University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery faculty and residents will participate in numerous symposiums and presentations at the 2025 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting scheduled for Los Angeles, October 11-15. Additionally, Costas Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD, executive vice chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, is chair of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors, which will hold it's 2025 Joint Tumor Section Symposium, concurrently, October 10-11. Both events will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Friday, October 10
Imaging Data Stream
Joint Tumor Section Symposium
General Session I: Integrating Data Streams in the OR
9:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Speaker: Costas Hadjipanayis
Incorporating Molecular Data in Skull Base Surgery
Joint Tumor Section Symposium
General Session II: Advances in Skull Base Treatments and Diagnostics
1:30 - 1:45 p.m.
Speaker: George Zenonos
Should Brain Metastases Be Managed Medically?
Joint Tumor Section Symposium
Breakout Session 4: Brain Metastases
3:25 - 3:35 p.m.
Speaker: Kalil Abdullah
How Many is Too Many Brain Metastases for SRS?
Joint Tumor Section Symposium
Breakout Session 4: Brain Metastases
3:45 - 3:55 p.m.
Speaker: Ajay Niranjan
Impact of Preoperative Corticosteroids on the Diagnostic Accuracy of Stereotactic Brain Biopsy in PCNSL
Joint Tumor Section Symposium
Oral Abstract
4:00 - 4:05 p.m.
Presenter: Kalil Abdullah
Saturday, October 11
SYM04A: Case Based Education in Neurotrauma for the Practicing Neurosurgeon and for Oral Board Preparation
Neurotrauma and Critical Care Symposium
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Participants: Mark Alexander Maclean, Nicolas Khattar, Alan Hoffer, Justin Davanzo, Zachary Hickman, Ramesh Grandhi, Ryan Seiji Kitagawa, Francis Jareczek, John Greer, Randy Scott Bell, Christian Ricks, John Kanter, Emily Sieg, Berje Haroutuon Shammassian, Enyinna Nwachuku.
Tasks and Methods for Awake Brain Mapping
Joint Tumor Section Symposium
Breakout Session 7: Practical Electrophysiologic Mapping Updates
9:15 - 9:30 a.m.
Speaker: Natalie Sherry
SYM02B: Hemorrhagic Stroke: Update on Microsurgical and Endovascular Techniques
Cerebrovascular Symposium
12:45 - 4:15 p.m.
Participants: Joshua Osbun, Visish Mani Srinivasan, Chirag Gandhi, Saman Sizdahkhani, Andrew Grande, Jeffrey Steinberg, Hai Sun, Michael Lang, Kadir Erkmen, Christopher Kellner, David Altschul, Phil Taussky, Kevin Cockroft, Justin Fraser, Jonathan Andrew Grossberg, Ciaran Powers, Justin Robert Mascitelli
SYM06: 3D Surgical Neuroanatomy
Medical Education Symposium
12:45 – 4:00 p.m.
Participants: Vanessa Milanese Holanda Zimpel, Jeffrey Sorenson, Varun Ranjan Kshettry, Kaan Yagmurlu, Samy Youssef, Guillermo Aldave Orzaiz, Maria Peris-Celda, Juan Carlos Fernandez-Miranda, Joao Paulo Almeida, Paul Gardner
Sunday, October 12
Orbital, Periorbital, and Other Minimally Invasive Approaches to the Skull Base, A Collaboration Between CNS and NASBS
Special Symposium
8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Participants: Brian Fowler, Roger Turbin, James Evans, Maurizio Iacoangeli, Amir Dehdashti, Pablo Recinos, Hamid Borghei-Razavi, Alexander Kuffer, Jamie Joseph Van Gompel, Andrea Kossler, Rafael Martinez-Perez, Varun Ranjan Kshettry, Howard Krauss, L. Madison Michael, Andre Luiz Beer-Furlan, Raymond Cho, Matthew Koch, Joseph Maroon, Heather Christine Grimaudo, Paul Gardner, Daniel Prevedello, Shaan Mohammed Raza, Ju Hyung Moon, Lola Blackwell Chambless, Garni Barkhoudarian Ali Krisht, Kyle Godfrey, Theodore Schwartz, Alexander Tai, Maria Peris-Celda, Siviero Agazzi, Claudia Kirsch, George Zenonos, Kristen Moe, Davide Marco Croci, William Couldwell, Nathan Zwagerman, Robert Heller
SYM08: Swimming with the Sharks
Medical Education Symposium
8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Participants: Manan Shah, Stephen C Harward, II, Isaac Yang, Julie Lynn Chan, Calal Elsayed, Renee Reynolds, E. Sander Connolly, Jr., David Delmar Limbrick, Jr., James Henry Mooney, Greg Murad, William Mack, IV, Akash Patel, Linda Liau, Ganesh Rao, Anand Germanwala, James Markert, Jr., Daniel Resnick, Nathan T Zwagerman, Nisha Gadgil, Lawrence Chin, Elad Levy, D. Kojo Hamilton, Stephan Munich, Joseph Maroon, Michael Steinmetz, Bryan Lieber, Nitin Agarwal, Russell Lonser, Timothy Wang, Anthony Wang, Douglas Kondziolka, Jeffrey Paul Mullin, Debraj Raj Mukherjee, C. Rory Goodwin, Ajith Thomas, Michael Ivan, Alexander Khalessi, Brian Lim Hoh, Raj Swaroop Lavadi, Christina Notarianni, Gregory Zipfel, Lola Blackwell Chambless, Geoffrey Colby, Daniel Tonetti, Michael McDowell, Christian Ricks, Jamie Ullman, Jody Leonardo, Stacey Wolfe.
