Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Over the past decade percutaneous pedicle screws have become popular for the minimally invasive treatment of spinal disorders. However, until the last 5 years the presence of a significant spinal deformity was regarded as a relative contraindication for percutaneous instrumentation. Recent advances in surgical technique and intraoperative technology have made percutaneous fixation in complex spinal pathologies more commonplace. The authors report their experience using a parsimonious method for uniplanar fluoroscopic targeting of pedicles in challenging cases. ⋯ The anteroposterior fluoroscopic technique can be effectively used by spinal surgeons to cannulate the pedicles in patients with rotational deformities. The complication rate in this challenging population is acceptable and is in accordance with the existing literature. However, caution should be used at L-5 and S-1 when the pedicle is narrow and highly medialized, rendering an indistinct medial wall on anteroposterior imaging.
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Case Reports
First report of major vascular injury due to lateral transpsoas approach leading to fatality.
Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) has gained popularity among spine surgeons for treating multiple conditions of the lumbar spine. In contrast to the anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) approach, the minimally invasive XLIF approach affords wide access to the lumbar disc space without an access surgeon and causes minimal tissue disruption. ⋯ The authors describe the first fatality reported in the literature following an XLIF approach. They describe the case of a 50-year-old woman who suffered a fatal intraoperative injury to the great vessels during a lateral transpsoas approach to the L4-5 disc space.
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Hirayama disease, juvenile muscular atrophy of the distal upper extremity, is a rare type of cervical flexion segmental myelopathy and its etiology is still being debated. Two theories have been proposed: a "contact pressure" theory and "tight dural canal in flexion" theory. Previously reported treatments, including conservative neck collar therapy and surgical spinal fusion, used fixation of the cervical spine with the aim of avoiding contact pressure between the cord and anterior structures. On the other hand, treatment by duraplasty without spinal fusion has also been used, which aims at decompressing a tight dural canal in flexion by preventing abnormal forward displacement of the posterior dura mater without restricting cervical motion in young patients. The authors developed a new surgical approach for treating a tight dural canal in flexion in patients with Hirayama disease: cervical duraplasty with tenting sutures via laminoplasty without spinal fusion. With this treatment they aimed to both decompress the spinal cord and preserve as much cervical motion as possible. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent this new surgical procedure and to investigate the etiology of Hirayama disease. ⋯ Cervical duraplasty with tenting sutures via laminoplasty prevented abnormal forward displacement of the posterior dura mater while preserving normal anterior structures and flexion motion of the cervical spine without major surgical complications. The clinical improvements achieved by the authors' method support evidence that a tight dural canal in flexion largely contributes to segmental myelopathy in patients with Hirayama disease.
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Observational Study
Utility of routine biopsy at vertebroplasty in the management of vertebral compression fractures: a tertiary center experience.
The authors assess the utility of routine biopsy at vertebroplasty for vertebral compression fracture (VCF) as a tool in the early detection of malignancy in presumed benign VCF. ⋯ Routine vertebral biopsy performed at vertebroplasty may demonstrate cancer-related VCFs in unsuspected patients with no previous cancer diagnosis or active malignancy in patients previously thought to be in remission. This early diagnosis of cancer or relapsed disease will play an important role in expediting patients' subsequent cancer management. In cases of multiple-level VCF, the authors advocate biopsy at each level to maximize the diagnostic yield from the specimens and to avoid missing a malignancy at a single level.
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Despite its potential clinical impact, information regarding progression of thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is scarce. Posterior decompression with stabilization is currently the primary surgical treatment for symptomatic thoracic OPLL; however, it remains unclear whether thoracic OPLL increases in size following spinal stabilization. It is also unknown whether patients' clinical symptoms worsen as OPLL size increases. In this retrospective case series study, the authors examined the postoperative progression of thoracic OPLL. ⋯ The present study demonstrated that the size of the thoracic OPLL increased after spinal stabilization. Despite diminished local spinal motion, OPLL progression did not decrease or stop. Physicians should pay attention to ossification progression in patients with thoracic OPLL.