PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation
-
A significant proportion of burn injury patients are admitted to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). There is increasing interest in the use of functional variables, such as cognition, in predicting IRF outcomes. Cognitive impairment is an important cause of disability in the burn injury population, yet its relationship to IRF outcomes has not been studied. ⋯ II.
-
As our population ages, neurogenic claudication (NC) from central canal stenosis of the lumbar spine is becoming an increasingly common condition. Studies have been undertaken to assess the efficacy of caudal, interlaminar, or unilateral transforaminal epidural injections, but bilateral transforaminal epidural injections (BTESIs) have not been evaluated to date. ⋯ IV.
-
Case Reports
Transforaminal Epidural Blood Patches for the Treatment of Postsurgical Dural Leaks: Two Case Reports.
Unintended dural punctures with leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are recognized as a frequent complication of spinal surgery. Although conservative or invasive options may be used to treat postoperative CSF leaks, the existing literature does not define either an algorithmic treatment approach or a universally accepted standard of care. We believe that a transforaminal epidural blood patch (EBP) can serve as a minimally invasive, cost-effective option to treat postsurgical CSF leaks that do not resolve with conservative management. ⋯ The second case involves a patient who experienced classic positional spinal headaches after a lumbar hemilaminectomy and diskectomy. After utilization of lumbar transforaminal EBPs, his symptoms revolved. This article presents the potential use of an EBP via the transforaminal route to treat postsurgical dural leaks in both the cervical and lumbar region.