SYM09: Shaping the Future of Neurotrauma: Lessons from the Past, Innovations for Tomorrow: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care
Neurotrauma and Critical Care Symposium
8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Participants: Charles Tator, Allen Sills, Jr., Jack Wilberger, Jr., Peter Hutchinson, Donald Marion, John Povlishock, Lawrence Pitts, Geoffrey Manley, M. Ross Bullock, Guy Rosenthal, Allan Belzberg, Bradley Dengler, David Okonkwo, Patricia Raksin, Franco Servadei, Ryan Seiji Kitagawa, Mark Hadley, Michael Fehlings, Nicholas Theodore, Ross Puffer, Andrii Sirko, Shelly Timmons, Laura Benjamin Ngwenya, Alex Valadka, Martina Stippler, Gregory Hawryluk, Ann Margaret Parr, Jamshid Ghajar, Robert Spinner, Raj Narayan, Paul Arnold, Eve Tsai, Sarah Woodrow, Ramesh Grandhi
SYM10A: Navigating Practice: Lessons for Early Career Success and Changing Jobs
Socioeconomic/CSNS, Medical Education Symposium
8:00 - 12:00 p.m.
Participants: Elyne Kahn, Michele Marie Johnson, John Braca, III, Aviva Abosch, Michael G. Kaiser, Devon LeFever, Richard Berkman, W. Christopher Fox, Laura Stone McGuire, George Liu Yang, Sarah Woodrow, James Brett Price Fleming, Rupa Juthani, Nancy Cusick, Charles Prestigiacomo, Tim Lucas, Kunal Gupta
SYM11A: Revascularization Indications and Techniques
Cerebrovascular Symposium
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Participants: Daniel Louis Barrow, Michael Lawton, Jacques Morcos, Laligam Sekhar, Erez Nossek, Amir Dehdashti, Rokuya Tanikawa, Gary Steinberg, William Couldwell, Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, Christopher Ogilvy, Nickalus Khan, Jonathan Russin, Satoshi Kuroda, Michael Lang, Ketan Bulsara
SYM10B: Maximizing Neurosurgical Careers: Utilizing Expertise, Integrating APPs, and Advancing Career Opportunities
Socioeconomic/CSNS, Medical Education Symposium
12:45 - 4:15 p.m.
Participants: John Braca, III, Judith Rosman, Anthony Bottini, Ramachandra Tummala, Michele Marie Johnson, Steven Giannotta, Jean-Christophe Leveque, Patrick Han, Gary Rajah, Jr. , Ciara Harraher, Kevin Foley, Tim Lucas, John Adler, Jason Ellis, Suzanne Audrey Tharin, Erica Fay Bisson
SYM12B: Brain Tumor Update: Management of Benign Brain Tumors
Tumor Symposium
12:45 - 4:15 p.m.
Participants: Gabriel Zada, Brian Jeremy Williams, Christopher Mitchell Jackson, Carolina Gesteira Benjamin, Stephanie Cheok, Theodore Schwartz, Paul Gardner, Farshad Nassiri, Jennifer Moliterno, Jamie Joseph Van Gompel, Manish Kumar Aghi, Wenya Linda Bi, Olabisi Sanusi, Mustafa Kemal Baskaya, Michael Ivan, Ramin Morshed, Christina Jackson, Saniya Godil, Shaan Mohammed Raza, Michael William McDermott, Mitesh Vipin Shah
SYM15: Neurosurgeon Scientist CNS Symposium
Socioeconomic/CSNS, Medical Education Symposium
12:45 - 4:15 p.m.
