Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Dura-Splitting versus Duraplasty Techniques in Pediatric Chiari I Malformation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Type I Chiari malformation is a developmental anomaly with various proposed surgical techniques for its management. The dura-splitting technique is a less invasive approach and involves the resection of the outer layer of the dura while sparing the internal layer. While this less-known approach may minimize the complication rates, there are concerns about its efficacy and outcome. Therefore, we have performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available data on clinical and radiological outcomes of this technique in the pediatric population and compared them to the foramen magnum decompression and duraplasty technique. We have followed the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines in this review. Based on our predefined search strategy, we performed a systematic database search. Subsequently, the article screening process was done based on defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Following the quality assessment of included studies, two authors performed data extraction. Finally, the extracted data were summarized and presented in form of tables. Forest plots were used to demonstrate the results of the meta-analysis. A review of 8 included studies consisting of 615 patients revealed the significant advantage of the dura-splitting technique in terms of shorter operation duration and hospital stay. The recurrence rate and clinical and radiological outcomes were almost similar between the two surgical techniques. Complication rates were significantly lower in the dura-splitting technique. Dura-splitting can be an effective and safe approach for the management of pediatric Chiari I malformation. However, these results are mostly extracted from observational studies and future randomized controlled trials are recommended.

Outcomes of dura-splitting technique compared to conventional duraplasty technique in the treatment of adult Chiari I malformation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Chiari malformation type I is a developmental abnormality with an array of surgical techniques introduced for the management of it. The most common technique is foramen magnum decompression with duraplasty. Dura-splitting technique as one of the non-dura-opening techniques is a less known procedure that spares the internal layer of the dura and can theoretically result in fewer complications compared to duraplasty. So, we performed a review of literature and meta-analysis on different clinical and radiological aspects of this technique and compared its outcomes to duraplasty. MOOSE guidelines were followed. A systematic search of three databases based on predefined search strategy and inclusion/exclusion criteria was performed. After quality assessment and data extraction by two authors, summarized data were presented in form of tables, and meta-analysis results were illustrated in forest plots. A review of 10 included studies consisting of 370 patients revealed significantly shorter operation duration and less intraoperative blood loss in the dura-splitting technique compared to duraplasty. Interestingly, there was no significant difference between these two techniques in terms of clinical and radiological outcomes. Overall complication rate and incidence of CSF-related complications or infections were significantly in favor of the dura-splitting technique. Dura-splitting technique can be considered as a safe and effective surgical procedure for Chiari I malformation with comparable outcomes and fewer complications compared to duraplasty, although this interpretation is derived from retrospective observational studies and lack of a prospective clinical trial is evident.

Rate and Risk Factors of Early Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Revision: A Five-Year Retrospective Analysis of a Referral Center.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral shunts are the mainstay treatment of hydrocephalus. Because most previous studies have focused on factors related to long-term outcomes of shunt surgery, we aimed to assess the rates and causes of 30-day ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) failure in a single referral center over 5 years in both adult and pediatric patients. METHODS: Patients who underwent VPS surgery from February 2012 to February 2017 in Ghaem Teaching Hospital, Mashhad, Iran were evaluated retrospectively through clinical history, operative reports, imaging studies, and follow-up notes. Data of 12 possible factors related to shunt failure were collected comprising age, gender, household income, level of education, cause of hydrocephalus, causes of revision, type of failure, anatomic site, duration of operation, time of surgery, surgeons' level of expertise, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. RESULTS: Among 403 VPS placements, 121 VPS revisions were performed, and 82 eligible patients were included in the study (57.3% male and 42.7% female). The 30-day shunt failure rate was 24.4% among all revisions. Obstruction and malposition were the most common causes of early revisions. Six factors were statistically significant in the univariate analysis. After adjustment in a logistic regression model, 2 factors, namely surgeons' level of expertise (odds ratio, 10.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-98.80) and anatomic site of the shunt (odds ratio, 10.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-87.35) were associated with early shunt revision. CONCLUSIONS: Shunt surgeries performed by junior residents and shunts placed in the frontal site were associated with early shunt failure.