Abstract

BACKGROUND As an established antifibrinolytic agent, tranexamic acid (TXA) has garnered widespread use during surgery to limit intraoperative blood loss. Within the field of neurosurgery, it is often introduced in cases of traumatic brain injury or elective spine surgeries. However, its role during elective cranial surgeries is not well established. This study presents a systematic review of the use of TXA for elective surgical resection of intracranial neoplasms. METHODS We performed a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines to identify studies investigating the TXA use in elective neurosurgical resection of intracranial neoplasms. Variables extracted included patient demographics, surgical indications, type of surgery performed, TXA administration dose and route, operative duration, blood loss, transfusion rate, postoperative hemoglobin (Hb) levels, and complications. RESULTS After careful screening, 4 articles (consisting of 682 total patients) fit our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two studies were prospective cohorts, one was a retrospective cohort, and one was a case series. Chi-squared testing of pooled data demonstrated that patients administered TXA had a significantly decreased need for blood transfusions during surgery (OR: 0.6273, 95% CI:0.4254-0.9251, p=0.018). Mean total blood loss was 821.9 mL in the TXA group and 1099.0 mL in the control group across studies. There was no significant difference in postoperative hemoglobin levels: means were 11.4 g/dL for both the TXA and control groups. CONCLUSION These results support the use of intraoperative TXA in tumor resection. However, its role in tumor resection has been less investigated when compared to the use of TXA in other areas of neurosurgery.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES This meta-analysis aims to assess tranexamic acid (TXA) effectiveness and safety in lumbar surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS Renewals of randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted utilizing databases of medical literature such as PubMed, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and EMBASE to compare principal and safety endpoints. The risk ratio (RR), standard mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. For the evaluation of the quality of the included studies, the Cochrane risk of bias criteria were utilized by two authors. RESULTS In total, 49 articles were enrolled that included 4,822 patients. Of the patients, 2,653 were administered TXA and 2,169 were in the control group. The findings indicated that TXA was capable of significantly lowering postoperative blood loss (PBL), transfusion rate, transfusion volume, total blood loss (TBL), intraoperative blood loss (IBL), and drainage compared to the control group. Besides, hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Hct) values were higher in the TXA group compared to the control group. As the safety endpoints, TXA significantly reduced D-dimer levels compared to the control group; however, both TXA and control groups had no significant variations in deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Subgroup analysis was administrated according to the administration method of TXA and the operation type and intravenous and topical TXA were combined in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSION This meta-analysis showed that TXA had the potential to significantly lower PBL, transfusion rate, transfusion volume, TBL, IBL, and drainage compared to the control group. Besides, Hb and Hct values were higher in the TXA group compared to the control group. Its hemostatic potential after lumbar spine surgery is trustworthy. It is still controversial in safety endpoints that TXA can significantly reduce D-dimer compared to the control group, without no significant variations in DVT in both the TXA and control groups.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE In this article, the authors systematically evaluated the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) in surgeries for spinal trauma. METHODS Potentially relevant academic articles were identified from the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Secondary sources were identified from the references of the included literature. RevMan software was used to analyze the pooled data. RESULTS A total of 7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 2 non-RCTs were included in the review. There were significant differences in total blood loss (standard mean difference [SMD] = -2.54 [95% CI, -3.72, -1.37], P = 0.0001), intraoperative blood loss (SMD = -0.96 [95% CI, -1.28, -0.64], P < 0.00001), postoperative blood loss (SMD = -1.42 [95% CI, -1.72, -1.11], P < 0.00001), and length of hospital stay (SMD = -3.73 [95% CI, -4.41, -3.06], P = 0.00001). No significant differences were found regarding transfusion requirement, operative duration, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS The present meta-analysis indicates that the use of TXA in spinal surgery decreases blood loss and duration of hospital stay while not increasing the risk of side effects such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The study aims to provide clinicians who operate on spine trauma with information on the use of tranexamic acid to decrease blood loss and related complications.

Abstract

Introduction  Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a potentially severe complication of spinal surgeries. The occurrence of such complications causes deterioration of the patient's clinical status and delayed discharge from the hospital. Although no specific etiological factors were identified for this complication, but multiple risk factors might play role in its development, they include the use of anticoagulants, presence of uncontrolled hypertension, and perioperative patient positioning. Aim  A systematic review of the literature to investigate the prevalence of different types of intracranial hemorrhages in patients who underwent spinal surgeries. Methods  A literature review was conducted using multiple research databases. Data were extracted using multiple variables that were formulated incongruent with the study aim and then further analyzed. Results  A total of 79 studies were included in our analysis after applying the exclusion criteria and removing of repeated studies, 109 patients were identified where they were diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhage after spine surgery with a mean age of 54 years. The most common type of hemorrhage was cerebellar hemorrhage (56.0%) followed by SDH and intraparenchymal hemorrhage; 23.9 and 17.4%, respectively. The most common spine surgery was laminectomy (70.6%), followed by fixation and fusion (50.5%), excision of spinal lesions was done in 20.2% of the patient, and discectomy (14.7%). Conclusion  The data in this study showed that out of 112 patients with ICH, cerebellar hemorrhage was the most common type. ICH post-spine surgery is a rare complication and the real etiologies behind this complication are still unknown, cerebrospinal fluid drain and durotomy were suggested.