Course Director: Costas Hadjipanayis
Participants: Ziv Williams, Zoher Ghogawala, Melanie Hayden Gephart, Michael Robert Levitt, Bob Carter, H. Isaac Chen, E. Antonio Chiocca, Michael Lim, Gregory Zipfel, William Mack, Nader Pouratian, Linda Liau, Sameer Sheth
Monday, October 13
125: Leveraging Machine Learning To Develop A Novel, Intuitive, And Interpretable Risk Assessment Score For Predicting Local Tumor Progression After Stereotactic Radiosurgery For Spinal Metastases
Lunsford and Leksell Radiosurgery Award
Sunrise Science Session: Tumor 2
8:00 - 8:06 a.m.
Presenter: Suchet Taori
Contributors: Sam Adida, Shovan Bhatia, Michael Kann, James Cushing Bayley, Pascal Zinn, Steven Burton, John Flickinger, Roberta Sefcik, Peter Gerszten.
GSS2B: No Association Between Fencing Response Following Concussion and Recovery Time, Concussion Severity, or Clinical Outcomes in Professional American Football Players
General Scientific Session II
8:44 - 8:52 a.m.
Presenters: David Okonkwo, Shawn Eagle
ISTR01D: Spine Trauma Debate 2
Neurotrauma and Critical Care
4:52 - 5:14 p.m.
Presenters: Nitin Agarwal, Jacob Joseph
Upfront Stereotactic Radiosurgery Alone Achieves Durable Long-Term Tumor Control And Pain Relief For Spinal Metastases
Mini Podium 5 Session: Spine Session 1
5:27 - 5:30 p.m.
Presenter: Suchet Taori
Contributors: Sam Adida, Shovan Bhatia, Michael Kann, James Cushing Bayley, Pascal Zinn, Steven Burton, John Flickinger, Roberta Sefcik, Peter Gerszten
ISTU01K: Sonodynamic Therapy
Interactive Session on Tumor 1: Use of Ultrasound Technologies in Neurosurgical Oncology
5:45 - 5:57 p.m.
Presenter: Costas Hadjipanayis
Tuesday, October 14
452: Stereotactic Radiosurgery Provides Durable Local Control, Highly Effective Pain Palliation, And Minimal Radiation-Induced Toxicity For Spinal Metastases
Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves 2: Metastatic Spinal Tumors
3:40 - 3:46 p.m.
Presenter: Suchet Taori
Contributors: Sam Adida, Shovan Bhatia, Michael Kann, James Cushing Bayley, Pascal Zinn, Steven Burton, John Flickinger, Roberta Sefcik, Peter Gerszten
ISTR02C: The Role of Biomarkers in Prognostication for TBI
Interactive Session on Neurotrauma and Critical Care 2: Biomarkers: An Epidemiological and Clinical Perspective
4:55 - 5:15 p.m.
Presenters: John Yue, David Okonkwo
ISTR02E: Biomarkers and The Decision to Transfer
Interactive Session on Neurotrauma and Critical Care 2: Biomarkers: An Epidemiological and Clinical Perspective
5:20 - 5:40 p.m.
Presenters: Bradley Dengler, Nitin Agarwal
2155: The Importance of a Spinal Segment Selectivity Map For Characterizing Upper Limb Strength Improvements Enabled by Epidural Cervical Spinal Cord Stimulation In Individuals With Post-Stroke Hemiparesis
Mini Podium 4 Session: Stereotactic and Functional Session 2
5:51 - 5:54 p.m.
Presenter: Shovan Bhatia
Contributors: Roberto de Freitas, Erynn Sorensen, Lee Fisher, Peter Gerszten, Marco Capogrosso
Wednesday, October 15
Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines for the Management of Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury (pTBI), Second Edition
Neurotrauma and Critical Care, Special Course
7: 00 - 8:00 p.m.
Participants: Gregory Hawryluk, Ryan Seiji Kitagawa, Bradley Dengler, David Okonkwo, Andres Mariano Rubiano, Bizhan Aarabi, Andrii Sirko, Randy Scott Bell, Rocco Armonda
493 Occult Neurotrauma In Naval Special Warfare Combat Crewmen and Fast Boat Operators
Sunrise Science Session: Neurotrauma and Critical Care 3
7:42 - 7:48 a.m.
