Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Meralgia paresthetica (MP) consists of pain or dysthesia in the lateral thigh caused by entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) underneath the inguinal ligament. The causes include iliac crest bone graft harvesting, seat belt injury associated with motor vehicle accident, diabetes mellitus, and trauma. The authors present the case of a 50-year-old woman who had a 1-year history of right-sided MP. ⋯ The symptoms resolved completely. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first case of MP associated with compression caused by a lipoma. The authors conclude that lipoma compression can cause MP, and in such cases, total excision of the lipoma may resolve the condition.
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The objective of this study was to assess, in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis, which factors determine whether the involved disc levels were restabilized or remained unstable at the time of operation using multifactorial analysis. ⋯ Facet effusion size was associated with the determination of whether the affected disc was stabilized or remained unstable at the time of operation. In particular, a smaller facet effusion size strongly suggested that the affected disc had been restabilized in the patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.
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In this paper, the authors' goal was to elucidate the clinical features and results of decompression surgery for extraforaminal stenosis at the lumbosacral junction. ⋯ Extraforaminal stenosis at the lumbosacral junction is a rare but distinct pathological condition causing L-5 radiculopathy. Decompression surgery without fusion using a microendoscope or a surgical microscope/loupe is a feasible and less invasive surgical option for elderly patients with extraforaminal stenosis at the lumbosacral junction.
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As > 95,000 spinal drug-delivery devices have been implanted since their inception in the 1980s, the recognition of associated adverse effects is essential. Since 1985, numerous reports have described the presence of catheter-tip granulomas. In the current case, the authors describe a less frequent complication of epidural bupivacaine precipitation. ⋯ Regardless of the anatomical site, the most common presenting features are neurological deficits, worsening pain, and increasing requirements for pain medication. Expedient diagnosis and management are essential for physicians treating patients with spinal infusion devices to prevent significant neurological sequelae. Further investigation is warranted regarding the use of bupivacaine as an adjunct in permanent spinal infusion systems.
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The purpose of this study was to find a landmark according to which the surgeon can dissect the cervical spine safely, with the lowest possibility of damaging the vertebral artery (VA) during anterior approaches to the cervical spine or the VA. ⋯ Dissection of the soft tissue off the bone along the surgical safe zone and removal of the transverse process afterward can be a practical and safe approach to avoid artery lacerations. The findings in the present study can be used in anterior approaches to the cervical spine, especially when the tortuosity of the artery mandates exposure of the VA prior to uncinate process resection, tumor excision, or VA repair.