Abstract

AIMS: To examine the conservative treatment of symptomatic spinal cavernomas as well as to evaluate the efficacy and safety of surgical management of SCCMs. METHODS This meta-analysis included articles comparing outcomes of conservative treatment and surgical management of spinal cavernomas, published in the full-text form (from 2000 to June 31, 2020). Collected variables included: first author name, country, covered study period, publication year, the total number of patients and at follow-up, bleeding, motor weakness, pain, bladder and/ or bowel dysfunction neurological improvement or deterioration after discharge and the need for re-intervention after subtotal surgical resection or hemorrhage. RESULTS After the initial searching, and applying all exclusion and inclusion criteria, there were 9 articles left in the final article pool. The total number of patients was 396 with 264 (66.6 %) undergoing surgical resection and 132 (33.4%) electing conservative management. Regarding motor weakness, Bladder/Bowel dysfunction, Deterioration, and Re-intervention the final results demonstrated no potential significant difference between the two groups. As regards the subgroup of patients with Bleeding, Improvement, and Pain the results of the analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Patients who have experienced a hemorrhagic episode should consider surgical intervention which decreases the risk of recurrent hemorrhage and further neurological deterioration. In addition, surgical decompression obtained by resection of the hemorrhage and cavernoma seems to lead to slight neurological improvement in some patients. In non-hemorrhagic cavernomas, conservative treatment might be optimal due to surgery-related morbidity risks.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Perioperative blood loss is a major concern in spinal fusion surgery, which often requires blood transfusion. A large amount of perioperative blood loss might increase the risks of various perioperative complications. Recently, there has been a series of clinical studies focusing on the perioperative administration of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) in spinal fusion surgery. The aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EACA in spinal fusion surgery. METHODS We systematically searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) up to April 2021. The perioperative blood loss, blood transfusion and complication data were extracted and analysed by RevMan Manager 5.3. RESULTS Finally, six randomized controlled studies, involving 398 patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery, were enrolled in this systematic review. Compared with the blank control group, the EACA group had significantly lower total perioperative blood loss, postoperative blood loss, postoperative hemoglobin, postoperative blood transfusion units, total blood transfusion units, and postoperative red blood cell transfusion units. Additionally, no significant differences were observed between the EACA group and control group in intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion units, intraoperative crystalloid administered, hospital stays, operative time, perioperative respiratory complications, and wound bleeding. CONCLUSIONS EACA in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery is effective in perioperative hemostasis without increasing the incidence of postoperative complications. However, the long-term adverse side of EACA in spinal fusion surgery still need more large-scale trials.

