HEADlines TIMELY NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY
Fall 2020
HEADlines TIMELY NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY
Fall 2020
WELCOME FROM DR. KEVIN LILLEHEI, CHAIR OF NEUROSURGERY:
Welcome to the inaugural issue of our newly formatted internal Neurosurgery News, “HEADlines.”
A huge thank you to Tami Lack Crawford for all her hard work in getting this established. Please see our updated department website, and notice our new “departmental supporting graphic,” which will be used in many of our internal and external publications. In this era of COVID-19, this has been no easy undertaking, but our growth as a department continues on. This newsletter will be published regularly throughout the year and contain useful information about your colleagues, about patients, about joint efforts in research, and interesting, noteworthy news about the amazing people in our department. We will be publishing both an internal and external newsletter. If you have interest in seeing what is going out externally, let Tami know and she will put you on that distribution list. Email: Tami.Lack@cuanschutz.edu In upcoming publications, we will acknowledge and congratulate our faculty members on new clinical, research and community initiatives, publications, and grants. In addition, there will be a resident & fellow corner, highlighting the achievements of our trainees. You will probably be contacted intermittently by Tami, (our new Director of Strategic Planning & Program Development), who will help with the content of the newsletter. Please feel free to contact her with any items you feel would be appropriate for the newsletter. We are also kicking off an external newsletter for the department, which will be going to patients, referring physicians, constituents, interested community members and potential donors. This will have a similar format, but will be less “technical,” highlighting new and exciting innovations occurring within the department, patient stories, and faculty highlights. There will also be a section on “why give to neurosurgery”. If you know of people who you would like to receive this newsletter, please send their emails to Tami. There is an unsubscribe at the bottom of every issue, so they will have the option of opting out. All of this is part of our combined effort to raise awareness about the Neurosurgery Department, both internally and externally. In the next edition, we will highlight the new members who have graciously volunteered to sit on our Neurosurgery Advisory Council (NAC). This consists of “movers and shakers” in the community who Tami and I have been engaging throughout the COVID time period. In addition, we have been busy writing new grants to community foundations, updating the website, and preparing for a “big push” around our brain tumor tissue bank. Earlier this year, we had a very successful patient outreach initiative, and our new external newsletter will serve as our second outreach tool. Please let Tami know if you have external constituents that you would like to receive it. This could include grateful patients, community members, potential donors, faculty and friends from other institutions, etc. Please stay tuned for more… Kevin O. Lillehei Professor & Ogsbury-Kindt Chair Department of Neurosurgery
WELCOME TO NEW FACULTY AND STAFF Dr. Zach Folzenlogen, Endovascular Neurosurgery at Highlands Ranch Hospital Dr. Folzenlogen just finished his residency in neurosurgery and his fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery at the University of Colorado. He now serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery with a primary appointment at Highlands Ranch Hospital, where he is the Director of Endovascular Neurosurgery. His clinical interests include vascular neurosurgery (cerebral aneurysms, stroke, carotid disease, vascular malformations) and general neurosurgical care. Research interests include medical device development aiming to improve patient outcomes while decreasing medical costs. Dr. Joie Molden, Neuropsychology Joie Molden, PhD is a clinical neuropsychologist and an Assistant Professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery (Division of Neuropsychology). She recently completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology through the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Adult Neuropsychology Fellowship. Her clinical interests include neurodegenerative diseases and geriatric neuropsychology as well as movement disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, concussion and TBI, and other medical and psychiatric conditions. Her research interests include dementia worry, attitudes toward aging and dementia, and neuropsychological factors related to functional neurosurgery. Dr. Dan Kramer, Functional Neurosurgery Dr. Kramer comes to us from Stanford where is primary clinical interests include epilepsy, movement disorders, and facial pain. He has special interests in intracranial recordings for epilepsy, temporal lobectomies, laser therapy for seizure foci (LITT), responsive neuralstimulation (RNS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep brain stimulation for epilepsy. His research is focused on improving therapies for Essential Tremor, Parkinson’s disease, and facial pain by understanding how motor and sensory information is integrated. His lab is looking at how the brain uses attentional resources to shift information in and out of the conscious mind and he is developing a brain computer interface program to help restore motor and sensory function to those with paralysis.
Dr. Jason Weedman, Neuro Critical Care Dr. Weedman graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine and stayed there for residency to become a board certified Neurologist. After completion, he went on to pursue a fellowship in Neurosurgical Critical Care at University of Colorado Hospital and will continue now as faculty.
