Minimally invasive, image-guided endovascular procedures are becoming increasingly prevalent as techniques and technologies have advanced, particularly within the realm of neurovascular interventions. Endovascular approa...Minimally invasive, image-guided endovascular procedures are becoming increasingly prevalent as techniques and technologies have advanced, particularly within the realm of neurovascular interventions. Endovascular approaches ubiquitously result in endothelial injury with subsequent risk of thromboembolic complications. Periprocedural antiplatelet agent use is an integral component of the management of patients undergoing endovascular neurointerventional procedures. This patient population has a unique risk profile encompassing thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications simultaneously, and the precise balance of these risks impacts patient outcomes almost as much as the interventional procedure itself. Clinical experience and study consensus demonstrate overall improved outcomes with the use of periprocedural antiplatelet agents, though current practices remain highly institution and practitioner-dependent. This focused review will discuss the major mechanisms of action of antiplatelet agents, and their clinical indications and management in the periprocedural neurointerventional setting. Despite the importance of antiplatelet agents in the management of neurointerventional patients, many questions remain. Further research and clinical expertise are needed to establish standardized, procedure-specific, antiplatelet regimens as well as standardized monitoring of antiplatelet agent regimen efficacy and safety.
This focused review explores the current literature on anesthetic care of pregnant patients requiring intracranial intervention. Neuropathology in pregnancy is rare, and existing evidence for management remains limited b...This focused review explores the current literature on anesthetic care of pregnant patients requiring intracranial intervention. Neuropathology in pregnancy is rare, and existing evidence for management remains limited by the ethical complexities surrounding maternal and fetal research-related risks; pregnant women are typically excluded from randomized controlled trials. Physiological changes during pregnancy, combined with additional fetal considerations, alter pharmacodynamics and complicate the safety profile of maternal interventions. This review highlights the complex interplay between the physiological changes of pregnancy and common neuropathologies in this patient population. Up-to-date strategies for managing elevated maternal intracranial pressure, appropriate timing of delivery relative to neurosurgical intervention, and key medications in neuro-interventional and obstetrical care are described. The appropriateness of imaging, current evidence in stroke management, and consideration for neuraxial anesthesia and awake surgery in pregnant patients are also addressed. Emphasis is placed on the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure safe, patient-centered care tailored to neuropathology, gestational age, and clinical status. Despite recent advances, significant gaps in evidence persist. Further research from large retrospective or observational data sets is recommended to improve evidence-based approaches for managing this complex and uncommon patient population.
After intracranial surgery, sympathetic overdrive and increased blood catecholamine levels can contribute to postoperative hypertension, a significant clinical problem. The objective of this review was to summarize, quan...After intracranial surgery, sympathetic overdrive and increased blood catecholamine levels can contribute to postoperative hypertension, a significant clinical problem. The objective of this review was to summarize, quantify, and assess the epidemiological perspective of post-craniotomy hypertension and its association with adverse outcomes. This PROSPERO-registered systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. We searched electronic databases for studies that investigated adult patients who had elective craniotomy for any indication and reported hypertension within 72 hours postoperatively. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Twenty-one studies, including 2602 patients, were identified for inclusion in this review. Multiple thresholds and criteria for defining post-craniotomy hypertension were used across studies. The pooled incidence of post-craniotomy hypertension from 13 studies (2279 patients) was 30% [95% CI, 15%-50%]. Post-craniotomy hypertension was associated with a 2.6 times higher risk of having an intracerebral hemorrhage within 72 hours after surgery (pooled risk ratio, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.16-5.97). There were insufficient data to investigate the quantitative association of post-craniotomy hypertension with 30-day adverse events. In summary, 1 out of 3 patients exhibited hypertension post-craniotomy, and this was associated with a significantly higher risk of having intracranial hemorrhage within 72 hours post-procedure. A generally accepted and clinically relevant criteria for post-craniotomy hypertension should be defined.
BACKGROUND: Strict blood pressure control can be used to prevent or treat cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome. This study investigated whether scalp nerve block (SNB) is associated with a reduced risk of postoperative sympt...BACKGROUND: Strict blood pressure control can be used to prevent or treat cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome. This study investigated whether scalp nerve block (SNB) is associated with a reduced risk of postoperative symptomatic cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (SCHS) by reducing postoperative blood pressure in adult patients who underwent combined revascularization surgery for moyamoya disease. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively divided into the SNB (n=167) and control (n=221) groups depending on whether SNB was performed immediately before placement of wound dressings at the end of surgery. Postoperative SCHS was defined as new-onset postoperative neurological deficits with a focal increase in cerebral blood flow at the perianastomosis site in the absence of infarction or hemorrhage on postoperative brain imaging. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance preoperative variables between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative SCHS did not differ between the SNB and control groups (61 [36.5%] vs. 102 [46.2%], P =0.072), but its duration was shorter in the SNB group (4 [2-6] vs. 5 [3-7] days, P =0.021). Although of limited clinical relevance, the SNB group had lower postoperative pain scores and systolic blood pressures at postoperative days 0 to 1 and a shorter intensive care unit stay. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some potential benefits, SNB was not associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative SCHS in adult patients who underwent combined revascularization surgery for moyamoya disease.
