Ole Solheim

The Risk of Getting Worse: Surgically Acquired Deficits, Perioperative Complications, and Functional Outcomes After Primary Resection of Glioblastoma

OBJECTIVE Gross total resection (GTR) prolongs survival but is unfortunately not achievable in the majority of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Cytoreductive debulkings may relieve symptoms of mass effect, but it is unknown how long such effects sustain and to what degree the potential benefits exceed risks. We explore the impact of surgical morbidity on functional outcome and survival in unselected GBM patients. METHODS We retrospectively included 144 consecutive adult patients operated on for primary GBM at a single institution between 2004 and 2009. Reporting of adverse events was done in compliance with Good Clinical Practice Guidelines. RESULTS A total of 141 (98%) operations were resections and 3 (2%) were biopsies. A decrease in Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores was observed in 39% of patients after 6 weeks. There was a significant decrease between pre- and postoperative KPS scores (P < 0.001). Twenty-two (15.3%) patients had surgically acquired neurological deficits. Among patients who underwent surgical resection, those with surgically acquired neurological deficits were less likely to receive radiotherapy (P < 0.001), normofractioned radiotherapy (P = 0.010), and chemotherapy (P = 0.003). Twenty-eight (19.4%) patients had perioperative complications. Among patients who underwent surgical resection, those with perioperative complications were less likely to receive normofractioned radiotherapy (P = 0.010) and chemotherapy (P = 0.009). Age (P = 0.019), surgically acquired neurological deficits (P < 0.001), and surgical complications (P = 0.006) were significant predictors for worsened functional outcome after 6 weeks. GTR (P = 0.035), perioperative complications (P = 0.008), radiotherapy (P < 0.001), and chemotherapy (P = 0.045) were independent factors associated with 12-month postoperative survival. CONCLUSION Patients with perioperative complications and surgically acquired deficits were less likely to receive adjuvant therapy. While cytoreductive debulking may not improve survival in GBM, it may decrease the likelihood of patients receiving adjuvant therapy that does.

Ultrasound imaging in neurosurgery: approaches to minimize surgically induced image artefacts for improved resection control

BackgroundIntraoperative ultrasound imaging is used in brain tumor surgery to identify tumor remnants. The ultrasound images may in some cases be more difficult to interpret in the later stages of the operation than in the beginning of the operation. The aim of this paper is to explain the causes of surgically induced ultrasound artefacts and how they can be recognized and reduced.MethodsThe theoretical reasons for artefacts are addressed and the impact of surgery is discussed. Different setups for ultrasound acquisition and different acoustic coupling fluids to fill up the resection cavity are evaluated with respect to improved image quality.ResultsThe enhancement artefact caused by differences in attenuation of the resection cavity fluid and the surrounding brain is the most dominating surgically induced ultrasound artefact. The influence of the artefact may be reduced by inserting ultrasound probes with small footprint into the resection cavity for a close-up view of the areas with suspected tumor remnants. A novel acoustic coupling fluid developed for use during ultrasound imaging in brain tumor surgery has the potential to reduce surgically induced ultrasound artefacts to a minimum.ConclusionsSurgeons should be aware of artefacts in ultrasound images that may occur during brain tumor surgery. Techniques to identify and reduce image artefacts are useful and should be known to users of ultrasound in brain tumor surgery.

Ultrasound-guided operations in unselected high-grade gliomas--overall results, impact of image quality and patient selection.

BackgroundA number of tools, including intraoperative ultrasound, are reported to facilitate surgical resection of high-grade gliomas. However, results from selected surgical series do not necessarily reflect the effectiveness in common neurosurgical practice. Delineation of seemingly similar brain tumours vary in different ultrasound-guided operations, perhaps limiting usefulness in certain patients.MethodsWe explore and describe the results associated with use of the SonoWand system with intraoperative ultrasound in a population-based, unselected, high-grade glioma series. Surgeons filled out questionnaires about presumed extent of resection, use of ultrasound and ultrasound image quality just after surgery. We evaluate the impact of ultrasound image quality. We also explore the importance of patient selection for surgical results.ResultsOf 156 consecutive malignant glioma operations, 142 (91%) were resections whilst 14 (9%) were only biopsies. We achieved gross total resection (GTR) in 37% of all high-grade glioma resections, whilst worsening of functional status was seen in 13%. The risk of getting worse was significantly higher in reoperations, resections in eloquent locations, resections in cases with poor ultrasound image quality, resection when surgeons’ resection grade estimates were inaccurate and in cases with surgery-related complications. Aiming for GTR, unifocality of lesion, non-eloquent location and medium or good ultrasound image quality were identified as independent factors associated with achieving GTR.ConclusionWe report good overall results, both in terms of resection grades and functional outcome in consecutive malignant glioma resections, in which intraoperative ultrasound was used in 95%. We observed a seeming dose–response relationship between ultrasound image quality and clinical and radiological results. This may suggest that better ultrasound facilitates better surgery. The study also clearly demonstrates that, in terms of surgical results, the selection of patients seems to be much more important than the selection of surgical tools.