NEW FELLOWS:
Kimberly Capp, PhD Samatha Sciulli, PhD Rafael Martinez Perez, MD Andrius Anizis, MD Fabio Grassia, MD Yasunori Nagahama, MD Hemn Abdulrahim, MD
Neuropsychology Fellow Neuropsychology Fellow Skull Base Fellow Neurosurgical Oncology Fellow Stereotactic and Functional Fellow Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow
NEW RESEARCH STAFF:
Tammy Trudeau, Senior Professional Research Assistant working with Todd Hankinson, MD at Children’s Hospital. Lisa Hirt, Professional Research Assistant working with John Thompson, PhD at University of Colorado.
Andrew Donovan, MD Julia Pazniokas, MD
NEW RESIDENTS:
From University of Louisville School of Medicine From New York Medical Colllege
AND WELCOME TO OUR YOUNGEST STAFF ADDITIONS!
Emilia, born June 22nd to Krystin Martinez, our Faculty Affairs and Education Manager
Athena, born July 23rd to Tom Huynh, our Business Services Senior Professional
CONGRATULATIONS!
NEWEST FUNDING IN NEUROSURGERY RESEARCH NIH R33 Award to Principal Investigators, Michael Graner, PhD and Xiaoli Yu, PhD Funding will be provided through 2023 for the project, “Development of Validation of Phage-Displayed Random Peptide LibrariesTechnologies for Rapid Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles from Patients with Brain Tumors” NIH R25 Award to MPI, Dr. Cristin Welle, PhD. Funding provided through the University of Minnesota, through 2022 for “Educational Program on Translating Neural Medical Devices.” NIH R01 to Dr. Steve Ojemann, in conjunction with Brigham & Women’s Hospital. “System Genetics Approach to Intracranial Aneurisms.” Funding through 2024. Clinical Trial, sponsored by Medtronic, to Dr. Chris Roark. Project through 2025 to study Embolization of the Middle Meningeal Artery with ONYXTM Liquid Embolic System in the Treatment of
NIH UH3 with University of Nebraska, to Dr. John Thompson. Funding through 2025 for Adaptive Neurostimulation to Restore Sleep in Parkinson’s Disease: An Investigation of STN LFP Biomarkers in Sleep Dysregulation and Repair. Pilot Grant from the Movement Disorders Center to Dr. John Thompson for funding through 2021. Sleep assessed by actigraphy and direct recordings of the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson’s Disease. Clinical Trial, sponsored by Medtronic to Dr. David Case. Project through 2024 to study EndoVasular treatment for Acutely ruptured shallow intradural aneurysms Not amendable To clipping And/or coilinG with the PipelineTM Vantage Embolization device (“VANTAGE” Study). Congratulations to Dr. David Case for being appointed to the Colorado Stroke Advisory Board by Governor Jared Polis. This an exciting honor and opportunity to improve stroke care and systems throughout the state.
Next Edition: Stay tuned for a recap of ALL current research funding in Neurosurgery! It’s impressive!
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS! YOU ARE MOVING NEUROSURGERY FORWARD IN COLORADO
$500,000 gift (over five years) from a generous donor to Dr. Josh Seinfeld for research in device development for hemorrhagic stroke
$100,000 gift from a generous donor to Dr. Kevin Lillehei and Dr. Michael Graner for their research in glioblastoma!
$25,000 gift from a grateful patient to our Neurosurgery/ Oncology Research Fund!
$15,000 gift from grateful patient to help Dr. Wayne Gluf set up a neuro critical care research fund
PUBLICATIONS ABOUND!
