Background In the 1960s, less than 10% of medical school graduates were women. Today, almost half of all medical school graduates are women. Despite the significant rise in female medical school graduates, there continues to be a large gender gap in most subspecialties, particularly surgical subspecialties such as neurosurgery. Objective The purpose of our study was to assess the factors contributing to differences in the academic ranks of male and female staff in academic neurosurgery programs in Canada and the United States (US). Methods Data about women in academic neurosurgery was collected from a number of sources, including Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) FRIEDA, ACGME, CaRMS, Pubmed, and Scopus, to create a database of all neurosurgeons in the US and Canada. The analysis included neurosurgeons in academic and leadership ranks and also the H index, citations, publications, citations per year, and publications per year. Results Women represent only 12% of neurosurgeons in the US and Canada. When gender is further analyzed by academic appointment, women represent just over 12% of neurosurgeons at the assistant and associate professor levels (15.44% and 13.27%, respectively) but significantly less at the full professor level (5.84%). Likewise, only 7.45% of women hold first-in command leadership positions while 4.69% hold second-in-command positions within their institutions. Conclusions The existing data shows that women are significantly under-represented in academic neurosurgery. Lack of role models, experience, limited scientific output, and aspirations of a controlled lifestyle could be the potential contributing factors.

This article is a clinical review of Moyamoya disease (MMD) and Moyamoya syndrome (MMS). We review the incidence, epidemiology, pathology, historical context, clinical and radiographic findings, diagnostic imaging modalities, radiographic grading systems, the effectiveness of medical, interventional, and surgical treatment, and some of the nuances of surgical treatment options. This article will help pediatricians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and other clinical practitioners who are involved in caring for patients with this rare clinical entity. MMD is an intrinsic primary disease process that causes bilateral progressive stenosis of the anterior intracranial circulation with the involvement of the proximal portions of the intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) extending to involve the proximal portions of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA); posterior circulation involvement is very rare. This causes a compensatory response where large numbers of smaller vessels such as the lenticulostriate arteries begin to enlarge and proliferate, which gives the angiographic appearance of a "Puff of Smoke", which is translated into Japanese as "Moyamoya”. MMS is a secondary process that occurs in response to another underlying pathological process that causes stenosis of intracranial blood vessels, such as radiation. For example, an external source of radiation causes stenosis of the ICA with a compensatory response of smaller blood vessels, which then enlarge and proliferate in response and has the same "Puff of Smoke" appearance on the diagnostic cerebral angiogram (DCA). Histological findings include an irregular internal elastic lamina with luminal narrowing, hyperplasia of the tunica media, and intimal thickening with vacuolar degeneration in smooth muscle cells in the tunica media. Compensation for diminishing blood supply occurs through angiogenesis, which causes the proliferation and enlargement of smaller collateral blood vessels to increase blood supply to under-perfused areas of the brain. MMD is rare in the United States, with just 0.086 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 individuals per year, which is approximately one per million new cases annually. Risk factors for MMD include Eastern Asian ancestry and predisposing conditions such as neurofibromatosis and Down's syndrome. Clinically, patients often present with stroke signs and symptoms from cerebral ischemia. The proliferation of collateral blood vessels within the basal ganglia can produce movement disorders. Catheter-based DCA is the current gold standard for obtaining a diagnosis. CT perfusion allows preoperative identification of ischemic vascular territories, which may be amenable to surgical intervention. MRI enables rapid detection of acute ischemic stroke using diffusion-weighted Imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) sequences to assess for any diffusion restriction. Non-contrast CT of the head is used to rule out acute hemorrhage in the presentation...

Background: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are profound causes of prolonged hospital stay and worse patient outcomes. HAIs pose serious risks, particularly in neurosurgical patients in the intensive care unit, as these patients are seldom able to express symptoms of infection, with only elevated temperatures as the initial symptom. Data from Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) have shown that of all HAIs, urinary tract infections (UTIs) have been grossly over-reported, resulting in excessive and unnecessary antibiotic usage.Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 686 adult patients that were evaluated by the neurosurgery service at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center between July 2018 and March 2019. Inclusion criteria were adults greater than 18 years of age with neurosurgical pathology requiring a minimum of one full day admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and an indwelling urinary catheter. Exclusion criteria were patients under the age of 18, those who did not spend any time in the ICU, or with renal pathologies such as renal failure.Results: We reviewed 686 patients from the neurosurgical census. In total, 146 adult patients with indwelling urinary catheters were selected into the statistical analysis. Most individuals spent an average of 8.91 ± 9.70 days in the ICU and had an indwelling catheter for approximately 8.14 ± 7.95 days. Forty-two out of the 146 individuals were found to have a temperature of 100.4°F or higher. Majority of the patients with an elevated temperature had an infectious source other than urine, such as sputum (22 out of 42, 52.38%), blood (three out of 42, 7.14%) or CSF (one out of 42, 2.38%). We were able to find only two individuals (4.76%) with a positive urine culture and no evidence of other positive cultures or deep vein thrombosis.Conclusions: Our analysis shows evidence to support the newest IDSA guidelines that patients with elevated temperatures should have a clinical workup of all alternative etiologies prior to testing for a urinary source unless the clinical suspicion is high. This will help reduce the rate of unnecessary urine cultures, the over-diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria, and the overuse of antibiotics. Based on our current findings, all potential sources of fever should be ruled out prior to obtaining urinalysis, and catheters should be removed as soon as they are not needed. Urinalysis with reflex to urine culture should be reserved for those cases where there remains a high index of clinical suspicion for a urinary source.

