Barriers to neurosurgery for medical students: a national study focused on the intersectionality of gender and race.

OBJECTIVE: Despite 51.2% of medical school graduates being female, only 29.8% of neurosurgery residency applicants are female. Furthermore, only 12.6% of neurosurgery applicants identify as underrepresented in medicine (URM). Evaluating the entry barriers for female and URM students is crucial in promoting the equity and diversity of the neurosurgical workforce. The objective of this study was to evaluate barriers to neurosurgery for medical students while considering the interaction between gender and race. METHODS: A Qualtrics survey was distributed widely to US medical students, assessing 14 factors of hesitancy toward neurosurgery. Likert scale responses, representing statement agreeability, converted to numeric values on a 7-point scale were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U-test and ANOVA comparisons with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Of 540 respondents, 68.7% were female and 22.6% were URM. There were 22.6% male non-URM, 7.4% male URM, 53.5% female non-URM, and 15.2% female URM respondents. The predominant reasons for hesitancy toward neurosurgery included work/life integration, length of training, competitiveness of residency position, and perceived malignancy of the field. Females were more hesitant toward neurosurgery due to maternity/paternity needs (p = 0.005), the absence of seeing people like them in the field (p < 0.001), and opportunities to pursue health equity work (p < 0.001). Females were more likely to have difficulties finding a mentor in neurosurgery who represented their identities (p = 0.017). URM students were more hesitant toward neurosurgery due to not seeing people like them in the field (p < 0.001). Subanalysis revealed that when students were stratified by both gender and URM status, there were more reasons for hesitancy toward neurosurgery that had significant differences between groups (male URM, male non-URM, female URM, and female non-URM students), suggesting the importance of intersectionality in this analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The authors highlight the implications of gender and racial diversity in the neurosurgical workforce on medical student interest and recruitment. Their findings suggest the importance of actively working to address these barriers, including 1) maternity/paternity policy reevaluation, standardization, and dissemination; and 2) actively providing resources for the creation of mentorship relationships for both women and URM students in an effort to create a workforce that aligns with the changing demographics of medical graduates to continue to improve diversity in neurosurgery.

Low surgical weight associated with ETV failure in pediatric hydrocephalus patients.

The use of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus has higher failure rates in younger patients. Here we investigate the impact of select perioperative variables, specifically gestational age, chronological age, birth weight, and surgical weight, on ETV failure rates. A retrospective review was performed on patients treated with ETV - with or without choroid plexus cauterization (CPC) - from 2010 to 2021 at a large academic center. Analyses included Cox regression for independent predictors and Kaplan-Meier survival curves for time to-event outcomes. In total, 47 patients were treated with ETV; of these, 31 received adjunctive CPC. Overall, 66% of the cohort experienced ETV failure with a median failure of 36 days postoperatively. Patients aged < 6 months at time of surgery experienced 80% failure rate, and those > 6 months at time of surgery experienced a 41% failure rate. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed weight at the time of ETV surgery was significantly inversely associated with ETV failure with a hazard ratio of 0.92 (95% CI 0.82, 0.99). Multivariate analysis redemonstrated the inverse association of weight at time of surgery with ETV failure with hazard ratio of 0.76 (95% CI 0.60, 0.92), and sensitivity analysis showed < 4.9 kg as the optimal cutoff predicting ETV/CPC failure. Neither chronologic age nor gestational age were found to be significantly associated with ETV failure.In this study, younger patients experienced higher ETV failure rates, but multivariate regression found that weight was a more robust predictor of ETV failure than chronologic age or gestational age, with an optimal cutoff of 4.9 kg in our small cohort. Given the limited sample size, further study is needed to elucidate the independent role of weight as a peri-operative variable in determining ETV candidacy in young infants. Previous presentations: Poster Presentation, Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Autonomic dysfunction in patients with tectal plate compression: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Pineal region lesions can result in tectal plate compression, hydrocephalus, and associated symptoms including headache, Parinaud's Syndrome, and epileptic phenomena. No studies have looked at the relationship between these lesions and the autonomic nervous system. METHODS: To evaluate the clinical presentation of pineal lesions secondary to tectal plate compression with a focus on autonomic dysfunction, a systematic review was completed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Case reports and prospective and retrospective studies on patients with pineal or tectal region lesions were included. RESULTS: Of 73 identified studies, 43 underwent full text screening. 26 studies (n=363 patients; age range 0-69 years) were included. 47.1% of patients were male (n=171). Obstructive hydrocephalus was identified in 119 patients (32.8%). The most common symptom was headache (n=228, 62.8%), followed by epileptic phenomena (n=76, 20.9%). Vision related symptoms were identified in 88 patients (24.2%). 251 patients (69.1%) had symptoms associated with autonomic dysfunction including dizziness, nausea, pupillary dysfunction, photophobia and fatigue. Of the 200 (55%) patients who underwent surgery, 135 patients (67.5%) had improved or resolved symptoms post-operatively, including 120 patients with improved autonomic dysfunction symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Though these lesions are most characterized by Parinaud's syndrome and hydrocephalus, this review suggests dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system may be at play and require consideration at initial presentation and treatment.

