The authors sought to analyze the current literature to determine dimensional trends across the lumbar levels of Kambin's triangle, clarify the role of imaging techniques for preoperative planning, ...and understand the effect of inclusion of the superior articular process (SAP). This compiled knowledge of the triangle is needed to perform successful procedures, reduce nerve root injuries, and help guide surgeons in training.
The authors performed a search of multiple databases using combinations of keywords: Kambin's triangle, size, measurement, safe triangle, and bony triangle. Articles were included if their main findings included measurement of Kambin's triangle. The PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, Cochrane, Embase, and Medline databases were systematically searched for English-language articles with no time frame restrictions through July 2022.
Eight studies comprising 132 patients or cadavers were included in the study. The mean ± SD age was 66.69 ± 9.6 years, and 53% of patients were male. Overall, the size of Kambin's triangle increased in area moving down vertebral levels, with L5-S1 being the largest (133.59 ± 4.36 mm2). This trend followed a linear regression model when SAP was kept (p = 0.008) and removed (p = 0.003). There was also a considerable increase in the size of Kambin's triangle if the SAP was removed.
Here, the authors have provided the first reported systematic review of the literature of Kambin's triangle, its measurements at each lumbar level, and key areas of debate related to the definition of the working safe zone. These findings indicate that CT is heavily utilized for imaging of the safe zone, the area of Kambin's triangle tends to increase caudally, and variation exists between patients. Future studies should focus on using advanced imaging techniques for preoperative planning and establishing guidelines for surgeons.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) carries a major global burden of disease; however, it is well established that patients in low- and middle-income countries, such as those in Africa, have higher ...mortality rates. Pediatric TBI, specifically, is a documented cause for concern as injuries to the developing brain have been shown to lead to cognitive, psychosocial, and motor problems in adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reported demographics, causes, management, and outcomes of pediatric TBI in Africa.
A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Global Index Medicus, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and Web of Science. Various combinations of "traumatic brain injury," "head injury," "p(a)ediatric," "Africa," and country names were used. Relevant primary data published in the English language were included and subjected to a risk of bias analysis. Variables included age, sex, TBI severity, TBI cause, imaging findings, treatment, complications, and outcome.
After screening, 45 articles comprising 11,635 patients were included. The mean patient age was 6.48 ± 2.13 years, and 66.3% of patients were male. Of patients with reported data, mild, moderate, and severe TBIs were reported in 57.6%, 14.5%, and 27.9% of patients, respectively. Road traffic accidents were the most reported cause of pediatric TBI (50.53%) followed by falls (25.18%). Skull fractures and intracerebral contusions were the most reported imaging findings (28.32% and 16.77%, respectively). The most reported symptoms included loss of consciousness (24.4%) and motor deficits (17.1%). Surgical management was reported in 28.66% of patients, with craniotomy being the most commonly reported procedure (15.04%). Good recovery (Glasgow Outcome Scale score 5, Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score 7-8) was reported in 47.17% of patients. Examination of the period post-2015 demonstrated increased spread in the literature regarding pediatric TBI in Africa.
This study provides a comprehensive overview of the literature regarding pediatric TBI in Africa and how it has evolved alongside global neurosurgical efforts. Although there has been increased involvement from various African countries in the neurosurgical literature, there remains a relative paucity of data on this subject. Standardized reporting protocols for patient care may aid in future studies seeking to synthesize data. Finally, further studies should seek to correlate the trends seen in this study, with primary epidemiological data to gain deeper insight into the disease burden of pediatric TBI in Africa.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Primary spine tumors are rare neoplasms that affect about 0.62 per 100,000 individuals in the US. Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) are the rarest of all primary tumors ...involving the spine and can cause pain, imbalance, urinary dysfunction and neurological deficits. These types of tumors oftentimes necessitate surgical treatment, yet there is a lack of data on length of stay and complication rates following treatment. Given that treatment candidacy, quality of life, and outcomes are tied so closely to these metrics, it is important to illustrate the risk factors for prolonged length of stay and their association with post-op complications with the ultimate goal of improving patient selection and preoperative optimization.
METHODS
The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was queried for all patients undergoing surgery for treatment of intramedullary spinal cord tumors between 2005 and 2017. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to assess patient risk factor influencing prolonged length of stay and post-op complications.
RESULTS
A total of 638 patients were included in the analysis. Pre-operative American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status classification of 3 and above ( OR 1.89; p=0.0005), dependent functional status ( OR 2.76; p=0.0035) and transfer from facilities other than home ( OR 8.12; p< 0.0001) were independent predictors of prolonged length of stay ( >5 days). The most commonly reported complications were pneumonia (5.7%), urinary tract infection (9.4%), septic shock (3.8%), superficial incisional infection (5.7%), organ or space infection (5.7%), pulmonary embolism (11.3%), DVT requiring therapy (15.1%) and wound dehiscence (5.7%).