This systematic review aimed to identify and describe best practice for the intraoperative anesthetic management of patients undergoing emergent/urgent decompressive craniotomy or craniectomy for any indication. The PubM...This systematic review aimed to identify and describe best practice for the intraoperative anesthetic management of patients undergoing emergent/urgent decompressive craniotomy or craniectomy for any indication. The PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles related to urgent/emergent craniotomy/craniectomy for intracranial hypertension or brain herniation. Only articles focusing on intraoperative anesthetic management were included; those investigating surgical or intensive care unit management were excluded. Nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified after screening 1885 abstracts and full text review of 276 articles. Six of the 9 included studies were prospective and 3 were retrospective, and included sample sizes ranging between 48 and 373 patients. All were single center studies. Three studies examined anesthetic technique (volatile vs. intravenous), 1 examined osmotic diuresis, 1 examined extubation in the operating room, 1 examined quality metrics, and 3 examined intracranial pressure and changes in vital sign. There was insufficient evidence to perform a meta-analysis. Overall, there was limited evidence regarding the anesthetic management of patients having urgent/emergent craniotomy or craniectomy for intracranial hypertension or herniation due to any cause.
Intubation of patients requiring cervical spine immobilization can be challenging. Recently, the use of C-MAC video laryngoscopes (VL) has increased in popularity over direct laryngoscopy (DL). We aimed to conduct a syst...Intubation of patients requiring cervical spine immobilization can be challenging. Recently, the use of C-MAC video laryngoscopes (VL) has increased in popularity over direct laryngoscopy (DL). We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of C-MAC VL as compared with DL for intubation in C-spine immobilized patients. A systematic search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science was performed. Time taken to intubate was the primary outcome whereas the use of optimization maneuvers, laryngoscopy view, first-pass success rates, and difficulty of intubation were secondary outcomes. Seven trials involving 490 patients were included in the analysis. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of time taken to intubate, standardized mean difference 0.65 (95% CI, -2.55, 3.86). The certainty of evidence for the primary outcome, time taken to intubate, was low, with high heterogeneity (I 2 =97%). The C-MAC VL group had higher first-pass success rates (odds ratio 2.92 [95% CI, 1.14, 7.49]) and a lower incidence of a poor laryngoscopy view (odds ratio 0.21 [95% CI, 0.07, 0.66]). There was no difference in terms of the difficulty of intubation and the use of optimization maneuvers. Overall, C-MAC VL did not reduce the time taken to intubate, although the strength of this finding is limited by wide confidence intervals. C-MAC VL significantly improved laryngoscopy views and first-pass success rate as compared with DL.
Hewson DW, Mankoo A, Bath PM
… +4 more, Barley M, Dhillon P, Malik L, Krishnan K
J Neurosurg Anesthesiol
· 2026 Jan · PMID 39780342
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Full text
Processed electroencephalography (pEEG) is increasingly used to titrate the depth of anesthesia. Whether such intra-procedural pEEG monitoring can offer additional information on cerebral perfusion or acute focal or glob...Processed electroencephalography (pEEG) is increasingly used to titrate the depth of anesthesia. Whether such intra-procedural pEEG monitoring can offer additional information on cerebral perfusion or acute focal or global cerebral ischemia is unknown. This scoping review aimed to provide a narrative analysis of the current literature reporting the potential role of pEEG in adults with acute cerebral ischemia. In keeping with the scoping review methodology, a broad search strategy was defined, including descriptions of encephalography in acute ischemic stroke, carotid endarterectomy, cardiac surgery, and cardiac arrest. Additional screening of citations was conducted by 2 independent assessors. From 310 records, 28 full-text articles met inclusion criteria. Most identified studies were observational in design, and described the diagnostic ability of pEEG to identify cerebral hypoperfusion or its prognostic sensitivity after stroke or carotid surgery. No studies were identified that evaluated pEEG in the specific setting of endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Low sensitivity associations between pEEG indices and cerebral blood flow were highlighted, which may be influenced by cerebral autoregulatory thresholds. Despite the associations reported in observational studies, this review identified significant uncertainty in the role of pEEG during cerebral ischemia. There is a paucity of high-level observational (cohort or case-control) or randomized trial research examining the possible role of pEEG for the detection and management of cerebral ischemia during acute stroke, including during endovascular therapy, or in other common scenarios of acute cerebral ischemia.
BACKGROUND: Predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation have not been fully elucidated. This study focused on identifying radiographic predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patien...BACKGROUND: Predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation have not been fully elucidated. This study focused on identifying radiographic predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patients with a cervical collar. METHODS: This retrospective study included unconscious patients who underwent orotracheal intubation using a flexible fiberscope while wearing a cervical collar to simulate a difficult airway. Easy fiberscopic intubation was defined as successful fiberscopic intubation within 120 seconds on the first attempt without desaturation below 90%. The patients were divided into easy (n=133) and difficult (n=24) fiberscopic intubation groups. Demographic, mask ventilation-related, upper airway-related, and radiographic variables measured on sagittal images of preoperative cervical x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging were analyzed. RESULTS: The difficult fiberscopic intubation group had a smaller oral cavity area (2.1 [1.2-2.5] vs. 2.9 [2.1-3.7] cm 2 , P <0.001), higher tongue area divided by oral cavity area (9.3 [6.5-13.3] vs. 6.4 [4.6-8.3], P <0.001), smaller epiglottis angle (33±10° vs. 37±8°, P =0.02), and longer skin-glottis distance (1.3 [1.1-1.6] vs. 1.1 [1.0-1.3] cm, P =0.004). Tongue area/oral cavity area (odds ratio per 1 [95% CI]: 1.24 [1.09-1.40]) and skin-glottis distance (odds ratio per 1 cm [95% CI]: 13.0 [2.69-62.4]) were independently associated with the difficulty in fiberscopic intubation. CONCLUSIONS: High tongue area/oral cavity area and long skin-glottis distance were predictive of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patients with a cervical collar.