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Objectives: Comprehensive preoperative management involves the identification and optimization of medical comorbidities while avoiding excessive healthcare utilization. While diabetes and heart disease are major causes of morbidity that can worsen surgical outcomes, further study is needed to evaluate how well current perioperative strategies mitigate their risks. This study employs an exact matching protocol to isolate the effects of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease on spine surgery outcomes., Methods: 4680 consecutive patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion were retrospectively enrolled. Univariate logistic regression was performed on comorbidity subgroups, then coarsened exact matching (CEM) was employed for patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Patients were matched 1:1 on ten patient and procedural characteristics known to affect neurosurgical outcomes. Separate pairs of exact-matched cohorts were generated to isolate both cardiovascular disease (matched n = 192), and diabetes (matched n = 380). Primary outcomes were surgical complications; length of stay; discharge disposition (home vs. non-home); and 30- and 90-day Emergency Department (ED) visits, readmissions, reoperations, and mortality., Results: Cardiovascular disease and diabetes subgroups were not associated with short term outcomes after matching to control for confounders. Compared to univariate statistics, this method demonstrates that confounding control variables may drive outcomes more than these comorbidities themselves., Conclusion: Between otherwise exactly matched patients undergoing lumbar fusion, diabetes and cardiovascular disease posed no greater risk of short-term adverse outcomes. This suggests proper selection criteria for surgical candidates and effective current perioperative strategies to mitigate these common comorbidities. Further studies are warranted to assess and optimize the cost-effectiveness of preoperative management for patients with common comorbidities., 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Pediatric tumors of the central nervous system are the most common cause of cancer-related death in children. The five-year survival rate for high-grade gliomas in children is less than 20%. Due to their rarity, the diagnosis of these entities is often delayed, their treatment is mainly based on historic treatment concepts, and clinical trials require multi-institutional collaborations. The MICCAI Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) Challenge is a landmark community benchmark event with a successful history of 12 years of resource creation for the segmentation and analysis of adult glioma. Here we present the CBTN-CONNECT-DIPGR-ASNR-MICCAI BraTS-PEDs 2023 challenge, which represents the first BraTS challenge focused on pediatric brain tumors with data acquired across multiple international consortia dedicated to pediatric neuro-oncology and clinical trials. The BraTS-PEDs 2023 challenge focuses on benchmarking the development of volumentric segmentation algorithms for pediatric brain glioma through standardized quantitative performance evaluation metrics utilized across the BraTS 2023 cluster of challenges. Models gaining knowledge from the BraTS-PEDs multi-parametric structural MRI (mpMRI) training data will be evaluated on separate validation and unseen test mpMRI dataof high-grade pediatric glioma. The CBTN-CONNECT-DIPGR-ASNR-MICCAI BraTS-PEDs 2023 challenge brings together clinicians and AI/imaging scientists to lead to faster development of automated segmentation techniques that could benefit clinical trials, and ultimately the care of children with brain tumors.

Objective: To isolate the impact of subsumed surgery (a shorter procedure completed entirely during overlapping non-critical portions of a longer antecedent procedure) on patient outcomes., Summary Background Data: The American College of Surgeons recently recommended the elimination of "concurrent surgery" with overlap during a procedure's critical portions. Guidelines for non-concurrent overlap have been established, but the safety of subsumed surgery remains to be examined., Methods: All consecutive procedures from 2013 to 2021 within a multihospital academic medical center were included (n=871,441). Simple logistic regression was performed to compare postoperative events between patients undergoing non-overlap surgery (n=533,032) and completely subsumed surgery (n=11,319). Thereafter, coarsened exact matching was used to match patients with non-overlap and subsumed surgery 1:1 on CPT code, 18 demographic features, baseline health characteristics, and procedural variables (n=7,146). Exact-matched cases were subsequently limited to pairs performed by the same surgeon (n=5,028). Primary outcomes included 30-day readmission, ED visits, and reoperations., Results: Univariate analysis suggested that subsumed surgery had a higher 30-day risk of readmission (OR 1.55, P<0.0001), ED evaluation (OR 1.19, P<0.0001), and reoperation (OR 1.98, P<0.0001). When comparison was limited to the exact same procedure and patients were matched on demographics and health characteristics, there were no outcome differences between patients with subsumed surgery and non-overlapping surgery, even when limiting analyses to the same surgeon., Conclusions: Similar surgeries for similar patients result in similar outcomes whether there is completely subsumed or no overlap. Individual surgeons performing a specific procedure have no outcome differences with subsumed and non-overlapping cases., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: NRM received support from the Bernadette and Kevin McKenna Family Research Fund. The authors have no personal or institutional interest with regards to the authorship and/or publication of this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Study Design: Retrospective Matched Cohort Study., Objectives: Low median household income (MHI) has been correlated with worsened surgical outcomes, but few studies have rigorously controlled for demographic and medical factors at the patient level. This study isolates the relationship between MHI and surgical outcomes in a lumbar fusion cohort using coarsened exact matching., Methods: Patients undergoing single-level, posterior lumbar fusion at a single institution were consecutively enrolled and retrospectively analyzed (n = 4263). Zip code was cross-referenced to census data to derive MHI. Univariate regression correlated MHI to outcomes. Patients with low MHI were matched to those with high MHI based on demographic and medical factors. Outcomes evaluated included complications, length of stay, discharge disposition, 30- and 90 day readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, reoperations, and mortality., Results: By univariate analysis, MHI was significantly associated with 30- and 90 day readmission, ED visits, reoperation, and non-home discharge, but not mortality. After exact matching (n = 270), low-income patients had higher odds of non-home discharge (OR = 2.5, P = .016) and higher length of stay (mean 100.2 vs 92.6, P = .02). There were no differences in surgical complications, ED visits, readmissions, or reoperations between matched groups., Conclusions: Low MHI was significantly associated with adverse short-term outcomes from lumbar fusion. A matched analysis controlling for confounding variables uncovered longer lengths of stay and higher rates of discharge to post-acute care (vs home) in lower MHI patients. Socioeconomic disparities affect health beyond access to care, worsen surgical outcomes, and impose costs on healthcare systems. Targeted interventions must be implemented to mitigate these disparities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: Race plays a salient role in access to surgical care. However, few investigations have assessed the impact of race within surgical populations after care has been delivered. The objective of this study was to employ an exact matching protocol to a homogenous population of spine surgery patients in order to isolate the relationships between race and short-term postoperative outcomes., Methods: In total, 4263 consecutive patients who underwent single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single multihospital academic medical center were retrospectively enrolled. Of these patients, 3406 patients self-identified as White and 857 patients self-identified as non-White. Outcomes were initially compared across all patients via logistic regression. Subsequently, White patients and non-White patients were exactly matched on the basis of key demographic and health characteristics (1520 matched patients). Outcome disparities were evaluated between the exact-matched cohorts. Primary outcomes were readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, reoperations, mortality, intraoperative complications, and discharge disposition., Results: Before matching, non-White patients were less likely to be discharged home and more likely to be readmitted, evaluated in the ED, and undergo reoperation. After matching, non-White patients experienced higher rates of nonhome discharge, readmissions, and ED visits. Non-White patients did not have more surgical complications either before or after matching., Conclusions: Between otherwise similar cohorts of spinal fusion cases, non-White patients experienced unfavorable discharge disposition and higher risk of multiple adverse postoperative outcomes. However, these findings were not accounted for by differences in surgical complications, suggesting that structural factors underlie the observed disparities.

