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Background: Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) are a rare subgroup of neoplasms, encompassing both benign, slow-growing masses, and malignant lesions; radical surgical excision represents the cornerstone of treatment for such pathologies regardless of histopathology, which, on the other hand, is a known predictor of survival and neurologic outcome postsurgery. The present study aims to investigate the relevance of other factors in predicting survival and long-term functional outcomes., Methods: We conducted a review of current literature on functional outcomes of IMSCTs, as well as a 10-years prospective analysis of a wide cohort of patients with diagnosis of IMSCTs who underwent surgical resection at our institution., Results: Our series encompasses 60 patients with IMSCTS, among which 36 ependymomas, 6 cavernous angiomas, 5 hemangioblastomas, 6 WHO Grade I-IV astrocytomas, 3 intramedullary spinal metastases and 4 miscellaneous tumors. GTR was achieved in 76,67% of patients, with high preoperative McCormick grade, syringomyelia and changes at neurophysiologic monitoring being the strongest predictors at multivariate analysis (P = 0.0027, P = 0.0017 and P = 0.001 respectively)., Conclusions: Consistently with literature, preoperative neurologic function is the most important factor predicting long-term functional outcome (0.17, CI 0.069-0.57 with P = 0.0018), advocating for early surgery in the management of IMSCTs, whereas late complications such as myelopathy and neuropathic pain were present regardless of preoperative function., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To promote global equity in research, innovation, and care, sharing knowledge and grasping current benchmarks is crucial. Despite LIC/LMIC constituting around 80% of the global population, their contribution to neurosurgery research is less than 5%. This study aims to assess the status of neurosurgical oncology in LIC/LMIC using published data, offering strategic insights for progress., Methods: Conducting a retrospective bibliometric analysis via PubMed and Scopus databases, we documented reports published (2015-2021) by neurosurgical department-affiliated investigators in LICs/LMICs. World Bank classifications identified LIC and LMIC. Reviewed papers underwent further scrutiny based on independent and associated keyword lists., Results: Our systematic approach revealed 189 studies from LMIC in 10 neurosurgery journals. Of these, 53% were case reports, with 88% focusing on brain pathologies and 12% on the spine. Intra-axial brain tumors (45.8%), extra-axial/skull base (38.4%), and metastasis (3.68%) were prominent. Among noncase report publications, surgical technique and outcome were common themes. India, Egypt, and Tunisia led in publications, with 94% appearing in journals with an impact factor below 5. No papers originated from LIC., Conclusions: This study reinforces existing findings that data from LMIC inadequately represent their populations, impeding a comprehensive understanding of their neurosurgical oncology landscape. Language barriers and data collection difficulties contribute to this gap. Addressing these challenges could significantly enhance progress in shaping the future of neurosurgical oncology in these regions., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In 2019, we highlighted the disparities in scientific production between high-income countries (HICs) and low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) by emphasizing how scientific research was underrepresented in the latter. The present study aimed to investigate research productivity in neurosurgery of low-income countries (LICs) and LMICs for the years 2018-2020 and to compare it with the results of our previous study for 2015-2017., Methods: We performed a retrospective bibliometric analysis using PubMed and Scopus databases to record all the reports published in 2018-2020 by investigators affiliated with neurosurgical departments in LICs and LMICs. The attribution of the study to LMICs was based on the presence of either the first author or the majority of authors., Results: Our systematic search identified 486 studies reported by LICs and LMICs for full text examination in 12 journals. These articles represent 4.9% of all published neurosurgical articles, compared with 4.5% in the 2015-2017 study. India remained the country with the highest contribution, with a 17.1% increase in reports. Other countries, such as Nigeria and Philippines, also show an increased percentage of reports (from 0.9% to 3.7% and from 0.6% to 2.1%, respectively)., Conclusions: There is growing consensus in the neurosurgical scientific community that the dissemination and analysis of epidemiologic and clinical data from developing countries can provide guidelines and practical suggestions worldwide. However, our study shows that the number of neurosurgical articles published by low-income countries in 2018-2020 remained at approximately 5% of the total, resulting in a negative impact on the process of globalization., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Complex intracranial aneurysms (CIAs) are challenging pathologies to treat. Characteristics making an aneurysm complex include dimension, history of previous treatment, location, absence of collateral circulation, intraluminal thrombosis, and calcification of the wall. The goal of the therapeutic process is to exclude the malformation from the cerebral circulation and both endovascular and surgical treatments are valid procedures., Methods: Between 1990 and 2020, 170 CIAs were treated at our institution (33 ruptured, 137 unruptured). They were 3 prepetrous segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA), 14 purely intracavernous sinus, 27 intracavernous with subarachnoid extension, 60 paraclinoid, 4 ICA bifurcation, 15 anterior communicating artery, 24 middle cerebral artery, and 23 in the posterior circulation. All the patients underwent neuroradiologic examinations and images were evaluated by the neurosurgical and interventional radiologist team. Endovascular treatment was considered as the treatment of choice. Alternative treatment was surgical clipping; revascularization procedures were performed when neither endovascular treatment nor direct clipping