Applicant Perceptions of Postinterview Communication During the 2022 to 2023 Neurosurgery Recruitment Cycle: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and describe neurosurgery applicant perceptions of the postinterview communication (PIC) process during the US residency match. METHODS: A voluntary and anonymous postmatch web-based survey was developed and sent to 209 candidates who applied to 1 academic neurosurgery practice during the 2022-2023 recruitment cycle, approximately 1 week following match day. Survey questions focused on their perceptions of and participation behaviors with PIC and how this impacted their final rank list. RESULTS: Seventy-eight (37.3%) of the 209 candidates responded to the survey. Sixty-four (84.2%) respondents reported submitting a letter of intent (LOI) to their number 1 ranked program. Sixty-one (82%) felt pressured to send a LOI to improve their rank status, fearing that it may harm them if they did not. Fifty-four (73.0%) respondents felt pressured to send an early LOI despite not seeing the program in person to communicate interest before programs certified their rank lists. Fourteen (18.9%) respondents agreed that a second look experience impacted their rank list enough to where they regretted an early LOI. Fifty-five (76.4%) respondents disagreed that second-look attendance had no impact on their rank status with a program. Fifty (71.4%) respondents agreed that PIC causes undue stress during the match process. Sixty-one (84.7%) respondents agreed that aspects of PIC require universal guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to describe the perceptions of PIC and behaviors of neurosurgery applicants during the US residency match process. Standardized PIC practices may help to ensure transparency and relieve stress for applicants during the match process.

Postoperative Cerebrospinal Fluid-Related Complications After Posterior Fossa and Posterolateral Skull Base Surgeries: Development of a Predictive Model and Clinical Risk Score.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pseudomeningocele (PMC) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak are common complications following posterior fossa and posterolateral skull base surgeries. We sought to 1) determine the rate of CSF-related complications and 2) develop a perioperative model and risk score to identify the highest risk patients for these events. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort of 450 patients undergoing posterior fossa and posterolateral skull base procedures from 2016 to 2020. Logistic regressions were performed for predictor selection for 3 prespecified models: 1) a priori variables, 2) predictors selected by large effect sizes, and 3) predictors with P ≤ 0.100 on univariable analysis. A final model was created by elimination of nonsignificant predictors, and the integer-based postoperative CSF-related complications (POCC) clinical risk score was derived. Internal validation was done using 10-fold cross-validation and bootstrapping with uniform shrinkage. RESULTS: A total of 115 patients (25.6%) developed PMC and/or CSF leakage. Age >55 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.560; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.328-0.954), body mass index >30 kg/m2 (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.14-3.10), and postoperative CSF diversion (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.64-5.00) were associated with CSF leak and PMC. Model 2 was the most predictive (cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.690). The final risk score was devised using age, body mass index class, dural repair technique, use of bone substitute, and duration of postoperative CSF diversion. The POCC score performed well (cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.761) and was highly specific (96.1%). CONCLUSIONS: We created the first generalizable and predictive risk score to identify patients at risk of CSF-related complications. The POCC score could improve surveillance, inform doctor-patient discussions regarding the risks of surgery, and assist in perioperative management.

Optimizing Surgical Performance Using Preoperative Virtual Reality Planning: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is often a complex process that requires detailed 3-dimensional anatomical knowledge and rigorous interplay between team members to attain ideal operational efficiency or "flow." Virtual Reality (VR) represents a technology by which to rehearse complex plans and communicate precise steps to a surgical team prior to entering the operating room. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of VR for preoperative surgical team planning and interdisciplinary communication across all surgical specialties. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed examining existing research on VR use for preoperative surgical team planning and interdisciplinary communication across all surgical fields in order to optimize surgical efficiency. MEDLINE, SCOPUS, CINAHL databases were searched from inception to July 31, 2022 using standardized search clauses. A qualitative data synthesis was performed with particular attention to preoperative planning, surgical efficiency optimization, and interdisciplinary collaboration/communication techniques determined a priori. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed. All included studies were appraised for their quality using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) tool. RESULTS: One thousand and ninety-three non-duplicated articles with abstract and full text availability were identified. Thirteen articles that examined preoperative VR-based planning techniques for optimization of surgical efficiency and/or interdisciplinary communication fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria. These studies had a low-to-medium methodological quality with a MERSQI mean score of 10.04 out of 18 (standard deviation 3.61). CONCLUSIONS: This review demonstrates that time spent rehearsing and visualizing patient-specific anatomical relationships in VR may improve operative efficiency and communication across multiple surgical specialties.