Background and Objectives: Race has implications for access to medical care. However, the impact of race, after access to care has been attained, remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to isolate the relationship between race and short-term outcomes across patients undergoing a single, common neurosurgical procedure., Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 3988 consecutive patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only open lumbar fusion at a single, multihospital, academic medical center were enrolled over a 6-year period. Among them, 3406 patients self-identified as White, and 582 patients self-identified as Black. Outcome disparities between all White patients vs all Black patients were estimated using logistic regression. Subsequently, coarsened exact matching controlled for outcome-mitigating factors; White and Black patients were exact-matched 1:1 on key demographic and health characteristics (matched n = 1018). Primary outcomes included 30-day and 90-day hospital readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, reoperations, mortality, discharge disposition, and intraoperative complication., Results: Before matching, Black patients experienced increased rate of nonhome discharge, readmissions, ED visits, and reoperations (all P < .001). After exact matching, Black patients were less likely to be discharged to home (odds ratio [OR] 2.68, P < .001) and had higher risk of 30-day and 90-day readmissions (OR 2.24, P < .001; OR 1.91, P < .001; respectively) and ED visits (OR 1.79, P = .017; OR 2.09, P < .001). Black patients did not experience greater risk of intraoperative complication (unintentional durotomy)., Conclusion: Between otherwise homogenous spinal fusion cohorts, Black patients experienced unfavorable short-term outcomes. These disparities were not explained by differences in intraoperative complications. Further investigation must characterize and mitigate institutional and societal factors that contribute to outcome disparities., (Copyright © Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2024. All rights reserved.)

Background: Scoliosis causes abnormal spinal curvature and torsional rotation of the vertebrae and has implications for human suffering and societal cost. In differential geometry, Writhe describes three-dimensional curvature. Differential geometric quantities can inform better diagnostic metrics of scoliotic deformity. This evaluation could help physicians and researchers study scoliosis and determine treatments., Methods: Eight adult lumbar spine CT scans were analyzed in custom MATLAB programs to estimate Writhe and Cobb angle. Five patients exhibited scoliotic curvature, and three controls were asymptomatic. Vertebral centroids in three-dimensional space were determined, and Writhe was approximated. A T-test determined whether the affected spines had greater Writhe than the controls. Cohen's D test was used to determine effect size., Results: Writhe of scoliotic spines (5.4E-4 ± 2.7E-4) was significantly higher than non-scoliotic spines (8.2E-5 ± 1.1E-4; p = 0.008)., Conclusion: Writhe, a measure of curvature derived from 3D imaging, is significantly greater in scoliotic than in non-scoliotic spines. Future directions must include more subjects and examine writhe as a marker of scoliosis severity, progression, and response to treatment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Scoliosis Research Society.)

Objective: Preoperative management requires the identification and optimization of modifiable medical comorbidities, though few studies isolate comorbid status from related patient-level variables. This study evaluates Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI)-an easily derived measure of aggregate medical comorbidity-to predict outcomes from spinal fusion surgery. Coarsened exact matching is employed to control for key patient characteristics and isolate CCI., Methods: We retrospectively assessed 4680 consecutive patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single academic center. Logistic regression evaluated the univariate relationship between CCI and patient outcomes. Coarsened exact matching generated exact demographic matches between patients with high comorbid status (CCI >6) or no medical comorbidities (matched n = 524). Patients were matched 1:1 on factors associated with surgical outcomes, and outcomes were compared between matched cohorts. Primary outcomes included surgical complications, discharge status, 30- and 90-day risk of readmission, emergency department (ED) visits, reoperation, and mortality., Results: Univariate regression of increasing CCI was significantly associated with non-home discharge, as well as 30- and 90-day readmission, ED visits, and mortality (all P < 0.05). Subsequent isolation of comorbidity between otherwise exact-matched cohorts found comorbid status did not affect readmissions, reoperations, or mortality; high CCI score was significantly associated with non-home discharge (OR = 2.50, P < 0.001) and 30-day (OR = 2.44, P = 0.02) and 90-day (OR = 2.29, P = 0.008) ED evaluation., Conclusions: Comorbidity, measured by CCI, did not increase the risk of readmission, reoperation, or mortality. Single-level, posterior lumbar fusions may be safe in appropriately selected patients regardless of comorbid status. Future studies should determine whether CCI can guide discharge planning and postoperative optimization., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Study Design: Retrospective cohort., Objective: The present study analyzes the impact of end-overlap on short-term outcomes after single-level, posterior lumbar fusions., Summary of Background Data: Few studies have evaluated how "end-overlap" (i.e., surgical overlap after the critical elements of spinal procedures, such as during wound closure) influences surgical outcomes., Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on 3563 consecutive adult patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion over a 6-year period at a multi-hospital university health system. Exclusion criteria included revision surgery, missing key health information, significantly elevated body mass index (>70), non-elective operations, non-general anesthesia, and unclean wounds. Outcomes included 30-day emergency department visit, readmission, reoperation, morbidity, and mortality. Univariate analysis was carried out on the sample population, then limited to patients with end-overlap. Subsequently, patients with the least end-overlap were exact-matched to patients with the most. Matching was performed based on key demographic variables-including sex and comorbid status-and attending surgeon, and then outcomes were compared between exact-matched cohorts., Results: Among the entire sample population, no significant associations were found between the degree of end-overlap and short-term adverse events. Limited to cases with any end-overlap, increasing overlap was associated with increased 30-day emergency department visits ( P =0.049) but no other adverse outcomes. After controlling for confounding variables in the demographic-matched and demographic/surgeon-matched analyses, no differences in outcomes were observed between exact-matched cohorts., Conclusions: The degree of overlap after the critical steps of single-level lumbar fusion did not predict adverse short-term outcomes. This suggests that end-overlap is a safe practice within this surgical population., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The relationship between socioeconomic status and neurosurgical outcomes has been investigated with respect to insurance status or median household income, but few studies have considered more comprehensive measures of socioeconomic status. This study examines the relationship between Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a comprehensive measure of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, and short-term postoperative outcomes after lumbar fusion surgery., Methods: 1861 adult patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single, multihospital academic medical center were retrospectively enrolled. An ADI matching protocol was used to identify each patient's 9-digit zip code and the zip code-associated ADI data. Primary outcomes included 30- and 90-day readmission, emergency department visits, reoperation, and surgical complication. Coarsened exact matching was used to match patients on key demographic and baseline characteristics known to independently affect neurosurgical outcomes. Odds ratios (ORs) were computed to compare patients in the top 10% of ADI versus lowest 40% of ADI., Results: After matching (n = 212), patients in the highest 10% of ADI (compared to the lowest 40% of ADI) had significantly increased odds of 30- and 90-day readmission (OR = 5.00, P < 0.001 and OR = 4.50, P < 0.001), ED visits (OR = 3.00, P = 0.027 and OR = 2.88, P = 0.007), and reoperation (OR = 4.50, P = 0.039 and OR = 5.50, P = 0.013). There was no significant association with surgical complication (OR = 0.50, P = 0.63)., Conclusions: Among otherwise similar patients, neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage (measured by ADI) was associated with worse short-term outcomes after single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion. There was no significant association between ADI and surgical complications, suggesting that perioperative complications do not explain the socioeconomic disparities in outcomes., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To conduct a prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in an elective spine surgery population., Background: Surgical outcomes such as length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, and opioid utilization greatly contribute to patient satisfaction and societal healthcare costs. ERAS protocols are multimodal, patient-centered care pathways shown to reduce postoperative opioid use, reduced LOS, and improved ambulation; however, prospective ERAS data are limited in spine surgery., Methods: This single-center, institutional review board-approved, prospective RCT-enrolled adult patients undergoing elective spine surgery between March 2019 and October 2020. Primary outcomes were perioperative and 1-month postoperative opioid use. Patients were randomized to ERAS (n=142) or standard-of-care (SOC; n=142) based on power analyses to detect a difference in postoperative opioid use., Results: Opioid use during hospitalization and the first postoperative month was not significantly different between groups (ERAS 112.2 vs SOC 117.6 morphine milligram equivalent, P =0.76; ERAS 38.7% vs SOC 39.4%, P =1.00, respectively). However, patients randomized to ERAS were less likely to use opioids at 6 months postoperatively (ERAS 11.4% vs SOC 20.6%, P =0.046) and more likely to be discharged to home after surgery (ERAS 91.5% vs SOC 81.0%, P =0.015)., Conclusion: Here, we present a novel ERAS prospective RCT in the elective spine surgery population. Although we do not detect a difference in the primary outcome of short-term opioid use, we observe significantly reduced opioid use at 6-month follow-up as well as an increased likelihood of home disposition after surgery in the ERAS group., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Operative approaches for far lateral disc herniation (FLDH) repair may be classified as open or minimally invasive. The present study aims to compare postoperative outcomes and resource utilization between patients undergoing open and endoscopic (one such minimally invasive approach) FLDH surgeries., Methods: A total of 144 consecutive adult patients undergoing FLDH repair at a single, university health system over an 8-year period (2013-2020) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts: "open" ( n = 92) and "endoscopic" ( n = 52). Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the impact of procedural type on postoperative outcomes, and resource utilization metrics were compared between cohorts using χ 2 test (for categorical variables) or t test (for continuous variables). Primary postsurgical outcomes included readmissions, reoperations, emergency department visits, and neurosurgery outpatient office visits within 90 days of the index operation. Primary resource utilization outcomes included total direct cost of the procedure and length of stay. Secondary measures included discharge disposition, operative length, and duration of follow-up., Results: No differences were observed in adverse postoperative events. Patients undergoing open FLDH surgery were more likely to attend outpatient visits within 30 days ( P = 0.016). Although direct operating room cost was lower ( P < 0.001) for open procedures, length of hospital stay was longer ( P < 0.001). Patients undergoing open surgery also demonstrated less favorable discharge dispositions, longer operative length, and greater duration of follow-up., Conclusions: While both procedure types represent viable options for FLDH, endoscopic surgeries appear to achieve comparable clinical outcomes with decreased perioperative resource utilization., Clinical Relevance: The present study suggests that endoscopic FLDH repairs do not lead to inferior outcomes but may decrease utilization of perioperative resources., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests : The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (This manuscript is generously published free of charge by ISASS, the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Copyright © 2023 ISASS. To see more or order reprints or permissions, see http://ijssurgery.com.)

