Michael Cloney

The Safety of Surgery in Elderly Patients with Primary and Recurrent Glioblastoma

BACKGROUND Glioblastoma (GBM) occurs more commonly in elderly patients. However, these patients are often excluded from clinical trials. The absence of solid evidence has resulted in a nihilistic view of GBM in the elderly and a traditionally conservative treatment approach. In particular, the safety of surgical resection for both primary and recurrent GBM is poorly understood in elderly patients. METHODS In a retrospective cohort of patients aged ≥65 years, we examined selection for biopsy, surgical resection, and reoperation for recurrent disease. We also analyzed complication rates after initial resection and reoperation for recurrent disease. We identified 319 elderly patients with pathologically proven GBM who underwent a total of 274 craniotomies at our institution between 2000 and 2012. Events were reported according to the methods used in the Glioma Outcomes Project. RESULTS The overall rate of complications after resection was 21.9%, with a rate of neurological complications of 7.7%. The rates of neurological, regional, and systemic complications were not significantly different after initial craniotomy and reoperation for GBM in elderly patients. Reoperations were not associated with an increased risk of complications. Low cardiovascular risk, improved functional status, and hemispheric GBM were associated with selection for more aggressive surgical treatment. Younger age and improved functional status were associated with a reduced likelihood of complications. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that in select patients, age alone should not preclude the decision to pursue aggressive surgical management.

The safety of resection for primary central nervous system lymphoma: a single institution retrospective analysis.

Surgical resection is not the standard of care for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), as historical studies have demonstrated unfavorable complication rates and limited benefits. Some recent studies suggest that resection may provide a therapeutic benefit, yet the safety of these procedures has not been systematically investigated in the setting of modern neurosurgery. We examined the safety of surgical resection for PCNSL. We retrospectively analyzed all patients with PCNSL treated at Columbia University Medical Center between 2000 and 2015 to assess complications rates following biopsy or resection using the Glioma Outcomes Project system. We identified predictors of complications and selection for resection. Well-validated scales were used to quantify patients’ baseline clinical characteristics, including functional status, comorbid disease burden, and cardiac risk. The overall complication rate was 17.2% after resection, and 28.2% after biopsy. Cardiac risk (p = 0.047, OR 1.72 [1.01, 2.95]), and comorbid diagnoses (p = 0.004, OR 3.05 [1.42, 6.57]) predicted complications on multivariable regression. Patients who underwent resection had better KPS scores (median 70 v. 80, p = 0.0068, ∆ 10 [0.0, 10.00]), and were less likely to have multiple (46.5% v. 27.6%, p = 0.030, OR 1.42 [1.05, 1.92]) or deep lesions (70.4% v. 39.7%, p = 0.001, OR 1.83 [1.26, 2.65]). Age (p = 0.048, OR 0.75 per 10-year increase [0.56, 1.00]) and deep lesions (p = 0.003, OR 0.29 [0.13, 0.65]) influenced selection for resection on multivariable regression. Surgical resection of PCNSL is safe for select patients, with complication rates comparable to rates for other intracranial neoplasms. Whether there is a clinical benefit to resection cannot be concluded.

Superior parietal lobule approach for choroid plexus papillomas without preoperative embolization in very young children

OBJECT Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are rare neoplasms, often found in the atrium of the lateral ventricle of infants, and cause overproduction hydrocephalus. The extensive vascularity and medially located blood supply of these tumors, coupled with the young age of the patients, can make prevention of blood loss challenging. Preoperative embolization has been advocated to reduce blood loss and prevent the need for transfusion, but this mandates radiation exposure and the additional risks of vessel injury and stroke. For these reasons, the authors present their experience using the superior parietal lobule approach to CPPs of the atrium without adjunct therapy. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of all children who presented to Columbia University/Morgan Stanley Childrens Hospital of New York with a CPP in the atrium of the lateral ventricle and who underwent surgery using a superior parietal lobule approach without preoperative embolization. RESULTS Nine children were included, with a median age of 7 months. There were no perioperative complications or new neurological deficits. All patients had intraoperative blood loss of less than 100 ml, with a mean minimum hematocrit of 26.9% (range 19.6%-36.2%). No patients required a blood transfusion. The median follow-up was 39 months, during which time no patient demonstrated residual or recurrent tumor on MRI, nor did any have an increase in ventricular size or require CSF diversion. CONCLUSIONS The superior parietal lobule approach is safe and effective for very young children with CPPs in the atrium of the lateral ventricle. The results suggest that preoperative embolization is not essential to avoid transfusion or achieve overall good outcomes in these patients. This management strategy avoids radiation exposure and the additional risks associated with embolization.

