Browsing by Author "Weiner, Howard L."

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    Connectomic profiling and Vagus nerve stimulation Outcomes Study (CONNECTiVOS): a prospective observational protocol to identify biomarkers of seizure response in children and youth
    (BMJ, 2022-04-08) Siegel, Lauren; Yan, Han; Warsi, Nebras; Wong, Simeon; Suresh, Hrishikesh; Weil, Alexander G.; Ragheb, John; Wang, Shelly; Rozzelle, Curtis; Albert, Gregory W.; Raskin, Jeffrey; Abel, Taylor; Hauptman, Jason; Schrader, Dewi V.; Bollo, Robert; Smyth, Matthew D.; Lew, Sean M.; Lopresti, Melissa; Kizek, Dominic J.; Weiner, Howard L.; Fallah, Aria; Widjaja, Elysa; Ibrahim, George M.; Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulation therapy that can reduce the seizure burden of children with medically intractable epilepsy. Despite the widespread use of VNS to treat epilepsy, there are currently no means to preoperatively identify patients who will benefit from treatment. The objective of the present study is to determine clinical and neural network-based correlates of treatment outcome to better identify candidates for VNS therapy. Methods and analysis: In this multi-institutional North American study, children undergoing VNS and their caregivers will be prospectively recruited. All patients will have documentation of clinical history, physical and neurological examination and video electroencephalography as part of the standard clinical workup for VNS. Neuroimaging data including resting-state functional MRI, diffusion-tensor imaging and magnetoencephalography will be collected before surgery. MR-based measures will also be repeated 12 months after implantation. Outcomes of VNS, including seizure control and health-related quality of life of both patient and primary caregiver, will be prospectively measured up to 2 years postoperatively. All data will be collected electronically using Research Electronic Data Capture. Ethics and dissemination: This study was approved by the Hospital for Sick Children Research Ethics Board (REB number 1000061744). All participants, or substitute decision-makers, will provide informed consent prior to be enrolled in the study. Institutional Research Ethics Board approval will be obtained from each additional participating site prior to inclusion. This study is funded through a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant (PJT-159561) and an investigator-initiated funding grant from LivaNova USA (Houston, TX; FF01803B IIR).
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    Editorial. Pediatric neurosurgery along with Children's Hospitals' innovations are rapid and uniform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
    (American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2020-04) Weiner, Howard L.; Adelson, P. David; Brockmeyer, Douglas L.; Maher, Cormac O.; Gupta, Nalin; Smyth, Matthew D.; Jea, Andrew; Blount, Jeffrey P.; Riva-Cambrin, Jay; Lam, Sandi K.; Ahn, Edward S.; Albert, Gregory W.; Leonard, Jeffrey R.; Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine
    The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented international crisis, with enormous health, economic, and social consequences, the likes of which have not been experienced in recent human history. The global medical community is facing historic practical and ethical challenges that require an urgent response. This situation has necessitated swift decision-making in the neurosurgery community. An inspiring and consistent message emerged from the resultant conversation, demonstrating our discipline’s response to this tragedy, which was strikingly rapid, uniform, and thoughtful across the many centers represented. Not surprisingly, pediatric neurosurgeons are able to lead their teams through this unprecedented time with creative decision-making and a razor-sharp focus on the health of both patients and colleagues. At the time of this writing, each center reported either no or only a small number of COVID-19–positive cases at their pediatric hospital, among either patients or staff, and a range of documented coronavirus community transmissions. Several notably consistent themes emerged from this exchange among the 13 members of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics Editorial Board, the common concept being that decision-making remains dynamic and is modified as needed on a daily basis.
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    Pediatric neurosurgery along with children’s hospitals’ innovations are rapid and uniform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
    (AANS, 2020) Weiner, Howard L.; Adelson, P. David; Brockmeyer, Douglas L.; Maher, Cormac O.; Gupta, Nalin; Smyth, Matthew D.; Jea, Andrew; Blount, Jeffrey P.; Riva-Cambrin, Jay; Lam, Sandi K.; Ahn, Edward S.; Albert, Gregory W.; Leonard, Jeffrey R.; Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine