Wilco C Peul

• MD, PhD, MBA
• Leiden University Medical Centre

Introduction Urinary catheterisation, including indwelling and clean intermittent catheterisation, is common in perioperative and postoperative care. Despite guidelines, practice variation is significant. Inappropriate catheterisation risks include urinary tract infections and reduced mobility, leading to prolonged hospital stays and increased anti...

Objective: Detecting hypotonic urine (specific gravity < 1005 g/L) is crucial for the early identification of arginine vasopressin deficiency (AVP-deficiency), a common complication after pituitary surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between urine specific gravity measurements taken by patients using urine test strips and those tak...

Background Early surgery in traumatic spinal fracture treatment may facilitate prompt mobilization, encountering affiliated complications. However, the safety and the benefits of early surgery are being questioned in spinal trauma patients. Therefore, the objective of this retrospective study is to investigate the effect of surgical timing on perio...

Purpose Determine incidence, location and features of insufficiency fractures (IF) in sacral chordoma patients treated with high-dose radiotherapy (HDR) with(out) resection, relative to radiation therapy type and irradiation plans. Materials and methods Clinical data, including details of all surgical procedures and radiotherapies of patients hist...

To compare the incremental prognostic value of pupillary reactivity captured as part of the Glasgow Coma Scale-Pupils (GCS-P) score or added as separate variable to the GCS+P, in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We analyzed patients enrolled between 2014 and 2018 in the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injur...

Background The early management of polytrauma patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is a major challenge. Sparse data is available to provide optimal care in this scenario and worldwide variability in clinical practice Open Access

Introduction: The management of de novo non-specific spinal infections (spondylodiscitis - SD) remains inconsistent due to varying clinical practices and a lack of high-level evidence, particularly regarding the indications for surgery. Research question: This study aims to develop consensus recommendations for the diagnosis and management of SD, a...

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major global health problem that disproportionally affects low- and middle-income countries. The needs for patients with TBI therefore may differ between levels of national development. We aimed to describe differences in epidemiology and acute care provision of TBI between India and Europe. Methods We...

Introduction In 1960, Lazorthes and Campman introduced the concept of a ‘crisis of the third day’, which gained prominence in the field of traumatic brain injury (TBI), where it relates to neurological deterioration on the third day after injury. However, evidence regarding this phenomenon remains scarce. Research question This study aimed to anal...

Introduction Traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is frequently observed in polytrauma patients. Research question What is the optimal strategy to manage tSCI in the setting of polytrauma? Material and methods This narrative review focuses on: 1) extraspinal damage control surgery and resuscitation, 2) the perioperative protection of the injured s...

Background The optimal treatment for odontoid fractures in older people remains debated. Odontoid fractures are increasingly relevant to clinical practice due to ageing of the population. Methods An international prospective comparative study was conducted in fifteen European centres, involving patients aged ≥55 years with type II/III odontoid fra...

Background Even patients with normal computed tomography (CT) head imaging may experience persistent symptoms for months to years after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). There is currently no good way to predict recovery and triage patients who may benefit from early follow-up and targeted intervention. We aimed to assess if existing prognostic m...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Studying malpractice claims is important to improve quality of health care and patient safety and to educate the individual healthcare providers. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of neurosurgical claims in the Netherlands. METHODS A nationwide retrospective observational study of neurosurgery-re...

Purpose Morphological magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) features are used in combination with histology for diagnosis and treatment selection of primary bone neoplasms. Isolated functional MRI parameters have shown potential in diagnosis. Our goal is to facilitate diagnosis of primary bone neoplasms of the skull base, mobile spin...

Isolated traumatic spinal cord injury (t-SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) represent significant public health concerns, resulting in long-term disabilities and necessitating sophisticated care, particularly when occurring concurrently. The impact of these combined injuries, while crucial in trauma management, on clinical, socioeconomic, and he...

