Wang XJ. Research progress of postoperative delirium in neurosurgery. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(4): 104708 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.104708]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xue-Jian Wang, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, No. 666 Shengli Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong 226000, Jiangsu Province, China. 6841441@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2025; 15(4): 104708 Published online Apr 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.104708
Research progress of postoperative delirium in neurosurgery
Xue-Jian Wang
Xue-Jian Wang, Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong 226000, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Wang XJ wrote and revised this manuscript, and formatted the manuscript.
Supported by Science and Technology Program of Nantong City, No. Key003; Nantong Young Medical Expert, No. 46; the Science and Technology Program of Nantong Health Committee, No. MA2019003, No. MA2021017, and No. MSZ2024038; Science and Technology Program of Nantong City, No. JCZ2022040; and Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, No. KD2021JYYJYB025, No. KD2022KYJJZD022, and No. KD2024KYJJ289.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xue-Jian Wang, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, No. 666 Shengli Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong 226000, Jiangsu Province, China. 6841441@163.com
Received: December 29, 2024 Revised: January 25, 2025 Accepted: March 7, 2025 Published online: April 19, 2025 Processing time: 86 Days and 9.4 Hours
Abstract
Delirium is a transient and acute syndrome of encephalopathy, characterized by disturbances in consciousness, orientation, cognition, perception, and emotional regulation, often accompanied by hallucinations, illusions, psychomotor agitation, and restlessness. Postoperative delirium (POD), a common complication particularly in elderly patients, significantly impacts recovery by prolonging mechanical ventilation, neurosurgical intensive care unit stays, and overall hospitalization durations, while severely diminishing patients’ quality of life after discharge. Despite its prevalence, POD remains underrecognized in clinical practice, with significant gaps in its diagnosis and management. This review explores the definition, diagnostic criteria, underlying pathogenesis, and associated risk factors of POD in neurosurgical patients, aiming to offer valuable insights for improving clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
Core Tip: Delirium is an acute neurological dysfunction marked by confusion, disorientation, and disturbances in sensory perception, cognition, and emotional regulation, often accompanied by hallucinations and delusions. Patients may also exhibit psychomotor agitation and heightened anxiety. Postoperative delirium is particularly prevalent among elderly individuals, posing a significant challenge in clinical settings. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the definition, diagnostic approaches, pathological mechanisms, and associated risk factors of postoperative delirium in neurosurgical patients, offering valuable insights to enhance clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.
