Senior Mentorship and Scholarly Success: Assessing Influences on Successful Neurosurgery Residency Applicant's H-index.

BACKGROUND: Research productivity is on the rise as neurosurgical residency positions become increasingly competitive. OBJECTIVE: We explored the relationship between neurosurgical residency applicant's senior author's research productivity and matching into a neurosurgery residency program. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of bibliometric data for applicants who matched into neurosurgery in 2022-2023 and their senior authors was conducted using Scopus. RESULTS: Logistic regression revealed a significant association between h-index values and top 40 match outcomes (p=0.038). The maximum h-index of senior authors significantly predicted matches at top 40 programs (p=0.003). Affiliation with a top 40 medical school increased both applicant and senior author h-indices (p=0.05, p<0.001 respectively). Linear regression of the maximum h-index of senior authors in pre-residency publications explained 42% of this variability (p<0.001). A multiple linear regression model incorporating this with publication number elucidated 69% of the variance in interns' h-index. Authorship data categorized as first, second, and third author positions showed 1847 first author, 1417 second author, and 118 third author publications over two-years. Applicants at top 40 residency programs had more first and second author publications compared to those from non-top 40 programs (p=0.0158, p=0.0275). CONCLUSION: There is a strong correlation between a neurosurgical applicant's academic output and that of their senior authors. The number of publications and the maximum h-index of senior authors significantly predict applicant h-indices. We also demonstrated that there is a significant difference in the academic productivity of applicants and senior authors of applicants who successfully match into a top 40 i(h)5 rated neurosurgical residency.

A rare case of solid calcified intramedullary neurenteric cyst: Case report and technical note.

Neurenteric cysts are rare lesions of the spinal cord, constituting less than 1.3% of all spinal cord tumors. Approximately 90% of neurenteric cysts are located in the intradural extramedullary compartment, while the remaining 10% are divided between an intradural intramedullary or extradural location. They are usually extramedullary and found in the lower cervical and thoracic spine. We report a case of 8 year old child with totally solid calcified intramedullary cyst which has hitherto not been reported in literature. We discuss the challenges faced in the diagnosis and surgical management of such lesions and a brief review of pertinent literature.