As part of the Choosing Wisely initiative, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) have released a list of the 5 tests or procedures that are commonly ordered, but not always necessary, in neurosurgery.
The following 5 “evidence-based recommendations” can support physicians in working with their patients to make wise choices about their care, the organizations say.
- Don’t administer steroids after severe traumatic brain injury.
- Don’t obtain imaging (plain radiography, MRI, computed tomography [CT], or other advanced imaging) of the spine in patients with nonspecific acute low back pain and without red flags.
- Don’t routinely obtain CT scanning of children with mild head injuries.
- Don’t routinely screen for brain aneurysms in asymptomatic patients without a family or personal history of brain aneurysms, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), or genetic disorders that may predispose to aneurysm formation.
- Don’t routinely use seizure prophylaxis in patients following ischemic stroke.