were possible., Results: Of 170 patients, 45 underwent endovascular treatment, 77 surgical clipping, and 55 revascularization procedures. In the unruptured group, 12 patients died, 22 reported major complications, 3 had minor complications, and 101 had an uneventful postoperative course. In the ruptured group, 9 patients died, 10 had minor complications, 1 minor complication, and 13 had a complete recovery., Conclusions: Endovascular treatment should represent the treatment of choice for CIAs. Alternative treatments include direct surgical clipping and revascularization. Overall, the correct identification of the therapeutic process guarantees a good clinical outcome., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a challenging condition to manage that is treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). The aim of this report is to assess the safety, efficacy, and durability of GKRS for the treatment of TN in patients with MS. Our findings are compared with those of the existing literature and discussed., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients at our institution who underwent GKRS for the treatment of TN secondary to MS and had 1 or more years of follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative pain intensities and facial numbness were evaluated with the Barrow Neurological Institute scores. Durability of successful pain relief was statistically evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. The prognostic role of perioperative factors was investigated and analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression., Results: There were 29 patients with MS-TN who underwent GKRS at our institution. Two patients underwent bilateral treatment. Four patients underwent repeat GKRS for pain recurrence. The median period of follow-up assessment was 33 months. Rates of reasonable pain reduction at 1, 3, and 5 years were 70%, 57%, and 57% respectively. All patients who underwent repeat GKRS had durable pain reduction. No prognostic factor for successful pain reduction was found., Conclusions: Our study shows that GKRS for the treatment of TN secondary to MS is a safe and effective procedure in controlling pain in the short term but often fails to provide long-term pain control. GKRS can be safely repeated to prolong the time of pain reduction., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Traumatic spinal injury (TSI) is a global health issue contributing to morbidity and mortality, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to compare the epidemiological estimates of TSI with the corresponding amount of published papers for different regions., Methods: A bibliometric analysis was performed by collecting the number of publications concerning TSI from the PubMed database. Results were sorted according to the different geographical World Health Organization regions. A "publication-to-volume ratio" was obtained by comparing the average number of documents per year with the number of TSI cases across each region., Results: A total of 2304 articles were detected from 2008 to 2018. The major publishing regions were North America (AMR-US/Can: 843 articles, 36.6%) and Europe (EUR: 833, 36.2%), then Western Pacific (WPR: 410, 17.8%), Eastern Mediterranean (EMR: 73, 3.2%), South-East Asia (SEAR: 71, 3.1%), Latin America (AMR-L: 55, 2.4%), Africa (AFR: 19, 0.8%). The United States is the most publishing country in AMR-US/Can (86.0%), and Germany in EUR (22.4%). In 2018, EUR published 36.6% of papers versus AMR-US/Can 26.5% and WPR 25.7%, thanks to an increase in Chinese publications. The highest publication ratios of 4.63 and 2.68 were found for AMR-US/Can and EUR, respectively. The other were EMR (0.22), WPR (0.18), AMR-L (0.07), SEAR (0.03), and AFR (0.01)., Conclusions: A marked divide is currently found between countries with a high burden of TSI and those where there is most research interest, estimated as amount of publications. Data demonstrate the need for increased inclusiveness in guidelines generation from high-income countries including collection and analysis from low- and middle-income countries., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a degenerative disease that represents the most common spinal cord disorder in adults. The best treatment option has remained controversial. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the clinical, radiographic, and neurophysiologic outcomes for anterior cervical corpectomy in the treatment of CSM., Methods: From January 2011 to January 2017, 60 patients with CSM were prospectively enrolled in the present study. The patients were divided according to the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale (mJOA) score into 2 groups: group A, patients with mild to moderate CSM (mJOA score ≥13); and group B, patients with severe myelopathy (mJOA score <13). Data were collected for each participating subject, including demographic information, symptoms, medical history, radiologic and neurophysiologic features, and functional impairment., Results: Of the 60 patients, 35 were men (58.3%) and 25 were women (41.7%). Their average age was 57.48 ± 10.60 years. The mean symptom duration was 25.33 ± 16.00 months; range, 3-57 months). Of the 60 patients, 22 had undergone single-level corpectomy and 36 multilevel corpectomy. A significant improvement in the motor evoked potentials was observed in both groups., Conclusions: Single- and multilevel corpectomy are valid and safe options in the treatment of CSM. In the present prospective study, a statistically significant improvement in the mJOA score and neurophysiologic parameters was observed for both moderate and severe forms of CSM., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In 2015, the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery highlighted the disparities in surgical care worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the research productivity of low-income countries (LICs) and low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) in selected journals representing the worldwide neurosurgical data and their ability to report and communicate globally the existing differences between high-income countries (HICs) and LMICs., Methods: We performed a retrospective bibliometric analysis using PubMed and Scopus databases to record all the reports from 