Serdar Onur Aydın

Introduction: Odontoid fractures represent a clinically significant subset of cervical spine injuries, with an increasing incidence among the elderly population. Understanding their demographic characteristics, fracture subtypes, and treatment outcomes is crucial for optimizing management strategies and guiding prevention efforts. Methods: This retrospective study included 65 patients with odontoid fractures treated between 2018 and 2023 at a tertiary neurosurgical center. Fractures were classified according to the Anderson and D’Alonzo system and further subclassified using the Grauer classification for Type II fractures. Clinical data, including age, mechanism of injury, fracture subtype, treatment modality, and radiologic outcomes, were analyzed. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 61.9 years, with 56.9% of patients aged ≥65 years. Low-energy ground-level falls were the most common mechanism of injury (50.7%), occurring predominantly in elderly patients. According to the Anderson and D’Alonzo classification, Type II fractures were the most frequent (53.8%), followed by Type III (44.6%). Among Type II fractures, 82.5% were Type IIB. Surgical treatment was performed in 33.8% of cases—most commonly anterior odontoid screw fixation—while 66.2% were managed conservatively. CT-based follow-up (n=42) demonstrated an overall osseous union rate of 76.1%. Fusion was achieved in 84.2% of surgically treated and 69.5% of conservatively treated patients. Patients younger than 65 years had a higher fusion rate (81.8%) compared with older patients (70%). Conclusion: Odontoid fractures are predominantly geriatric injuries, most often resulting from low-energy ground-level falls. Type II fractures, particularly the IIB subtype, remain the most common and carry a higher risk of nonunion. Surgical fixation provides superior fusion rates compared to conservative treatment. These results emphasize the importance of patient-specific management and suggest that future studies should further refine treatment algorithms in light of evolving surgical techniques and demographic trends.

Cross-sectional area (CSA) and signal intensity ratio (SIR) of the multifidus muscle (MFM) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate the extent of injury and atrophy of the MFM in patients with negative treatment outcomes following microlumbar discectomy (MLD). Negative treatment outcome was determined by pain score improvement of p = 0.001) and 3 (p < 0.001). The ipsilateral MFM CSA significantly decreased postoperatively in groups 2 (p = 0.04) and 3 (p = 0.006). The postoperative MRI scans found significant MFM changes on the ipsilateral side in patients with negative treatment outcomes regarding pain intensity following MLD. As the interval to the postoperative MRI scan increased, the changes in CSA of the MFM and change in T2 SIR of the MFM showed a tendency to increase.

Introduction: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been a well-established, effective, minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of chronic medically refractory neuropathic pain involving the limbs and trunk. Social media platforms, including Instagram, are increasingly being used for medical education and sharing patient experiences. This study aimed to investigate posts related to SCS on Instagram. Methods and materials: This study presents a comprehensive analysis of Instagram posts utilizing the hashtags #spinalcordneuromodulation, #spinalcordstimulation, #spinalcordstimulationsurgery, #spinalcordstimulationtherapy, and #spinalcordstimulationimplant, all of which were collected on August 1, 2023. The outcomes were organized into four distinct source-based categories: posts generated by medical practitioners (both surgeons and non-surgeons); content shared by medical organizations; content created by patients; and content from indeterminate categories. The content was further classified based on its nature, encompassing educational material and reflections on patient or physician experiences. Moreover, the impact of users was evaluated in terms of their follower count and the count of posts. Results: The search yielded a total of 4983 posts. The majority of posts were created by medical practitioners (38.53%, n = 1920). The distribution of remaining Instagram posts about SCS was as follows: medical organizations for 35% (n = 1744), patients for 24.12% (n = 1202), and indeterminate categories for 2.35% (n = 117). Among the collected posts, 348 (41.4%) originated from accounts associated with medical practitioners, 286 (34%) from medical organizations, 145 (17.2%) from patients, and 62 (7.4%) remained unspecified. The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in follower distribution between medical practitioners and all other groups (p<0.001). Reported side effects included pain over the implant (n = 257; 88.92%), lead migration (n = 18; 6.22%), infection (n = 9; 3; 11%), and seroma (n = 5; 1.73%). Conclusions: When searching for posts about SCS on Instagram, one is more likely to encounter posts authored by medical practitioners that are mostly focused on educational content. Posts created by medical practitioners may be overshadowed and buried among numerous other posts created by patients. We suggest posting educational medical content with the hashtag #MedEd in an attempt to make educational content more easily accessible.