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated the significant influence of clinical variables on prolonged hospitalization of IMSCT patients. This should be factored into clinical and surgical decision making and when counseling patients of their expected outcomes.
Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors are rare and aggressive tumors that mainly affect children <3 years of age. Despite aggressive treatment, the overall survival rate for pediatric atypical ...teratoid/rhabdoid tumors remains poor. Due to their rarity, little is known regarding prognostic factors, and there is no official standard of treatment.
A comprehensive database search was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Search terms included “atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor” and “atypical (teratoid OR rhabdoid) tumor.” Variables of interest included, but were not limited to, age, sex, tumor location, treatment modality, extent of resection, and overall survival.
The study included 294 articles and 936 patients. The median age of patients was 22 months. There was a significant difference in survival among patients receiving surgery compared with patients receiving nonoperative treatment (50.3 months vs. 28 months; P < 0.005). Extent of resection did not significantly improve survival (P = 0.832 for gross total resection, P = 0.650 for partial resection). Combination therapy with surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy demonstrated the largest median overall survival (54.9 months) and significantly improved survival on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.23–0.97; P = 0.042).
The results of this study indicate that while surgery is a crucial treatment modality for pediatric atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors, the effect of extent of resection is unclear. Multimodal therapy including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy is effective in improving overall survival. Future studies should focus on using larger datasets to efficiently account for confounding factors and biases.
Here, we evaluate the evolution and growth of global neurosurgery publications over time, further focusing on the contributions and impact of authors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
In ...this systematic bibliometric analysis, we conducted a two-stage blinded screening process of global neurosurgery publications from 5 databases from inception through July 2021. Articles involving multi-national/multi-institutional research collaborations, detailing any area of global neurosurgery collaboration, or influencing global neurosurgery practice were included. Statistical hypothesis testing was conducted to analyze trends and hypotheses of LMIC authorship contributions.
The number of global neurosurgery publications has soared in the last decade. Overall, authors from HIC countries were most commonly from the US (41.1%), Canada (4.0%), and the UK (3.9%), while authors from LMIC countries were most commonly from Uganda (4.2%), Tanzania (2.6%), Cameroon (1.8%), and India (1.8%). Over a quarter (28%) of publications had no LMIC authors, while only 11% had 3 or more LMIC authors. The proportion of LMIC authors (LMIC-R) was not correlated with the citation rate of individual articles or with the year of publication, and a positive trend emerged when the LMIC-R of top-publishing LMICs was individually examined and compared to the year of publication.
Despite recent growth, the number of global neurosurgery publications arising from LMICs pales in comparison to those from HICs. Collaborative efforts between certain HICs and LMICs have likely contributed to the observed increase in LMIC author independence over time.
This study investigates the scope, trends, and challenges of neurosurgical research in Nigeria since inception of the specialty in 1962.
A bibliometric review of the neurosurgical literature from ...Nigeria was performed. Variables extracted included year and journal of publication, article topic, article type, research type, study design, article focus area, and limitations. Descriptive and quantitative analyses were performed for all variables. Trends of research publications were described in three periods: pioneering (1962–1981), recession (1982–2001), and resurgent (2002–2021).
Of the 1023 included articles, 10.0% were published in the pioneering period, 9.2% in the recession period, and 80.8% in the resurgent period. Papers were predominantly published in World Neurosurgery (4.5%) and Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice (4.0%). A total of 79.9% of the 4618 authors were from Nigerian institutions; 86.3% of the articles covered clinical research and were mainly focused on service delivery and epidemiology (89.9%). The most prominent topics were traumatic brain injury (25.8%) and central nervous system malignancy (21.4%). Only 4.4% of the publications received funding, mostly from agencies in the United States (31.7%). Barriers to neurosurgical research included lack of clinical databases (18.0%), increasing burden of disease (12.5%), and diagnostic challenges (12.4%).
Neurosurgical research in Nigeria continues to grow due to increased training, workforce, and infrastructural improvements. Addressing the major challenges through establishment of research databases, development of evidence-based management guidelines, and increasing research training, funding and opportunities can increase research capacity in Nigeria.
Vascular neurosurgery has developed significantly in Nigeria, but its burden and challenges remain unclear. This study systematically reviewed vascular neurosurgical literature from Nigeria.
Four ...research databases and gray literature sources were searched from 1962–2021. ROBINS-I tool was used to assess risk of bias. Descriptive, narrative, and statistical analyses were conducted on all variables. Where appropriate, paired t-tests and Chi-squared independence tests were used (α = 0.05).
