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ObjectiveBecause elderly patients are undergoing more surgeries, the importance of postoperative cognitive impairment (CI) evaluations is rising, especially for spine surgery, which is related to subjective pain. We investigated the prevalence of undiagnosed CI among elderly patients who underwent spine surgery and the impact of CI on postoperative outcomes.MethodsThe preoperative cognitive statuses of 129 patients over 65 who underwent lumbar spine surgery from 2012 to 2014 were determined with the Mini-Mental State Examination, and patients with scores under 24 were diagnosed with CI. The patients were then divided into a CI group (n=49) and non-cognitive impairment (NCI) group (n=80).ResultsAmong the 129 patients, 49 (38.0%) were diagnosed with CI, and 9 (7.0%) had severe CI. The age of the CI group (72.88±6.20 years) was significantly greater than that of the NCI group (69.96±4.53 years). In contrast, the postoperative visual analog scale scores and performance statuses did not differ significantly. However, postoperative delirium was more frequent and the hospital stay length was longer in the CI group compared with the NCI group (p<0.05).ConclusionA high prevalence of undiagnosed CI was discovered among elderly patients undergoing spine surgery. The existence of CI was associated with higher rates of postoperative delirium and prolonged hospital stays, which affected clinical outcomes. Thus, CI assessments should be included in preoperative evaluations of elderly patients prior to spine surgery.

Objective Cranioplasty (CP) and ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) are required procedures following decompressive craniectomy (DC) for craniofacial protection and to prevent hydrocephalus. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of simultaneous operation with CP and VPS after DC, and determined the preoperative risk factors for postoperative complications. Methods Between January 2009 and December 2019, 81 patients underwent CP and VPS in simultaneous or staged operations following DC. Cumulative medical records and radiologic data were analyzed using univariate analysis to identify factors predisposing patients to complications after CP and VPS. Results CP and VPS were performed as simultaneous or staged operations in 18 (22.2%) and 63 (77.8%) patients, respectively. The overall postoperative complication rate was 16.0% (13/81). Patients who underwent simultaneous CP and VPS were significantly more likely to experience complications when compared with patients who underwent staged operations (33.3% vs. 9.6%, p <0.01). Univariate analysis revealed that simultaneous CP and VPS surgery was the only significant predictor of postoperative complications ( p =0.031). Conclusion This study provided detailed data on surgical timing and complications for CP and VPS after DC. We showed that simultaneous procedures were a significant risk factor for postoperative complications.

BackgroundDespite recent advances in skull base reconstructive techniques, including the multilayer technique during the last decade, complete reconstruction of grade 3 intraoperative high-flow cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak remains challenging. This study was designed to investigate the role of injectable hydroxyapatite (HXA) used in the multilayer technique on the clinical outcome of skull base reconstruction for intraoperative high-flow CSF leak.Materials and MethodsThis study enrolled 187 patients who experienced intraoperative high-flow CSF leak after endoscopic endonasal surgery for anterior skull base or suprasellar pathologies between January 2014 and July 2021. All skull base defects were reconstructed using the conventional multilayer technique including a vascularized naso-septal flap (NSF, n = 141) and the combined use of HXA with the conventional multilayer technique (HXA group, n = 46). We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of the HXA group by 1:2 propensity score matching analysis.ResultsOverall, 17 of 187 patients (9.1%) showed postoperative CSF leaks, resulting in second reconstruction surgery. There were no statistical differences in patient age, sex, body mass index, tumor location, tumor type, and degree of resection, except for the follow-up period between the two groups. The HXA group showed a significantly lower incidence of postoperative CSF leak than the control group (0% vs. 12.1%, p &lt; 0.05). Postoperative lumbar drain (LD) was performed in 8.7% of the HXA group compared to 46.1% of the control group (p &lt; 0.01). CSF leak-related infection rates showed a decreasing tendency in the HXA group compared to the control group (0 vs. 7.1%, p = 0.06). A total of 46 patients in the HXA group were well matched with the control group (92 patients) at a 1:2 ratio. In the propensity score-matched control group, there were higher rates of postoperative CSF leaks than in the HXA group.ConclusionThe use of HXA combined with the conventional multilayer technique completely reduced postoperative CSF leaks in this study. This technique resulted in reduced CSF leakage, even without postoperative LD, and decreased infection rates. Further randomized comparative studies are required to confirm our findings.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between further compression and necrotic area in osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) patients with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CEMRI). In addition, we investigated the radiological and clinical outcome according to the range of the necrotic area.MethodsBetween 2012 and 2014, the study subjects were 82 OVF patients who did not undergo vertebroplasty or surgical treatment. The fracture areas examined on CEMRI at admission were defined as edematous if enhancement was seen and as necrotic if no enhancement was seen. The correlation between further compression and the necrotic and edematous areas of CEMRI, age, and bone mineral density was examined. Also, necrotic areas were classified into those with less than 25% (non-necrosis group) and those with more than 25% (necrosis group) according to the percentages of the entire vertebral body. For both groups, further compression and the changes in wedge and kyphotic angles were examined at admission and at 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months after admission, while the clinical outcomes were compared using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status grade.ResultsFurther compression was 14.78±11.11% at 1 month and 21.75±14.43% at 6 months. There was a very strong correlation between the necrotic lesion of CEMRI and further compression (r=0.690, p<0.001). The compression of the necrosis group was 33.52±12.96%, which was higher than that of the non-necrosis group, 14.96±10.34% (p<0.005). Also, there was a statistically significantly higher number of intervertebral cleft development and surgical treatments being performed in the necrosis group than in the non-necrosis group (p<0.005). Moreover, there was a statistical difference in the decrease in the height of the vertebral body, and an increase was observed in the kyphotic change of wedge angle progression. There was also a difference in the VAS and ECOG performance scales.ConclusionThe necrotic area of CEMRI in OVF had a strong correlation with further compression over time. In addition, with increasing necrosis, intervertebral clefts occurred more frequently, which induced kyphotic changes and resulted in poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, identifying necrotic areas by performing CEMRI on OVF patients would be helpful in determining their prognosis and treatment course.

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A 43-year-old man was admitted for head trauma after falling backward. The patient complained of diplopia. Unilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) was diagnosed during the neurologic examination. Initially, no specific finding was shown on T2-weighted, T1-weighted, and fluid attenuated inversion recovery brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) or brain computed tomography (CT). However, susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) definitively demonstrated a tiny hemorrhage at the midline of the pontomesencephalic junction. The patient's symptom improved after 12 weeks. We discuss the clinical significance of SWI when traumatic INO due to a tiny hemorrhage is suspected.

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