Background The current standard of care for spinal schwannoma, which is the most common nerve sheath tumor, is total microsurgical resection. The localization, size, and relationship with the surrounding structures of these tumors are crucial in terms of preoperative planning. A new classification method for surgical planning of spinal schwannomas is presented in this study. Methods All patients who underwent surgery for spinal schwannoma between 2008 and 2021 were reviewed retrospectively, along with radiologic images, clinical presentation, surgical approach, and postoperative neurologic status. Results A total of 114 patients (57 males and 57 females) were included in the study. Tumor localizations were cervical in 24 patients, cervicothoracic in 1 patient, thoracic in 15 patients, thoracolumbar in 8 patients, lumbar in 56 patients, lumbosacral in 2 patients, and sacral in 8 patients. All tumors were divided into seven types according to our classification method. Type 1 and 2 groups were operated on with a posterior midline approach only, type 3 tumors were operated on with a posterior midline approach and an extraforaminal approach, and type 4 tumors were operated on with only an extraforaminal approach. While the extraforaminal approach was sufficient in patients with type 5 tumors, partial facetectomy was required in 2 patients. A combined surgery including hemilaminectomy and extraforaminal approach was performed in the type 6 group. A posterior midline approach with partial sacrectomy/corpectomy was performed in the type 7 group. Conclusion Effective treatment of spinal schwannoma depends on preoperative planning, which includes correctly classifying tumors. In this study, we present a categorization scheme that covers bone erosion and tumor volume for all spinal localizations.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the microsurgical neuroanatomy of the brain is challenging yet crucial for safe and effective surgery. Training on human cadavers provides an opportunity to practice approaches and learn about the brain's complex organization from a surgical view. Innovations in visual technology, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), have immensely added a new dimension to neuroanatomy education. In this regard, a 3-dimensional (3D) model and AR/VR application may facilitate the understanding of the microsurgical neuroanatomy of the brain and improve spatial recognition during neurosurgical procedures by generating a better comprehension of interrelated neuroanatomic structures. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the results of 3D volumetric modeling and AR/VR applications in showing the brain's complex organization during fiber dissection. METHODS: Fiber dissection was applied to the specimen, and the 3D model was created with a new photogrammetry method. After photogrammetry, the 3D model was edited using 3D editing programs and viewed in AR. The 3D model was also viewed in VR using a head-mounted display device. RESULTS: The 3D model was viewed in internet-based sites and AR/VR platforms with high resolution. The fibers could be panned, rotated, and moved freely on different planes and viewed from different angles on AR and VR platforms. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that fiber dissections can be transformed and viewed digitally on AR/VR platforms. These models can be considered a powerful teaching tool for improving the surgical spatial recognition of interrelated neuroanatomic structures. Neurosurgeons worldwide can easily avail of these models on digital platforms.

Objective In our study, we aimed to summarize the etiology of subdural hematoma that was not traumatic and required operation in pediatric patients. The subdural hematoma characteristics, possible etiologies, and treatment, as well as the patient outcomes, were analyzed. Methods A retrospective examination was made of pediatric patients with subdural hematoma who were operated on at Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital. Patients with a history of trauma were excluded. Data on patient sex, age, bleeding location, type of hematoma based on computed tomography imaging, surgical treatment, presenting symptoms, presence of comorbidities, Glasgow Coma Scale, thrombocyte counts, and international normalized ratio values were recorded. Results Of the 19 patients included in the study, 4 were female and 15 were male. Their ages ranged between 0 and 15 (mean = 5.84) years. In 57.8% of the patients, comorbidities, including acute myeloid leukemia, a history of shunt operation, epilepsy, mucopolysaccharidosis, known subdural effusion, autism, coagulopathy, ventricular septal defect/tetralogy of Fallot, cerebrospinal fluid leakage after baclofen pump administration, Marfan's syndrome, and late neonatal sepsis were present, while 21% had arachnoid cysts and 21% had no reported comorbidities. Conclusion This study suggests that, in pediatric patients with subdural hematoma with an amount of bleeding requiring surgical management, any underlying comorbidities should be investigated regardless of the presence of a history of trauma. While investigating systemic diseases, special attention should be paid to the presence of arachnoid cysts or disruption in cerebrospinal fluid dynamics along with a history of hematologic diseases.