Neurosurgery
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Clinical problems are often complex. Problems of great complexity are usually associated with a commensurately greater degree of difficulty with respect to the decision making process. This is most certainly true regarding the management of cervical spondylosis. ⋯ However, more often than realized, suboptimal decisions may be made. Therefore, an assessment of the types of errors regarding clinical decision making are worthy of consideration. In this article, a scheme for decision making regarding the management of cervical spondylosis is presented.
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Phenytoin (PHT) is widely administered after subarachnoid hemorrhage, often for several weeks or months. In addition to known side effects, PHT use has been correlated with cognitive disability and poor outcome. To reduce the rate of PHT complications, we converted from a multi-week prophylactic regimen to a 3-day course of treatment. This study evaluates the changes in seizure rates and adverse events. ⋯ A 3-day regimen of PHT prophylaxis is adequate to prevent seizures in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. Drug reactions are significantly reduced, but seizure rates do not change. Short-term PHT administration may be a superior treatment paradigm.
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Cervical spondylosis is the most common progressive disorder in the aging cervical spine. It results from the process of degeneration of the intervertebral discs and facet joints of the cervical spine. Biomechanically, the disc and the facets are the connecting structures between the vertebrae for the transmission of external forces. ⋯ The developmental process, together with the degenerative process, may cause mechanical pressure on the spinal cord at one or multiple levels. This pressure may produce direct neurological damage or ischemic changes and, thus, lead to spinal cord disturbances. A thorough understanding of the biomechanics, the pathology, the clinical presentation, the radiological evaluation, as well as the surgical indications of cervical spondylosis, is essential for the management of patients with cervical spondylosis.
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Case Reports
Spinal cord herniation into associated pseudomeningocele after brachial plexus avulsion injury: case report.
Posttraumatic spinal cord herniation is a rare condition. We describe a case of spinal cord herniation into an associated pseudomeningocele after a brachial plexus avulsion injury. ⋯ Brachial plexus root avulsions may result in the formation of pseudomeningoceles and can lead to spinal cord herniation. Coronal magnetic resonance imaging is useful to demonstrate spinal cord herniation as well as pseudomeningoceles. Surgical treatment is recommended for such cases with progressive symptoms to prevent further deterioration.
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Cervical radiculopathy is a common condition that usually results from compression and inflammation of the cervical nerve root or roots in the region of the neural foramen. It is frequently caused by cervical disc herniation and cervical spondylosis. The diagnosis can be established by history and physical examination, but care should be taken, as diagnoses can mimic or coexist with cervical radiculopathy, such as entrapment neuropathies. The pathophysiology, presentation, and clinical evaluation of cervical radiculopathy are discussed.