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN Systematic review. OBJECTIVES We performed this systematic overview on overlapping meta-analyses that analyzed the role of platelet-rich plasma(PRP) in enhancing spinal fusion and identify which study provides the current best evidence on the topic and generate recommendations for the same. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted independent and duplicate electronic database searches in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects till October-2020 for meta-analyses that analyzed the role of PRP in spinal fusion procedures. Methodological quality assessment was made using Oxford Levels of Evidence, AMSTAR scoring, and AMSTAR 2 grades. We then utilized the Jadad decision algorithm to identify the study with highest quality to represent the current best evidence to generate recommendations. RESULTS 3 meta-analyses fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included. The AMSTAR scores of included studies varied from 5-8(mean:6.3) and all included studies had critically low reliability in their summary of results due to their methodological flaws according to AMSTAR 2 grades. The current best evidence showed that utilization of PRP was not associated with significant improvement in patient-reported outcomes such as Visual Analog Score for pain compared to the standard fusion procedure. Moreover, PRP was found to be associated with lower fusion rates. CONCLUSION Based on this systematic overview, the effectiveness of PRP as a biological agent in augmenting spinal fusion is limited. Current evidence does not support the use of PRP as an adjuvant to enhance spinal fusion.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic agent associated with reduced blood loss and mortality in a wide range of procedures, including spine surgery, traumatic brain injury, and craniosynostosis. Despite this wide use, the safety and efficacy of TXA in spine surgery has been considered controversial due to a relative scarcity of literature and lack of statistical power in reported studies. However, if TXA can be shown to reduce blood loss in laminectomy with fusion and posterior instrumentation, more surgeons may include it in their armamentarium. The authors aimed to conduct an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of TXA in reducing blood loss in laminectomy and fusion with posterior instrumentation. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis, abiding by PRISMA guidelines, was performed by searching the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane. These platforms were queried for all studies reporting the use of TXA in laminectomy and fusion with posterior instrumentation. Variables retrieved included patient demographics, surgical indications, involved spinal levels, type of laminectomy performed, TXA administration dose, TXA route of administration, operative duration, blood loss, blood transfusion rate, postoperative hemoglobin level, and perioperative complications. Heterogeneity across studies was evaluated using a chi-square test, Cochran's Q test, and I2 test performed with R statistical programming software. RESULTS A total of 7 articles were included in the qualitative study, while 6 articles featuring 411 patients underwent statistical analysis. The most common route of administration for TXA was intravenous with 15 mg/kg administered preoperatively. After the beginning of surgery, TXA administration patterns were varied among studies. Blood transfusions were increased in non-TXA cohorts compared to TXA cohorts. Patients administered TXA demonstrated a significant reduction in blood loss (mean difference -218.44 mL; 95% CI -379.34 to -57.53; p = 0.018). TXA administration was not associated with statistically significant reductions in operative durations. There were no adverse events reported in either the TXA or non-TXA patient cohorts. CONCLUSIONS TXA can significantly reduce perioperative blood loss in cervical, thoracic, and lumbar laminectomy and fusion procedures, while demonstrating a minimal complication profile.

Abstract

This systematic review compares clinical outcomes between platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and corticosteroid injections for the treatment of lumbar spondylosis and sacroiliac arthropathy. A systematic review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) and performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using the Pubmed, SCOPUS, and Ovid MEDLINE databases. All level I-III evidence comparative studies published in the English language investigating the clinical outcomes between PRP and corticosteroid injections for the treatment of lumbar spondylosis and sacroiliac arthropathy were included. Five studies (242 patients, 114 PRP, 128 corticosteroid) were analyzed. One randomized study was level I evidence, two randomized studies were level II, and two non-randomized studies were level III. Final follow-up ranged from six weeks to six months. Four studies found that both PRP and corticosteroid treatment led to a statistically significant reduction in the visual analog scale (VAS). One found that only the PRP group led to a statistically significant reduction in VAS. Three studies found more significant improvements in one or more clinical outcome scores among PRP patients as compared with corticosteroid patients at the three- to six-month follow-up. Two studies found no difference in outcome score improvements between the two groups at six- to 12-week follow-up. There were no reports of major complications. There were no significant differences in minor complication rates between the two groups. In conclusion, both PRP and corticosteroid injections are safe and effective options for the treatment of lumbar spondylosis and sacroiliac arthropathy. There is some evidence that PRP injection is a more effective option at long-term follow-up compared with corticosteroid injection. Further randomized controlled trials with longer-term follow-up are necessary to compare its long-term efficacy.

Abstract

BACKGROUND This study aimed to explore the role of tranexamic acid (TXA) in blood loss control and blood transfusion management of patients undergoing multilevel spine surgery. METHODS In this meta-analysis, a comprehensive search of literatures was performed from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to June 23rd, 2020. Weighed mean difference (WMD) was used as the effect size for measurement data, and risk ratio for enumeration data. Publication bias was assessed by Begg test. RESULTS Totally 23 studies (11 randomized controlled trials and 12 cohort studies) involving 1621 participants were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The results showed that the administration of TXA can significantly decrease the intraoperative [WMD: -215.655, 95%CI: (-307.462, -123.847), P < .001], postoperative [WMD: -69.213, 95%CI: (-104.443, -33.983), P = .001] and total [WMD: -284.388, 95%CI: (-437.66, -131.116), P < .001] volumes of blood loss of patients undergoing multilevel spine surgery. It can also significantly reduce the intraoperative [WMD: -333.775, 95%CI: (-540.45, -127.099), P = .002] and postoperative [WMD: -114.661, 95%CI: (-219.58, -9.742), P = .032] volumes of transfusion. In addition, TXA was found to significantly increase the preoperative [WMD: 0.213, 95%CI: (0.037, 0.389), P = .018] and postoperative [WMD: 0.433, 95%CI: (0.244, 0.622), P < .001] hemoglobin levels as well as the preoperative platelet count [WMD: 14.069, 95%CI: (0.122, 28.015), P = .048]. CONCLUSION The administration of TXA can effectively reduce blood loss and transfusion, and improve hemoglobin levels and preoperative platelet count in patients undergoing multilevel spine surgery.