Medicaid, commercial or unknown). Multivariable logistical regression and age sensitivity analyses were performed., Results: A total of 48,560 MSD patients were identified. Patients with Medicaid coverage presented with significantly higher rates of MSCC (p < 0.001), paralysis (0.008), and visceral metastases (p < 0.001). Patients with commercial insurance were more likely to receive surgical intervention (OR 1.43; p < 0.001). Patients with Medicaid < 65 had higher rates of prolonged length of stay (PLOS) (OR 1.26; 95% CI, 1.01-1.55; p = 0.040) while both Medicare and Medicaid patients < 65 were more likely to have non-routine discharges. In-hospital mortality rates were significantly higher for patients with Medicaid (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.20-5.89; p = 0.016) and commercial insurance (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.09-2.27;p = 0.013) older than 65., Conclusion: Given the differing severity in MSD presentation, mortality rates, and rates of PLOS by insurance status, our results identify disparities based on insurance coverage., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: There remains a gap in the literature analyzing how categorical variables may affect the highly competitive neurosurgery residency application process for MD Seniors in the United States. We aimed to improve understanding of the impact of medical school prestige and geographic location on candidacy for neurosurgery residency., Methods: Schools were stratified into high and low prestige cohorts based on the U.S. News and World Report Rankings and by geographic location. Publicly available match data displayed by websites of included medical schools from 2016 to 2020 were examined, and neurosurgery residency placement rates were then compared. Analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test and chi-square analysis, with a p-value of 0.05., Results: There were 6685 total matches in the high-prestige cohort and 12,997 total matches in the low-prestige cohort, with 115 (1.72%) and 113 (0.87%) neurosurgery matches, respectively (OR = 2.00, p < 0.0001). Considering geographic location, there were 5244 total matches in the Midwest, 3456 total matches in the West, 4994 total matches in the South, and 6053 total matches in the Northeast, with 51 (0.97%), 24 (0.69%), 83 (1.66%), and 114 (1.88%) being neurosurgery residency placements, respectively (p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: Neurosurgery residency placement may be correlated with attending more prestigious medical schools and those located in the Northeast or South United States. Further elucidation of similar variables may prove to be important as neurosurgery residency becomes more competitive and the evaluation process changes., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine how neuropsychiatric comorbidity, modulatory indication, demographics, and other characteristics affect inpatient deep brain stimulation (DBS) outcomes., Methods: This is a retrospective study of 45 months' worth of data from the National Inpatient Sample. Patients were aged ≥ 18 years old and underwent DBS for Parkinson Disease (PD), essential tremor (ET), general dystonia and related disorders, other movement disorder (non-PD/ET), or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at a US hospital. Primary endpoints were prolonged length of stay (PLOS), high-end hospital charges (HEHCs), unfavorable disposition, and inpatient complications. Logistic models were constructed with odds ratios under 95% confidence intervals. A p-value of 0.05 determined significance., Results: Of 214,098 records, there were 27,956 eligible patients. Average age was 63.9 ± 11.2 years, 17,769 (63.6%) were male, and 10,182 (36.4%) patients were female. Most of the cohort was White (51.1%), Medicare payer (64.3%), and treated at a large-bed size (80.7%), private non-profit (76.9%), and metro-teaching (94.0%) hospital. Neuropsychiatric comorbidity prevalence ranged from 29.9% to 47.7% depending on indication. Compared with PD, odds of complications and unfavorable disposition were significantly higher with other movement disorders and dystonia, whereas OCD conferred greater risk for HEHCs (p < 0.05). Patients with ET had favorable outcomes. Neuropsychiatric comorbidity, Black race, and Charlson Comorbidity Index > 0 were significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The risk of adverse inpatient outcomes for DBS in the United States is independently correlated with non-PD/ET disorders, neuropsychiatric comorbidity, and non-White race, reflecting the heterogeneity and infancy of widespread DBS for these patients., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The incidence of metastatic spine disease (MSD) is increasing among cancer patients. Given the poor outcomes and high rates of morbidity associated with MSD, it is important to determine demographic factors that could impact interventions and outcomes for this patient population. The objectives of this study were to compare in-hospital mortality and complication rates, clinical presentation, and interventions between female and male patients diagnosed with MSD., Methods: Patient data were collected from the United States National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from the years 2012-2014. Descriptive statistics were used to compare data from 51,800 cases; subsequently, multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the effect of gender on outcomes., Results: Males had significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality (OR 1.30; 95 % CI 1.09-1.56, p = 0.004) and were more likely to have received surgical intervention than females (OR 1.34; 95 % CI 1.16-1.55, p < 0.001). Additionally, female patients were more likely to present with vertebral compression fracture (p < 0.001), while metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) and paralysis were more common in male patients (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in rates of in-hospital complications between female and male patients., Conclusion: Given the significant differences in mortality, disease course, treatment, and in-hospital complications between female and male patients diagnosed with MSD, additional prospective studies are necessary to understand how to meaningfully incorporate these differences into clinical care and prognostication going forward., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Compared with whites, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has affected blacks and Hispanics disproportionately. The cumulative incidence (CI) for black men was 2.6, and for Hispanic men 2.5, times the rate for white men. Intravenous (IV) needle use alone does not account for this difference. Not counting IV needle-using cases, the CIs for black and Hispanic men were 1.7 times the CI for white men. Although there were fewer cases in women than men, the white-to-minority disparity was greater for women. The CIs for black and Hispanic women were 12.2 and 8.5 times, respectively, the CI for white women. Prevention programs are urgently needed and should focus on risky behavior (IV needle sharing and receptive anal intercourse), not just risk groups.