COVID-19 Testing in the Era of Modern Neurosurgery: Mitigating Risk in Our Vulnerable Patient Populations. World Neurosurg 2021 Aug;152:80-83
Date
06/17/2021Pubmed ID
34133996Pubmed Central ID
PMC8197680DOI
10.1016/j.wneu.2021.06.027Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85109559612 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 3 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: The respiratory illness identified as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in a pandemic illness that has changed the face of healthcare. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, patients have continued to require neurosurgical interventions, and the endoscopic endonasal approach for surgery has continued to be a mainstay treatment of pituitary tumors and anterior skull base lesions.
METHODS: We sought to highlight the current lack of recommendations regarding testing protocols for neurosurgical patients.
RESULTS: We implemented a novel testing protocol for our patient populations at increased risk and have proposed a model that can be used at other institutions to mitigate the risk of complications associated with some forms of COVID-19 testing.
CONCLUSION: Patients with anterior skull base defects may be at risk with current COVID-19 testing protocols, and may benefit from alternative specimen collection strategies.
Author List
Aaronson DM, Poetker DM, Long CM, Zwagerman NTAuthors
David M. Poetker MD Chief, Professor in the Otolaryngology department at Medical College of WisconsinNathan Zwagerman MD Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Cerebrospinal Fluid LeakHumans
Nasal Cavity
Neurosurgical Procedures
Pituitary Neoplasms
Skull Base