Neurosurgery Applicant Perspective of Neurosurgery Residency Websites.

OBJECTIVE: Applicants rely heavily on virtual information in the form of neurosurgery residency websites (NRWs) to better understand a program's culture, faculty, and opportunities. There is a paucity of information regarding the value of NRW on applicant decision making. The advent of the supplemental ERAS application and continuation of virtual interviews may increase the propensity of which applicants use NRW. The objective of our study was to distribute a survey to further understand applicants' perceptions and opinions of NRW, as well as provide future direction for NRW optimization. METHODS: The current study is a single-institution, retrospective survey design. A survey was designed via Qualtrics software to evaluate applicant demographics, resident education, resident recruitment, and future directions. The survey includes the most frequently used variables on NRW. The survey was distributed to neurosurgery applicants who received an interview at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: Among the 293 applicants who received a link to the survey, 87/293 (29.7%) completed it. Respondents elected that useful website variables were "resident rotation schedules and hospital locations," "faculty listings and biographies," and "neurosurgery residency websites served as a first impression of a neurosurgery residency program." More than half of the respondents agreed that their rank list would not be the same without an NRW. The most strongly received statement for future directions was "Neurosurgery residency programs will benefit from renovating their residency website." CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest NRWs play a vital role in resident recruitment and decision making. Residency programs will benefit from this data and may use it to restructure their virtual recruitment tools and discover innovative virtual recruitment strategies. Our team elucidated the most important variables found on NRWs and proposed future directions for their improvement and the virtual application and recruitment process.

Immunotherapy for Pediatric Brain and Spine Tumors: Current State and Future Directions.

BACKGROUND: Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Incidence in the USA has been on the rise for the last 2 decades. While therapeutic advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved survival and quality of life in many children, prognosis remains poor and current treatments have significant long-term sequelae. SUMMARY: There is a substantial need for the development of new therapeutic approaches, and since the introduction of immunotherapy by immune checkpoint inhibitors, there has been an exponential increase in clinical trials to adopt these and other immunotherapy approaches in children with brain tumors. In this review, we summarize the current immunotherapy landscape for various pediatric brain tumor types including choroid plexus tumors, embryonal tumors (medulloblastoma, AT/RT, PNETs), ependymoma, germ cell tumors, gliomas, glioneuronal and neuronal tumors, and mesenchymal tumors. We discuss the latest clinical trials and noteworthy preclinical studies to treat these pediatric brain tumors using checkpoint inhibitors, cellular therapies (CAR-T, NK, T cell), oncolytic virotherapy, radioimmunotherapy, tumor vaccines, immunomodulators, and other targeted therapies. KEY MESSAGES: The current landscape for immunotherapy in pediatric brain tumors is still emerging, but results in certain tumors have been promising. In the age of targeted therapy, genetic tumor profiling, and many ongoing clinical trials, immunotherapy will likely become an increasingly effective tool in the neuro-oncologist armamentarium.

Management of Cerebral Herniation Secondary to Lead Encephalopathy: A Case Report.

Background: Adult lead encephalopathy is a rare but critical condition to recognize in modern healthcare settings. Few reports have described the medical and neurosurgical management of severe adult lead encephalopathy. Case Presentation: A 22 year old woman presented with severe headache, anemia, vomiting, 40-lb weight loss, and constipation. At the time of presentation, she had extensive colonic radiopaque material and a serum lead concentration of 87 mcg/dl (normal <10). She rapidly developed anisocoria requiring emergent ventriculostomy insertion. Following CSF diversion, ICP mitigation, and lead chelation, she considerably improved in <2 weeks. Conclusion: We report one of the few instances of successful surgical and medical management of adult lead encephalopathy. Dedicated neurocritical care and neurosurgical teams are necessary in conjunction with toxicology in order to manage the advanced sequalae of severe lead poisoning.