Objective: There are limited data evaluating the outcomes of attending neurosurgeons with different types of first assistants. This study considers a common neurosurgical procedure (single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion surgery) and examines whether attending surgeons deliver equal patient outcomes, regardless of the type of first assistant (resident physician vs. nonphysician surgical assistant [NPSA]), among otherwise exact-matched patients., Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed 3395 adult patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single academic medical center. Primary outcomes included readmissions, emergency department visits, reoperation, and mortality within 30 and 90 days after surgery. Secondary outcome measures included discharge disposition, length of stay, and length of surgery. Coarsened exact matching was used to match patients on key demographics and baseline characteristics known to independently affect neurosurgical outcomes., Results: Among exact-matched patients (n = 1402), there was no significant difference in adverse postsurgical events (readmission, emergency department visits, reoperation, or mortality) within 30 days or 90 days of the index operation between patients who had resident physicians and those who had NPSAs as first assistants. Patients who had resident physicians as first assistants demonstrated a longer length of stay (mean: 100.0 vs. 87.4 hours, P < 0.001) and a shorter duration of surgery (mean: 187.4 vs. 213.8 minutes, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the percentage of patients discharged home., Conclusions: For single-level posterior spinal fusion, in the setting described, there are no differences in short-term patient outcomes delivered by attending surgeons assisted by resident physicians versus NPSAs., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated that household income is independently predictive of postsurgical morbidity and mortality, but few studies have elucidated this relationship in a purely spine surgery population. This study aims to correlate household income with adverse events after discectomy for far lateral disc herniation (FLDH)., Methods: All adult patients (N.=144) who underwent FLDH surgery at a single, multihospital, 1659-bed university health system (2013-2020) were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between household income and adverse postsurgical events, including unplanned hospital readmissions, ED visits, and reoperations., Results: Mean age of the population was 61.72±11.55 years. Mean household income was $78,283±26,996; 69 (47.9%) were female; and 126 (87.5%) were non-Hispanic white. Ninety-two patients underwent open and fifty-two underwent endoscopic FLDH surgery. Each additional dollar decrease in household income was significantly associated with increased risk of reoperation of any kind within 90-days, but not 30-days, after the index admission. However, household income did not predict risk of readmission or ED visit within either 30-days or 30-90-days postsurgery., Conclusions: These findings suggest that household income may predict reoperation following FLDH surgery. Additional research is warranted into the relationship between household income and adverse neurosurgical outcomes.

Background: Few neurosurgical studies examine the July Effect within elective spinal procedures, and none uses an exact-matched protocol to rigorously account for confounders., Objective: To evaluate the July Effect in single-level spinal fusions, after coarsened exact matching of the patient cohort on key patient characteristics (including race and comorbid status) known to independently affect neurosurgical outcomes., Methods: Two thousand three hundred thirty-eight adult patients who underwent single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single, multicenter university hospital system were retrospectively enrolled. Primary outcomes included readmissions, emergency department visits, reoperation, surgical complications, and mortality within 30 days of surgery. Logistic regression was used to analyze month as an ordinal variable. Subsequently, outcomes were compared between patients with surgery at the beginning vs end of the academic year (ie, July vs April-June), before and after coarsened exact matching on key characteristics. After exact matching, 99 exactly matched pairs of patients (total n = 198) were included for analysis., Results: Among all patients, operative month was not associated with adverse postoperative events within 30 days of the index operation. Furthermore, patients with surgeries in July had no significant difference in adverse outcomes. Similarly, between exact-matched cohorts, patients in July were observed to have noninferior adverse postoperative events., Conclusion: There was no evidence suggestive of a July Effect after single-level, posterior approach spinal fusions in our cohort. These findings align with the previous literature to imply that teaching hospitals provide adequate patient care throughout the academic year, regardless of how long individual resident physician assistants have been in their particular role., (Copyright © Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2022. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) updated its guidelines on overlapping surgery in 2016. The objective was to examine differences in postoperative outcomes after overlapping surgery either pre-ACS guideline revision or post-guideline revision, in a coarsened exact matching sample., Methods: A total of 3327 consecutive adult patients undergoing single-level posterior lumbar fusion from 2013 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were separated into a pre-ACS guideline revision cohort (surgery before April 2016) or a post-guideline revision cohort (surgery after October 2016) for comparison. The primary outcomes were proportion of cases performed with any degree of overlap, and adverse events including 30-day and 90-day rates of readmission, reoperation, emergency department visit, morbidity, and mortality. Subsequently, coarsened exact matching was used among overlapping surgery patients only to assess the impact of the ACS guideline revision on overlapping outcomes, and controlling for attending surgeon and key patient characteristics known to affect surgical outcomes., Results: After the implementation of the ACS guidelines, fewer cases were performed with overlap (22.0% vs. 53.7%; P < 0.001). Patients in the post-ACS guideline revision cohort experienced improved rates of readmission and reoperation within 30 and 90 days. However, when limited to overlapping cases only, no differences were observed in overlap outcomes pre-ACS versus post-ACS guideline revision. Similarly, when exact matched on risk-associated patient characteristics and attending surgeon, overlapping surgery patients pre-ACS and post-ACS guideline revision experienced similar rates of 30-day and 90-day outcomes., Conclusions: After the ACS guideline revision, no discernable impact was observed on postoperative outcomes after lumbar fusion performed with overlap., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Intrasellar aneurysms are rare vascular lesions that typically present with symptoms of mass effect upon the pituitary gland and optic apparatus. Most arise from the internal carotid artery, while only a handful of case reports describe intrasellar aneurysms originating from the anterior communicating artery. The appropriate recognition and management of these lesions are critical to prevent irreversible neurological deficits and catastrophic hemorrhage. Here, we highlight a patient with an anterior communicating artery aneurysm projecting into the sella turcica, leading to hyponatremia, pituitary dysfunction, and chiasmal compression.