56 articles were included and 3203 patients pooled for analysis. Risk of bias was moderate-high. Most articles were published over the last 20 years with retrospective cohort studies and case reports being the most common study designs. The cohort had a relatively even gender split and an average age of 49 years (±22). Cerebrovascular accidents accounted for over 85% of diagnoses, with most etiologies being traumatic. Headache and motor deficit were the most prevalent clinical features. X-ray and carotid angiography were the most commonly reported imaging modalities, closely followed by computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography. The top two radiological diagnoses were ischemic cerebrovascular disease and intracerebral hematoma. Aneurysmal clipping and hematoma evacuation were the most commonly reported treatment modalities. Outcome at last follow-up was favorable in 48%. The mortality rate was 6%. Post-treatment complications included chest infection and rebleeding.
This study illustrates the epidemiological burden of neurovascular pathology (based on the available data in published literature) in Nigeria, and raises awareness amongst service providers and researchers of the attendant challenges and epochal trends seen within vascular neurosurgery in Nigeria.
This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of pediatric neurosurgery in Nigeria, since 1962, by assessing epidemiological data, management strategies, and case outcomes.
A systematic ...bibliometric review of Nigerian neurosurgical literature was reported with the PRISMA guidelines. The Risk of Bias Assessment Tool was applied to all nonrandomized studies, and a descriptive analysis was performed for all variables.
We identified 12,295 pediatric patients from 196 published studies. Most publications (72.4%) occurred in the recent 2 decades, of which 40.3% were observational case reports/series. The patients were predominantly male (57.2%) and aged 0–18 years, with the majority (66.1%) belonging to the 0–5 age range. Most patients (63.4%) presented between 1–12 months. The most common presenting feature was altered consciousness (7.7%), with computed tomography (38.8%) being the most frequently utilized diagnostic imaging modality. The diagnoses with the greatest prevalence (60.2%) were congenital abnormalities such as hydrocephalus and neural tube defects. 57.5% of cases received surgical therapy, with ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement being the most noticeable procedure performed (36.4%). Complications were identified in 9.5% of cases, with a 4.5% death rate. The Glasgow Outcome Score (95.7%) was the primary outcome measure utilized, with positive outcomes reported in 59.3% of cases.
This review provides significant epidemiological data which emphasizes the country's enormous burden of pediatric neurosurgical cases. The findings can help guide clinical decisions as well as future research and policy development.
Despite 6 decades of existence, neurosurgery is still in the developing stages in Nigeria. In this era of collaborative health system capacity-building in low- and middle-income countries, this ...article reviews past efforts and future prospects for collaborative neurosurgical development in Nigeria.
A bibliometric review of the Nigerian neurosurgical literature and data from a structured survey of Nigerian neurosurgeons and residents provided details of current local and international collaborations for neurosurgical research, service delivery, training, and capacity building. These were analyzed to provide an overview of the role of collaborations in sustainable neurosurgical development in Nigeria and to recommend approaches to enhance neurosurgical capacity.
In 1023 peer-reviewed neurosurgery publications from Nigeria, there were 4618 authors with 3688 from 98 Nigerian institutions and 930 from 296 foreign institutions in 70 countries. While there were significant research collaborations amongst Nigerian institutions, the most common were with institutions in the US, United Kingdom, and Cameroon. From the survey, 62 of 149 respondents (41.6%) from 32 health facilities noted their institution's involvement in capacity-building neurosurgical collaborations. These collaborations involved 22 Nigerian institutions and 13 foreign institutions in 9 countries and were mostly for training and workforce development (78.1%), and research and data management (59.4%). The majority of foreign institutions were from the US and United Kingdom.
Current and previous neurosurgical collaborations have led to sustainable progress in Nigeria. Further local, regional, and international collaborations would enhance the capacity to address the needs and challenges affecting neurosurgery in Nigeria.
Spinal pathologies are prevalent in Nigeria, though epidemiological data remains sparse. This systematic review used pooled patient-level data from across the country to generate a standardized ...epidemiological reference.
Four research databases and gray literature sources were searched. Risk of bias assessment was conducted using Risk of Bias in Non-Randomised Studies - of Interventions and Cochrane's risk of bias tool. We descriptively analyzed all article metrics and statistically analyzed relevant data variables via paired t-test and χ2 independence tests (α = 0.05).
One hundred twenty-seven articles, comprising a patient cohort of 8425 patients, were analyzed. Most were retrospective cohort studies (46.5%) and case reports/series (31.5%), with an overall moderate-high risk of bias. Most studies were published in the last 20 years. Most patients were male (∼2.5 males per female), with an average age of 43.2 years (±16.4). Clinical diagnoses spanned the breadth of spinal neurosurgery. Approximately 45.0% of patients had complete spinal impairment. Pain (41.7%) was the most reported presenting feature. X-ray (45.1%) was the most common investigation used. Intervertebral disc herniation (18.9%) was the most prevalent imaging finding on MRI. Most patients were managed nonoperatively (57.8%), with a favorable outcome in 27.4% of patients. Posttreatment complications included pressure sores, infection, and motor deficits.
This systematic review and pooled analysis provide an epidemiological overview of spinal neurosurgery in Nigeria over the last 60 years and serves as a useful reference to direct future global research in this arena.