Objective: To compare the incremental prognostic value of pupillary reactivity as captured in the GCS-Pupils score (GCS-P) or added as separate variable to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: We analyzed patients enrolled between 2014 and 2018 in the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Tra...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Guideline recommendations for surgical management of traumatic epidural hematomas (EDHs) do not directly address EDHs that co-occur with other intracranial hematomas; the relative rates of isolated vs nonisolated EDHs and guideline adherence are unknown. We describe characteristics of a contemporary cohort of patients with...

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of early (≤ 90 days) and delayed (> 90 days) cranioplasty following decompressive craniectomy (DC) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: The authors analyzed participants enrolled in the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Inju...

The presence of significant, unwarranted variation in treatment suggests that clinical decision making also depends on where patients live instead of what they need and prefer. Historically, high practice variation in surgical treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) has been documented. This study aimed to investigate current regional...

Purpose To study the long-term outcome of revision microdiscectomy after classic microdiscectomy for lumbosacral radicular syndrome (LSRS). Methods Eighty-eight of 216 patients (41%) who underwent a revision microdiscectomy between 2007 and 2010 for MRI disc-related LSRS participated in this study. Questionnaires included visual analogue scores (V...

Background Ruptured intracranial aneurysms resulting in subarachnoid haemorrhage can be treated by open surgical or endovascular treatment. Despite multiple previous studies, uncertainties on the optimal treatment practice still exists. The resulting treatment variation may result in a variable, potentially worse, patient outcome. To better inform...

Background Chordomas are rare cancers from the axial skeleton which present a challenging clinical management with limited treatment options due to their anatomical location. In recent years, a few clinical trials demonstrated that chordomas can respond to immunotherapy. However, an in-depth portrayal of chordoma immunity and its association with c...

Background The early management of polytrauma patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) is a major challenge. Sparse data is available to provide optimal care in this scenario and worldwide variability in clinical practice has been documented in recent studies. Methods A multidisciplinary consensus panel of physicians selected for their es...

Introduction Treatment-limiting decisions (TLDs) can be inevitable severe traumatic brain injury (s-TBI) patients, but data on their use remain scarce. Research question To investigate the prevalence, timing and considerations of TLDs in s-TBI patients. Material and methods s-TBI patients between 2008 and 2017 were analysed retrospecively. Patien...

Background: Analgo-sedation plays an important role during intensive care management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, however, limited evidence is available to guide practice. We sought to quantify practice-pattern variation in neurotrauma sedation management, surveying an international sample of providers. Methods: An electronic survey co...

Purpose of review Surgical timing in traumatic spinal cord injury (t-SCI) remains a point of debate. Current guidelines recommend surgery within 24 h after trauma; however, earlier timeframes are currently intensively being investigated. The aim of this review is to provide an insight on the acute care of patients with t-SCI. Recent findings Multi...

Purpose Evidence regarding the effect of surgery in traumatic intracerebral hematoma (t-ICH) is limited and relies on the STITCH(Trauma) trial. This study is aimed at comparing the effectiveness of early surgery to conservative treatment in patients with a t-ICH. Methods In a prospective cohort, we included patients with a large t-ICH (< 48 h of i...

Background: Limited evidence existed on the comparative effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy (DC) versus craniotomy for evacuation of traumatic acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) until the recently published randomised clinical trial RESCUE-ASDH. In this study, that ran concurrently, we aimed to determine current practice patterns and compare ou...

Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Objectives Odontoid fractures are the most common cervical spine fractures in the elderly. The optimal treatment remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare results of a low-threshold-for-surgery strategy (surgery for dislocated fractures in relatively healthy patients) to a primarily-conser...

Introduction: The presence of significant, unwarranted variation in treatment suggests that clinical decision making also depends on where patients live instead of what they need and prefer. Historically, high practice variation in surgical treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) has been documented. This study aimed to investigate wh...