BRAVO TO ALL OF OUR AUTHORS AND INVESTIGATORS! David Case, Joshua Seinfeld, Chris Roark, Robert Neumann, Luis Cava and Jason Weedman Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and COVID-19: a Case Report and Review of the Literature, published in Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neuroradiology Link: https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/docs/librariesprovider62/default-document-library/case--published.pdf?Status=Temp&sfvrsn=fd7acb9_2 David Case, MD “No time delay for Large Vessel Occlusion” Link: https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2020/09/17/WNL.0000000000010915 Marissa Powell, manuscript on anticoagulation for central venous thrombosis was accepted to Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Marissa was precepted by Dr. David Case from neurosurgery. Congratulations to Marissa!! Xiaoli Yu, PhD and Michael Graner, PhD for the following publications: Antibodies from multiple sclerosis brain identified Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 & 2 epitopes which are recognized by oligoclonal bands. Wang Z, Kennedy PGE, Dupree C, Wang M, Lee C, Pointon T, Langford TD, Graner MW*, Yu X*. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2020 Aug 18. doi: 10.1007/ s11481-020-09948-1. Online ahead of print. *Co-Senior Author PMID: 32808238 Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11481-020-09948-1 Recombinant antibodies derived from laser captured single plasma cells of multiple sclerosis brain identified phage peptides which may be used as tools for characterizing intrathecal IgG response. Kennedy PGE, Graner MW, Walker D, Pointon T, Fringuello A, Yu X. J Neuroimmunol. 2020 Jul 14;347:577319. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2020.577319. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32717427 Link: https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy.hsl.ucdenver.edu/science/article/pii/S0165572820302988 Exosome Isolation by Ultracentrifugation and Precipitation: A Comparison of Techniques for Downstream Analyses. Coughlan C, Bruce K, Burgy O, Boyd TD, Michel CR, Garcia-Perez JE, Adame V, Anton P, Bettcher BM, Chial HJ, Koenigshoff M, Hsieh EWY, Graner M, Potter H. Curr Protoc Cell Biol. 2020 Sep;88(1):e110. doi: 10.1002/cpcb.110. PMID: 32633898 Varicella-Zoster Virus infected human neurons are resistant to apoptosis. Kennedy PGE*, Graner MW*, Gunaydin D, Bowlin J, Pointon T, Yu X. J Neurovirol. 2020 Mar 3. doi: 10.1007/s13365-020-00831-6. [Epub ahead of print] *Co-First Author PMID: 32125664 Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13365-020-00831-6
Todd Hankinson, MD for the following publications: Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Childhood Ependymoma Reveals Neoplastic Cell Subpopulations That Impact Molecular Classification and Etiology AE Gillen, KA Riemondy, V Amani, AM Griesinger… - Cell Reports, 2020 Ependymoma (EPN) is a brain tumor commonly presenting in childhood that remains fatal in most children. Intra-tumoral cellular heterogeneity in bulktumor samples significantly confounds our understanding of EPN biology, impeding development of … Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124720310081 Evaluation of 2011 AAP cervical spine screening guidelines for children with Down Syndrome AC Hengartner, R Whelan, R Maj… - Child’s Nervous System, 2020 Purpose Atlantoaxial instability (AAI) has a higher incidence rate among individuals with Down syndrome (DS) than the non-DS population. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its AAI screening guidelines for children with … Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00381-020-04855-5 Dr. Kevin Lillehei for the following publications: Defining the timing and role of acute postoperative imaging in pituitary adenoma surgery: clinical study KE Kunigelis, G Arnone, G Chatain, J Hoffman… - Acta Neurochirurgica, 2020 Background: The ideal timing of postoperative imaging after pituitary adenoma surgery has yet to be determined. We reviewed our pituitary database to determine whether timing of routine postoperative imaging has significantly changed patients’ … Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00701-020-04515-2 Surgical Management Considerations in Cystic Prolactinomas a Single Center Case Series. Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12020-019-02076-8 The use of intraoperative neurosgical ultrasound for surgical navigation in low and middle income countries. Link: https://thejns.org/view/journals/j-neurosurg/aop/article-10.3171-2019.12.JNS192851/article-10.3171-2019.12.JNS192851.xml Reliability of Flueroescein-assisted stereotactic brain biopsies in predicting conclusive tissue diagnosis Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00701-020-04318-5 Drs. Kevin Lillehei, Ryan Ormond, Michael Handler and Todd Hankinson for: Advancing Treatment for Pediatric Craniopharyngioma Consortium. Link: https://actaneurocomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40478-020-00939-0 Dr. Steven Ojemann RNS modifications to eliminate stimulation-triggered signs or symptoms (STS): Case series and practical guide AM Hixon, MG Brown, D McDermott, S Destefano… - Epilepsy & Behavior, 2020 Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) for intractable epilepsy involves placement of electrodes onto or into the brain