The aim of this study was to assess coronary artery and aortic calcification in healthy controls, angina pectoris patients, and prostate cancer patients using 18F-sodium fluoride PET/computed tomography (NaF-PET/CT). A retrospective analysis compared 33 prostate cancer patients with 33 healthy subjects and 33 patients with angina pectoris. Increased target-to-background ratio (TBR) of the coronary arteries, ascending aorta, aortic arch, and descending aorta was observed in cancer patients compared to healthy controls but not compared to angina pectoris patients. These results demonstrate the feasibility of assessing vascular microcalcification with NaF-PET/CT, with significant differences in uptake according to comorbidities., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET/computed tomography (CT) allows detection of bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of assessing global metastatic bone disease in patients with PCa by using a threshold-based PET segmentation technique. This retrospective analysis was performed in 32 patients with PCa with known bone metastases who underwent NaF-PET/CT imaging. An adaptive contrast-oriented thresholding technique was used to segment NaF avid lesions. The mean metabolic volumetric product (MVPmean), partial volume-corrected MVPmean (cMVPmean), and metabolically active volume (MAV) were calculated. Lesional values were summed within each patient to obtain the global PET disease burden. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the associations between global NaF-PET/CT metrics and clinical biomarkers of metastatic disease activity. Global MVPmean, cMVPmean, and MAV were significantly correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (p < 0.05). No correlation was observed between global NaF-PET/CT measures and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Global assessment is a feasible method to quantify metastatic bone disease activity in patients with PCa. Convergent validity was supported by demonstrating a significant correlation between NaF-PET/CT parameters and blood ALP levels., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: A hallmark of surgical training is resident involvement in operative procedures. While resident-assisted surgeries have been deemed generally safe, few studies have rigorously isolated the impact of resident post-graduate year (PGY) level on post-operative outcomes in a neurosurgical patient population. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between resident training level and outcomes following single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion, after matching on key patient demographic/clinical characteristics and attending surgeon., Patients and Methods: This coarsened-exact matching (CEM) study analyzed 2338 consecutive adult patients who underwent single-level lumbar fusion with a resident assistant surgeon at a multi-hospital university health system from 2013 to 2019. Primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day readmissions, Emergency Department (ED) visits, reoperations, surgical complications, and mortality. First, univariate logistic regression examined the relationship between PGY level and outcomes. Then, CEM was used to control for key patient characteristics - such as race and comorbid status - and supervising attending surgeon, between the most junior (PGY-2)-assisted cases and the most senior (PGY-7)-assisted cases, thereby isolating the relationship between training level and outcomes., Results: Among all patients, resident training level was not associated with risk of adverse post-surgical outcomes. Similarly, between exact-matched cohorts of PGY-2- and PGY-7-assisted cases, no significant differences in adverse events or discharge disposition were observed. Patients with the most senior resident assistant surgeons demonstrated longer length of stay (mean 100.5 vs. 93.8 h, p = 0.022) and longer duration of surgery (mean 173.5 vs. 159.8 min, p = 0.036)., Conclusion: Training level of the resident assistant surgeon did not impact adverse outcomes provided to patients in the setting of single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion. These findings suggest that attending surgeons appropriately manage cases with resident surgeons at different levels of training., Competing Interests: Disclosures/Conflicting Interests The authors have no personal or institutional interest with regards to the authorship and/or publication of this manuscript., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Gender is a known social determinant of health (SDOH) that has been linked to neurosurgical outcome disparities. To improve quality of care, there exists a need to investigate the impact of gender on procedure-specific outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the role of gender on short- and long-term outcomes following resection of meningiomas - the most common benign brain neoplasm of adulthood - between exact matched patient cohorts., Material and Methods: All consecutive patients undergoing supratentorial meningioma resection (n = 349) at a single, university-wide health system over a 6-year period were analyzed retrospectively. Coarsened exact matching was employed to match patients on numerous key characteristics related to outcomes. Primary outcomes included readmission, ED visit, reoperation, and mortality within 30 and 90 days of surgery. Mortality and reoperation were also assessed during the entire follow-up period. Outcomes were compared between matched female and male cohorts., Results: Between matched cohorts, no significant difference was observed in morbidity or mortality at 30 days ( p =  0.42-0.75), 90-days ( p =  0.23-0.69), or throughout the follow-up period ( p =  0.22-0.45). Differences in short-term mortality could not be assessed due to the low number of mortality events., Conclusions: After matching on characteristics known to impact outcomes and when isolated from other SDOHs, gender does not independently affect morbidity and mortality following meningioma resection. Further research on the role of other SDOHs in this population is merited to better understand underlying drivers of disparity.

Objective: Preoperative prediction of a patient's postoperative healthcare utilization is challenging, and limited guidance currently exists. The objective of the present study was to assess the capability of individual risk-related patient characteristics, which are available preoperatively, that may predict discharge disposition prior to lumbar fusion., Methods: In total, 1066 consecutive patients who underwent single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a university health system were enrolled. Patients were prospectively asked 4 nondemographic questions from the Risk Assessment and Prediction Tool during preoperative office visits to evaluate key risk-related characteristics: baseline walking ability, use of a gait assistive device, reliance on community supports (e.g., Meals on Wheels), and availability of a postoperative home caretaker. The primary outcome was discharge disposition (home vs skilled nursing facility/acute rehabilitation). Logistic regression was performed to analyze the ability of each risk-related characteristic to predict likelihood of home discharge., Results: Regression analysis demonstrated that improved baseline walking ability (OR 3.17), ambulation without a gait assistive device (OR 3.13), and availability of a postoperative home caretaker (OR 1.99) each significantly predicted an increased likelihood of home discharge (all p < 0.0001). However, reliance on community supports did not significantly predict discharge disposition (p = 0.94)., Conclusions: Patient mobility and the availability of a postoperative caretaker, when determined preoperatively, strongly predict a patient's healthcare utilization in the setting of single-level, posterior lumbar fusion. These findings may help surgeons to streamline preoperative clinic workflow and support the patients at highest risk in a targeted fashion.