Failure to Rescue and Mortality Following Resection of Intracranial Neoplasms

BACKGROUND There is growing recognition that perioperative complication rates are similar between hospitals, but mortality rates are lower at high‐volume centers. This may be due to differences in the ability to rescue patients from major complications. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between hospital caseload and failure to rescue from complications following resection of intracranial neoplasms. METHODS We identified adults in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample diagnosed with glioma, meningioma, brain metastasis, or acoustic neuroma, who underwent surgical resection between 1998 and 2010. We stratified hospitals by low, intermediate, and high surgical volume tertiles and calculated failure to rescue rates (mortality in patients after a major complication). RESULTS A total of 550 054 patients were analyzed. Overall risk‐adjusted complication rates were comparable between low‐ and medium‐volume centers, and slightly lower at high‐volume centers (15.3% [15.2, 15.5] vs 15.7% [15.5, 15.9] vs 14.3% [14.1, 14.6]). Risk‐adjusted mortality decreased with increasing hospital surgical volume (10.3% [10.2, 10.5] vs 9.0% [8.9, 9.1] vs 7.1% [7.0, 7.2]). The overall risk‐adjusted failure to rescue rate also decreased with increasing surgical volume (26.9% [26.3, 27.4] vs 24.8% [24.3, 25.3] vs 20.9% [20.5, 21.5]). CONCLUSION While complication rates were similar between high‐volume and low‐volume hospitals following craniotomy for tumor, mortality rates were substantially lower at high‐volume centers. This appears to be due to the ability of high‐volume hospitals to rescue patients from major perioperative complications.

The timing of venous thromboembolic events after spine surgery: A single-center experience with 6869 consecutive patients

OBJECTIVE Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs), including both deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality after spine surgery. Prophylactic anticoagulation, or chemoprophylaxis, can prevent VTE. However, the timing of VTEs after spine surgery and the effect of chemoprophylaxis on VTE timing remain underinvestigated. METHODS The records of 6869 consecutive spine surgeries were retrospectively examined. Data on patient demographics, surgical variables, hospital course, and timing of VTEs were collected. Patients who received chemoprophylaxis were compared with those who did not. Appropriate regression models were used to examine selection for chemoprophylaxis and the timing of VTEs. RESULTS Age (OR 1.037, 95% CI 1.023-1.051; p < 0.001), longer surgery (OR 1.003, 95% CI 1.002-1.004; p < 0.001), history of DVT (OR 1.697, 95% CI 1.038-2.776; p = 0.035), and fusion surgery (OR 1.917, 95% CI 1.356-2.709; p < 0.001) predicted selection for chemoprophylaxis. Chemoprophylaxis patients experienced more VTEs (3.62% vs 2.03% of patients, respectively; p < 0.001), and also required longer hospital stays (5.0 days vs 1.0 days; HR 0.5107; p < 0.0001) and had a greater time to the occurrence of VTE (median 6.8 days vs 3.6 days; HR 0.6847; p = 0.0003). The cumulative incidence of VTEs correlated with the postoperative day in both groups (Spearman r = 0.9746, 95% CI 0.9457-0.9883, and p < 0.0001 for the chemoprophylaxis group; Spearman r = 0.9061, 95% CI 0.8065-0.9557, and p < 0.0001 for the nonchemoprophylaxis group), and the cumulative incidence of VTEs was higher in the nonchemoprophylaxis group throughout the 30-day postoperative period. Cumulative VTE incidence and postoperative day were linearly correlated in the first 2 postoperative weeks (R = 0.9396 and p < 0.0001 for the chemoprophylaxis group; R = 0.8190 and p = 0.0003 for the nonchemoprophylaxis group) and the remainder of the 30-day postoperative period (R = 0.9535 and p < 0.0001 for the chemoprophylaxis group; R = 0.6562 and p = 0.0058 for the nonchemoprophylaxis group), but the linear relationships differ between these 2 postoperative periods (p < 0.0001 for both groups). CONCLUSIONS Anticoagulation reduces the cumulative incidence of VTE after spine surgery. The cumulative incidence of VTEs rises linearly in the first 2 postoperative weeks and then plateaus. Surgeons should consider early initiation of chemoprophylaxis for patients undergoing spine surgery.

