Search

Congenital variants of the aortic arch are important to recognize not only for their association with congenital heart disease, vascular rings, and chromosomal abnormalities but also for the purposes of neurointerventional angiography. While many different variants have been reported in the literature, we present two rare cases of an aortic arch variant that, to the best of our knowledge, has not yet been described in the literature- an anteriorly-directed, independent common origin of both carotid arteries from the ascending aorta, with separate subclavian artery trunks originating from the arch., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) patients have increased medical comorbidities and risk factors for infection compared with those without SEA. However, the association between frailty and SEA patients has not been documented., Methods: A total of 46 SEA patients were randomly paired and matched by age and sex with a control group of patients with back pain who had presented to our emergency department from 2012 to 2017. Statistical analysis identified the risk factors associated with SEA and frailty using the modified frailty index (mFI), and the patients were stratified into robust, prefrail, and frail groups. We examined the value of the mFI as a prognostic predictor and evaluated the classic risk factors (CRFs)., Results: The SEA patients had higher mFIs and CRFs (P = 0.023 and P < 0.001, respectively) and a longer length of stay (22.89 days vs. 1.72 days; P < 0.001). Of the mFI variables, only diabetes had a significant association with SEA (odds ratio [OR], 3.60; P = 0.012). Among the stratified mFI subgroups, a frail ranking (mFI >2) was the strongest risk factor for SEA (OR, 5.18; P = 0.003). A robust ranking (mFI, 0-1) was a weak negative predictor for SEA (OR, 0.41; P = 0.058). The robust patients were also more likely to be discharged to home (OR, 7.58; P = 0.002). Of the CRF variables, only intravenous drug use had a statistically significant association with SEA (OR, 10.72; P = 0.015)., Conclusions: Patients with SEA were more frail compared with the control back pain patients. Frailty was determined to be an independent risk factor for SEA, outside of the CRFs. The use of the mFI could be potentially useful in predicting the diagnosis, prognosticating, and guiding SEA treatment., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is devastating, with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) significantly contributing to the high morbidity and mortality rates. Cholesterol has been studied as a measure of nutritional status in other neurological pathologies, but reports examining cholesterol's effects on aSAH outcomes are sparse. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of low total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) on mortality and DCI following aSAH., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study at a quaternary academic medical center between June 2014 and July 2018. All patients had aSAH confirmed by digital subtraction angiography and had TC measured on admission. Primary outcomes were mortality and DCI. Secondary outcome was radiographic vasospasm. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed., Results: There were 75 aSAH patients, with an average age of 58.7 ± 1.7 (range: 14-89) and Hunt & Hess score of 2.8 ± 0.1, included for analysis. Those with a low TC < 160 mg/dL had 3 times increased odds of DCI (OR = 3.4; 95 %CI: 1.3-9.0; p = 0.0175) and a nearly 5 times increased odds of death (OR = 4.9; 95 %CI: 1.1-18.3; p = 0.0339). Low HDL < 40 mg/dL was associated with 12 times increased odds of DCI (OR = 12.3; 95 %CI: 2.7-56.4; p = 0.0003) but no significant differences in death (p = 0.2205). In multivariate analysis, low TC was an independent risk factor for increased mortality (OR = 5.6; 95 %CI: 1.2-27.6; p = 0.0335) while low HDL was associated with increased risk for DCI (OR = 17.9; 95 %CI: 3.1-104.4; p = 0.0013). There was no effect of TC or HDL on radiographic vasospasm., Conclusions: Low TC and HDL are independent predictors of increased mortality and DCI, respectively, following aSAH. Low TC and HDL may be markers of poor overall health, in addition to having some pathophysiological effect on cerebral vasculature. These results may have practical implications for the improvement of aSAH prognostication and management., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the impact of frailty on spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (SICH) patient outcomes in the United States., Patients and Methods: This is a single center retrospective chart review of all adult patients (≥18 years old) admitted with a primary diagnosis of SICH due to hypertension, amyloid angiopathy, and coagulopathy from 2014-2017. The studied variables included length of stay, age, sex, ICH score variables, medications, and frailty as measured by the modified Frailty Index (mFI)., Results: A total of 240 patients with 248 SICH were included in the analysis. In this study, mFI was not predictive of overall mortality (p = 0.12). To further investigate this issue, patients with ICH scores of 2 or 3 were separately analyzed to assess the impact of mFI on moderate ICH cases. However, mFI was also not associated with increased hospital mortality in moderate ICH cases (p = 0.812). In bivariate Spearman analysis, mFI significantly correlated with several outcome measures including modified Rankin Scale (MRS) at discharge (p = 0.01), but ICH score also correlated with these outcomes (p < 0.001). Although ICH & mFI scores were both predictive of MRS with linear regression, multivariate demonstrated that the ICH score was the only independent risk factor for MRS (p = 0.698, p < 0.001 respectively)., Conclusion: Frailty, as measured by the mFI, was not an independent risk factor for increased mortality or worse outcomes in SICH patients. This study does not support incorporating the mFI score for SICH patients for prognostication., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of the present study was to review the reported data for neurosurgical complication definitions, report the current scales used to classify these complications, and discuss their limitations., Methods: A systematic review was performed through a PubMed search using predetermined MeSH terms and inclusion criteria. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were specific to the field of neurosurgery and had presented a unique complication grading scale., Results: A total of 2156 PubMed results matched our predetermined MeSH terms. Of those, 7 met our inclusion criteria. These 7 studies were reported from 2001 to 2019. Of the 7 studies, 4 were applicable to general neurosurgery, 2 to spine surgery, and 1 to neuroendovascular surgery. The scales were based on the therapy needed, predictability and avoidability, survey/consensus of expert judgment, and the underlying cause of an adverse event. None of these studies had considered the complexity of the surgery or the frailty of the patient in the final grading score., Conclusions: No current standardized neurosurgical complication grade has been used throughout morbidity and mortality conferences. Although scales have been proposed in reported studies, each with their strengths and limitations, none of these has considered surgery complexity or patient frailty and comorbidities. We believe a comprehensive scale is required that includes a preoperative grading system that factors in baseline surgical complexity and patient frailty., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The effect of frailty on outcomes after angiogram-negative subarachnoid hemorrhages (ANSAH) is currently unknown. We investigated frailty's effects on ANSAH outcomes, including mortality and in-hospital complications., Methods: Patients from 2014 to 2018 with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral angiograms with an unidentifiable hemorrhage source were retrospectively reviewed. The cohort was divided into non-frail (modified frailty index [mFI] = 0) and frail (mFI ≥1) groups based on pre-hemorrhage characteristics. Primary outcomes were mortality rate and discharge location. Multivariate logistic regression analyses determined predictors of ANSAH severity and primary endpoints. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to discriminate risks for primary endpoints comparing mFI, Hunt and Hess and Fisher scores, and age., Results: We included 75 patients with a mean age of 55.4 ± 1.5 years, comprising 42 (56%) women, and 41 (54.7%) with perimesencephalic bleeds. A total of 32 of 75 (42.7%) patients were classified as frail. Frail individuals were 6.2 times less likely to be discharged home (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05-0.5; P = 0.001) and all mortalities occurred in frail patients (12.5% [n = 4 of 32]; P = 0.030). The only independent predictor of mortality was higher mFI (OR = 5.4; 95% CI: 1.5-19.1; P = 0.009), and lower mFI best predicted discharge home (OR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.17-0.88; P = 0.023). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that mFI best predicted both mortality (area under the curve = 0.9718; P = 0.002) and discharge home (area under the curve = 0.7998; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Frail ANSAH patients have poorer outcomes and increased mortality compared with non-frail patients. Although prospective study is needed, this information significantly impacts our understanding of ANSAH outcomes and frailty should be used for prognostication as it was a better predictor than Hunt and Hess or Fisher scores., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Increasing age has been associated with worse outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), yet frailty's effect on aSAH outcomes has never been studied. The most common frailty measurement tool is the modified frailty index (mFI). The goal of this study is to compare the effect of frailty versus age as predictors of aSAH outcomes and mortality., Patients and Methods: Our institutional aSAH series were retrospectively identified and divided into non-frail (mFI = 0-1) and frail (mFI≥2) cohorts based on admission mFI scores. Primary outcomes were mortality and discharge location. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed., Results: There were 217 aSAH patients identified and 57 were frail (26.3%). Forty-one (18.9%) patients died and 74 (34%) were discharged home. Frail patients were significantly older (p < 0.0001) and had higher Hunt & Hess (HH) (p = 0.005) and Fisher (p = 0.0255) scores. Frail patients were less likely to receive an intervention (OR = 0.3; 95%CI:0.1-0.6); p = 0.0056), be discharged home (OR = 0.32; 95%CI:0.16-0.68; P = 0.0020), and were more likely to expire (OR = 2.4; 95%CI:1.2-5; P = 0.0183) and develop a complication (OR = 2.6; 95%CI:1.1-6.6; P = 0.0277). Multivariate regressions showed that the HH score (OR = 2.7; 95%CI: 1.9-3.0; P < 0.0001) followed by age≥65 (OR = 2.7; 95%CI:1.2-6.0; p = 0.012) were the only independent predictors of mortality. Likewise, discharge home was best predicted by HH score (OR = 0.24; 95%CI:0.15-0.37; p < 0.0001) and age (OR = 0.25; 95%CI:0.1-0.6; p = 0.003)., Conclusion: Frailty is associated with worse aSAH grades, more complications, and increased mortality, however, increasing age and HH scores were the only independent predictors of aSAH outcomes. This study suggests that HH score and increasing patient age, and not the accumulated co-morbidities at the time of aSAH, better predict outcomes., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Intrathecal (IT), intraventricular (IVt), and