Postconception age at surgery as a predictor of ventriculoperitoneal shunt failure.

OBJECTIVE: The gold standard of pediatric hydrocephalus management is the ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. However, VP shunts have high failure rates, and both young age and prematurity have been identified as potential risk factors for shunt failure, although neither variable describes total development at the time of surgery. This study aimed to further characterize age and shunt failure through the use of postconception age at surgery (PCAS) as well as investigate the 40-week PCAS threshold initially described in 1999. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all first-time shunt placements at the authors' institution from 2010 to 2021. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) pediatric hydrocephalus dataset was used as a parallel analysis to ensure representativeness of the national pediatric hydrocephalus population. RESULTS: In the institutional cohort, infants with a PCAS < 40 weeks exhibited 2.4 times greater odds of shunt failure than those with a PCAS ≥ 40 weeks. In the NSQIP dataset, infants with a PCAS < 40 weeks had 1.45 times greater odds of shunt failure compared with those with a PCAS ≥ 40 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The 40-week PCAS threshold appears to be a significant predictor of shunt failure in pediatric patients with hydrocephalus. This finding underscores the importance of considering the developmental stage at the time of surgery, rather than just prematurity status, when assessing shunt failure risk.

Isolated Intramedullary Thoracic Spinal Sarcoidosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic inflammatory granulomatosis disease that rarely involves the central nervous system (CNS) and is even more so rarely isolated to the intramedullary thoracic spine. In isolated CNS sarcoidosis cases, surgical treatment is debated. We present here a case report and literature review on intramedullary thoracic spine sarcoidosis to evaluate potential portents of spine involvement and indications for surgical intervention. A 47-year-old female with a prior history of renal cell carcinoma presented with a week-long history of urinary retention and bilateral lower extremity numbness, and a 24-hour history of left lower extremity (LLE) weakness with saddle anesthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a syrinx spanning the spinal cord to the conus medullaris and a contrast-enhancing, expansile intramedullary thoracic lesion at T6-T7 with a non-enhancing, cystic right paraspinal lesion at T5. Given the patient's history of a kidney neoplasm, a metastatic work-up was completed. Biopsy of the T5 lesion was consistent with endometriosis. The patient underwent a T6-8 laminectomy with excisional biopsy and gross total resection of the intramedullary mass. Initial pathology was notable for lymphohistiocytic infiltrate with coagulative necrosis and rare multinucleated giant cells. At the one-month follow-up, the patient had improving LLE weakness and continued impairment of gait, balance, and coordination, but her symptoms of urinary retention, paresthesia, and numbness were resolved. Final pathology supported a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. At the three-month follow-up, the patient reported intermittent surgical site pain, but no other symptoms. She is followed up by her primary care consultant for symptom management and recurrence monitoring. Apart from the presented case, only one case of isolated intramedullary thoracic spine sarcoidosis was identified in the literature. The only case, of both review and presented, without significant symptom improvement did not undergo surgery. The available literature is limited; however, early surgical intervention may be indicated in isolated thoracic spine sarcoidosis.