A positive fluorine-18 labelled 2-deoxy-2-fluoroglucose ([ 18 F]FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been associated with more aggressive disease and less differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). Although a high maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) predicts poor outcome in NEN, volumetric parameters from [ 18 F]FDG PET have not been evaluated for prognostication in a pure high-grade gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NEN cohort. In this retrospective observational study, we evaluated the volumetric PET parameters total metabolic tumour volume (tMTV) and total total lesion glycolysis (tTLG) for independent prognostication of overall survival (OS). High-grade GEP NEN patients with [ 18 F]FDG PET/CT examination and biopsy within 90 days were included. Total MTV and tTLG were calculated using an adaptive thresholding software. Patients were dichotomised into low and high metabolic groups based on median tMTV and tTLG. OS was compared using Kaplan-Meier estimator and log-rank test. Uni and multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate effect sizes and adjust for tumour differentiation and SUV max . Sixty-six patients (median age 64 years) were included with 14 NET G3 and 52 NEC cases after histological re-evaluation. Median tMTV was 208 cm 3 and median tTLG 1899 g. Median OS in the low versus high tMTV-group was 21.2 versus 5.7 months (HR 2.53, p = 0.0007) and 22.8 versus 5.7 months (HR 2.42, p = 0.0012) in the tTLG-group. Adjusted for tumour differentiation and SUV max , tMTV and tTLG still predicted for poor OS, and both tMTV and tTLG were stronger prognostic parameters than SUV max . Both regression models showed a strong association between volumetric parameters and OS for both neuroendocrine tumours (NET) G3 and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC). OS for the tTLG low metabolic NEC was much higher than for the tTLG high metabolic NET G3 (18.3 vs. 5.7 months). High-grade GEP NEN patients with high tMTV or tTLG had a worse OS regardless of tumour differentiation (NET G3 or NEC). Volumetric PET parameters were stronger prognostic parameters than SUV max ., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Neuroendocrinology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society for Neuroendocrinology.)

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. Hybrid PET/MR imaging has revolutionized brain tumor imaging, allowing for noninvasive, simultaneous assessment of morphologic, functional, metabolic, and molecular parameters within the brain. Molecular information obtained from PET imaging may aid in the detection, classification, prognostication, and therapeutic decision making for gliomas. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been widely used in the setting of brain tumor imaging, and multiple techniques may be employed to optimize this methodology. More recently, a number of non- 18 F-FDG-PET radiotracers have been applied toward brain tumor imaging and are used in clinical practice., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Predicting patient needs for extended care after spinal fusion remains challenging. The Risk Assessment and Prediction Tool (RAPT) was externally developed to predict discharge disposition after nonspine orthopedic surgery but remains scarcely used in neurosurgery. The present study is the first to use coarsened exact matching-which incorporated patient characteristics known to independently affect outcomes-for 1:1 matching across a large population of single-level, posterior lumbar fusions, to isolate the predictive value of preoperative RAPT score on postoperative discharge disposition., Methods: Preoperative RAPT scores were prospectively calculated for 1066 patients undergoing consecutive single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion within a single, university healthcare system. The primary outcome was discharge disposition. Logistic regression was executed across all patients, evaluating the RAPT score as a continuous variable to predict home discharge. Subsequently, patients were retrospectively clustered into predicted risk cohorts-validated within prior orthopedic joint research-based on the RAPT score (Lowest, Intermediate, and Highest Risk). Coarsened exact matching was performed among predicted risk cohorts, and outcomes were compared between exact-matched groups., Results: Among all patients, single-point increases in the RAPT score (i.e., decrease in predicted risk) were associated a 75% increased odds of home discharge (P < 0.001). Exact-matched analysis demonstrated increased odds of home discharge by 400% when comparing the Lowest versus Highest Risk cohorts (P = 0.004), by 750% when comparing the Intermediate versus Highest Risk cohorts (P < 0.001), and by 200% when comparing the Lowest versus Intermediate Risk cohorts (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: The RAPT score, captured in preoperative evaluations, can be highly predictive of discharge disposition following single-level, posterior lumbar fusion., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: There remains a paucity of literature on the impact of overlap on neurosurgical patient outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to correlate increasing duration of surgical overlap with short-term patient outcomes following lumbar fusion., Methods: The present study retrospectively analyzed 1302 adult patients undergoing overlapping, single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion within a single, multicenter, academic health system. Recorded outcomes included 30-day emergency department visits, readmission, reoperation, mortality, overall morbidity, and overall morbidity/surgical complications. The amount of overlap was calculated as a percentage of total overlap time. Comparison was made between patients with the most (top 10%) and least (bottom 40%) amount of overlap. Patients were then exact matched on key demographic factors but not by the attending surgeons. Subsequently, patients were exact matched by both demographic data and the attending surgeons. Univariate analysis was first carried out prior to matching and then on both the demographic-matched and surgeon-matched cohorts. Significance for all analyses was set at a P value of <0.05., Results: Within the whole population, increasing duration of overlap was not correlated with any short-term outcome ( P = 0.41-0.91). After exact matching, patients with the most and least durations of overlap did not have significant differences with respect to any short-term outcomes ( P = 0.34-1.00)., Conclusion: Increased amount of overlap is not associated with adverse short-term outcomes for single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusions., Clinical Relevance: The present results suggest that increasing the duration of overlap during lumbar fusion surgery does not lead to inferior outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (This manuscript is generously published free of charge by ISASS, the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Copyright © 2022 ISASS. To see more or order reprints or permissions, see http://ijssurgery.com.)

Introduction By identifying drivers of healthcare disparities, providers can better support high-risk patients and develop risk-mitigation strategies. Household income is a social determinant of health known to contribute to healthcare disparities. The present study evaluates the impact of household income on short-term morbidity and mortality following supratentorial meningioma resection. Methods A total of 349 consecutive patients undergoing supratentorial meningioma resection over a six-year period (2013-2019) were analyzed retrospectively. Primary outcomes were unplanned hospital readmission, reoperations, emergency department (ED) visits, return to the operating room, and all-cause mortality within 30 days of the index operation. Standardized univariate regression was performed across the entire sample to assess the impact of household income on outcomes. Subsequently, outcomes were compared between the lowest (household income ≤ $51,780) and highest (household income ≥ $87,958) income quartiles. Finally, stepwise regression was executed to identify potential confounding variables. Results Across all supratentorial meningioma resection patients, lower household income was correlated with a significantly increased rate of 30-day ED visits (p = 0.002). Comparing the lowest and highest income quartiles, the lowest quartile was similarly observed to have a significantly higher rate of 30-day ED evaluation (p = 0.033). Stepwise regression revealed that the observed association between household income and 30-day ED visits was not affected by confounding variables. Conclusion This study suggests that household income plays a role in short-term ED evaluation following supratentorial meningioma resection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Spadola et al.)

Endoscopic fenestration is best as it is minimally invasive and does not require hardware in the surgical site (Figure 1). This case shows the safety of endoscopic fenestration and the utility of operative adjuncts ( J Korean Med Sci . 1999;14:443; Neurosurg Focus . 2005;19:E7)., Competing Interests: The authors have no personal, financial, or institutional interest in any of the materials or devices described in the video., (© 2022 The Authors. Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: Spinal fusion is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. The LACE (length of stay, acuity of admission, Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] score, and emergency department [ED] visits within the previous 6 months) index was developed to predict readmission but has not been tested in a large, homogeneous spinal fusion population. The present study evaluated use of the LACE+ score for outcome prediction after lumbar fusion., Methods: LACE+ scores were calculated for all patients (n = 1598) with complete information who underwent single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single university medical system. Logistic regression was performed to assess the ability of the LACE+ score as a continuous variable to predict hospital readmissions within 30 days (30D), 30-90 days (30-90D), and 90 days (90D) of the index operation. Secondary outcome measures included ED visits and reoperations. Subsequently, patients with LACE+ scores in the bottom decile were exact matched to the patients with scores in the top 4 deciles to control for sociodemographic and procedural variables., Results: Among all patients, increased LACE+ score significantly predicted higher rates of readmissions in the 30D (p < 0.001), 30-90D (p = 0.001), and 90D (p < 0.001) postoperative windows. LACE+ score also predicted risk of ED visits at all 3 time points and reoperations at 30-90D and 90D. When patients with LACE+ scores in the bottom decile were compared with patients with scores in the top 4 deciles, higher LACE+ score predicted higher risk of readmissions at 30D (p = 0.009) and 90D (p = 0.005). No significant difference in hospital readmissions was observed between the exact-matched cohorts., Conclusions: The present results suggest that the LACE+ score demonstrates utility in predicting readmissions within 30 and 90 days after single-level lumbar fusion. Future research is warranted that utilizes the LACE+ index to identify strategies to support high-risk patients in a prospective population.

