Anesthesia for Pediatric Deep Brain Stimulation

In patients refractory to medical therapy, deep brain stimulations (DBSs) have emerged as the treatment of movement disorders particularly Parkinson's disease. Their use has also been extended in pediatric and adult patients to treat epileptogenic foci. We here performed a retrospective chart review of anesthesia records from 28 pediatric cases of patients who underwent DBS implantation for dystonia using combinations of dexmedetomidine and propofol-based anesthesia. Complications with anesthetic techniques including airway and cardiovascular difficulties were analyzed

Lessons Learned from Open-label Deep Brain Stimulation for Tourette Syndrome: Eight Cases over 7 Years

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) remains an experimental but promising treatment for patients with severe refractory Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (TS). Controversial issues include the selection of patients (age and clinical presentation), the choice of brain targets to obtain optimal patient-specific outcomes, and the risk of surgery- and stimulation-related serious adverse events. Methods: This report describes our open-label experience with eight patients with severe refractory malignant TS treated with DBS. The electrodes were placed in the midline thalamic nuclei or globus pallidus, pars internus, or both. Tics were clinically assessed in all patients pre- and postoperatively using the Modified Rush Video Protocol and the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS). Results: Although three patients had marked postoperative improvement in their tics (>50% improvement on the YGTSS), the majority did not reach this level of clinical improvement. Two patients had to have their DBS leads removed (one because of postoperative infection and another because of lack of benefit). Discussion Our clinical experience supports the urgent need for more data and refinements in interventions and outcome measurements for severe, malignant, and medication-refractory TS. Because TS is not an etiologically homogenous clinical entity, the inclusion criteria for DBS patients and the choice of brain targets will require more refinement

Proceedings of the Third Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: A Review of Emerging Issues and Technologies

The proceedings of the 3rd Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank summarize the most contemporary clinical, electrophysiological, imaging, and computational work on DBS for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disease. Significant innovations of the past year are emphasized. The Think Tank\u27s contributors represent a unique multidisciplinary ensemble of expert neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, engineers, and members of industry. Presentations and discussions covered a broad range of topics, including policy and advocacy considerations for the future of DBS, connectomic approaches to DBS targeting, developments in electrophysiology and related strides toward responsive DBS systems, and recent developments in sensor and device technologies

Research Priorities in Limb and Task-Specific Dystonias

Dystonia, which causes intermittent or sustained abnormal postures and movements, can present in a focal or a generalized manner. In the limbs, focal dystonia can occur in either the upper or lower limbs and may be task-specific causing abnormal motor performance for only a specific task, such as in writer’s cramp, runner’s dystonia, or musician’s dystonia. Focal limb dystonia can be non-task-specific and may, in some circumstances, be associated with parkinsonian disorders. The true prevalence of focal limb dystonia is not known and is likely currently underestimated, leaving a knowledge gap and an opportunity for future research. The pathophysiology of focal limb dystonia shares some commonalities with other dystonias with a loss of inhibition in the central nervous system and a loss of the normal regulation of plasticity, called homeostatic plasticity. Functional imaging studies revealed abnormalities in several anatomical networks that involve the cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Further studies should focus on distinguishing cause from effect in both physiology and imaging studies to permit focus on most relevant biological correlates of dystonia. There is no specific therapy for the treatment of limb dystonia given the variability in presentation, but off-label botulinum toxin therapy is often applied to focal limb and task-specific dystonia. Various rehabilitation techniques have been applied and rehabilitation interventions may improve outcomes, but small sample size and lack of direct comparisons between methods to evaluate comparative efficacy limit conclusions. Finally, non-invasive and invasive therapeutic modalities have been explored in small studies with design limitations that do not yet clearly provide direction for larger clinical trials that could support new clinical therapies. Given these gaps in our clinical, pathophysiologic, and therapeutic knowledge, we have identified priorities for future research including: the development of diagnostic criteria for limb dystonia, more precise phenotypic characterization and innovative clinical trial design that considers clinical heterogeneity, and limited available number of participants

Predictors of extended length of stay related to craniotomy for tumor resection

Background: Hospital length of stay (LOS) related to craniotomy for tumor resection (CTR) is a marker of neurosurgical quality of care. Limiting LOS benefits both patients and hospitals. This study examined which factors contribute to extended LOS (eLOS) at our academic center. Methods: Retrospective medical record review of 139 consecutive CTRs performed between July 2020 and July 2021. Univariate and multivariable analyses determined which factors were associated with an eLOS (≥8 days). Results: Median LOS was 6 days (IQR 3–9 days). Fifty-one subjects (36.7%) experienced an eLOS. Upon univariate analysis, potentially modifiable factors associated with eLOS included days to occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and case management clearance (p < .001); and discharge disposition (p < .001). Multivariable analysis revealed that pre-operative anti-coagulant use (OR 10.74, 95% CI 2.64–43.63, p = .001), Medicare (OR 4.80, 95% CI 1.07–21.52, p = .04), ED admission (OR 26.21, 95% CI 5.17–132.99, p < .001), transfer to another service post-surgery (OR 30.00, 95% CI 1.56–577.35, p = .02), and time to post-operative imaging (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.27–6.65, p = .01) were associated with eLOS. Extended LOS was not significantly associated with ED visits (p = .45) or unplanned readmissions within 30 days of surgery (p = .35), and both (p = .04; p = .04) were less likely following a short LOS (<5 days). Conclusion: While some factors driving LOS related to CTR are uncontrollable, expedient pre- and post-operative management may reduce LOS without compromising care

Factors predicting protracted improvement after pallidal DBS for primary dystonia: the role of age and disease duration

In many patients, optimal results after pallidal deep brain stimulation (DBS) for primary dystonia may appear over several months, possibly beyond 1 year after implant. In order to elucidate the factors predicting such protracted clinical effect, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 44 patients with primary dystonia and bilateral pallidal DBS implants. Patients with fixed skeletal deformities, as well as those with a history of prior ablative procedures, were excluded. The Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) scores at baseline, 1 and 3 years after DBS were used to evaluate clinical outcome. All subjects showed a significant improvement after DBS implants (mean BFMDRS improvement of 74.9% at 1 year and 82.6% at 3 years). Disease duration (DD, median 15 years, range 2-42) and age at surgery (AS, median 31 years, range 10-59) showed a significant negative correlation with DBS outcome at 1 and 3 years. A partition analysis, using DD and AS, clustered subjects into three groups: (1) younger subjects with shorter DD (n = 19, AS  17, AS ? 27). Younger patients with short DD benefitted more and faster than older patients, who however continued to improve 10% on average 1 year after DBS implants. Our data suggest that subjects with short DD may expect to achieve a better general outcome than those with longer DD and that AS may influence the time necessary to achieve maximal clinical response