Spine
-
Review Case Reports
Unusual appearance of an en plaque meningioma of the cervical spinal canal. A case report and literature review.
A case report of a patient with cervical spinal cord and nerve root compression caused by a meningioma en plaque together with calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament is presented,with a review of the literature. ⋯ Although previously not described, the diagnosis of calcified dural meningioma en plaque should be considered in all patients presenting with spinal cord and/or nerve root compression,even at cervical levels. Although ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and ossification of the ligamentum flavum are more common etiologies of partially circumferential spinal calcification, dural-based meningiomas with extension into the surrounding ligaments demand early recognition because they can be associated with a poorer prognosis.
-
Review Case Reports
Cervical myelopathy and congenital stenosis from hypoplasia of the atlas: report of three cases and literature review.
Case reports of patients with cervical myelopathy to hypoplasia of the atlas. ⋯ Congenital hypoplasia of the atlas is a rare cause of cervical myelopathy. This report should broaden the radiographic differential diagnosis when seeking an explanation for the signs and symptoms of cervical myelopathy.
-
Comparative Study
Surfing for back pain patients: the nature and quality of back pain information on the Internet.
A prospective, systematic review of web sites related to back pain. ⋯ Most back pain-related web sites can be classified as advertising. The quality varied considerably, resulting in difficulties for patients to find useful information in this field. The increasing number of people seeking medical information on the Web creates a need for more high quality sites. Further, systematic review of web sites should be encouraged to monitor the accuracy of Internet publication.
-
Comparative Study
Paired cylindrical interbody cage fit and facetectomy in posterior lumbar interbody fusion in an Asian population.
The intervertebral disc heights and interfacetal distances of normal lower lumbar segments were measured from MRI scans of 150 male subjects. ⋯ Paired cylindrical cage installation in the majority of patients is likely to require near-total or total facetectomy, with implications for potential segmental instability. Among the three lumbar segments studied, L5/S1 had the highest proportion of segments that could accommodate paired cages and at the same time restore intervertebral height.
-
A retrospective study of the long-term results from double-door laminoplasty (Kurokawa's method) for patients with myelopathy caused by ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and cervical spondylosis was performed. ⋯ The short-term results of laminoplasty for cervical stenotic myelopathy were maintained over 10years in 78% of the patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, and in most of the patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, except those with athetoid cerebral palsy. Double-door laminoplasty is a reliable procedure for individuals with cervical stenotic myelopathy.