Immunosuppression, hematogenous spread and advanced age were predictors of poor prognosis. Most of the complications following brain abscess management were not directly related to surgery or surgical technique.

OBJECTIVENutritional deficiency negatively affects outcomes in many health conditions. In spine surgery, evidence linking preoperative nutritional deficiency to postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) has been limited to small retrospective studies. Authors of the current study analyzed a large consecutive cohort of patients who had undergone elective spine surgery to determine the relationship between a serum biomarker of nutritional status (preoperative prealbumin levels) and SSI.METHODSThe authors conducted a retrospective review of the electronic medical charts of patients who had undergone posterior spinal surgeries and whose preoperative prealbumin level was available. Additional data pertinent to the risk of SSI were also collected. Patients who developed a postoperative SSI were identified, and risk factors for postoperative SSI were analyzed. Nutritional deficiency was defined as a preoperative serum prealbumin level ≤ 20 mg/dl.RESULTSAmong a consecutive series of 387 patients who met the study criteria for inclusion, the infection rate for those with preoperative prealbumin ≤ 20 mg/dl was 17.8% (13/73), versus 4.8% (15/314) for those with preoperative prealbumin > 20 mg/dl. On univariate and multivariate analysis a low preoperative prealbumin level was a risk factor for postoperative SSI with a crude OR of 4.29 (p < 0.01) and an adjusted OR of 3.28 (p = 0.02). In addition, several previously known risk factors for infection, including diabetes, spinal fusion, and number of operative levels, were significant for the development of an SSI.CONCLUSIONSIn this consecutive series, preoperative prealbumin levels, a serum biomarker of nutritional status, correlated with the risk of SSI in elective spine surgery. Prehabilitation before spine surgery, including strategies to improve nutritional status in patients with nutritional deficiencies, may increase value and improve spine care.

BACKGROUND With an aging population, elderly patients with multiple comorbidities are more frequently undergoing spine surgery and may be at increased risk for complications. Objective measurement of frailty may predict the incidence of postoperative adverse events. OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations between preoperative frailty and postoperative spine surgery outcomes including mortality, length of stay, readmission, surgical site infection, and venous thromboembolic disease. METHODS As part of a system-wide quality improvement initiative, frailty assessment was added to the routine assessment of patients considering spine surgery beginning in July 2016. Frailty was assessed with the Risk Analysis Index (RAI), and patients were categorized as nonfrail (RAI 0-29) or prefrail/frail (RAI ≥ 30). Comparisons between nonfrail and prefrail/frail patients were analyzed using Fisher's exact test for categorical data or by Wilcoxon rank sum tests for continuous data. RESULTS From August 2016 through September 2018, 668 patients (age of 59.5 ± 13.3 yr) had a preoperative RAI score recorded and underwent scheduled spine surgery. Prefrail and frail patients suffered comparatively higher rates of mortality at 90 d (1.9% vs 0.2%, P &lt; .05) and 1 yr (5.1% vs 1.2%, P &lt; .01) from the procedure date. They also had longer in-hospital length of stay (LOS) (3.9 d ± 3.6 vs 3.1 d ± 2.8, P &lt; .001) and higher rates of 60 d (14.6% vs 8.2%, P &lt; .05) and 90 d (15.8% vs 9.8%, P &lt; .05) readmissions. CONCLUSION Preoperative frailty, as measured by the RAI, was associated with an increased risk of readmission and 90-d and 1-yr mortality following spine surgery. The RAI can be used to stratify spine patients and inform preoperative surgical decision making.