Recurrent petit mal seizures in Erdheim-Chester disease mimicking an intra-axial brain tumor: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized histologically by foamy histiocytes and Touton giant cells in a background of fibrosis. Bone pain with long bone osteosclerosis is highly specific for ECD. Central nervous system involvement is rare, although dural, hypothalamic, cerebellar, brainstem, and sellar region involvement has been described. OBSERVATIONS: A 59-year-old man with a history of ureteral obstruction, medically managed petit mal seizures, and a left temporal lesion followed with serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) presented with worsening seizure control. Repeat MRI identified bilateral amygdala region lesions. Gradual growth of the left temporal lesion over 1 year with increasing seizure frequency prompted resection. A non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis with a BRAF V600E mutation was identified on pathology. Imaging findings demonstrated retroperitoneal fibrosis and long bone osteosclerosis with increased fluorodeoxyglucose uptake that, together with the neuropathologic findings, were diagnostic of ECD. LESSONS: This case of biopsy-proven ECD is unique in that the singular symptom was seizures well controlled with medical management in the presence of similarly located bilateral anterior mesial temporal lobe lesions. Although ECD is rare intracranially, its variable imaging presentation, including the potential to mimic seizure-associated medial temporal lobe tumors, emphasizes the need for a wide differential diagnosis.

Evaluation of Long-Term Follow-Up in Ecchordosis Physaliphora versus Chordoma.

OBJECTIVE: Ecchordosis physaliphora (EP) is a non-neoplastic notochord remnant with limited literature. We present a review on surgically resected clival EP to evaluate if available follow-up is adequate to distinguish EP from chordomas. METHODS: A systematic literature review was completed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Case reports or series of adults with histopathologic and radiographic findings of surgically resected EP were included. Articles including pediatric patients, systematic reviews, chordomas, and without microscopic or radiographic confirmation, or the surgical approach, were excluded. Corresponding authors were contacted twice to further evaluate outcomes. RESULTS: Eighteen articles were included (n = 25 patients; mean age 47.5 years ± 12.6 [standard deviation] months). All patients had symptomatic, surgically resected EP, with cerebrospinal fluid leak or rhinorrhea the most common symptom (48%). All but 3 had gross total resection, with endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal transclival the most common approach (80%). All but 3 reported immunohistochemistry findings, with physaliphorous cells the most common. All but 5 patients had definitive follow-up (80%), with average of 19.5 ± 17.2 months. One corresponding author reported longer-term follow-up for 1 patient (57 months). No recurrence or malignant transformation was reported. Mean time to clival chordoma recurrence (53.9 ± 26.8 months) was also evaluated in a review of 8 studies. CONCLUSIONS: Mean follow-up for resected EP was almost 3 times shorter than mean time to recurrence of chordomas. Available literature is likely inadequate to confirm the suspected benign nature of EP especially in reference to chordoma, precluding treatment and follow-up recommendations.

Delayed Symptomatic Entrapment and Herniation of Lumbar Nerve Root Due to a Prior Durotomy Defect Initially Misdiagnosed As Arachnoiditis: A Case Report.

Incidental durotomies are well-known complications of spine surgery. They are often identified and repaired intraoperatively, with a preference for primary rather than secondary repair. We present the case of a middle-aged male with worsening radicular pain six months after spinal surgery complicated by a durotomy defect. His pain was worse with coughing or standing. Magnetic resonance imaging identified an L3-L5 extradural fluid collection in the lumbar spinal canal and an empty sac sign. Computed tomography lumbar myelogram identified clumping of the cauda equina nerve roots at L2-L3 and an empty sac sign at L4-L5 and L5-S1, concerning adhesions and arachnoiditis. The patient's unusual worsening of symptoms and a history of a durotomy defect with secondary repair led to suspicion of an alternative cause. Surgical exploration identified the left L5 nerve root herniated through the durotomy defect. Reduction of the nerve root herniation with primary repair of the durotomy was performed, and the patient experienced immediate relief that was stable at his one-month follow-up. This case features an unusual presentation of a delayed herniated nerve root through a prior durotomy defect with entrapment. We highlight the importance of a high degree of caution in cases of increased radicular pain following spinal surgery with a known durotomy, particularly when symptoms do not support the clinical presentation of arachnoiditis. Additionally, primary repair of durotomies should be undertaken whenever possible to avoid this potential complication.

Peripartum Depression, Traditional Culture, and Israeli Society.

Although it is known that culture affects psychopathology, the nature of the relationship between culture and peripartum depression (PPD) is not fully understood. Here we report on 2 cases of Israeli women who are affiliated with traditional cultural groups that emphasize reproduction but developed PPD after childbirth. The first woman is an ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jew and the second is an Israeli Arab. The 2 cases illustrate the effect of cultural beliefs and rituals on the conceptualization, treatment, and trajectory of PPD. The cases suggest a complex relationship between traditional cultures and PPD, including the possibility that cultural factors may have both adaptive and maladaptive consequences. Future qualitative and quantitative studies are needed to further clarify this relationship.