Background and Aims. The impact of COVID-19 has been of great concern in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) worldwide, including an increased risk of severe outcomes and/or possible flare ...of IBD. This study aims to evaluate prevalence, outcomes, the impact of COVID-19 in patients with IBD, and risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 or flare of IBD activity. Methods. A consecutive cohort of IBD patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and followed up at the McGill University Health Care Centre was obtained between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. Demographics, comorbidities, IBD (type, treatments, pre- and post-COVID-19 clinical activity, biomarkers, and endoscopic activity), and COVID-19-related outcomes (pneumonia, hospitalization, death, and flare of IBD disease) were analyzed. Results. A cohort of 3,516 IBD patients was included. 82 patients (2.3%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection (median age: 39.0 (IQR 27.8–48.0), 77% with Crohn’s disease, 50% were female). The prevalence of COVID-19 infection in IBD patients was significantly lower compared to the general population in Canada and Quebec (3.5% versus 4.3%, p<0.001). Severe COVID-19 occurred in 6 patients (7.3%); 2 patients (2.4%) died. A flare of IBD post-COVID-19 infection was reported in 8 patients (9.8%) within 3 months. Biologic therapy was held during active COVID-19 infection in 37% of patients. Age ≥55 years (odds ratio (OR): 11.1, 95% CI: 1.8–68.0), systemic corticosteroid use (OR: 4.6, 95% CI: 0.7–30.1), active IBD (OR: 3.8, 95% CI: 0.7–20.8), and comorbidity (OR: 4.9, 95% CI: 0.8–28.6) were factors associated with severe COVID-19. After initial infection, 61% of IBD patients received COVID-19 vaccinations. Conclusion. The prevalence of COVID-19 infection among patients with IBD was lower than that in the general population in Canada. Severe COVID-19, mortality, and flare of IBD were relatively rare, while a large proportion of patients received COVID-19 vaccination. Older age, comorbidities, active IBD disease, and systemic corticosteroid, but not immunosuppressive or biological therapy, were associated with severe COVID-19 infection.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition that significantly affects the quality of life of its patients. Biologic drugs have been the mainstay treatment in the management of IBD ...patients but despite their significant contribution, there remains a proportion of patients that do not respond or lose response to treatment. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) involves measuring levels of serum drug concentrations and anti-drug antibodies. TDM of biologic drugs initially emerged to understand treatment failure in other immune mediated inflammatory diseases. This was then introduced in IBD to rationalize primary non-response or secondary loss of response, given that low serum drug concentrations or the formation of anti-drug antibodies are variably associated with treatment failure. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview regarding the current use of TDM in clinical practice and to present the evidence available regarding its use in both proactive and reactive clinical settings in preventing and managing treatment failure. This review also presents the existing evidence regarding the association of various clinical outcomes with specific thresholds of drug concentrations, in everyday practice. A narrative review of published articles and conference abstracts regarding the use of TDM in IBD management, through an electronic search using PubMed and ScienceDirect. TDM has proven to be superior and more cost effective in guiding management of patients with treatment failure compared to empiric dose escalation or change in treatment. Despite a trend towards an association between clinical outcomes and drug concentrations, proactive TDM based strategies have not been shown to achieve clear benefit in long-term outcomes. In the clinical setting, TDM has proven to be useful in managing IBD patients, and its use in the reactive setting, as an additional tool to help manage patients with treatment failure, is being promoted as newer guidelines and consensus groups implement TDM as part of the management plan.
68Ga-DOTA NOC PET-CT imaging has been shown to have high accuracy for the evaluation of neuroendocrine tumours. We report a case of a 3-year-old boy who presented with a right paravertebral soft ...tissue mass. Biopsy showed ganglioneuroblastoma. The patient was referred for 68Ga-DOTA NOC for staging. 68Ga-DOTA NOC PET/CT images showed somatostatin-avid large right paravertebral soft tissue mass representing the primary lesion, along with increased radiotracer localization at multiple metastatic lytic bone lesions in the axial and appendicular skeleton. 68Ga-DOTA NOC PET-CT is helpful in the evaluation of the disease extent of neuroendocrine tumours including ganglioneuroblastoma.
Background
To report the feasibility and safety of C1 kyphoplasty using the Cirq® robotic assistance coupled to the AIRO® intraoperative computed tomography (iCT)-scan and BrainLab® navigation ...system.
Methods
A 47-year-old woman with C1 osteolytic lesion responsible of intractable left-sided suboccipital pain was admitted. She underwent a percutaneous kyphoplasty of left lateral mass of C1 using Cirq® robotic assistance. She reported postoperative substantial pain relief. CT scan showed adequate filling of the osteolytic lesion without obvious leakage of cement.
