Neurosurgery
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The indications for repeated operation in patients with persistent or recurrent pain after lumbosacral spine surgery are not well established. Long-term results have been reported infrequently, and in no case has mean follow-up exceeded 3 years. We report 5-year mean follow-up for a series of repeated operations performed between 1979 and 1983. ⋯ Most patients reduced or eliminated analgesic intake. Statistical analysis (including univariate and multivariate logistic regression) of patient characteristics as prognostic factors showed significant advantages for young patients and for female patients. Favorable outcome also was associated with a history of good results from previous operations, with the absence of epidural scar requiring surgical lysis, with employment before surgery, and with predominance of radicular (as opposed to axial) pain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Use of intrathecally administered morphine in the treatment of postoperative pain after lumbar spinal surgery: a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Improved control of postoperative pain is now known to reduce the incidence of morbidity. Although spinally administered narcotics have found a clear role in chest and abdominal surgery, their role in lumbar spinal surgery is debated. We conducted a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of intrathecally administered morphine sulfate after lumbar spinal surgery in 56 patients. ⋯ Consumption of parenteral narcotics on the first postoperative day and over the total hospitalization period decreased in correlation with increasing doses of intrathecally administered morphine. Mean length of hospitalization was significantly decreased, as compared with the control group, in patients receiving 0.25 or 0.5 mg of intrathecally administered morphine. When proper precautions are observed, intrathecally administered morphine can improve the postoperative care of patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery.
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Comparative Study
Failed back surgery syndrome: 5-year follow-up after spinal cord stimulator implantation.
Spinal cord stimulation, in use for more than 20 years, has evolved into an easily implemented technique, with percutaneous methods for electrode placement. We have reviewed our experience with this technique in treating "failed back surgery syndrome," and have assessed patient and treatment characteristics as predictors of long-term outcome. A series of 50 patients with failed back surgery syndrome (averaging 3.1 previous operations), who underwent spinal cord stimulator implantation, was interviewed by impartial third parties, at mean follow-up intervals of 2.2 years and 5.0 years. ⋯ Statistical analysis (including univariate and multivariate logistic regression) of patient characteristics as prognostic factors showed significant advantages for female patients and for those with programmable multi-contact implanted devices. These results, in patients with postsurgical lumbar arachnoid and epidural fibrosis and without surgically remediable lesions, compare favorably with the results in two separate series of patients with failed back surgery syndrome, in whom 1) surgical lesions were diagnosed and repeated operation performed; and 2) monoradicular pain syndromes were diagnosed and dorsal root ganglionectomies performed at our institution. This suggests the need for further assessment of selection criteria, critical analysis of treatment outcome, and prospective study of spinal cord stimulation and alternative approaches to failed back surgery syndrome.
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Seventy of 178 patients with acoustic tumors initially were treated conservatively and have been followed up for an average of 26 +/- 2 months. The tumor size was determined by the mean maximum anteroposterior and mediolateral diameters, using computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging scans obtained sequentially throughout the follow-up period. The average tumor growth was 1.6 +/- 0.4 mm the 1st year, and 1.9 +/- 1.0 mm the 2nd year (range, -2 to 17 mm/y): 4 tumors showed apparent regression, 28 (40%) had no detectable growth, and 37 (53%) exhibited growth (average, 3.8 +/- 1.2 mm/y). ⋯ This group had a larger initial tumor size (27.0 +/- 3.4 mm vs. 21.3 +/- 0.9 mm, P less than 0.05), and a faster 1-year growth rate (7.9 +/- 2.3 mm/y vs. 1.3 +/- 0.3 mm/y, P less than 0.05) than the 61 patients who did not require surgery. Two patients, however, experienced neurological deterioration that required surgery, even though there was no tumor growth. The high incidence of acoustic tumors with no detectable growth or apparent spontaneous regression must be taken into account when evaluating the indications for surgery and the efficacy of radiotherapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Thirty-five consecutive adults with Chiari malformation and progressive symptoms underwent surgical treatment at a single institution over a 3-year period. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging scan before and after surgery. Images of the craniovertebral junction confirmed tonsillar herniation in all cases and allowed the definition of two anatomically distinct categories of the Chiari malformation in this age group. ⋯ Postoperative reduction in syrinx volume was observed in 11 of the 20 patients with syringomyelia, including all 9 patients with excellent results. Magnetic resonance imaging has allowed a classification of the adult Chiari malformation in adults based on objective anatomic criteria, with clinical and prognostic relevance. The presence of syringomyelia implies a less favorable response to surgical intervention.