tomevault-io Neurosurgery Literature Search Skill
This skill guides comprehensive literature searching for neurosurgery systematic reviews.
When to Use
Invoke this skill when the user:
- Needs to search PubMed for studies
- Wants to develop a search strategy
- Asks about MeSH terms for neurosurgery
- Needs Boolean operators help
- Mentions "literature search" or "search strategy"
Neurosurgery MeSH Terms
Subspecialties
| Subspecialty | MeSH Terms |
|---|---|
| Neuro-oncology | "Brain Neoplasms", "Glioma", "Meningioma", "Pituitary Neoplasms" |
| Vascular | "Intracranial Aneurysm", "Arteriovenous Malformations", "Subarachnoid Hemorrhage" |
| Spine | "Spinal Fusion", "Laminectomy", "Intervertebral Disc Degeneration" |
| Trauma | "Craniocerebral Trauma", "Traumatic Brain Injury", "Decompressive Craniectomy" |
| Functional | "Deep Brain Stimulation", "Epilepsy Surgery", "Movement Disorders" |
| Pediatric | "Craniosynostoses", "Hydrocephalus", "Myelomeningocele" |
Common Procedures
| Procedure | MeSH Term |
|---|---|
| Craniotomy | "Craniotomy" |
| Craniectomy | "Decompressive Craniectomy" |
| Shunting | "Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts", "Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt" |
| Endoscopy | "Neuroendoscopy", "Third Ventriculostomy" |
| Radiosurgery | "Radiosurgery", "Gamma Knife Radiosurgery" |
| Spine fusion | "Spinal Fusion" |
| Discectomy | "Diskectomy" |
Outcome Measures
| Scale | MeSH/Keyword |
|---|---|
| GCS | "Glasgow Coma Scale" |
| GOS | "Glasgow Outcome Scale" |
| mRS | "modified Rankin Scale"[tw] |
| NIHSS | "NIH Stroke Scale"[tw] |
| KPS | "Karnofsky Performance Status" |
Search Strategy Building
Step 1: Define PICO
P (Population): Patients with malignant MCA infarction
I (Intervention): Decompressive craniectomy
C (Comparator): Medical management
O (Outcome): Mortality, functional outcome (mRS)
Step 2: Map Concepts to MeSH + Keywords
Population concept:
"Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery"[MeSH] OR
"malignant MCA infarction"[tiab] OR
"malignant middle cerebral artery"[tiab] OR
"space-occupying cerebral infarction"[tiab]
Intervention concept:
"Decompressive Craniectomy"[MeSH] OR
"decompressive surgery"[tiab] OR
"hemicraniectomy"[tiab] OR
"craniectomy"[tiab]
Step 3: Combine with Boolean
(
"Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery"[MeSH] OR
"malignant MCA infarction"[tiab] OR
"malignant middle cerebral artery"[tiab]
)
AND
(
"Decompressive Craniectomy"[MeSH] OR
"decompressive surgery"[tiab] OR
"hemicraniectomy"[tiab]
)
Step 4: Apply Filters
AND (
"Randomized Controlled Trial"[pt] OR
"Controlled Clinical Trial"[pt] OR
"randomized"[tiab] OR
"randomised"[tiab]
)
AND "humans"[MeSH]
AND "2000/01/01"[PDAT] : "2024/12/31"[PDAT]
Search Field Tags
| Tag | Field | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [MeSH] | MeSH term | "Craniotomy"[MeSH] |
| [tiab] | Title/Abstract | "hemicraniectomy"[tiab] |
| [tw] | Text word | "mRS"[tw] |
| [pt] | Publication type | "Randomized Controlled Trial"[pt] |
| [PDAT] | Publication date | "2020/01/01"[PDAT] |
| [au] | Author | "Smith J"[au] |
| [ta] | Journal | "J Neurosurg"[ta] |
Study Design Filters
RCT Filter (Cochrane Highly Sensitive)
randomized controlled trial[pt] OR
controlled clinical trial[pt] OR
randomized[tiab] OR
placebo[tiab] OR
clinical trials as topic[mesh:noexp] OR
randomly[tiab] OR
trial[ti]
Observational Studies Filter
"Cohort Studies"[MeSH] OR
"Case-Control Studies"[MeSH] OR
"retrospective"[tiab] OR
"prospective"[tiab] OR
"observational"[tiab]
Key Neurosurgery Journals
"J Neurosurg"[ta] OR
"Neurosurgery"[ta] OR
"World Neurosurg"[ta] OR
"Acta Neurochir"[ta] OR
"J Neurotrauma"[ta] OR
"Spine"[ta] OR
"Eur Spine J"[ta] OR
"J Neurooncol"[ta] OR
"Neuro Oncol"[ta] OR
"Stroke"[ta] OR
"J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis"[ta]
Example Complete Search
Decompressive Craniectomy for TBI
# Population: Traumatic brain injury
(
"Craniocerebral Trauma"[MeSH] OR
"Brain Injuries, Traumatic"[MeSH] OR
"traumatic brain injury"[tiab] OR
"TBI"[tiab] OR
"head injury"[tiab]
)
# Intervention: Decompressive craniectomy
AND (
"Decompressive Craniectomy"[MeSH] OR
"decompressive surgery"[tiab] OR
"craniectomy"[tiab] OR
"hemicraniectomy"[tiab]
)
# Filters
AND "humans"[MeSH]
AND "2000"[PDAT] : "2024"[PDAT]
AND English[lang]
Using the Search Tool
mcp__neuroresearch__search_pubmed(
query="decompressive craniectomy AND traumatic brain injury",
max_results=100,
date_range="2015:2024"
)
Documentation
Always document:
- Date of search
- Database(s) searched
- Complete search string
- Number of results
- Limits applied
- Grey literature sources (if searched)
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