Conclusion
Percutaneous kyphoplasty of C1 using Cirq® robotic assistance is a safe and effective alternative in selected patients with C1 lateral mass metastasis.
Background
Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (d-AVF) is the most common spinal vascular malformations. Management includes endovascular embolization, and/or surgical obliteration of the shunt.
...Method
Applied to spinal d-AVF, mini-invasive surgical (MIS) obliteration is described as a mini-open approach using Mast Quadrant™ system. Important anatomical landmarks are reviewed. Indications, advantages, and limitations are discussed, and a step-by-step description of the procedure is presented.
Conclusion
MIS is a good solution to treat d-AVF with a good outcome.
Accurate screw placement remains challenging, especially in the cervical spine. We present our first experience of minimally invasive posterior cervical and upper thoracic pedicle screw fixation in ...the lower cervical spine.
This study reports a case series of patients, undergoing posterior percutaneous pedicle fixation using Cirq robotic assistance coupled to the Airo intraoperative computed tomography scan and Brainlab navigation system. Routine computed tomography was performed on postoperative day 2 to evaluate pedicle screw placement. The effective dose was calculated.
Between February 2020 and December 2020, 7 patients (4 men and 3 women) were treated. The mean age was 58.8 years (range, 29–75 years). Fixation was performed with a cannulated PASS OCT Reconstruction System (Medicrea). Overall, 28 screws were placed within cervical and upper thoracic pedicles. According to the Neo and Heary classification, 85.7% were rated as acceptable and 14.3% as poor. The radiation dose received by the patient was 9.1 mSv (range, 7.7–10.6 mSv). The radiation dose received by the surgical staff was 0 mSv. The postoperative course was excellent.
Posterior miniopen fixation using Cirq robotic assistance coupled with an intraoperative computed tomography navigation system is a major innovation that can improve the accuracy of pedicle screw positioning, with acceptable patient radiation and reduced surgical team exposure.
Deformity associating coronal and sagittal malalignment can severely impair quality of life in Parkinson's disease (PD). Realignment using patient-specific rods (PSRs) is useful for achieving ...alignment goals.
This was a retrospective single-center analysis of a prospectively maintained database of all PD patients who underwent surgery between January 2013 and January 2017. Clinical evaluation, preoperatively and at 1 year's follow-up, used the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Radiological evaluation used systematic preoperative and 1-year postoperative full-spine radiographs.
Twelve patients were included: 6 female, 6 male; mean age, 68.4 years. Mean follow-up was 40.8 months range 12–70. On average, 14 levels were fused range 10–18. Unplanned revision surgery was necessary for 8 patients at a mean 15.625 months after index surgery. Mean preoperative ODI score was 64% preoperatively range 56–70 versus 52% range 28–64 at 1 year's follow-up (P=0.004). Lumbar lordosis improved significantly, from −16.7° preoperatively to −41.4° at 1 year (P=0.006). Pelvic tilt was the least effectively corrected parameter, with a mean preoperative value of 31.6° vs. 27.8° at 1 year (P=0.19). Mean preoperative sagittal vertical axis was 149.7mm versus 73.6mm at 1 year (P=0.013). Mean preoperative coronal tilt was 68.2mm versus 22.9mm at 1 year (P=0.007).
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease frequently associated with major spine malalignment. The severity of the postural disorders in these patients needs special precautions to avoid complications.
The da Vinci robot (DVR) is the most widely used robot in abdominal, urological, and gynecological surgery. Due to its minimally invasive approach, the DVR has demonstrated its effectiveness and ...improved safety in these different disciplines. The aim of our study was to report its use in an anterior approach of complex lumbar surgery.
In a retrospective multicenter observational study, 10 robotic-assisted procedures were performed from March 2021 to May 2022. Six oblique lumbar interbody fusion procedures and 4 lumbar corpectomies were performed by anterolateral approach assisted by the DVR. The characteristics of the patients and the intraoperative and postoperative data were recorded.
Six men and 4 women underwent surgery (mean age 50.5 years; body mass index 28.6 kg/m2). No vascular injuries were reported, and no procedures required conversion to open surgery. Mean surgical time were 219 minutes for 1-level oblique lumbar interbody fusion (3 patients), 286 minutes for 2-level oblique lumbar interbody fusion (3 patients), and 390 minutes for corpectomy (4 patients). Four patients experienced nonserious adverse events due to lumbar plexus nerve damage. One patient had a vertebral body plate fracture requiring posterior revision surgery, and 1 patient had a psoas hematoma requiring transfusion. No abdominal wall complications or surgical site infection were found. Seven patients were reviewed at 12 months, none had complications, and all showed radiological evidence of fusion.
The use of the DVR in lumbar surgery allows a safe minimally invasive transperitoneal approach, but to date, only hybrid procedures have been performed.
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