Background: To compare the NaF uptake in the thoracic aorta and whole heart, as an early indicator of atherosclerosis, in multiple myeloma (MM) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) patients with a healthy control (HC) group., Methods: Forty-four untreated myeloma patients (35 MM and nine SMM) and twenty-six age and gender-matched HC subjects were collected. Each individual's NaF uptake in three parts of the aorta (AA: ascending aorta, AR: aortic arch, DA: descending aorta) and the whole heart was segmented. Average global standardized uptake value means were derived by sum of the product of each slice area divided by the sum of those slice areas. Results were reported as target to background ratio (TBR)., Results: There was a significant difference between the NaF uptake in the thoracic aorta of myeloma and HC groups [AA (myeloma = 1.82 ± 0.21, HC = 1.24 ± 0.02), AR (myeloma = 1.71 ± 0.19, HC = 1.28 ± 0.03) and DA (myeloma = 1.96 ± 0.28, HC = 1.38 ± 0.03); P-values < 0.001]. The difference in the whole heart NaF uptake between two groups was also significant (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: We observed a higher uptake of NaF in the thoracic aorta and whole heart of myeloma patients in comparison to the matched control group., (© 2021. American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.)

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) represents a method of detecting and characterizing arterial wall inflammation, with potential applications in the early assessment of vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis. By portraying early-stage molecular changes, FDG-PET findings have previously been shown to correlate with atherosclerosis progression. In addition, recent studies have suggested that microcalcification revealed by 18 F-sodium fluoride (NaF) may be more sensitive at detecting atherogenic changes compared to FDG-PET. In this review, we summarize the roles of FDG and NaF in the assessment of atherosclerosis and discuss the role of global assessment in quantification of the vascular disease burden. Furthermore, we will review the emerging applications of FDG-PET in various vascular disorders, including pulmonary embolism, as well as inflammatory and infectious vascular diseases.

Introduction The analysis of social determinants of health (SDOH) across different surgical populations is critical for the identification of health disparities and the development risk mitigation strategies among vulnerable patients. Research into the impact of gender on neurosurgical outcomes remains limited. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of gender on outcomes, in a matched sample, following posterior fossa tumor resection, a high-risk neurosurgical procedure. Methods Two hundred seventy-eight consecutive patients undergoing posterior fossa tumor resection over a six-year period (June 07, 2013, to April 29, 2019) at a single academic medical system were retrospectively evaluated. Short-term outcomes included 30- and 90-day rates of emergency department (ED) visit, readmission, reoperation, and mortality. Long-term outcomes included mortality and reoperation for the duration of follow-up. Firstly, male and female patients in the entire pre-match sample were compared. Thereafter, coarsened exact matching was employed to control for confounding variables, matching male and female patients on key demographic factors - including history of prior surgery, median household income, and race, amongst others - and outcome comparison was repeated. Results In both the entire pre-match sample and matched cohort analyses, no significant differences in adverse postsurgical events were discerned between the female and male patients when evaluating 30-day or 90-day rates of ED visit, readmission, reoperation, and mortality. There were also no differences in reoperation or mortality for the duration of follow-up. Conclusion Gender does not appear to impact short- or long-term outcomes following posterior fossa tumor resection. As such, risk assessment and mitigation strategies in this population should focus on other SDOH. Further studies should assess the role of other SDOH within this population., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Farooqi et al.)

Background: Few studies have assessed the impact of overlapping surgery during different timepoints of neurosurgical procedures., Objective: To evaluate the impact of overlap before the critical portion of surgery on short-term patient outcomes following lumbar fusion., Methods: In total, 3799 consecutive patients who underwent single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion over 6 yr (2013-2019) at an academic hospital system were retrospectively studied. Outcomes included 30-d emergency department (ED) visit, readmission, reoperation, mortality, overall morbidity, and overall morbidity/surgical complications. Duration of overlap that occurred before the critical portion of surgery was calculated as a percentage of total beginning operative time. Univariate logistic regression was used to assess the impact of incremental 1% increases in the duration of overlap within the whole population and patients with beginning overlap. Subsequently, univariate analysis was used to compare exact matched patients with the least (bottom 40%) and most amounts of overlap (100% beginning overlap). Coarsened exact matching was used to match patients on key demographic factors, as well as attending surgeon. Significance was set at a P-value < .05., Results: Increased duration of beginning overlap was associated with a decrease in 30-d ED visit (P = .03) within all patients with beginning overlap, but not within the whole population undergoing lumbar fusion. Duration of beginning overlap was not associated with any other short-term morbidity or mortality outcome in either the whole population or patients with beginning overlap., Conclusion: Increased duration of overlap before the critical step of surgery does not predict adverse short-term outcomes after single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion., (© Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2021.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative condition. The definitive diagnosis of AD remains a post-mortem neuropathological study of the brain. Unfortunately, there are no established diagnostic criteria to achieve an accurate diagnosis of AD in a similarly objective fashion among living patients. Molecular imaging provides one way of enhancing clinical criteria where objective measures of AD correlate to the presence and progression of disease. In this article, the amyloid and tau hypotheses are considered with respect to pathological, imaging, and therapeutic studies. The value of beta-amyloid (Aβ) PET and tau PET are ascertained. Subsequently, the binding characteristics and quality of Aβ and tau tracers are explored. Finally, the value of Aβ and tau imaging in AD can be determined relevant from in-vivo studies of AD patients. Considering the evolving literature in AD and PET imaging, it has become clear that PET can play a role in the diagnosis and prognosis of AD. The use of Aβ imaging has been extensively studied with mixed results suggesting a limited clinical utility. Conversely, tau-PET has shown early success in similar applications as Aβ imaging. Specifically, we find that there is value in FDG-PET and prospective utility in tau-PET. Ultimately, the community must acknowledge that the role of Aβ imaging for diagnosing and managing AD is very limited and that FDG-PET will remain the study of choice at this time. Moreover, research efforts must continue to determine the prospective value of tau imaging to the assessment of this disease., Competing Interests: None., (AJNMMI Copyright © 2021.)

We measured changes in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) images in the lung parenchyma to quantify the degree of lung inflammation in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received radiotherapy (RT). The goal of this study was to demonstrate successful implementation of this imaging methodology on NSCLC patients and to report quantitative statistics between pre-RT and post-RT. Seventy-one patients with NSCLC underwent FDG-PET/CT imaging before and after RT in a prospective study (ACRIN 6668/RTOG 0235). Comparisons between pre-RT and post-RT PET/CT were conducted for partial volume corrected (PVC)-mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), PVC-global lung parenchymal glycolysis (GLPG), and lung volume for both ipsilateral and contralateral lungs using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Regression modeling was conducted to associate clinical characteristics with post-RT PET/CT parameters. There was a significant increase in average SUVmean and GLPG of the ipsilateral lung (relative change 40% and 20%) between pre-RT and post-RT PET/CT scans (P<0.0001 and P=0.004). Absolute increases in PVC-SUVmean and PVC-GLPG were more pronounced (ΔPVC-SUVmean 0.32 versus ΔSUVmean 0.28; ΔPVC-GLPG 463.34 cc versus ΔGLPG 352.90 cc) and highly significant (P<0.0001). In contrast, the contralateral lung demonstrated no significant difference between pre-RT to post-RT in either GLPG (P=0.12) or SUVmean (P=0.18). The only clinical feature significantly associated with post-RT PET/CT parameters was clinical staging. Our study demonstrated inflammatory response in the ipsilateral lung of NSCLC patients treated with photon RT, suggesting that PET/CT parameters may serve as biomarkers for radiation pneumonitis (RP)., Competing Interests: None., (AJNMMI Copyright © 2021.)

