Setting standards of performance expected in neurosurgery residency: A study on entrustable professional activities in competency-based medical education

BackgroundCompetency-based medical education requires evaluations of residents’ performances of tasks of the discipline (ie. entrustable professional activities (EPAs)). Using neurosurgical Faculty perspectives, this study investigated whether a sample of neurosurgical EPAs accurately reflected the expectations of general neurosurgical practice.MethodA questionnaire was sent to all Canadian neurosurgery Faculty using a SurveyMonkey® platform.ResultsThe proportion of respondents who believed the EPAs were representative of general neurosurgery competences varied significantly across all EPAs [47%–100%] (p < 0.0001). For 9/15 proposed EPAs, ≥75% agreed they were appropriate for general neurosurgery training and expected residents to attain the highest standard of performance. However, a range of 27–53% of the respondents felt the other six EPAs would be more appropriate for fellowship training and thus, require a lower standard of performance from graduating residents.ConclusionThe shift towards subspecialization in neurosurgery has implications for curriculum design, delivery and certification of graduating residents.     

Management of cervicofacial lymphatic malformations requires a multidisciplinary approach

Background/PurposeCervicofacial lymphatic malformations (CFLM) are rare, potentially life-threatening vascular anomalies, yet reports on multidisciplinary treatment strategies are lacking. We evaluated outcomes for CFLMs following sclerotherapy, surgical resection, and/or medical management.MethodsWe identified children with a CFLM at a vascular anomalies center from 2004 to 2019. Exclusion criteria: retro-orbital malformations, untreated malformations, patients without follow-up. Primary clinical outcome was contour improvement, with significance defined as LM volume reduction of > 50% by cross-sectional imaging.ResultsSixty-three children met inclusion criteria: 35 with macrocystic CFLMs, six with microcystic CFLMs, and 22 with mixed-type malformations. Mean post-intervention follow-up was 27.5 months. Fifty-eight patients underwent sclerotherapy (median: two treatments). Doxycycline and/or bleomycin were used in 95% of patients. After sclerotherapy, 97% of macrocystic CFLMs improved significantly compared to 82% of mixed and 67% of microcystic lesions. Sixteen children underwent surgical resection with 75% significantly improving; two additional patients were successfully treated with sclerotherapy after debulking surgery. Six children received sirolimus for microcystic disease, of which 33% significantly improved.ConclusionSclerotherapy is very effective for macrocystic components of CFLMs, albeit less so for microcystic disease. Microcystic CFLMs frequently require surgical resection. Sirolimus is a helpful therapeutic adjunct, particularly for microcystic lesions, but more study is needed.Level of EvidenceLevel II, prognosis study     

A single institution experience with Laparoscopic Hernia repair in 791 children

IntroductionThere are many described technique to performing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in children. We describe our outcomes using a percutaneous internal ring suturing technique.MethodsA retrospective review of patients under 18 years old who underwent repair between January 2014 - March 2019 was performed. A percutaneous internal ring suturing technique, involving hydro-dissection of the peritoneum, percutaneous suture passage, and cauterization of the peritoneum in the sac prior to high ligation, was used. p < 0.05 was considered significant during the analysis.Results791 patients were included. The median age at operation was 1.9 years (IQR 0.37, 5.82). The median operative time for a unilateral repair was 21 min (IQR 16, 28), while the median time for a bilateral repair was 30.5 min (IQR 23, 41).In total, 3 patients required conversion to an open procedure (0.4%), 4 (0.6%) experienced post-operative bleeding, 9 (1.2%) developed a wound infection, and iatrogenic ascent of testis occurred in 10 (1.3%) patients. Twenty patients (2.5%) developed a recurrent hernia. All but two were re-repaired laparoscopically.ConclusionsThe use of percutaneous internal ring suturing for laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernias in the pediatric population is safe and effective with a low rate of complications and recurrence.     

High-intensity interval training can improve hand grip strength,inspiratory muscle,and quality of life in systemic sclerosis subjects

IntroductionSystemic sclerosis/scleroderma (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease with connective tissue, multi-organ, and multisystem involvement. The disease has three main characteristics, namely vasculopathy, fibrosis, and autoimmunity. The effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in aerobic exercise on other rheumatic diseases has been studied, for example in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The purpose of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of HIIT of aerobics exercise on improving the inspiratory muscle, quality of life and functional ability for systemic sclerosis subjects.Material and methodsThe study was conducted on patients with confirmed systemic sclerosis who met the inclusion criteria. The research was carried out for 12 months in the outpatient clinic and gait laboratory of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.ResultsAfter HIIT in aerobic exercise, we found significant changes in inspiratory muscle (SNIP values 45.67 [30.92] vs. 54.25 [22.71]), handgrip (13.14 [4.42] vs. 15.63 [4.08]), walking speed (184.70 [26.86] vs. 246.6 [12.30]), metabolic equivalent (3.53 [0.30] vs. 4.21 [1.25]) and Scleroderma-Specific Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index for all visual analog scale (VAS) domains except Disability Index. Exercise approaches are characterized by repeated cycles of exercise interrupted by rest. For a range of clinical conditions, HIIT in aerobic exercise is known to remedy blood vessel function.ConclusionsOur results suggest that HIIT in aerobic exercise has improved functional ability, respiratory muscle strength, and quality of life in SSc subjects. Training twice a week in a 12-week HIIT program is considered to be safe for this population. We have to consider internal and external factors that influenced the result. A larger sample and further exploration of the feasibility of combined exercise in SSc patients should be the focus for future research.