Object Many patients undergoing elective thoracic or lumbar fusion procedures are obese, but the contribution of obesity to complications in spine surgery has not been defined. The authors retrospectively assessed the prevalence of obesity in a cohort of patients undergoing thoracic and lumbar fusion and correlate the presence of obesity with the incidence of operative complications. Methods A retrospective review of consecutive patients treated by a single surgeon (J.K.R.) over a 36-month period at either Rush University Medical Center or the Neurological and Orthopedic Institute of Chicago was performed. The authors identified 332 elective thoracic and lumbar spine surgery cases; the cohort was restricted to include only patients with symptomatic degenerative conditions in need of an anterior, posterior, or combined anterior–posterior fusion. Cases of trauma, tumor, and infection and any case in which the procedure was performed for emergency indications were excluded. A total of 97 cases were identified; of these 86 procedures performed in 84 patients had adequate follow-up material for inclusion in the present study. A broad definition of complications was used. Complications were divided into adverse events (minor) and significant complications (major) based on their impact on patient outcome. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression was used to identify which variables had a significant effect on the risk of complications. Variables considered were body mass index (BMI), height, weight, age, sex, presence or absence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and/or hypertension, number of levels fused (single compared with multiple), and type of surgery performed. The mean BMI for the cohort was 28.8 (95% confidence interval 24.4–30.3); 60 patients (71.4%) were considered overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25). There were 42 complications in 31 patients (36.9%); this included 19 significant complications in 17 patients (20.2%). Logistic regression revealed that the probability of a significant complication was related to BMI (p < 0.04); the chance of a significant complication was 14% with a BMI of 25, 20% with a BMI of 30, and 36% with a BMI of 40. Positioning-related palsies were only found in extremely obese patients (BMI ≥ 40). The probability of minor complication occurrence increased with age (p < 0.02), not BMI. The rate of complications was independent of sex as well as the presence of DM or hypertension. A standard collection of complications occurred, including wound infection (three cases), cerebrospinal fluid leakage (eight cases, one requiring reoperation), deep vein thrombosis (two cases), cardiac events (four cases), symptomatic pseudarthrosis (one case), pneumonia (three cases), prolonged intubation (two cases), urological issues (eight cases), positioning-related palsy (two cases), and neuropathic pain (two cases). Conclusions Obesity is a prevalent condition in patients undergoing elective fusion for degenerative spinal conditions and may increase the prevalence and incidence of perioperative complications. In their analysis, the authors correlated increasing BMI and increased risk of significant postoperative complications. The correlation of obesity and perioperative complications may assist in the preoperative evaluation and selection of patients for surgery.

Obesity is a prevalent condition in patients undergoing elective fusion for degenerative spinal conditions and may increase the prevalence and incidence of perioperative complications. In their analysis, the authors correlated increasing BMI and increased risk of significant postoperative complications. The correlation of obesity and perioperative complications may assist in the preoperative evaluation and selection of patients for surgery.

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A combination of factors has led to decreases in availability of neurosurgical coverage in Cook County community hospital emergency departments. This has placed an increased burden on neurosurgical departments at academic centers, and, in some cases, delays led to a decline in patient condition. Eighty-one percent of the cases were not related to cranial trauma; thus, acute care trauma surgeons would be of little use. Coordinated efforts among local governments, medical centers, and emergency medical services to regionalize subspecialty services will be necessary to manage this problem.

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Subclinical or nonconvulsive status epilepticus may cause severe postmorbid neurologic dysfunction. It is, therefore, critical to rapidly identify and treat these cases. The recent availability of injectable valproic acid (Depacon) provides an additional method for treatment of status epilepticus, although studies concerning its effectiveness are not widely available in the literature. We report four cases (three pediatric, one adult) of patients who presented to us in status epilepticus. All had previously failed more than one other common method of treatment for this condition. Treatment with injectable valproic acid resulted in the elimination of all clinical indications of status epilepticus as well as a return to the baseline EEG condition in all four cases. Seizure types included focal, multifocal, and generalized spike and wave forms, suggesting potential benefit from injectable valproic acid treatment in a wide range of status epilepticus patients. We present these cases for review.

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Recent anecdotal reports have touted the gastrointestinal (GI) hormone secretin as a treatment modality for autism, though there is little clinical evidence or literature to support its viability. We undertook a two-part clinical trial to investigate these claims. Fifty-six patients (49 boys, 7 girls, mean age = 6.4 years, SD = 2.7) enrolled in an open-label trial of secretin, during which they received one injection of the hormone (2 IU/kg). All subjects were evaluated by their parents at baseline and follow-up visits (3-6 weeks later, M = 3.7, SD = 1.4 weeks) with Childhood Autism Rating Scales (CARS). Thirty-four patients were labeled with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and 22 met diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. Forty-five patients were concurrently on other drug treatments. At follow-up, some reported minimal but potentially significant improvements including changes in GI symptoms, expressive and/or receptive language function, and improved awareness and social interactions. No adverse effects were reported or observed. Subsequently, 17 of the most responsive patients from Study 1 began a double-blind trial that also included 8 newly enrolled patients. Patients in this second study were alternatively entered into one of two groups and received injections of secretin or placebo with crossover at 4 weeks. Patients from Study 1 entered into Study 2 at an average of 6.5 (SD = 0.8) weeks after beginning Study 1. Results of both inquiries indicate that although treatment with secretin was reported to cause transient changes in speech and behavior in some children, overall it produced few clinically meaningful changes when compared to children given placebo injections.