Introduction Vancomycin may be used as an alternative perioperative antibiotic for penicillin-allergic patients but follows a different infusion timing. At the institution presented herein, noncompliance with recommended vancomycin infusion timing has been hypothesized to contribute toward increased risk of surgical site infections and avoidable expenditures. The objective of this project was to utilize the Performance Improvement In Action methodology to identify, address, and solve the problem of vancomycin administration timing. Methodology This study took place at a multi-hospital, urban academic medical center. The protocol was developed by neurosurgery and anesthesia faculty, advanced practice providers, nursing, and pharmacy. Timing of the following points was recorded: initial order, order release, pharmacy verification, vancomycin infusion, and surgical incision. Fifty consecutive penicillin-allergic patients undergoing neurosurgical intervention were prospectively enrolled. Data comparison was made between the pilot and retrospective review cohorts. Results The pilot cohort achieved correct administration of vancomycin in 100% of cases. Average infusion start time prior to incision increased by 257% (p<0.0001). Conclusions This study demonstrates a departmental capacity for optimized timing of vancomycin infusions, in a budget- and workflow-neutral process, while reducing inappropriate administration. In the future, this protocol may be scaled to additional departments and institutions to appropriately and efficiently administer perioperative vancomycin and mitigate the risk for surgical site infections., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Borja et al.)

Objectives: There is growing evidence that sodium fluoride ([ 18 F]fluoride) PET/CT can detect active arterial calcifications at the molecular stage. We investigated the relationship between arterial mineralization in the left common carotid artery (LCC) assessed by [ 18 F]fluoride PET/CT and cardiovascular/thromboembolic risk., Methods: In total, 128 subjects (mean age 48 ± 14 years, 51% males) were included. [ 18 F]fluoride uptake in the LCC was quantitatively assessed by measuring the blood-pool-corrected maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on each axial slice. Average SUVmax (aSUVmax) was calculated over all slices and correlated with 10-year risk of cardiovascular events estimated by the Framingham model, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and level of physical activity (LPA)., Results: The aSUVmax was significantly higher in patients with increased risk of cardiovascular (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.01) and thromboembolic (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.01) events, and it was significantly lower in patients with greater LPA (one-way ANOVA, p = 0.02). On multivariable linear regression analysis, age ( = 0.07, 95% CI 0.05 - 0.10, p < 0.01), body mass index ( = 0.02, 95% CI 0.01 - 0.03, p < 0.01), arterial hypertension ( = 0.15, 95% CI 0.08 - 0.23, p < 0.01), and LPA ( = -0.10, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.02, p=0.02) were independent associations of aSUVmax., Conclusions: Carotid [ 18 F]fluoride uptake is significantly increased in patients with unfavorable cardiovascular and thromboembolic risk profiles. [ 18 F]fluoride PET/CT could become a valuable tool to estimate subjects' risk of future cardiovascular events although still major trials are needed to further evaluate the associations found in this study and their potential clinical usefulness., Key Points: • Sodium fluoride ([ 18 F]fluoride) PET/CT imaging identifies patients with early-stage atherosclerosis. • Carotid [ 18 F]fluoride uptake is significantly higher in patients with increased risk of cardiovascular and thromboembolic events and inversely correlated with the level of physical activity. • Early detection of arterial mineralization at a molecular level could help guide clinical decisions in the context of cardiovascular risk assessment., (© 2021. European Society of Radiology.)

Objective: This study assesses how degree of overlap, either before or after the critical operative portion, affects lumbar fusion outcomes., Methods: The authors retrospectively studied 3799 consecutive patients undergoing single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion over 6 years (2013-2019) at a university health system. Outcomes recorded within 30-90 and 0-90 postoperative days included emergency department (ED) visit, readmission, reoperation, overall morbidity, and mortality. Furthermore, morbidity and mortality were recorded for the duration of follow-up. The amount of overlap that occurred before or after the critical portion of surgery was calculated as a percentage of total beginning or end operative time. Subsequent to initial whole-population analysis, coarsened exact-matched cohorts of patients were created with the least and most amounts of either beginning or end overlap. Univariate analysis was performed on both beginning and end overlap exact-matched cohorts, with significance set at p < 0.05., Results: Equivalent outcomes were observed when comparing exact-matched patients. Among the whole population, the degree of beginning overlap was correlated with reduced ED visits within 30-90 and 0-90 days (p = 0.007, p = 0.009; respectively), and less 0-90 day morbidity (p = 0.037). Degree of end overlap was correlated with fewer 30-90 day ED visits (p = 0.015). When comparing only patients with overlap, degree of beginning overlap was correlated with fewer 0-90 day reoperations (p = 0.022), and no outcomes were correlated with degree of end overlap., Conclusions: The degree of overlap before or after the critical step of surgery does not lead to worse outcomes after lumbar fusion.

Objective . Holographic mixed reality (HMR) allows for the superimposition of computer-generated virtual objects onto the operator's view of the world. Innovative solutions can be developed to enable the use of this technology during surgery. The authors developed and iteratively optimized a pipeline to construct, visualize, and register intraoperative holographic models of patient landmarks during spinal fusion surgery. Methods. The study was carried out in two phases. In phase 1, the custom intraoperative pipeline to generate patient-specific holographic models was developed over 7 patients. In phase 2, registration accuracy was optimized iteratively for 6 patients in a real-time operative setting. Results. In phase 1, an intraoperative pipeline was successfully employed to generate and deploy patient-specific holographic models. In phase 2, the registration error with the native hand-gesture registration was 20.2 ± 10.8 mm (n = 7 test points). Custom controller-based registration significantly reduced the mean registration error to 4.18 ± 2.83 mm (n = 24 test points, P < .01). Accuracy improved over time (B = -.69, P < .0001) with the final patient achieving a registration error of 2.30 ± .58 mm. Across both phases, the average model generation time was 18.0 ± 6.1 minutes (n = 6) for isolated spinal hardware and 33.8 ± 8.6 minutes (n = 6) for spinal anatomy. Conclusions. A custom pipeline is described for the generation of intraoperative 3D holographic models during spine surgery. Registration accuracy dramatically improved with iterative optimization of the pipeline and technique. While significant improvements and advancements need to be made to enable clinical utility, HMR demonstrates significant potential as the next frontier of intraoperative visualization.