Purpose Adding instrumented spondylodesis to decompression in symptomatic spinal stenosis with degenerative spondylolisthesis is subject of debate. The presence of spondylolisthesis due to degeneration is an indicator of severe facet joint and intervertebral disc degeneration, and this may fit increased instability of the spine. We aim to establish...

Background: The role of glucocorticoids without surgical evacuation in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma is unclear. Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, controlled, noninferiority trial, we randomly assigned symptomatic patients with chronic subdural hematoma in a 1:1 ratio to a 19-day tapering course of dexamethasone or to burr-h...

Background Fatigue is a commonly reported and severe symptom in primary brain tumor patients, but the exact occurrence in meningioma patients is unknown. This study aimed to determine the frequency and severity of fatigue in meningioma patients as well as associations between the level of fatigue and patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors....

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of surgery compared with non-surgical treatment for sciatica. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Pla...

Objectives: To explore the perceptions and experiences of patients who underwent transsphenoidal pituitary gland and (para)sellar tumour surgery regarding indwelling urinary catheters (IDUCs) and the postoperative fluid balance. Design: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews based on the attitudes, social influence and self-efficacy m...

Background Context Motion preserving anterior cervical disc arthroplasty (ACDA) in patients with cervical radiculopathy was introduced to prevent symptomatic adjacent segment disease as compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Purpose To evaluate the long-term outcome in patients with cervical radiculopathy due to a herniated di...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality, sensorimotor morbidity, and neurocognitive disability. Neuroinflammation is one of the key drivers causing secondary brain injury after TBI. Therefore, attenuation of the inflammatory response is a potential therapeutic goal. This review summarizes the most important neuroinflammatory pa...

Background Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders among patients with chronic pain. It is hypothesised that patients suffering from these disorders benefit less from cervical spine surgery than mentally healthy patients. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the effect of mental health status on functional outcome after anterior cervi...

The main treatment strategy for chronic subdural hematoma is surgical intervention. When a conservative, pharmacological approach is considered in symptomatic patients, mainly dexamethasone therapy is applied. Recent trials revealed dexamethasone therapy to be an ineffective treatment in symptomatic patients with chronic subdural hematoma. Whether...

Background Traumatic acute subdural haematoma is a debilitating condition. Laterality intuitively influences management and outcome. However, in contrast to stroke, this research area is rarely studied. The aim is to investigate whether the hemisphere location of the ASDH influences patient outcome. Methods For this multicentre observational retro...

The rationale of performing surgery for ASDH to reduce mortality is often compared to the self-evident effectiveness of a parachute when skydiving. Nevertheless, it is of clinical relevance to estimate the magnitude of the effectiveness of surgery. The aim of this study is to determine whether surgery reduces mortality in traumatic acute subdural h...

Background: Indwelling urinary catheters (IDUCs) are associated with complications and early removal is therefore essential. Currently, it is unknown what the effect of a specific removal time is and what the consequences of this removal time are. Research question: To present an overview of the available evidence to determine the effects of thr...

Background Despite being well established, acute surgery in traumatic acute subdural haematoma is based on low-grade evidence. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of a strategy preferring acute surgical evacuation with one preferring initial conservative treatment in acute subdural haematoma. Methods We did a prospective, observational, comparat...

Background: Investigating neurosurgical interventions for traumatic brain injury (TBI) involves complex methodological and practical challenges. In the present report, we have provided an overview of the current state of neurosurgical TBI research and discussed the key challenges and possible solutions. Methods: The content of our report was bas...

Abstract Background The rapidly increasing number of elderly (≥ 65 years old) with TBI is accompanied by substantial medical and economic consequences. An ASDH is the most common injury in elderly with TBI and the surgical versus conservative treatment of this patient group remains an important clinical dilemma. Current BTF guidelines are not based...

