Use of Gelatin-thrombin Hemostatic Matrix for Control of Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm

Use of Fluid Gelatin in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Undergoing Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

In patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) undergoing unilateral biportal endoscopic unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression (UBE-ULBD), damage to the epidural venous plexus often leads to bleeding, increasing the risk of surgical complications. Surgiflo Hemostatic Matrix (SHM) is a gelatin extracted from porcine skin, used for intraoperative hemostasis. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using SHM during UBE-ULBD surgery.

METHODS

From October 2023 to July 2024, a total of 96 patients with LSS underwent UBE-ULBD surgery. These 96 patients were randomly divided into two groups: the SHM group (48 patients, using flowable gelatin) and the non-SHM group (48 patients, not using flowable gelatin). The primary outcomes included intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and the 3-min hemostasis success rate. Secondary outcomes included symptomatic postoperative epidural hematoma (SPEH), surgical time, postoperative hospital stay, hospitalization costs, and complications. We used independent sample t-tests to compare continuous data, and chi-square tests or Fisher's exact tests to analyze categorical data.

RESULTS

The intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume in the SHM group were significantly less than those in the non-SHM group (p < 0.05), and the 3-min hemostasis success rate in the SHM group was significantly higher than that in the non-SHM group (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding SPEH, postoperative hospital stay, hospitalization costs, and complications such as thrombosis formation and allergic reactions. However, the surgical time in the SHM group was significantly shorter than that in the non-SHM group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

When patients with LSS undergo UBE-ULBD, the use of fluid gelatin can effectively reduce intraoperative and postoperative bleeding without introducing additional complications.

Methods of Hemostasis in Cranial Neurosurgery: An Anatomy-Based Stepwise Review

BACKGROUND

Hemostasis is crucial in preventing hemorrhage during cranial neurosurgical procedures and maintaining visualization of the surgical field. There is significant variation in the availability of hemostatic methods across different settings and hemostatic techniques are being continuously developed over the decades of practicing neurosurgery. The aim of this article is to provide an outline of the potential methods to achieve hemostasis based on the sequential operative anatomy of a cranial operation.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The PubMed database was searched from inception of the database to July 18, 2023. A total of 64 studies were identified fulfilling predefined inclusion criteria, and the risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists.

RESULTS

Seventy-one hemostatic agents, techniques, tools, and devices were identified, which were then categorized according to the operative phase for which they are indicated. Nine operative anatomic targets were addressed in the sequence in which they are involved during a cranial procedure. For each anatomic target, the following number of hemostatic techniques/agents were identified: 11 for scalp, 3 for periosteum, 10 for skull bone, 11 for dura mater, 9 for venous sinuses, 5 for arteries, 6 for veins, 12 for brain parenchyma, and 4 for cerebral ventricles.

CONCLUSIONS

Depending on the phase of the surgery and the anatomic structure involved, the selection of the appropriate hemostatic method is determined by the source of bleeding. Surgeon awareness of all the potential techniques that can be applied to achieve hemostasis is paramount, especially when faced with operative nuances and difficult-to-control bleeding during cranial neurosurgical procedures.

Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Motor Mapping Usefulness in the Surgical Management of Patients Affected by Brain Tumors in Eloquent Areas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The surgical strategy for brain glioma has changed, shifting from tumor debulking to a more careful tumor dissection with the aim of a gross-total resection, extended beyond the contrast-enhancement MRI, including the hyperintensity on FLAIR MR images and defined as supratotal resection. It is possible to pursue this goal thanks to the refinement of several technological tools for pre and intraoperative planning including intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM), cortico-subcortical mapping, functional MRI (fMRI), navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS), intraoperative CT or MRI (iCT, iMR), and intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound. This systematic review provides an overview of the state of the art techniques in the application of nTMS and nTMS-based DTI-FT during brain tumor surgery.

Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was performed according to the PRISMA statement. The authors searched the PubMed and Scopus databases until July 2020 for published articles with the following Mesh terms: (Brain surgery OR surgery OR craniotomy) AND (brain mapping OR functional planning) AND (TMS OR transcranial magnetic stimulation OR rTMS OR repetitive transcranial stimulation). We only included studies regarding motor mapping in craniotomy for brain tumors, which reported data about CTS sparing.

Results: A total of 335 published studies were identified through the PubMed and Scopus databases. After a detailed examination of these studies, 325 were excluded from our review because of a lack of data object in this search. TMS reported an accuracy range of 0.4–14.8 mm between the APB hotspot (n1/4 8) in nTMS and DES from the DES spot; nTMS influenced the surgical indications in 34.3–68.5%.

Conclusion: We found that nTMS can be defined as a safe and non-invasive technique and in association with DES, fMRI, and IONM, improves brain mapping and the extent of resection favoring a better postoperative outcome.

Brain Mapping-Aided SupraTotal Resection (SpTR) of Brain Tumors: The Role of Brain Connectivity

Brain gliomas require a deep knowledge of their effects on brain connectivity. Understanding the complex relationship between tumor and functional brain is the preliminary and fundamental step for the subsequent surgery. The extent of resection (EOR) is an independent variable of surgical effectiveness and it correlates with the overall survival. Until now, great efforts have been made to achieve gross total resection (GTR) as the standard of care of brain tumor patients. However, high and low-grade gliomas have an infiltrative behavior and peritumoral white matter is often infiltrated by tumoral cells. According to these evidences, many efforts have been made to push the boundary of the resection beyond the contrast-enhanced lesion core on T1w MRI, in the so called supratotal resection (SpTR). SpTR is aimed to maximize the extent of resection and thus the overall survival. SpTR of primary brain tumors is a feasible technique and its safety is improved by intraoperative neuromonitoring and advanced neuroimaging. Only transient cognitive impairments have been reported in SpTR patients compared to GTR patients. Moreover, SpTR is related to a longer overall and progression-free survival along with preserving neuro-cognitive functions and quality of life.