Minimally invasive decompression versus open laminectomy for central stenosis of the lumbar spine: pragmatic comparative effectiveness study

Objective To test the equivalence for clinical effectiveness between microdecompression and laminectomy in patients with central lumbar spinal stenosis. Design Multicentre observational study. Setting Prospective data from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. Participants 885 patients with central stenosis of the lumbar spine who underwent surgery at 34 Norwegian orthopaedic or neurosurgical departments. Patients were treated from October 2006 to December 2011. Interventions Laminectomy and microdecompression. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in Oswestry disability index score one year after surgery. Secondary endpoints were quality of life (EuroQol EQ-5D), perioperative complications, and duration of surgical procedures and hospital stays. A blinded biostatistician performed predefined statistical analyses in unmatched and propensity matched cohorts. Results The study was powered to detect a difference between the groups of eight points on the Oswestry disability index at one year. 721 patients (81%) completed the one year follow-up. Equivalence between microdecompression and laminectomy was shown for the Oswestry disability index (difference 1.3 points, 95% confidence interval −1.36 to 3.92, P<0.001 for equivalence). Equivalence was confirmed in the propensity matched cohort and full information regression analyses. No difference was found between groups in quality of life (EQ-5D) one year after surgery. The number of patients with complications was higher in the laminectomy group (15.0% v 9.8%, P=0.018), but after propensity matching for complications the groups did not differ (P=0.23). The duration of surgery for single level decompression was shorter in the microdecompression group (difference 11.2 minutes, 95% confidence interval 4.9 to 17.5, P<0.001), but after propensity matching the groups did not differ (P=0.15). Patients in the microdecompression group had shorter hospital stays, both for single level decompression (difference 1.5 days, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 2.6, P<0.001) and two level decompression (0.8 days, 1.0 to 2.2, P=0.003). Conclusion At one year the effectiveness of microdecompression is equivalent to laminectomy in the surgical treatment of central stenosis of the lumbar spine. Favourable outcomes were observed at one year in both treatment groups. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02006901.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor tractography incorporated into an intraoperative 3-dimensional ultrasound-based neuronavigation system: impact on therapeutic strategies, extent of resection, and clinical outcome.

BACKGROUNDFunctional neuronavigation with intraoperative 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound may facilitate safer brain lesion resections than conventional neuronavigation. OBJECTIVEIn this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) were used to map eloquent areas. We assessed the use of fMRI and DTT for preoperative assessments and determined whether using these data together with 3D ultrasound during surgery enabled safer lesion resection. METHODSWe reviewed 51 consecutive patients with intracranial lesions in whom fMRI with or without DTT was used to map eloquent areas. To assess a possible impact of fMRI/DTT, we reviewed and analyzed the quality of the fMRI/DTT data, any change in therapeutic strategies, lesion to eloquent area distance (LEAD), extent of resection, and clinical outcome. RESULTSAs a result of the fMRI/DTT mapping, the therapeutic strategies were changed in 4 patients. The median tumor residue for glioma patients was 11% (n = 33) and 0% for nonglioma lesions (n = 12). For gliomas, there was a significant correlation between decreasing LEAD and increasing tumor residue. Of the glioma patients, 42% underwent gross total resection (≥ 95%) and 12% suffered neurological worsening after surgery as a result of complications. Of glioma patients with an LEAD of ≤ 5 mm, 24% underwent gross total resection and 10% experienced neurological deterioration. CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates that preoperative fMRI and DTT had direct consequences for therapeutic strategies and indicates their impact on intraoperative strategies to spare eloquent cortex and tracts. Functional neuronavigation combined with intraoperative 3D ultrasound can, in most patients, enable resection of brain lesions with general anesthesia without jeopardizing neurological function.

Prognostic Value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Moderate and Severe Head Injury: A Prospective Study of Early MRI Findings and One-Year Outcome

The clinical benefit of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in severe and moderate head injury is unclear. We sought to explore the prognostic value of the depth of lesions depicted with early MRI, and also to describe the prevalence and impact of traumatic brainstem lesions. In a cohort of 159 consecutive patients with moderate to severe head injury (age 5-65 years and surviving the acute phase) admitted to a regional level 1 trauma center, 106 (67%) were examined with MRI within 4 weeks post-injury. Depth of lesions in MRI was categorized as: hemisphere level, central level, and brainstem injury (BSI). The outcome measure was Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) 12 months post-injury. Forty-six percent of patients with severe injuries and 14% of patients with moderate injuries had BSI. In severe head injury, central or brainstem lesions in MRI, together with higher Rotterdam CT score, pupillary dilation, and secondary adverse events were significantly associated with a worse outcome in age-adjusted analyses. Bilateral BSI was strongly associated with a poor outcome in severe injury, with positive and negative predictive values of 0.86 and 0.88, respectively. In moderate injury, only age was significantly associated with outcome in multivariable analyses. Limitations of the current study include lack of blinded outcome evaluations and insufficient statistical power to assess the added prognostic value of MRI when combined with clinical information. We conclude that in patients with severe head injury surviving the acute phase, depth of lesion on the MRI was associated with outcome, and in particular, bilateral brainstem injury was strongly associated with poor outcomes. In moderate head injury, surprisingly, there was no association between MRI findings and outcome when using the GOSE score as outcome measure.