High quality evidence shows decompressive craniectomy (DC) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) may improve survival but increase the number of severely disabled survivors. Contemporary international practice is unknown. We sought to describe international use of DC, and the alignment with evidence and clinical practice guidelines, by analyzing t...

Objective To assess the costs and cost-effectiveness of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) compared with open microdiscectomy among patients with sciatica. Methods This economic evaluation was conducted alongside a 12-month multicentre randomised controlled trial with a non-inferiority design, in which patients were randomise...

Objective To assess whether percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) is non-inferior to conventional open microdiscectomy in reduction of leg pain caused by lumbar disc herniation. Design Multicentre randomised controlled trial with non-inferiority design. Setting Four hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants 613 patients aged...

Purpose Multiple surgical techniques are practiced to treat sciatica caused by lumbar disk herniation. It is unknown which factors surgeons find important when offering certain surgical techniques. The objective of this study is threefold: 1) determine the relative weight surgeons place on various characteristics of sciatica treatment, 2) determine...

Purpose It remains unclear whether the long-term results of RCTs regarding the outcome of microdiscectomy for lumbosacral radicular syndrome (LSRS) are generalizable. The purpose of this study was to determine the external validity of the outcome preseneted in RCTs after microdicectomy for LSRS in a patient cohort from a high-volume spine center....

Background Expectation of long-term outcome is an important factor in treatment decision-making after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). Conclusive long-term outcome data substantiating these decisions is nowadays lacking. This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of the scientific literature on long-term outcome after sTBI. Methods A...

Objective: Interspinous process distraction devices (IPDs) can be implanted to treat patients with intermittent neurogenic claudication (INC) due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Short-term results provided evidence that the outcomes of IPD implantation were comparable to those of decompressive surgery, although the reoperation rate was higher in patien...

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability across all ages. After the primary impact, the pathophysiologic process of secondary brain injury consists of a neuroinflammation response that critically leads to irreversible brain damage in the first days after the trauma. A key catalyst in this inflammatory process...

Objective: To select a set of rehabilitation outcome instruments for a national Neurotrauma Quality Registry (Net-QuRe) among professionals involved in the care of patients with traumatic brain injury. Design: A 3-round online Delphi procedure. Subjects: Eighty professionals from multiple disciplines working in 1 of the 8 participating rehabil...

OBJECTIVE Secondary health conditions (SHCs) are long-term complications that frequently occur due to traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) and can negatively affect quality of life in this patient population. This study provides an overview of the associations between the severity and level of injury and the occurrence of SHCs in tSCI. METHODS A sy...

De neurochirurgische behandeling van traumatisch hoofd-/hersenletsel (THL) is gericht op het voorkomen van direct overlijden en het beperken van secundaire hersenschade door het evacueren van massa-innemende intracraniële afwijkingen en daarnaast het monitoren (via een ICP-meter) en zo nodig verlagen van de intracraniële druk door liquordrainage of...

A chronic subdural hematoma is a common neurological disorder that occurs mainly in the elderly. The inciting event is often a minor head trauma and subsequent inflammation may play a role in the pathogenesis. The clinical spectrum can present heterogeneously, and symptom onset and progression can vary from days to weeks. To date surgical evacuatio...

Background Indwelling urinary catheters (IDUCS) are frequently routinely inserted during transsphenoidal pituitary gland tumour surgery or spinal fusion surgery despite literature stating that there are no indications for using IDUCS during or after these surgeries. The aim of the study is to reduce the number of inappropriately inserted IDUCs in d...

Objective: Patients with skull base meningioma (SBM) often require complex surgery around critical neurovascular structures, placing them at high risk of poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and possibly neurocognitive dysfunction. As the survival of meningioma patients is near normal, long-term neurocognitive and HRQOL outcomes are importa...

Background Evidence indicates that inflammatory processes are involved in radicular pain as well as in resorption of herniated disc tissue. Furthermore there are indications that the presence of vertebral end plate pathology (Modic changes; MC) is associated with a negative effect on inflammation. It is hypothesized that in patients with MC, the (p...

