Introduction:
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors rapidly transitioned an in-person, learner-led medical education journal club (MEJC) to the virtual environment. The “interactive, no-prep” approach, using breakout rooms within a videoconferencing system, required no prior learner preparation.
Methods:
From March to May 2020, learners were invited to participate in a monthly 60-minute virtual MEJC. A needs assessment survey informed article selection. Facilitators developed a presentation to provide background and describe the article's research question(s). In breakout groups, learners generated study designs to answer the research question(s). After the actual study methodology and results were revealed, learners engaged in facilitated open discussion. After the session, learners completed an electronic survey to rate perceived usefulness and suggest improvement areas.
Results:
A total of 15 learners participated; most completed the survey (13/15; 87%). The MEJC was rated as very or extremely useful. Qualitative feedback indicated that it was convenient, allowed creativity, and enabled rich discussion without prior preparation. When possible, improvement suggestions were implemented.
Discussion:
The authors offer an evidence-based MEJC approach that is free, interactive with virtual breakout rooms and requires no prior learner preparation. Early indicators suggest that others navigating the COVID-19 crisis may want to implement this approach.
Background: Occasionally low grade gliomas (LGGs) are identified incidentally while asymptomatic. The diagnosis of incidental LGGs has become more frequent due to increase in access to medical imaging. While management of these lesions remains controversial, early surgery has been suggested to improve outcome. Methods: All LGGs treated between 2004 and 2016 at our institution were reviewed. Patients with incidentally discovered glioma were identified and retrospectively reviewed. “Incidental” was defined as an abnormality on imaging that was obtained for a reason not attributable to the glioma. Outcomes were measured by overall survival, progression free survival and malignant progression free survival. Results: Thirty-four out of 501 adult patients who were treated for low grade glioma were discovered incidentally. Headache (26%, n=9) and screening (21%, n=7) were the most common indications for brain imaging. The mean duration follow up was 5 years. Twelve patients had disease progression, 5 cases of malignant progression and 4 deaths. Oligodendroglioma was diagnosed in 16 and astrocytoma in 15 patients. Twenty-five (74%) patients had IDH1 mutation and demonstrated prolonged survival. Conclusions: This retrospective cohort of incidentally discovered LGGs were surgically removed with minimal surgical risk. There is improved overall survival likely attributable to the underlying favorable biology of the disease indicated by the presence of IDH1 mutation.
OBJECTIVE
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization (ETV+CPC) is a novel procedure for infant hydrocephalus that was developed in sub-Saharan Africa to mitigate the risks associated with permanent implanted shunt hardware. This study summarizes the hydrocephalus literature surrounding the ETV+CPC intraoperative abandonment rate, perioperative mortality rate, cerebrospinal fluid infection rate, and failure rate.
METHODS
This systematic review and meta-analysis followed a prespecified protocol and abides by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from database inception to October 2019. Studies included controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies of patients with hydrocephalus younger than 18 years of age treated with ETV+CPC. Pooled estimates were calculated using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects modeling, and the significance of subgroup analyses was tested using meta-regression. The quality of the pooled outcomes was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
RESULTS
After screening and reviewing 12,321 citations, the authors found 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The pooled estimate for the ETV+CPC failure rate was 0.44 (95% CI 0.37–0.51). Subgroup analysis by geographic income level showed statistical significance (p < 0.01), with lower-middle-income countries having a lower failure rate (0.32, 95% CI 0.28–0.36) than high-income countries (0.53, 95% CI 0.47–0.60). No difference in failure rate was found between hydrocephalus etiology (p = 0.09) or definition of failure (p = 0.24). The pooled estimate for perioperative mortality rate (n = 7 studies) was 0.001 (95% CI 0.00–0.004), the intraoperative abandonment rate (n = 5 studies) was 0.04 (95% CI 0.01–0.08), and the postoperative CSF infection rate (n = 5 studies) was 0.0004 (95% CI 0.00–0.003). All pooled outcomes were found to be low-quality evidence.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review and meta-analysis provides the most comprehensive pooled estimate for the ETV+CPC failure rate to date and demonstrates, for the first time, a statistically significant difference in failure rate by geographic income level. It also provides the first reported pooled estimates for the risk of ETV+CPC perioperative mortality, intraoperative abandonment, and CSF infection. The low quality of this evidence highlights the need for further research to improve the understanding of these critical clinical outcomes and their relevant explanatory variables and thus to appreciate which patients may benefit most from an ETV+CPC.
Systematic review registration no.: CRD42020160149 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/)
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