intracisternal administration of nicardipine deliver treatment directly into the central nervous system. This route of drug delivery is being investigated as a potential treatment of vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH)., Objective: The authors reviewed the existing literature regarding the direct administration of nicardipine into the intracranial space for the treatment of vasospasm following aSAH., Methods: An electronic search of literature published between 1994 and 2018 was performed using PubMed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A variety of combinations of the search terms "intrathecal nicardipine," "intraventricular nicardipine," and "nicardipine prolonged-release" were used., Results: A total of 17 studies were included in this systematic review, 3 of which were studies in animals. The studies consistently demonstrated that IT nicardipine successfully reverses vasospasm, but the effect, as shown in some studies, was limited to the immediate vicinity of drug release. The data regarding long-term clinical outcomes are variable, with some studies demonstrating marked improvement whereas others fail to demonstrate improved outcomes when compared with patients who receive standard of care. Although adverse sequalae were uncommon, IT and IVt administration and therapy were associated with adverse effects including headache, meningitis, and hydrocephalus., Conclusions: Given the findings presented in these studies, IT, IVt, and intracisternal (pellet) nicardipine administration can be useful treatment adjuncts for vasospasm following aSAH, especially in cases refractory to conventional forms of treatment. However, larger, controlled clinical trials are warranted., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Embolization has been proposed to reduce the size of the arteriovenous malformation (AVM) nidus in advance of radiosurgical treatment. Embolization followed by radiosurgery for brain AVMs, however, is controversial., Objective: We assessed the impact of embolization on nidal size before radiosurgical treatment and evaluated cure rates and complications by using embolization followed by radiosurgery., Methods: A retrospective review of our institutional AVM database identified 91 patients treated from 1995 to 2009 with embolization followed by radiosurgery. Pre- and postembolization AVM volumes were measured with angiography, and the modified radiation-based AVM scores (RBAS) also were calculated pre- and postembolization. RBAS determined from pre-embolization volumes were correlated with postradiosurgical obliteration., Results: Median AVM volume declined from 18.8 mL (interquartile range, 10.2-32.2 mL) to 9.9 mL (3.1-19.2 mL) after embolization, P < 0.00003. Median RBAS scores decreased from 2.6 mL (1.8-3.9 mL) to 1.8 mL (1.0-2.8 mL), P < 0.00003. Two of 91 (2.2%) had new fixed deficits after embolization; however, no patient had new disabling deficits (modified Rankin Scale score >2). A total of 71 of 91 (79%) have had >3 years' follow-up, and 40 (56%) had complete obliteration, with 38 (53%) having excellent outcomes (complete obliteration without neurologic decline). Excellent outcome was seen in 90% of patients with modified RBAS score <1, 66% of patients with score 1-1.5, 50% patients with score 1.5-2, and 43% of patients with score >2., Conclusions: These data suggest that embolization of brain AVMs can safely and effectively reduce the treatment volume before radiosurgery. Combined therapy with embolization and radiosurgery does not appear to adversely affect rates of excellent outcome., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Recent randomized trials have demonstrated that endovascular therapy improves outcomes in patients with an acute ischemic stroke from a large vessel occlusion. Subgroup analysis of the Multicenter Randomized CLinical trial of Endovascular treatment for Acute ischemic stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) study found that patients undergoing general anesthesia (GA) for the procedure did worse than those with nongeneral anesthesia (non-GA). Current guidelines now suggest that we consider non-GA over GA, without large, randomized trials specifically designed to address this issue. We sought to review our experience and outcomes in a program where we routinely use GA in patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy with similar techniques., Methods: Patients with anterior circulation strokes who received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) and endovascular stroke therapy were included in the analysis. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission and discharge and modified Rankin scale scores at discharge were recorded and compared with the outcome measurements of MR CLEAN., Results: Sixty patients were identified: 39 males and 21 females with a mean age of 62 (range of 29-88). Forty-seven patients were transferred from outside primary stroke centers, while 13 patients presented directly to our institution. Median NIHSS on admission was 15. The median time of symptom onset to endovascular therapy was 265 minutes, with an interquartile range of 81 minutes. Using the thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) scale, recanalization of TICI 2b-3 was achieved in 76.4% of recorded patients (42/55 recorded). At discharge, mortality was 16.7% (10/60), median NIHSS was 5, and 38.3% (23/60) of patients had a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2., Conclusions: General anesthesia does not worsen outcome in patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy when compared to historical subgroups. Despite a longer time from symptom onset to treatment, our outcomes for patients receiving GA compare favorably to the GA and non-GA groups in MR CLEAN., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)