2015 to 2017 by investigators affiliated with neurosurgical departments in LICs and LMICs., Results: A total of 8459 reports by investigators self-identified as members of neurosurgery departments worldwide were identified. Of these, 6708 reports were included in accordance with our method in the final analysis. The systematic search resulted in 459 studies reported by LICs and LMICs. Of these, 334 reports were included for the full text evaluation. Of the 6708 reports, 303 (4.52%) had been reported with an LMIC affiliation and only 31 (0.46%) with an LIC. The leading countries were India with 182 (54.5% among LMICs and LICs; 2.71% overall), followed by Egypt at 66 (19.76% among the LMICs and LICs; 0.98% overall), with a large difference compared with other countries such as Uganda at 9 (2.69% among the LMICs and LICs) and Tunisia and Pakistan at 8 each (2.4% among the LMICs and LICs). A few reports studies had been generated by collaboration with HIC neurosurgeons., Conclusions: Our results have shown that research studies from LMICs are underrepresented. Understanding and discussing the reasons for this underrepresentation are necessary to start addressing the disparities in neurosurgical research and care capacity. Future engagements from international journals, more partnership collaboration from HICs, and tailored funding to support investigators, collaborations, and networks could be of help., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The fornix is a region of greatest neurosurgical interest in regards to its complex anatomy and surgical approaches to this area. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphology of the triangular recess (TR) and its role in the growth pattern of the colloid cysts (CC) within the third ventricle and in the choice of the surgical approach for their removal. Furthermore, to compare the results of the dissections with measurements performed on a magnetic resonance imaging scan., Methods: In the anatomic study, 20 cadaveric specimens were dissected and analyzed. In the radiologic study, a magnetic resonance imaging scan was performed in 20 healthy volunteers. In the clinical study, a retrospective analysis of all the patients affected with CCs microsurgically removed at our institute between 2010 and 2018 was conducted., Results: In the anatomic study, the width, height, and the area of the TR were respectively 0.31 cm, 0.33cm, and 0.051 cm 2 . In the radiologic study, 3 different typologies of TR were identified: open recess in ventriculomegaly (7 patients); open recess in physiologic ventricular system (3 patients); closed or blind recess (10 patients). Three different growth patterns of CCs were identified: type 1) CCs localized at the foramen of Monro growing behind the fornix and below the third ventricular roof; type 2) CCs growing rostrally between the column of fornix; and type 3) CCs growing above the plane of the third ventricular roof., Conclusions: The anatomy of the TR influences the growth pattern of CC within the ventricular cavity and determines the surgical strategy for their removal., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Meckel's cave (MC) is commonly affected by neoplastic lesions that often require neurosurgical treatment. We simulated the posterior petrous apicectomy (PPA) on fresh cadavers to verify the in vivo feasibility of the approach. We proposed a new classification system of MC meningioma based on the extent of middle cranial fossa (MCF) involvement., Methods: Ten fresh, non-formalin-fixed specimens were used in this study. Through a retrosigmoid approach, 20 PPAs were performed. Subsequently, the cerebral hemispheres were removed to quantify the MCF exposure and dimensions of the suprameatal tubercle. Twenty-four patients operated on for MC meningioma were classified as follows: group 1, tumor <3 cm; group 2, tumor >3 cm. Group 2 was subdivided into to 5 subtypes: 2A, tumor of the MCF; 2B, tumor of the posterior cranial fossa; 2C, tumor of MCF and posterior cranial fossa; 2C type I, MCF <15 mm; and 2C type II, MCF >15 mm., Results: The extent of MCF exposure through the PPA is 13 mm. Mean suprameatal tubercle dimensions were 10.4 mm × 3.8 mm. Mean extent of bony removal for the PPA was 10.2 mm. PPA was successfully performed in 3 patients without major neurologic sequelae., Conclusions: Preliminary results obtained with the PPA in 2C type I meningiomas are encouraging. The new classification system proposed can be useful in clinical practice, especially in the choice of the most suitable surgical approach for dumbbell meningiomas., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this work is to describe in detail the complex 3-dimensional organization of the white matter of the temporal lobe and discuss the surgical implications of the approaches to lesions located into the mesial temporal region and within the temporal horn and the atrium of the lateral ventricles., Methods: Sixteen human cerebral hemispheres fixed in a 10% formalin solution for at least 40 days were studied. After removal of the arachnoid membrane, the hemispheres were frozen at -15°C for at least 14 days, and the Klingler technique, which consists of the microscopic dissection and progressive identification of white matter fibers, was performed., Results: The dissection allowed us to appreciate the topographical organization of the white matter of the temporal lobe identifying the most important association, projection, and commissural fasciculi. The dissection from the lateral side allowed the progressive visualization of the superior longitudinal fasciculus and its components, the extreme and external capsule, the uncinate fasciculus, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the anterior commissure, the internal capsule, and the optic radiations. The dissection was completed from the inferior and medial side for identification of the cingulum and the fornix., Conclusions: The complex 3-dimensional organization of the white matter substance of the temporal lobe is characterized by 2 main systems of boundaries: the sagittal stratum and the temporal stem. Their knowledge is essential for the appropriate treatment of pathologies localized in this region as demonstrated by the 2 clinical cases presented in this work., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)