Introduction: The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score has been shown to predict 10-year all-cause mortality and post-neurosurgical complications but has never been examined in a far lateral disc herniation (FLDH) population. This study aims to correlate CCI score with adverse outcomes following FLDH repair., Patients and Methods: All patients (n = 144) undergoing discectomy for FLDH at a single, multihospital academic medical system (2013-2020) were retrospectively analyzed. CCI scores were determined for all patients. Univariate logistic regression was used to determine the ability of CCI score to predict adverse outcomes., Results: Mean age of the population was 61.72 ± 11.55 years, 69 (47.9%) were female, and 126 (87.5%) were non-Hispanic white. Patients underwent either open (n = 92) or endoscopic (n = 52) FLDH repair. Average CCI score among the patient population was 2.87 ± 2.42. Each additional point in CCI score was significantly associated with higher rates of readmission (p = 0.022, p = 0.014) in the 30-day and 30-90-day post-surgery window, respectively, and emergency department visits (p = 0.011) within 30-days. CCI score also predicted risk of reoperation of any kind (p = 0.013) within 30 days of the index operation. In addition, CCI score was predictive of risk of reoperation of any kind (p = 0.008, p < 0.001; respectively) and repeat neurosurgical intervention (p = 0.027, p = 0.027) within 30-days and 90-days of the index admission (either during the same admission or after discharge)., Conclusions: This study suggests that CCI score is a useful metric to predict of numerous adverse postoperative outcomes following discectomy for FLDH., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction Previous studies have demonstrated that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes, but few studies have examined OSA in a purely spine surgery population. This study investigates the association of the STOP-Bang questionnaire, a screening tool for undiagnosed OSA, with adverse events following discectomy for far lateral disc herniation (FLDH). Methods All adult patients (n = 144) who underwent FLDH surgery at a single, multihospital, academic medical center (2013-2020) were retrospectively enrolled. Univariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the relationship between risk of OSA (low- or high-risk) according to STOP-Bang score and postsurgical outcomes, including unplanned hospital readmissions, ED visits, and reoperations. Results Ninety-two patients underwent open FLDH surgery, while 52 underwent endoscopic procedures. High risk of OSA according to STOP-Bang score did not predict risk of readmission, ED visit, outpatient office visit, or reoperation of any kind within either 30 days or 30-90 days of surgery. High risk of OSA also did not predict risk of reoperation of any kind or repeat neurosurgical intervention within 30 days or 90 days of the index admission (either during the same admission or after discharge). Conclusion The STOP-Bang questionnaire is not a reliable tool for predicting post-operative morbidity and mortality for FLDH patients undergoing discectomy. Additional studies are needed to assess the impact of OSA on morbidity and mortality in other spine surgery populations., Competing Interests: NRM received support from the Kevin and Bernadette McKenna Family Research Fund., (Copyright © 2021, Connolly et al.)

Cancer patients are at markedly increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Early detection of VTE may decrease morbidity and mortality in this population. We conducted this study to evaluate the ability of FDG-PET/CT to detect thrombosis in cancer patients. This retrospective study included 131 cancer patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) referred for 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT). All subjects underwent PET/CT imaging 60 minutes after FDG injection. Images were visually assessed for increased FDG uptake within the venous lumen. For positive cases, clinical follow-up and Doppler ultrasonography and/or contrast-enhanced CT scans were reviewed. FDG-PET/CT revealed abnormal uptake in the venous system of 26 (19.8%) patients. Eighteen (69.2%) had a history of DVT, and 13 (50%) had a history of PE. The most common site of thrombosis was the inferior vena cava (IVC) (n=14, 53.8%), followed by lower extremities veins (n=9, 34.6%), jugular veins (n=2, 7.7%), and superior vena cava (n=1, 3.8%). The presence of thrombi was confirmed by reviewing clinical follow-up in 6 (23.1%) patients. Among this group, thrombosis was detected in lower extremity veins (n=4, 15.8%), jugular veins (n=1, 3.8%), and IVC (n=1, 3.8%). Our study demonstrates that thrombi prior to their clinical manifestation can be detected by FDG-PET/CT in cancer patients. Moving forward, physicians must carefully consider the venous system when reporting FDG-PET/CT for cancer patients., Competing Interests: None., (AJNMMI Copyright © 2021.)

Objectives: 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) is a radiotracer used in PET that reflects calcium metabolism and osteoblastic activity. In this study, we assessed the construct validity of a novel application of global assessment to measure NaF uptake in the femoral neck as a method of evaluating physiologic changes in osteoblastic metabolism with age., Methods: Whole-body NaF-PET/computed tomography (CT) images and MRI of 24 male patients with a history of nonmetastatic prostate cancer between the ages of 36 and 82 years (67.8 ± 9.6) were analyzed. A region of interest delineated the entire femoral neck on the PET/CT image to determine the mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean). Correction for the partial volume effect was performed by measuring the volume of inert yellow bone marrow by MRI segmentation. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship of uptake with age and body weight., Results: The SUVmean with and without partial volume correction decreased with respect to age (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Body weight was not significantly related to any measured PET parameter., Conclusion: Our results support the use of global NaF uptake with magnetic resonance-derived partial volume correction in the femoral neck. Because osteoblastic metabolism is known to decrease with normal aging, the observed decrease in NaF uptake constitutes evidence for convergent validity, indicating that the proposed methodology likely reflects systemic osteoblastic activity. Future studies of this methodology are warranted in other instances of varying osteoblastic activity such as in metabolic bone diseases and for the evaluation of therapy targeting osteoblastic metabolism., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) and 18 F-sodium fluoride ( 18 F-NaF) are front-runners in PET. However, these tracers have limitations in the imaging of diseases in the heart. A multitude of other radiotracers have been identified as potentially useful PET agents in the identification of cardiovascular disease. This critical review examines recent studies with the use of non- 18 F-FDG/ 18 F-NaF radiotracers in the identification and surveillance of cardiovascular diseases. We highlight the need for further investigation into alternative PET radiotracers to demonstrate their clinical value in the management of these pathologies., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Tau proteins play a significant role in a variety of degenerative neurologic conditions. Postmortem neuropathology studies of victims of repeat and severe head trauma have defined a unique spatial expression of neurologic tauopathies in these individuals, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Established and newly developed radiotracers are now being applied to head injury populations with the intent of diagnosis and disease monitoring. This review assesses the role of tau in head injury, the state of tau radiotracer development, and the potential clinical value of tau-PET as derived from head injury studies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The goal of this study was to assess global cerebral glucose uptake in subjects with known cardiovascular risk factors by employing a quantitative 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) technique. We hypothesized that at-risk subjects would demonstrate decreased global brain glucose uptake compared to healthy controls., Methods: We compared 35 healthy male controls and 14 male subjects at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) as assessed by the systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE) tool. All subjects were grouped into two age-matched cohorts: younger (<50 years) and older (≥50 years). The global standardized uptake value mean (Avg SUVmean) was measured by mapping regions of interest of the entire brain across the supratentorial structures and cerebellum. Wilcoxon's rank-sum test was used to assess the differences in Avg SUVmean between controls and at-risk subjects., Results: Younger subjects demonstrated higher brain Avg SUVmean than older subjects. In addition, in both age strata, the 10-year risk for fatal CVD according to the SCORE tool was significantly greater in the at-risk groups than in healthy controls (younger: P = 0.0304; older: P = 0.0436). In the younger cohort, at-risk subjects demonstrated significantly lower brain Avg SUVmean than healthy controls (P = 0.0355). In the older cohort, at-risk subjects similarly had lower Avg SUVmean than controls (P = 0.0343)., Conclusions: Global brain glucose uptake appears to be influenced by chronic cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, FDG-PET/CT may play a role in determining the importance of CVD on brain function and has potential for monitoring the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The brain is a common site for metastases as well as primary tumors. Although evaluation of these malignancies with contrast-enhanced MR imaging defines current clinical practice, 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET has shown considerable utility in this area. In addition, many other tracers targeting various aspects of tumor biology have been developed and tested. This article discusses recent developments in PET imaging and the anticipated role of FDG and other tracers in the assessment of brain tumors., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

PET imaging with 18 F-sodium fluoride (NaF), combined with computed tomography or magnetic resonance, is a sensitive method of assessing bone turnover. Although NaF-PET is gaining popularity in detecting prostate cancer metastases to bone marrow, osseous changes represent secondary effects of cancer cell growth. PET tracers more appropriate for assessing prostate cancer metastases directly portray malignant activity and include 18 F-fluciclovine and prostatic specific membrane antigen ligands. Recent studies investigating NaF-PET suggest utility in the assessment of benign musculoskeletal disorders. Emerging applications in assessing traumatic injuries, joint disease, back pain, orthopedic complications, and metabolic bone disease are discussed., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)