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Archive for November, 2006

Tumor Section Web Site

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

see http://www.tumorsection.org for the new AANS/CNS Jt Section on Tumors website.

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About

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Neurovista-a blog visualizing the future of neurotherapeutics in the fields of neurosurgery, neurology, and neuroscience.

Neurovista is the blog of the Neurovista Research Group, a team of dedicated clinician-scientists working to bring molecular and cellular therapies to patients with nervous system disorders. Dr. Bob Carter, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School is Prinicipal Investigator. Learn more about the Neurovista Project. Our three fold mission is to educate, innovate through research, and bring new clinical treatments to patients with neurological illness. vis·ta (vĭs‘tə)

1. A distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening, as between rows of buildings or trees.
2. An avenue or other passage affording such a view.

Neurovista-a blog visualizing the future of neurotherapeutics

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Upcoming Cimit Forum

Wednesday, November 15th, 2006

CIMIT Forum: Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Time: 4:00PM to 6:00PM
Massachusetts General Hospital
Thier Conference Room, 50 Blossom Street
Directions, a map and parking information: http://www.cimit.org/directions.htmlIntensity-modulated Proton Therapy of Brain and Head-and-Neck Tumors
Alexei Trofimov, PhD, MGH

Focused Ultrasound Planning for Brain Tumors
Greg Clement, MD, BWH

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AANS Case Studies

Wednesday, November 15th, 2006

November 15, 2006

AANS Case Studies Update

Introduction to the Case Studies-An Online Repository of Neurosurgery Cases

The idea behind this online repository of case material is that it would allow those in the neurosurgical community to see the breadth and depth with which cases present and are managed in neurosurgical practice. Cases can be submitted by the neurosurgery community, undergo a peer review, and then be published online at myaans.org. This allows us to take advantage of the multimedia capability of the online format and also avoid the cost/space restrictions of the print format. A central goal is to try to capture the range of disease presentation and neurosurgical practice for a given disease entity. Eventually, we are working to provide CME credits for review of the material within the Index. Our goal is place 1000 cases on the site.

The AANS case studies can be found at the http://myaans.org portal. Please login before clicking on the links below so that you will be able to access the site.

In brief, upon logging into MyAANS.org, the case studies can be accessed via the left menu link, which brings up an opening screen where one can search by keyword, review cases by category, or add a new case. Upon adding a case, a template is provided to fill in the title and choose a category, begin adding text, and save the work for further editing. Once the Case Study has been saved, one also has the option of adding supplementary files (multimedia, pdf, word, ppt, etc). Finally, when the case is fully complete, it is submitted for review. A brief webcast introduction to the Case Index can be found here .

In a table below, you are provided with a few examples that have been added to the Case Studies over the summer of 2006. As you see, different authors have chosen different formats for presenting their case. Some have worked with the built-in HTML editor to create their Case study, others upload a PDF or Powerpoint, we also have embedded video or FLASH webcasts. At present, we’ve limited the upload file size to 10 mb per file (however, there is no limit on the files per case).

The review process is relatively simple. When a case is submitted, the case goes into a review status. At this point reviewers in the section (e.g. spine, tumor, etc) to which the case has been submitted are notified in an email (See Example 1 below). When a reviewer logs in to myaans.org, they will see a section entitled “My cases for Review”, which contains any pending cases for to examine.

Reviewers asked to browse the case, which can be reached by using the hyperlink in the notification email. If the case is ready for broad viewership within the myaans portal, reviewers can “publish” the case by selecting the appropriate dropdown item in the “status” field as shown here. If it is felt that the contributor may wish to enhance the case with additional material, the reviewer is provided with the submitter’s email to indicate additional material that they may like to see. Special attention should be made to ensure that the case is fully anonymous. Once the case is complete, the reviewer will ‘publish’ the case for viewing, behind the www.myaans.org login.

We think this repository will provide a unique and valuable resource to our community. In just the first months of using the index, we have 20 cases submitted including from international neurosurgeons. It can provide a starting point for management discussion amongst practitioners through the moderated commenting. As time goes by and we add the CME functions, we think the Case Studies will be even more valuable.

