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Background: Although primarily a respiratory disorder, the coronavirus pandemic has paralyzed almost all aspects of health-care delivery. Emergency procedures are likely continuing in most countries, however, some of them raises certain concerns to the surgeons such as the endoscopic endonasal skull base surgeries. The aim of this study is to present the current situation from a developing country perspective in dealing with such cases at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical survey was distributed among neurosurgeons who performed emergency surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cairo, Egypt, between May 8, 2020, and June 7, 2020. The survey entailed patients’ information (demographics, preoperative screening, and postoperative COVID-19 symptoms), surgical team information (demographics and postoperative COVID-19 symptoms), and operative information (personal protective equipment [PPE] utilization and basal craniectomy). Results: Our survey was completed on June 7, 2020 (16 completed, 100% response rate). The patients were screened for COVID-19 preoperatively through complete blood cell (CBC) (100%), computed tomography (CT) chest (68.8%), chest examination (50%), C-reactive protein (CRP) (50%), and serological testing (6.3%). Only 18.8% of the surgical team utilized N95 mask and goggles, 12.5% utilized face shield, and none used PAPRs. Regarding the basal craniectomy, 81.3% used Kerrison Rongeur and chisel, 25% used a high-speed drill, and 6.3% used a mucosal shaver. None of the patients developed any COVID-19 symptoms during the first 3 weeks postsurgery and one of the surgeons developed high fever with negative nasopharyngeal swabs. Conclusion: In developing countries with limited resources, preoperative screening using chest examination, CBC, and CT chest might be sufficient to replace Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Developing countries require adequate support with screening tests, PPE, and critical care equipment such as ventilators.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence of whether degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is best treated through cervical laminoplasty (CLP) or cervical laminectomy with lateral mass fusion due to the lack of prospective randomized studies that are well designed. We conducted the largest prospective randomized trial to date to determine the comparative effectiveness and safety of both approaches. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized trial, we randomly assigned patients who had symptoms or signs of DCM to undergo either cervical laminectomy and lateral mass fixation (CLF) or CLP. The primary outcome measures were the change in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), neck disability index, modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score, and Nurick’s myelopathy grading 1 year after surgery. The secondary outcome measures were the intraoperative, post-operative complications, hospital stay, C2-7 Cobb’s angle, and Odom’s criteria. The follow-up period was at least 1 year. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (mean age, 54.5 ± 5.5 years, 70% of men) underwent prospective randomization. There was a significantly greater improvement in neck pain (VAS) in the CLF group at 1 year (p < 0.05). The improvement in the mJOA and Nurick’s myelopathy grading showed insignificant improvement between both groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the patient’s post-operative satisfaction (Odom’s criteria). The mean operative time was significantly longer in the CLF group (p < 0.001), with no significant difference in the post-operative complications, however, there was a higher rate of C5 palsy, dural tear and infection in the CLF, and a higher rate of instrumentation failure in the CLP. The mean hospital stay was significantly longer in the posterior group (p < 0.05). Finally, there was a significant better improvement in the C2-7 Cobb’s angle at 1 year in the CLF group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among patients with multilevel DCM, the CLF approach was significantly better regarding the post-operative pain and Cobb’s angle while the CLP was significantly better in terms of shorter hospital stay and operative time.

OBJECTIVE Hydrocephalus is the most common brain disorder in children and is more common in low- and middle-income countries. Research output on hydrocephalus remains sparse and of lower quality in low- and middle-income countries compared with high-income countries. Most studies addressing hydrocephalus epidemiology are retrospective registry studies entailing their inherent limitations and biases. This study aimed to investigate child-related, parental, and socioeconomic risk factors of congenital hydrocephalus (CH) in a lower-middle-income country. METHODS An investigator-administered questionnaire was used to query parents of patients with CH and controls who visited the authors’ institution from 2017 until 2021. Patients with secondary hydrocephalus and children older than 2 years of age at diagnosis were excluded. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify the factors affecting CH development. RESULTS Seven hundred forty-one respondents (312 cases and 429 controls) were included in this study. The authors showed that maternal diseases during pregnancy (OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.96–5.03), a lack of periconceptional folic acid intake (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.32–2.81), being a housewife (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.51–4.87), paternal illiteracy (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.02–2.69), parental consanguinity (OR 3.67, 95% CI 2.40–5.69), a history of other CNS conditions in the family (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.24–7.34), conceiving a child via assisted fertilization techniques (OR 3.93, 95% CI 1.57–10.52), and the presence of other congenital anomalies (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.38–4.87) were associated with an independent higher odds of a child having CH. Conversely, maternal hypertension (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.09–0.48), older maternal age at delivery (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89–0.97), and having more abortions (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67–0.95) were negatively correlated with CH. CONCLUSIONS Multiple parental, socioeconomic, and child-related factors were associated with higher odds for developing CH. These results can be utilized to guide parental counseling and management, and direct social education and prevention programs.

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