OBJECTIVE Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major source of morbidity after spinal surgery. Several recent studies have described the finding that applying vancomycin powder to the surgical bed may reduce the incidence of SSI. However, applying vancomycin in high concentrations has been shown in vitro to inhibit osteoblast proliferation and to induce cell death. Vancomycin may have a deleterious effect on dural healing after repair of an intentional or unintentional durotomy. This study was therefore undertaken to assess the effect of different concentrations of vancomycin on a human dura mater cell culture. METHODS Human dura intended for disposal after decompressive craniectomy was harvested. Explant primary cultures and subcultures were subsequently performed. Cells were characterized through common staining and immunohistochemistry. A growth curve was performed to assess the effect of different concentrations of vancomycin (40, 400, and 4000 μg/ml) on cell count. The effect of vancomycin on cellular shape, intercellular arrangement, and viability was also evaluated. RESULTS All dural tissue samples successfully developed into fusiform cells, demonstrating pseudopod projections and spindle formation. The cells demonstrated vimentin positivity and also had typical features of fibroblasts. When applied to the cultures, the highest dose of vancomycin induced generalized cell death within 24 hours. The mean (± SD) cell counts for control, 40, 400, and 4000 μg/ml were 38.72 ± 15.93, 36.28 ± 22.87, 19.48 ± 6.53, and 4.07 ± 9.66, respectively (p < 0.0001, ANOVA). Compared with controls, vancomycin-exposed cells histologically demonstrated a smaller cytoplasm and decreased pseudopodia formation resulting in the inhibition of normal spindle intercellular arrangement. CONCLUSIONS When vancomycin powder is applied locally, dural cells are exposed to a concentration several times greater than when delivered systemically. In this in vitro model, vancomycin induced dural cell death, inhibited growth, and altered cellular morphology in a concentration-dependent fashion. Defining a safe vancomycin concentration that is both bactericidal and also does not inhibit normal dural healing is necessary.

's institution has received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Z. Li and W. Zhang's institution has received funding from the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee. The rest of the authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.

Introduction: The development of adjacent-segment disease is a recognized consequence of lumbar fusion surgery. Posterior dynamic stabilization, or motion preservation, techniques have been developed which theoretically decrease stress on adjacent segments following fusion. This study presents the experience of using a hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion construct for degenerative lumbar spine pathology in place of rigid arthrodesis.Methods: A clinical cohort investigation was conducted of 66 consecutive patients (31 female, 35 male; mean age: 53 years, range: 25 – 76 years) who underwent posterior lumbar instrumentation with the Dynesys Transition Optima (DTO) implant (Zimmer-Biomet Spine, Warsaw, IN) hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion system over a 10-year period. The median length of follow-up was five years. DTO consists of pedicle screw fixation coupled to a rigid rod as well as a flexible longitudinal connecting system. All patients had symptoms of back pain and neurogenic claudication refractory to non-surgical treatment. Patients underwent lumbar arthrodesis surgery in which the hybrid system was used for stabilization instead of arthrodesis of the stenotic adjacent level.Results: Indications for DTO instrumentation were primary degenerative disc disease (n = 52) and failed back surgery syndrome (n = 14). The most common dynamically stabilized and fused segments were L3-L4 (n = 37) and L5-S1 (n = 33), respectively. Thirty-eight patients (56%) underwent decompression at the dynamically stabilized level, and 57 patients (86%) had an interbody device placed at the level of arthrodesis. Complications during the follow-up period included a single case of screw breakage and a single case of pseudoarthrosis. Ten patients (15%) subsequently underwent conversion of the dynamic stabilization portion of their DTO instrumentation to rigid spinal arthrodesis.Conclusion: The DTO system represents a novel hybrid dynamic stabilization and fusion construct. This 10-year experience found the device to be highly effective as well as safe. The technique may serve as an alternative to multilevel arthrodesis. Implantation of a motion-preserving dynamic stabilization device immediately adjacent to a fused level instead of extending a rigid construct may reduce the subsequent development of adjacent-segment disease in this patient population.

According to the findings, unlike mini-pigs and rabbits, in humans, dural fibroblast sensitivity to collagen seems to be lower. Dexamethasone inhibits fibroblast invasion, which is the biological base of wound dehiscence in cranial surgery. Although Spongostan is useful, Surgicel® can lower the media pH, thereby inhibiting cellular growth.

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