In the meantime, please examine your own case material, perhaps from a previous powerpoint presentation, and at submitting a case submission. Your feedback from going through that process would be valuable as we plan future software updates and capabilities. Feel free browse the existing cases for ideas on how different individuals have prepared their cases to date.

Please email me with your thoughts, comments, and any difficulties with the interface or if you or others you know would like to serve on the review staff.

Bob S. Carter MD PhD

AANS Case Studies Editor

AANS Case Studies Inventory-October 31, 2006

Title	Category	Status	Comments on Style of Presentation
Extreme Scoliotic Deformity in a Parkinson’s Patient: Use of Deep Brain Stimulation	Functional	Published	PDF
Management of occipital AVM and Feeding Artery Aneurysm	Vascular	Published	Webcast
A Case of Adult Moya Moya	Vascular	Published	Webcast
CEA in an 80 year old	Vascular	Published	Webcast
Brain Stem Cavernous Malformation	Vascular	Published
Left lateral encephalocele	Pediatric	Published	HTML-Submitted from surgeon in Iraq
Oligoastrocytoma	Tumor	Published	PDF uploaded
A Patient Undergoing Corpus Callosotomy for Drop Attacks	Functional	Published	PDF uploaded
A Case of Intractable Seizures and a Focal Cortical Dysplasia	Functional	Published	PDF uploaded
An Olfactory Groove Meningioma	Tumor	Published	PDF uploaded
A case of hypothermic circulatory arrest for basilar apex aneurysm clipping	Vascular	Published	PDF and PPT file uploaded
A Right Posterior Temporoccipital Mass In a Patient with a Generalized Seizure	Tumor	Published	PDF file uploaded
Young athlete with bilateral L5 Spondylolysis	Spine	Published	HTML Posted as more of a “what should I do”
Distal catheter of V-P shunt coiled around valve device	Pediatric	Published	HTML
Introduction to the Case Index	Test	Published	WebCast
Rosette forming Glioneuronal Tumor	Tumor	Published	HTML
Treatment of ruptured anterior communicating aneurysm 5 days after worst headache of life	Vascular	Published	HTML
Posteror Fossa Mass	Tumor	Published	HTML with uploaded audio op note.
Olfactory Groove Meningioma with High MIB-1 Labelling Index	Tumor	Published	PDF uploaded
Sylvian Hemorrhage Secondary to Giant MCA aneurysm	Vascular	Published	HTML with uploaded audio description

AANS Case Studies

Frequently Asked Questions for those using the Case Studies:

What is the AANS Case Studies project? The Case Studies is an online repository of patient case material at myaans.org. It contains case vignettes, technical points, intraoperative video and audio descriptors. It is a resource for practicing neurosurgeons preparing for boards, MOC, and use in their own practice. The Case Studies are searchable by area of neurosurgery (e.g. functional, spine, vascular)
Who can submit cases? Any AANS neurosurgeon, resident, or medical student who has a myaans.org login. Medical students are asked to name a clinical mentor (resident or attending) with whom they have reviewed the case when they submit.
Can I collaborate with someone such as a resident or medical student to submit a case? Absolutely, the best way is to review and prepare the materials in your preferred format (powerpoint, pdf, word, etc). and then have one person submit the case.
How can a medical student gain access to the Case Studies? By registering at http://aans.org/medical_students/SubmitMStudies.aspx you will be granted full access to the AANS Case studies and have the ability to submit a case with a clinical mentor (resident or attending).
Who reviews the cases and what is the purpose of the review? A group of board certified reviewers in the specialty for that case will look the case over for completeness and may ask for some additional information, edit the case briefly or embed a reviewer’s comment. They will then “publish” the case, and it will be accessible to other neurosurgeons who have logged into www.myaans.org.
How Can I embed very large video on the site? Right now the site is able to accept through the browser 10 mb uploads. If you have a large video, this may be best submitted via a link to google video or youtube. For technical details on embedded video, please contact Dr. Carter
Why is it that when I submit a comment it does not show up right away? The comments are moderated, but are usually posted within a few hours.
I have seen webcasts on the Case Studies, what is the best way to do this? A variety of software products allow you to annotate powerpoint or video with audio for the purpose of a webcast. If you need help with products or methods of producing a webcast, please contact Dr. Carter at