IntroductionLiberia recently employed the first neurosurgeon in the country's history. In a country with a population of 4.7 million people and staggering rates of cranial and spine trauma, as well as hydrocephalus and neural tube defects, neurosurgery is considered a luxury. Our study documents the experience of a team of neurosurgeons, critical care nurses, scrub technicians, nurses, and biomedical engineers who carried out a series of neurosurgical clinics and complex brain and spine surgeries in Liberia. Specifically, we aim to highlight some of the larger obstacles, beyond staff and equipment, facing the development of a neurosurgical or any other specialty practice in Liberia. MethodsOur institutions, in collaboration with the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation, spent 10 days in Liberia, based in Tappita, and performed 18 surgeries in addition to seeing several hundred clinic patients. This is a retrospective review of the cases performed along with outcomes to investigate obstacles in providing neurosurgical services in the country. ResultsBefore arriving in Liberia, we evaluated, planned, and supplied staff and materials for treating complex neurosurgical patients. Sixteen patients underwent 18 surgeries at a hospital in Tappita, Liberia, in November 2018. Their ages ranged from 1 month to 72 years (average 20 years). Five patients (28%) were female. Ten patients (56%) were under the age of 18. Surgeries included ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPshunt), lumbar myelomeningocele repair, encephalocele repair, laminectomy, and a craniotomy for tumor resection. Ten patients (55%) underwent VP-shunting. Two patients (11%) had a craniotomy for tumor resection. Three patients (17%) had laminectomy for lumbar stenosis. Two patients (11%) had repair of lumbar myelomeningocele. ConclusionAfter an aggressive and in-depth approach to planning, conducting, and supplying complex neurosurgical procedures in Liberia, the greatest limiting factor to successful outcomes lie in real-time is access to health care, which is largely limited by overall infrastructure. Our study documents the experience of a team of neurosurgeons, critical care nurses, scrub technicians, nurses, and biomedical engineers who carried out a series of neurosurgical clinics and complex brain and spine surgeries in Liberia. Specifically, we aim to highlight some of the larger obstacles, beyond staff and equipment, facing the development of a neurosurgical or any other specialty procedural practice in the country of Liberia. Most notably, we focus on infrastructure factors, including power, roads, water, education, and overall health care.

Study Design. A multi-centered retrospective review from five institutions. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine whether continuing or withholding disease-modifying antirheumatoid drugs (DMARDs) in the perioperative period affect outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients undergoing arthrodesis at the craniovertebral junction Summary of Background Data. RA is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease that affects the cervical spine and is treated with DMARDs. Some advocate withholding DMARDs in the perioperative period due to concern for the cytotoxic effects of these medications. However, the impact of DMARDs in the perioperative period is not well understood. Methods. A multicenter retrospective study from five affiliated institutions was performed. Adult patients with RA on chronic DMARDs undergoing posterior arthrodesis of the craniovertebral junction (occipital-cervical or atlanto-axial arthrodesis) were identified. Patients were stratified based on whether DMARD therapy was continued (C group) or discontinued (DC group) in the perioperative period. The primary outcome was the need for reoperation and reason for reoperation. Results. Thirty-nine patients met inclusion criteria, 19 in C group and 20 in DC group. Average follow-up time was 42 months. Four patients (three in DC group and one in C group) required reoperation. Two patients from the DC group required readmission secondary to RA flare-up. Conclusion. Our cohort of RA patients who underwent occipital-cervical and C1/C2 posterior arthrodesis showed no significant differences in surgical complications when DMARD therapy was continued or discontinued in the perioperative period. The decision to continue or discontinue DMARD therapy in the perioperative period is at the discretion of the treating physician, but we encourage physicians to counsel patients regarding this theoretical risk and their tolerance of the medications as well as the risk of RA flare-up. Factors such as overall health, disease burden, nutrition, bone quality, smoking status, and other comorbid conditions are likely to have a larger influence on perioperative complications. Level of Evidence: 3