Background To date, there is neither any pharmacological treatment with efficacy in traumatic brain injury (TBI) nor any method to halt the disease progress. This is due to an incomplete understanding of the vast complexity of the biological cascades and failure to appreciate the diversity of secondary injury mechanisms in TBI. In recent years, tec...

Objective: The most advocated surgical technique to treat symptoms of isthmic spondylolisthesis is decompression with instrumented fusion. A less-invasive classical approach has also been reported, which consists of decompression only. In this study the authors compared the clinical outcomes of decompression only with those of decompression with i...

Background: Indications and optimal timing for surgical treatment of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) remain unclear, and data from daily clinical practice are warranted. Objective: To investigate clinical outcomes following decompressive surgery for DCM. Methods: Data were obtained from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. The prim...

Objective In the past few decades, there has been an increase in high-quality studies providing evidence on the effectiveness of commonly performed procedures in paediatric otolaryngology. We believe that now is the time to re-evaluate the care process. We aimed to analyse (1) the regional variation in incidence and referrals of adenoidectomies, to...

Background Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy have been among the most commonly performed procedures in children for approximately 100 years. These procedures were the first for which unwarranted regional variation was discovered, in 1938. Indications for these procedures have become stricter over time, which might have reduced regional practice varia...

Purpose Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is associated with high recurrence rates. Radiographic prognostic factors may identify patients who are prone for recurrence and who might benefit further optimization of therapy. In this meta-analysis, we systematically evaluated pre-operative radiological prognostic factors of recurrence after surgery. Me...

The above article was published online with incorrect Fig. 1.

Objectives Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in children are controversial subjects with large regional variation in surgical rates, partly explained by cultural differences and lack of high‐quality evidence on indications for surgery. A quality of care cycle was executed on this topic in the Netherlands. The objective of this study was to estimate c...

Health-care professionals and researchers have a legal and ethical responsibility to inform patients before carrying out diagnostic tests or treatment interventions as part of a clinical study. Interventional research in emergency situations can involve patients with some degree of acute cognitive impairment, as is regularly the case in traumatic b...

Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Objective: To give a systematic overview of effectiveness of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) compared to open microdiscectomy (OM) in the treatment of lumbar disk herniation (LDH). Summary of background data: The current standard procedure for the treatment of sciatica...

Introduction: Intermittent neurogenic claudication (INC) is often caused by lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Laminectomy is considered a frequently used surgical technique for LSS. Previous studies have shown that laminectomy can potentially cause lumbar instability. Less invasive techniques, preserving midline structures including the bilateral smal...

Objectives: To assess the difference in completeness of reporting and methodological conduct of published prediction models before and after publication of the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) statement. Methods: In the seven general medicine journals with the highest impact...

Background: Chronic Subdural Hematoma (CSDH) is a frequently occurring neurological disease associated with older age and use of anticoagulants. Symptoms vary from headaches to coma, but also cognitive deficits can be present. However, exact prevalence and severity of cognitive deficits in CSDH are still unknown. Objective: In this systematic re...

Objective Discharge policies concerning hospitalization after endoscopic pituitary tumor surgery are highly variable. A few studies support fast-track discharge; however, this is not commonplace. Our goal was to report the transition to and evaluate the feasibility, safety, clinical- and patient-reported outcomes and costs of fast-track care in pit...

Background The high occurrence and acute and chronic sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI) cause major healthcare and socioeconomic challenges. This study aimed to describe outcome, in-hospital healthcare consumption and in-hospital costs of patients with TBI.Methods We used data from hospitalised TBI patients that were included in the prospecti...

Purpose Enrolling traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with an inability to provide informed consent in research is challenging. Alternatives to patient consent are not sufficiently embedded in European and national legislation, which allows procedural variation and bias. We aimed to quantify variations in informed consent policy and practice. Me...