Impact of CrossFit-Related Spinal Injuries

INTRODUCTION Exercise-related injuries (ERIs) are a common cause of nonfatal emergency department and hospital visits. CrossFit is a high-intensity workout regimen whose popularity has grown rapidly. However, ERIs due to CrossFit remained under investigated. METHODS All patients who presented to the main hospital at a major academic center complaining of an injury sustained performing CrossFit between June 2010 and June 2016 were identified. Injuries were classified by anatomical location (eg, knee, spine). For patients with spinal injuries, data were collected including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), CrossFit experience level, symptom duration, type of symptoms, type of clinic presentation, cause of injury, objective neurological examination findings, imaging type, number of clinic visits, and treatments prescribed. RESULTS Four hundred ninety-eight patients with 523 CrossFit-related injuries were identified. Spine injuries were the most common injuries identified, accounting for 20.9%. Among spine injuries, the most common location of injury was the lumbar spine (83.1%). Average symptom duration was 6.4 months ± 15.1, and radicular complaints were the most common symptom (53%). A total of 30 (32%) patients had positive findings on neurologic examination. Six patients (6.7%) required surgical intervention for treatment after failing an average of 9.66 months of conservative treatment. There was no difference in age, sex, BMI, or duration of symptoms of patients requiring surgery with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS CrossFit is a popular, high-intensity style workout with the potential to injure its participants. Spine injuries were the most common type of injury observed and frequently required surgical intervention.INTRODUCTION Exercise-related injuries (ERIs) are a common cause of nonfatal emergency department and hospital visits. CrossFit is a high-intensity workout regimen whose popularity has grown rapidly. However, ERIs due to CrossFit remained under investigated. METHODS All patients who presented to the main hospital at a major academic center complaining of an injury sustained performing CrossFit between June 2010 and June 2016 were identified. Injuries were classified by anatomical location (eg, knee, spine). For patients with spinal injuries, data were collected including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), CrossFit experience level, symptom duration, type of symptoms, type of clinic presentation, cause of injury, objective neurological examination findings, imaging type, number of clinic visits, and treatments prescribed. RESULTS Four hundred ninety-eight patients with 523 CrossFit-related injuries were identified. Spine injuries were the most common injuries identified, accounting for 20.9%. Among spine injuries, the most common location of injury was the lumbar spine (83.1%). Average symptom duration was 6.4 months ± 15.1, and radicular complaints were the most common symptom (53%). A total of 30 (32%) patients had positive findings on neurologic examination. Six patients (6.7%) required surgical intervention for treatment after failing an average of 9.66 months of conservative treatment. There was no difference in age, sex, BMI, or duration of symptoms of patients requiring surgery with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS CrossFit is a popular, high-intensity style workout with the potential to injure its participants. Spine injuries were the most common type of injury observed and frequently required surgical intervention.

The Role of Minimally Invasive Techniques in Scoliosis Correction Surgery

Objective Recently, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been included among the treatment modalities for scoliosis. However, literature comparing MIS to open surgery for scoliosis correction is limited. The objective of this study was to compare outcomes for scoliosis correction patients undergoing MIS versus open approach. Methods We retrospectively collected data on demographics, procedure characteristics, and outcomes for 207 consecutive scoliosis correction surgeries at our institution between 2009 and 2015. Results MIS patients had lower number of levels fused (p < 0.0001), shorter surgeries (p = 0.0023), and shorter overall lengths of stay (p < 0.0001), were less likely to be admitted to the ICU (p < 0.0001), and had shorter ICU stays (p = 0.0015). On multivariable regression, number of levels fused predicted selection for MIS procedure (p = 0.004), and multiple other variables showed trends toward significance. Age predicted ICU admission and VTE. BMI predicted any VTE, and DVT specifically. Comorbid disease burden predicted readmission, need for transfusion, and ICU admission. Number of levels fused predicted prolonged surgery, need for transfusion, and ICU admission. Conclusions Patients undergoing MIS correction had shorter surgeries, shorter lengths of stay, and shorter and fewer ICU stays, but there was a significant selection effect. Accounting for other variables, MIS did not independently predict any of the outcomes.