that detect seizure activity and then deliver a current to abort a seizure before it spreads. Successful RNS treatment can deliver hundreds … Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525505020305060 Dr. David Ryan Ormond for the following publications: Photomicrograph-Based Neuropathology Consultation in TanzaniaThe Utility of Static-Image Teleneuropathology in Low-and Middle-Income Countries F Zerd, BE Moore, AE Malango, PW Hosokawa… - American Journal of Clinical …, 2020 Objectives Since neuropathologic diagnosis in the developing world is hampered by limitations in technical infrastructure, trained laboratory personnel, and subspecialty-trained pathologists, the use of telepathology for diagnostic support, second-opinion … Link: https://academic.oup.com/ajcp/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcp/aqaa084/5876645
Photomicrograph-Based Neuropathology Consultation in Tanzania F Zerd, BE Moore, AE Malango, PW Hosokawa… - American journal of clinical … Objectives Since neuropathologic diagnosis in the developing world is hampered by limitations in technical infrastructure, trained laboratory personnel, and subspecialty-trained pathologists, the use of telepathology for diagnostic support, second-opinion … Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32715312/ Dr. Joshua Seinfeld Reconstruction of Complex Scalp Defect After Cirsoid Aneurysm Resection: A Multidisciplinary Approach TH Ung, MR Delcont, S Colakoglu, J Seinfeld, B French… - World Neurosurgery, 2020 Background Scalp arteriovenous malformations, also known as cirsoid aneurysms, are complex collections of directly communicating arteries and veins. As a cirsoid aneurysm grows, it may recruit blood supply from multiple intracranial and … Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878875020316223 Dr. Samy Youssef for the following publications: Surgical management of craniopharyngiomas in adult patients: a systematic review and consensus statement on behalf of the EANS skull base section. Cossu G, Jouanneau E, Cavallo LM, Elbabaa SK, Giammattei L, Starnoni D, Barges-Coll J, Cappabianca P, Benes V, Baskaya MK, Bruneau M, Meling T, Schaller K, Chacko AG, Youssef AS, Mazzatenta D, Ammirati M, Dufour H, Laws E, Berhouma M, Daniel RT, Messerer M.Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2020 May;162(5):1159-1177. doi: 10.1007/s00701-020-04265-1. Epub 2020 Feb 28.PMID: 32112169 Review. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32112169/ Defining the timing and role of acute postoperative imaging in pituitary adenoma surgery: clinical study. Kunigelis KE, Arnone G, Chatain G, Hoffman J, Chatain O, Coulter I, Sunshine A, Lillehei KO, Youssef AS.Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2020 Aug 11. doi: 10.1007/s00701-020-04515-2. Online ahead of print.PMID: 32779027 Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32779027/ The Combined Endoscopic Endonasal Far Medial and Open Postauricular Transtemporal Approaches As a Lesser Invasive Approach to the Jugular Foramen: Anatomic Morphometric Study With Case Illustration. Youssef AS, Arnone GD, Farell NF, Thompson JA, Ramakrishnan VR, Gubbels S, Cohen-Gadol AA, Cass S, Labib MA.Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2020 Jun 8:opaa080. doi: 10.1093/ons/opaa080. Online ahead of print.PMID: 32510567 Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32510567/ The predictive value of preoperative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for facial nerve outcomes after vestibular schwannoma resection: clinical study. Kunigelis KE, Hosokawa P, Arnone G, Raban D, Starr A, Gurau A, Sunshine A, Bunn J, Thaker AA, Youssef AS.Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2020 Aug;162(8):1995-2005. doi: 10.1007/s00701-020-04338-1. Epub 2020 May 21.PMID: 32440924 Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32440924/ The endoscopic endonasal eustachian tube anterolateral mobilization strategy: minimizing the cost of the extreme-medial approach. Labib MA, Belykh E, Cavallo C, Zhao X, Prevedello DM, Carrau RL, Little AS, Ferreira MAT, Preul MC, Youssef AS, Nakaji P.J Neurosurg. 2020 Mar 13:1-12. doi: 10.3171/2019.12.JNS192285. Online ahead of print.PMID: 32168475 Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32168475/
BRAIN TUMOR PATIENT SPEAKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE SEEKING HOPE AND COMMUNITY
Current brain tumor patient, Jessica L, recently spoke with Dr. Kevin Lillehei about her very difficult glioblastoma diagnosis. “The hardest part has been the lack of hope. I don’t need to be reminded of the horrible statistics associated with this diagnosis. I’m so glad I eventually made my way to the University Hospital. The Neurosurgery Department and the Cancer Center at CU Anschutz have been wonderful.” Jessica’s amazing friends organized a month long awareness and fundraising campaign, “Vibin4Jess” in August that virtually brought people together to offer hope, set their own challenges, and talk about the issues associated with this difficult diagnosis. About $2,000 was raised for brain tumor research at CU, Department of Neurosurgery. It is our hope that this will continue and be an annual event. Many thanks to all who were involved! Good luck, Jessica. You are loved!
“The Neurosurgery Department and the Cancer Center at CU Anschutz have been wonderful.”