Presenting Author: Joseph Maroon
W18: Advances in Radiation Therapy for CNS Malignancies
Tumor Session; Luncheon Seminar
12:20 - 1:50 p.m.
Participants: Jeffrey Weinberg, Won Kim, Jonathan Sherman, Clark Chen, Stephen Magill, Ajay Niranjan, Toral Patel
MS02F: Staying Whole: Mental Health, Burnout, and Finding Balance while Preparing for Neurosurgery Residency and Beyond
Medical Education Session, Special Course
3:30 - 3:50 p.m.
Moderators: Vidhatri Raturi, Guldamla Kalender
Faculty: Rushna Ali, David Darrow, Nitin Agarwal
Posters
Frailty Predicts Local Control and Overall Survival Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Spinal Metastases
Authors: Sam Adida, Suchet Taori, William Rabon, James Cushing Bayley, Pascal Zinn, Nitin Agarwal, Sarah Choi, Steven Burton, John Flickinger, Peter Gerszten, Roberta Sefcik
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Spinal Metastases from Gastrointestinal Primary Cancers
Authors: Sam Adida, Suchet Taori, Zayaan Tirmizi, James Cushing Bayley, Pascal Zinn, John Flickinger, Steven Burton, Sarah Choi, Roberta Sefcik, Peter Gerszten
Mapping The Mismatch: Neurotrauma Mortality, Social Vulnerability, And Trauma Care Access In The United States
Authors: Jessica Ryvlin, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, Janam Patel, Danish Ali, Hussein Abdallah, Aimal Khan, David Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Artificial Intelligence For Spine Surgery Education: A Comparative Analysis Of ChatGPT And DeepSeek Performance
Authors: Rayan Khan, Taha Chomelawala, Ayesha Waheed, James Mooney, Mark Maclean, Ricardo Fernandez-de Thomas, Qazi Zeeshan, Hansen Deng, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Modeling The Impact Of LOX Concentration On Collagen And Aggrecan Loss In Age-Related Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Authors: Hansen Deng, Shaunak Patil, Sohail Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Predicting Baseline PROM Scores From Radiographic, Demographic, And Clinical Data Using Machine Learning
Authors: D. Kojo Hamilton, Benjamin Carnovale, Nitin Agarwal, Lawrence Lenke, Peter Passias, Eric Klineberg, Virginie Lafage, Shay Bess, Justin Smith, Jeffery Gum, Renaud Lafage, Jeffery Mullin, Micheal Kelly, Bassel Diebo, Brenton Line, Han Jo Kim, Khaled Kebaish, Robert Eastlack, Alan Daniels, Alex Soroceanu, Raj Lavadi, Gregory Mundis, Richard Hostin, Themistocles Protopsaltis, Robert Hart, Munish Gupta, Frank Schwab, Christopher Ames, Christopher Shaffrey
Trends In Spine Surgery Reimbursement: A National Analysis Of Medicare Claims From 2010 To 2023
Authors: Sohail Rajesh Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Vick Sahni, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, Rida Mitha, Galal Elsayed, Joseph Maroon, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Socioeconomic Factors Implicated In The Refusal Of Surgery For Malignant CNS Tumors
Authors: Krishna Nayak, Benjamin Carnovale, Rida Mitha, D. Kojo Hamilton, Gary Kohanbash, Nitin Agarwal, David Fernandes Cabral
A Comparative Analysis Of Readability Of Language Learning Models Answers For Spine Surgery Frequently Asked Questions
Authors: Sohail Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Gregory Burnet, Shaunak Patil, Rida Mitha, Bhavesh Manne, Aditi Choudhary, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Cumulative Load And Stress Risk In Spinal Implants
Authors: Sohail Rajesh Daulat, Bhavesh Manne, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha A. Waheed, Rida Mitha, Amir Alavi, Galal Elsayed, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Current Practices In Return To Play Recommendations For Recreational Athletes Following Cervical Spine Surgeries: An Interim Analysis Of A Global Survey
Authors: Nicole Don, William Rabon, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, Andrea Lopez, Ricardo Fernández-de Thomas, James Mooney, Mark MacLean, Alexander Mastrolonardo, Balgees Aljan, Malavan Ragulojan, Shannon Hart, Ali Alwadei, Michael Rizzuto, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Urban-Rural And Gender Disparities In Neurosurgery: A Nationwide Analysis Of Workforce Trends, 2013–2022
Authors: Sohail Daulat, Jacob Koster, Shaunak Patil, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Restoring Matrix Homeostasis In Diabetic Discs: Quantitative Modeling Of Glucose Supplementation
Authors: Shaunak Deepak Patil, Sohail Rajesh Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Are Matched Neurosurgery Resident Demographics Representative Of The Applicant Pool? An Analysis Of 974 Applicants From 2022-2024
Authors: Oliver Tang, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal.