Impact of resident participation on outcomes following lumbar fusion: An analysis of 5655 patients from the ACS-NSQIP database

The role of resident involvement on patient safety, morbidity, and mortality in lumbar spinal surgery has been poorly defined in the literature. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between resident involvement in the operating room and 30-day complication rates in patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion procedures. We used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database to retrospectively identify all patients who underwent a lumbar spinal fusion from 2006 to 2013. A propensity score matching algorithm was employed to minimize baseline differences. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of unadjusted and propensity-matched groups was performed to examine the effect of resident participation on operative details and 30-day complication rates. A total of 5655 patients met the inclusion criteria and propensity score matching yielded 1965 well-matched pairs. Resident involvement in lumbar fusion procedures was not found to be a significant predictor for mortality or reoperation. It was found to be a significant predictor for increased hospital stay (matched non-resident 4.0 ± 5.8 days vs. resident 4.6 ± 4.3 days, p < 0.001), operative time (matched non-resident 198 ± 102 min vs. resident 243 ± 118 min, p < 0.001), sepsis (matched OR 4.36, 95% CI 2.10-9.05, p < 0.001), development of DVT/PE (matched OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.10-3.70, p = 0.023), and superficial surgical site infections (matched OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.04-3.06, p = 0.037). In conclusion, this large-scale, population-based study found that resident participation in the operating room was safe but increased the risk of 30-day complications and increased operative duration and length of hospital stay.

Fatty infiltration of the cervical multifidus musculature and their clinical correlates in spondylotic myelopathy

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is among the most common spinal cord disorders of the elderly. Muscle fat infiltration (MFI), a potential pathological sign of muscle adiposity, may contribute to or be associated with pain/disability/impairments in patients with CSM. We examined the relationship between MFI and CSMs clinical manifestations by enrolling nine CSM patients and five aged-matched controls to undergo MRI imaging of the cervical spine with MFI. A blinded investigator calculated MFI for each of the bilateral multifidii muscles from C3 to C7 on the MRI images. Nurick scores, Neck Disability Index, and modified Japanese Orthopedic Association scores were collected for all patients. CSM patients and controls were equivalent with respect to age, height, weight, gender, race, smoking status, and employment status. MFI was higher in patients with CSM than in controls (31.7% v. 24.6%, respectively, p = 0.0178). Higher MFI was associated with increased disability on the Nurick scale (p = 0.0371). MJOA scores correlated linearly with MFI (R = 0.542, p = 0.0453), but not NDI (p = 0.3125). Increased MFI of the multifidus muscles is associated with cervical myelopathy and a clinically significant decline in sensorimotor function as measured by mJOA and Nurick scores. Spinal injury in CSM may lead to secondary muscle loss and muscle fat infiltration.

Venous thromboembolism events following spinal fractures: A single center experience

OBJECTIVE Venous thromboembolic events (VTE), including deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), are a major cause of readmission, morbidity, and mortality after spine surgery. Patients with spinal fractures are particularly at an increased risk for VTE. The objective of this study is to understand VTE risk factors in this patient population and to examine current institutional practices. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively examined records from 195 consecutive patients with spinal fractures who underwent spinal stabilization surgeries- amongst a cohort of 6869 patients who underwent spinal surgery. We collected data on patient demographics, surgery, hospital course, and 30-day rates of VTE, readmission, reoperation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of each outcome. RESULTS Among 195 patients undergoing surgery for spinal fractures, 9.2% experienced a VTE, compared to 2.3% among all other spine patients (OR 4.466, p < 0.0001). 48.7% spine fracture patients received chemoprophylactic anticoagulation, compared to 35.7% of all other spine patients (OR 2.657, p < 0.0001). Within 30 days of surgery, estimated blood loss (EBL) was associated with VTE (OR 1.001, p = 0.0415) and DVT (OR 1.001, p = 0.049), and comorbid cardiac disease burden showed a trend toward significance in predicting both VTE (OR 1.890, p = 0.0956) and DVT (OR 4.228, p = 0.0549). Number of levels in surgery predicted PE within 30 days of surgery (OR 1.573, p = 0.0107). CONCLUSIONS Compared to all other patients undergoing spine surgery, patients with spinal fractures are more likely to receive chemoprophylactic anticoagulation, but nevertheless have a higher rate of VTE events. EBL and comorbid disease burden predict VTE events in patients with spine fractures.