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Background: Pediatric spinal fusion may be associated with significant intraoperative blood loss, leading to complications from transfusion, hypoperfusion and coagulopathy. One emerging strategy to mediate these risks is by utilization of the anti-fibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid (TXA). However, concerns regarding potential adverse reactions, specifically postoperative seizures and thrombotic events, still exist. To assess these risks, we examined the perioperative morbidity of TXA use in a large national database., Methods: Retrospective data from pediatric patients (age 18 years or younger), discharged between January 2013 to December 2015, who underwent primary or revision posterior spinal fusions, was collected from the Premier Perspective database (Premier, Charlotte, NC). Patients were stratified by TXA use and records were assessed for complications of new onset seizures, strokes, pulmonary embolisms (PE) or deep vein thromboses (DVT) occurring during the perioperative period., Results: In this cohort of 2,633 pediatric patients undergoing posterior spinal fusions, most often to treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, 15% received TXA. Overall, adverse events were rare in this patient population. The incidence of seizure, stoke, PE, or DVT in the control group was 0.54% (95% CI, 0.31% to 0.94%) and not significantly different from the TXA group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of DVTs, and no incidences of stroke in either group. There were no new-onset seizures or PEs in patients who received TXA., Conclusions: The use of TXA was not associated with an increased risk of adverse events including seizure, stroke, PE, and DVT. Our findings support the safety of TXA use in pediatric patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Prior studies have demonstrated an increase in the performance of outpatient anterior cervical surgery. The degree to which this increase is due to volume increase per individual surgeon versus increase in individual surgeons performing outpatient cervical surgery is unknown., Methods: Patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) or cervical disk arthroplasty (CDA) between 2010 and 2018 in NY state were identified. As a comparison we also evaluated trends for inpatient ACDF and CDA. Annual outpatient case volumes were calculated and defined as being high (> 20/year), intermediate (>5 and ≤ 20/year) or low (>1 and ≤ 5/year). Descriptive statistics were used to report temporal trends and Poisson regression was used to test for statistical significance. We also analyzed trends in various operative metrics by surgeon volume., Results: In 2010, there were 96 surgeons who performed outpatient ACDF or CDA on a total of 1,855 patients. In 2018, this increased to 253 surgeons performing outpatient ACDF or CDA on a total of 3,372 patients. In comparison, there were 350 surgeons performing 6,783 inpatient cases in 2010 and 376 surgeons performing 6,796 inpatient cases in 2018. The average annual outpatient case volume decreased from 18.8 (95% CI, 13.5 - 24.1) to 12.2 (95% CI, 10.0 - 14.3) surgeries per surgeon. The percentage of surgeons with a high case volume also decreased from 30.2% in 2010 to 10.7% in 2018, whereas the percentage with a low case volume increased (32.3% to 49.8%). Differences between high and low volume surgeons in operative time, length of stay and total charges widened over time., Conclusion: The increase in outpatient anterior cervical surgery appears to be primarily driven by a greater number of surgeons performing ACDF and CDA on an outpatient basis, as opposed to increased case volumes for each surgeon. In contrast, trends for inpatient anterior cervical surgery were stable., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of North American Spine Society.)

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) can occur in any organ, but rarely shows pancreatic involvement. While surgical excision has been recommended as the primary treatment for IPT of the pancreas in the past, some authors suggest observation while medical management often results in regression. Corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressive therapy have been used to treat IPTs. Spontaneous regression has also been reported in IPT managed without surgical intervention. A 62-year-old female was evaluated for worsening abdominal pain and a mass in the neck of the pancreas that was identified on ultrasound. Further imaging with magnetic resonance imaging revealed a pancreatic mass with dilated pancreatic duct and an atrophic parenchyma of the pancreatic neck. Her serum tumor markers were not elevated. As this lesion appeared to be resectable pancreatic cancer based on cross-sectional imaging, no biopsy was performed prior to surgical resection. Distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was recommended and the patient desired to proceed. Her recovery was uneventful with no postoperative complications, including pancreatic fistula. Final pathology revealed a lesion consistent with the diagnosis of immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-negative IPT without neoplasm. IPT of the pancreas is a difficult entity to diagnose and treat due to clinical and imaging characteristics closely resembling pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Biopsy with immunohistochemical analysis can be useful in diagnosing IPT; however, symptomatic lesions and concerning findings on cross-sectional imaging may warrant more definitive surgical intervention., Competing Interests: Authors have no conflict of interest., (Copyright 2021, Geiselmann et al.)