European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
-
Review Case Reports
Hypoglossal nerve injury as a complication of anterior surgery to the upper cervical spine.
Injury to the hypoglossal nerve is a recognised complication after soft tissue surgery in the upper part of the anterior aspect of the neck, e.g. branchial cyst or carotid body tumour excision. However, this complication has been rarely reported following surgery of the upper cervical spine. We report the case of a 35-year-old woman with tuberculosis of C2-3. ⋯ The hypoglossal palsy persisted, although with minimal functional disability. The only other reported case of hypoglossal lesion after anterior cervical spine surgery in the literature also failed to recover. It is concluded that hypoglossal nerve palsy following anterior cervical spine surgery is unlikely to recover spontaneously and it should be carefully identified.
-
Comparative Study
Long-term three-dimensional changes of the spine after posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
This is a prospective study comparing the short- and long-term three-dimensional (3D) changes in shape, length and balance of the spine after spinal instrumentation and fusion in a group of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. The objective of the study was to evaluate the stability over time of the postoperative changes of the spine after instrumentation with multi rod, hook and screw instrumentation systems. Thirty adolescents (average age: 14.5+/-1.6 years) undergoing surgery by a posterior approach had computerized 3D reconstructions of the spine done at an average of 3 days preoperatively (stage I), and 2 months (stage II) and 2,5 years (stage III) after surgery, using a digital multi-planar radiographic technique. ⋯ Slight changes were noted in apical vertebral rotation, in thoracic kyphosis and in lumbar lordosis. Spinal length and height were significantly increased at stage II, but at long-term follow-up spinal length continued to increase while spinal height remained similar. These results indicate that although a significant 3D correction can be obtained after posterior instrumentation and fusion, a significant loss of correction and an increase in spinal length occur in the years following surgery, suggesting that a crankshaft phenomenon may be an important factor altering the long-term 3D correction after posterior instrumentation of the spine for idiopathic scoliosis.
-
Review Case Reports
Traumatic L5-S1 spondylolisthesis: report of three cases and a review of the literature.
The literature reports that traumatic spondylolisthesis of L5 is an uncommon lesion. The authors report their experience of three cases of this particular fracture-dislocation of the lumbosacral spine. ⋯ A preoperative MRI study appears mandatory in order to evaluate the integrity of the L5-S1 disc. In the event of a traumatic disruption of the disc, they state the importance of posterior interbody fusion by means of a strut graft carved from the ilium or, in case of iliac wing fracture (which is not uncommon in these patients), by means of interbody cages.
-
Case Reports
Cervical osteotomy for ankylosing spondylitis: an innovative variation on an existing technique.
Ankylosing spondylitis can produce severe fixed flexion deformity in the cervical spine. This deformity may be so disabling that it interferes with forward vision, chewing, swallowing and skin care under the chin. The only treatment available is an extension osteotomy of the cervical spine. ⋯ Once reduction is complete definitive contoured rods are inserted to maintain the correction while fusion takes place. This method appears less hazardous by eliminating sagittal translation, and may reduce the risk of neurological injury during surgery. It achieves rigid internal fixation, obviating the need for a halo vest in the postoperative period.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The value of MR imaging in differentiating between hard and soft cervical disc disease: a comparison with intraoperative findings.
The aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of MRI alone in the differentiation of soft cervical disc protrusion from osteophytic compression in cervical disc disease. In a retrospective study, the MRI scans of 41 patients with cervical disc disease, who had previously undergone surgery, were presented to three independent observers, randomly on two different occasions, to identify the accuracy of the diagnosis of the presence of hard or soft disc or both as a cause of compression. The observers (two neurosurgeons and one neuroradiologist) were not involved with the treatment of the cases at any stage and were unaware of the surgical findings. ⋯ The sensitivity of diagnosis of a hard disc was high (87%) but specificity was low (44%), due to the overestimation of the presence of hard disc. There was a significantly higher incidence of hard disc in the elderly age group (76% over the fifth decade, P = 0.0073). It is concluded that MRI alone is not a very efficient diagnostic tool in distinguishing between hard and soft disc in the cervical disc disease.