Place Of Death As A Window Into Healthcare Disparities In Neurological Disorders: A CDC Wonder Analysis
Authors: Janam Patel, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, Danish Ali, Jessica Ryvlin, Aimal Khan, David Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Central Nervous System Tumors: Epidemiologic Trends And Access Inequities In The U.S.
Authors: Ayesha Akbar Waheed, Danish Ali, Janam Patel, Shiv Patil, Aimal Khan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal, David Fernandes Cabral
Evaluating The Accuracy And Variability Of AI-Generated Spine Angle Predictions
Authors: Nikhil Dholaria, Sohail Daulat, Benoy Sen, Rida Mitha, Ricardo Fernandez, D. Kojo Hamiltonn, Nitin Agarwal
Cost-Effectiveness Of Advancement Flap Closure Versus Conventional Closure In Posterior Cervical Fusion Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Andrew Legarreta, Joseph Hudson, Regan Shanahan, Samuel Adida, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
A Bibliometric Analysis Of The 50 Most-Cited Articles On Pediatric Craniopharyngioma
Authors: Amelia Stepniak, Julia Diamandi, Hannah Tetreault, Regan Shanahan, Joesph Garcia, Qazi Zeeshan, David Fernandes Cabral, Nitin Agarwal, D. Kojo Hamilton
Evaluating Learning Language Models (LLMs) Accuracy Of Spine Surgery Complications
Authors: Zayaan Tirmizi, Courtney Clark, William Rabon, Sohail Daulat, Aditi Choudhary, Gregory Burnet, Shaunak Patil, Rida Mitha, James Mooney, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
A Dynamic Systems Model Of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Integrating Mechanical Loading, Enzyme Inhibition, And Age-Related Matrix Remodeling
Authors: Shaunak Patil, Sohail Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Age-Stratified LOX-Mediated Efficacy Of ADAMTS5/MMP3 Inhibition In A Disc Degeneration Model
Authors: Shaunak Patil, Sohail Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Acidic Microenvironments Nullify Lysyl Oxidase-Mediated Collagen Preservation In Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: A Computational Study
Authors: Albiin John, Shaunak Deepak Patil, Sohail Rajesh Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
TGF-β Priming Synergistically Enhances LOX-Mediated Matrix Preservation In Aged, Acidic Intervertebral Discs: A Computational Study
Authors: Shaunak Deepak Patil, Sohail Rajesh Daulat, Nikhil Dholaria, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Use Of Intraoperative Fibrin-Coated Collagen Patch And Bilateral Paraspinal Muscle Flap For Durable Spinal Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Repair
Authors: Ayesha Waheed, Jessica Ryvlin, James Mooney, Qazi Zeeshan, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
GPT-4 Management Of Postoperative Spine Patient Limitation Queries
Authors: Zayaan Tirmizi, William Rabon, Sohial Daulat, Goutam Nayar, Ayesha Akbar Waheed, Rida Mitha, Ricardo Fernandez-de Thomas, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Spinal Oligodendroglioma: A 70-year Review Of Current Literature
Authors: Kishore Balasubramanian, Abdurrahman Kharbat, Francisco Call-Orellana, Kiran Sankarappan, Angela Downes, Peter Passias, Nitin Agarwal, Hakeem Shakir, John Burke, Andrew Jea, Christopher Graffeo
Increasing Engagement In Spine Support Groups: The Effects Of Improved Community Outreach
Authors: Abigail Crum, William Rabon, Rida Mitha, D. Kojo Hamilton, Nitin Agarwal
Bibliometric Analysis Of The Top 50 Most-Cited Articles On Cervical Deformities
Authors: Julia Diamandi, Amelia Stepniak, Hannah Tetreault, Joseph Garcia, Regan Shanahan, Qazi Zeeshan, Nitin Agarwal, D. Kojo Hamilton