Which Theory of Cerebrospinal Fluid Production and Absorption Do Neurosurgeons Teach to Medical Students? Survey from Medical Universities in Japan, 2022

Several new studies have been conducted on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. Our educational guidelines, the Model Core Curriculum for Medical University, recommend access to the best current information. However, we do not know whether or when to introduce changes to this concept.We surveyed whic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurologia Medico-Chirurgica 2024/06/15, Vol.64(6), pp.241-246
Main Authors: FUJII, Natsumi, NOMURA, Sadahiro, IZUMA, Hiroshi, ISHIHARA, Hideyuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capillaries
Cerebrospinal fluid
cerebrospinal fluid circulation
Choroid plexus
Colleges & universities
Core curriculum
Hydrocephalus
Lymphatic system
medical education
National Survey of Medical Universities
Original
Surveys
Teaching
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Several new studies have been conducted on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. Our educational guidelines, the Model Core Curriculum for Medical University, recommend access to the best current information. However, we do not know whether or when to introduce changes to this concept.We surveyed which theory of CSF dynamics taught to students by neurosurgeons. The old theory is the bulk flow theory, and the new theory explains that CSF is produced from the choroid plexus and capillaries; CSF then pulsates and drains into the venous and lymphatic systems through newly discovered pathways.Old and new theories were taught to 64.8% and 27.0% of students, respectively. The reason for teaching the old theory was to help them understand the pathogenesis of noncommunicating hydrocephalus (77.1%), whereas the reason for teaching the new theory was to teach the latest knowledge (40.0%). Physicians who wished to teach the new theory in the near future accounted for 47.3%, which was higher than those who would teach the new theory in 2022 (27.0%), and those who still wished to teach the old theory in the near future accounted for 43.2%.An education policy on CSF dynamics will be established when we interpret ventricular enlargement and its improvement by third ventriculostomy in noncommunicating hydrocephalus based on the new theory. The distributed answers in the survey shared that it is difficult to teach about CSF dynamics and provided an opportunity to discuss these issues.
ISSN:0470-8105
1349-8029
DOI:10.2176/jns-nmc.2023-0277