Despite the substantial growth of telemedicine and the evidence of its advantages, the use of telemedicine in neurosurgery has been limited. Barriers have included medicolegal issues surrounding ...provider reimbursement, interstate licensure, and malpractice liability as well as technological challenges. Recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has limited typical evaluation of patients with neurologic issues and resulted in a surge in demand for virtual medical visits. Meanwhile, federal and state governments took action to facilitate the rapid implementation of telehealth programs, placing a temporary lift on medicolegal barriers that had previously limited its expansion. This created a unique opportunity for widespread telehealth use to meet the surge in demand for remote medical care. After initial hurdles and challenges, our experience with telemedicine in neurosurgery at Penn Medicine has been overall positive from both the provider and the patients' perspective. One of the unique challenges we face is guiding patients to appropriately set up devices in a way that enables an effective neuroexamination. However, we argue that an accurate and comprehensive neurologic examination can be conducted through a telemedicine platform, despite minor weaknesses inherent to absence of physical presence. In addition, certain neurosurgical visits such as postoperative checks, vascular pathology, and brain tumors inherently lend themselves to easier evaluation through telehealth visits. In the era of COVID-19 and beyond, telemedicine remains a promising and effective approach to continue neurologic patient care.
A systematic literature search has been performed to identify potential confounders for outcome prediction using pupillary light reflex in adult critically ill patients, as measured by handheld ...automated pupillometry devices.
Three digital databases (PubMed, EmBase, Cochrane) were systematically searched. Articles published between 1990 and 2019 in adult patients using monocular automated handheld devices were considered. Studies were classified according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine classification (level 1 represents the highest and level 5 the lowest level of evidence). Case reports, original research, and systematic reviews were included and cross-referenced.
With the use of 202 search terms, 58 eligible articles reporting the use of handheld pupillometry in the critically ill could be identified, considering 3,246 patients. The highest level of evidence came from 10 randomized trials and 19 prospective observational studies. The level of evidence was mostly 2 to 3 and highest with studies regarding the potential confounding effects of pain, the use of opioids, and increased intracranial pressure. Additional potential confounders found are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, α2-adregenic receptor agonists, and NMDA antagonists.
The pupillary light reflex is susceptible to factors resulting from underlying comorbid conditions and effects of treatment regimens. Scenarios frequently encountered in critical care such as pain, use of opioids, and proof of increased intracranial pressure have potential confounding effects on outcome and pupillary reflexes. When treatment is guided by pupillary metrics, such confounders put patients at risk of overtreatment or undertreatment. Future research should validate and identify additional confounders, because our review suggests that even more unexplored confounders may exist.
The International Standards for Neurologic Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) are the most widely used classification system in spinal cord injury medicine. The purpose of the ISNCSCI is ...to ensure accurate and consistent communication among patients, clinicians, and researchers. Since its first publication in 1982, the ISNCSCI has continued to evolve with the latest updates and revisions published in 2015 and 2019. The updates were incorporated into the 2019 ISNCSCI worksheet and booklet, and the International Standards Training e-Learning Program. This article details the ISNCSCI update from 2015 and revision in 2019.
Abstract Background High-risk infant follow-up programs provide early identification and referral for treatment of neurodevelopmental delays and impairments. In these programs, a standardized ...neurological examination is a critical component of evaluation for clinical and research purposes. Methods To address primary challenges of provider educational diversity and standardized documentation, we designed an approach to training and implementation of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination with precourse materials, a workshop model, and adaptation of the electronic medical record. Conclusions Provider completion and documentation of a neurological examination were evaluated before and after Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination training. Standardized training and implementation of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination in a large high-risk infant follow-up is feasible and effective and allows for quantitative evaluation of neurological findings and developmental trajectories.
The Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) has been proposed as one of the early neurological examination tools for the diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of the present study was ...to critically review the existing literature and our experience with the use of the HINE in infants at risk of CP. The published papers confirm that the HINE can play an important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of infants at risk of developing CP, and provide information on aspects of neurological findings impaired in different forms of CP and brain lesions.
What this paper adds
Review of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) in the early diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP).
The HINE can be reliably used to assess infants at neurological risk, both preterm and term born.
The HINE identifies early signs of CP in infants with neonatal brain lesions.
Longitudinal assessments will allow differentiation of transient and more permanent abnormalities.
This article is commented on by Haataja on page 219 of this issue.
OBJECTIVETo identify similarities and differences in protocols on determination of brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) around the world.
METHODSWe collected and reviewed official ...national BD/DNC protocols from contacts around the world between January 2018 and April 2019.
RESULTSWe communicated with contacts in 136 countries and found that 83 (61% of countries with contacts identified, 42% of the world) had BD/DNC protocols, 78 of which were unique. Protocols addressed the following prerequisites and provided differing instructionsdrug clearance (64, 82%), temperature (61, 78%), laboratory values (56, 72%), observation period (37, 47%), and blood pressure (34, 44%). Protocols did not consistently identify the same components for the clinical examination of brain death; 70 (90%) included coma, 70 (90%) included the pupillary reflex, 68 (87%) included the corneal reflex, 67 (86%) included the oculovestibular reflex, 64 (82%) included the gag reflex, 62 (79%) included the cough reflex, 58 (74%) included the oculocephalic reflex, 37 (47%) included noxious stimulation to the face, and 22 (28%) included noxious stimulation to the limbs. Apnea testing was mentioned in 71 (91%) protocols; there was variability in the technique and target across protocols. Ancillary testing was included as a requirement for all determinations of BD/DNC in 22 (28%) protocols.
CONCLUSIONSThere is considerable variability in BD/DNC determination protocols around the world. Medical standards for death should be the same everywhere. We recommend that a worldwide consensus be reached on the minimum standards for BD/DNC.
Misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) (the incorrect assignment of a diagnosis of MS) remains a problem in contemporary clinical practice. Studies indicate that misdiagnosed patients are often ...exposed to prolonged unnecessary health care risks and morbidity. The recently published 2017 revision of the McDonald criteria for the diagnosis of MS provides an opportunity to consider the effect of these revisions on the problem of MS misdiagnosis. The 2017 McDonald criteria include several new recommendations to reduce potential for misdiagnoses. The criteria should be used for the types of patients in which validation studies were performed, specifically those patients who present with typical demyelinating syndromes. MRI lesion characteristics were defined for which McDonald criteria would be expected to perform with accuracy. However, 2017 revisions, which now include assessment for cortical lesions, and the inclusion of symptomatic lesions and positive oligoclonal bands for the fulfillment of diagnostic criteria, may have the potential to lead to misdiagnosis of MS if not applied appropriately. While the 2017 McDonald criteria integrate issues relating to MS misdiagnosis and incorporate specific recommendations for its prevention more prominently than prior criteria, the interpretation of clinical and radiologic assessments upon which these criteria depend will continue to allow misdiagnoses. In patients with atypical clinical presentations, the revised McDonald criteria may not be readily applied. In those situations, further evaluation or monitoring rather than immediate diagnosis of MS is prudent.
To outline features of the neurologic examination that can be performed virtually through telemedicine platforms (the virtual neurological examination VNE), and provide guidance for rapidly pivoting ...in-person clinical assessments to virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
The full neurologic examination is described with attention to components that can be performed virtually.
A screening VNE is outlined that can be performed on a wide variety of patients, along with detailed descriptions of virtual examination maneuvers for specific scenarios (cognitive testing, neuromuscular and movement disorder examinations).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid adoption of virtual medicine will be critical to provide ongoing and timely neurological care. Familiarity and mastery of a VNE will be critical for neurologists, and this article outlines a practical approach to implementation.
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