Lumbar epidural hematoma after chiropractic manipulation for lower-back pain: case report.

OBJECTIVE Spinal manipulation therapy is widely used for the treatment of lower-back pain. Serious complications to spinal manipulation are most often seen in the cervical region. We report the first case of a lumbar epidural hematoma after chiropractic manipulation. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 77-year-old man with a long history of lower-back pain underwent chiropractic manipulation of the lower spine. He was receiving anticoagulation therapy as a result of chronic atrial fibrillation. After a manipulation session, he developed partial cauda equina syndrome with lower extremity paresis and urinary retention. Computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging scans showed an epidural hematoma at the L3 level. INTERVENTION AND TECHNIQUE We performed surgical evacuation of the hematoma through laminectomy of L3 and L4. During the follow-up period, his motor deficits improved, but the bladder dysfunction remained. CONCLUSION This is the first case report of a lumbar epidural hematoma after chiropractic manipulation. Even rare complications after chiropractic manipulation of the spine should be weighed against potential benefits of such treatment. Caution should be shown in patients receiving antithrombotic therapy.

Intra-operative Imaging with 3D Ultrasound in Neurosurgery

In recent years the quality of ultrasound (US) imaging has improved considerably. The integration of three dimensional (3D) US with neuronavigation technology has created an efficient and inexpensive tool for intra-operative imaging in neurosurgery. Our experience is based on more than 900 operations with the intra-operative 3D ultrasound equipment SonoWand® and some operations with the research equipment Custux X. The technology has been applied to improve surgery of intraparencymal brain tumours, but has also been found to be useful in a wide range of other procedures, such as operations for cavernomas, skull base tumours, medulla lesions, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and for endoscopy guidance. Compared to intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (ioMRI), 3D US technology is advantageous in different ways: it is flexible and can be used in any operation theatre. There is no need for special instruments, and no need for radiologists or technicians. It adds very little extra time to the operation, and the investment-costs are considerably lower than for ioMRI.

Did survival improve after the implementation of intraoperative neuronavigation and 3D ultrasound in glioblastoma surgery? A retrospective analysis of 192 primary operations.

BACKGROUND Numerous observational studies indicate that more aggressive resection may prolong survival in glioblastoma patients. In Trondheim, Norway, intraoperative 3D ultrasound has been in increasing use since November 1997. The aim of the present study was to examine if the introduction of 3D ultrasound and neuronavigation (i. e., the SonoWand® system) may have had an impact on overall survival. PATIENTS/MATERIAL AND METHODS Patient data were obtained retrospectively for the 192 glio-blastoma patients who received surgery and postoperative radiotherapy between 1990 and 2005. Overall survival, before and after 1997, was compared using the log rank test. Possible confounders were adjusted for in a multivariate Cox regression analysis. RESULTS We observed an increase in survival for patients in the last study period (9.6 vs. 11.9 months; HR = 0.7; p = 0.034). The significant improvement in the latest time period was sustained after adjusting for age, WHO performance status (≥2) and type of radiotherapy (normofractioned or hypofractioned), and chemotherapy (yes/no), p = 0.034. 10 out of 14 patients who survived more than 3 years received treatment after the implementation of 3D ultrasound. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates that survival has improved within the same period that intraoperative ultrasound and neuronavigation was introduced and established in our department. The demonstrated association is a necessity for causation, but given the nature of this study, one must be cautious to claim causality. The improvement was, however, significant after adjustment for known major prognostic factors.

Surgical resection versus watchful waiting in low-grade gliomas

Abstract Background Infiltrating low-grade gliomas (LGG; WHO grade 2) typically present with seizures in young adults. LGGs grow continuously and usually transform to higher grade of malignancy, eventually causing progressive disability and premature death. The effect of up-front surgery has been controversial and the impact of molecular biology on the effect of surgery is unknown. We now present long-term results of upfront surgical resection compared with watchful waiting in light of recently established molecular markers. Materials and methods Population-based parallel cohorts were followed from two Norwegian university hospitals with different surgical treatment strategies and defined geographical catchment regions. In region A watchful waiting was favored while early resection was favored in region B. Thus, the treatment strategy in individual patients depended on their residential address. The inclusion criteria were histopathological diagnosis of supratentorial LGG from 1998 through 2009 in patients 18 years or older. Follow-up ended 1 January 2016. Making regional comparisons, the primary end-point was overall survival. Results A total of 153 patients (66 from region A, 87 from region B) were included. Early resection was carried out in 19 (29%) patients in region A compared with 75 (86%) patients in region B. Overall survival was 5.8 years (95% CI 4.5–7.2) in region A compared with 14.4 years (95% CI 10.4–18.5) in region B (P < 0.01). The effect of surgical strategy remained after adjustment for molecular markers (P = 0.001). Conclusion In parallel population-based cohorts of LGGs, early surgical resection resulted in a clinical relevant survival benefit. The effect on survival persisted after adjustment for molecular markers.