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
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Case Reports
Failure of a polyether-ether-ketone expandable interbody cage following transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
Expandable cages are a more recent option for maintaining or restoring disc height and segmental lordosis with transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Complications associated with expandable cages have not yet been widely reported. We report a case of postoperative failure of a polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) expandable interbody device used during TLIF. ⋯ Expandable cages are a recent innovation; as such, efficacy and complication data are limited. As with any new device, there exists potential for mechanical failure, as occurred in the case presented.
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The authors illustrate a case where an intercostal aneurysm was observed in a patient with type 1 neurofibromatosis. ⋯ Intercostal artery lesions must be considered as a possible diagnosis in NF1.
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To present a rare case of deep penetrating neck trauma in which a retained foreign body in the cervical spine (a broken knife blade) resulted in delayed radicular injury. We describe the surgical management using a retrojugular approach. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is a unique case where a retained foreign body penetrated the soft tissues of the neck, embedding deep in the vertebral column without vascular, aerodigestive or significant primary neurological injury, while causing delayed neck pain and delayed onset radicular injury. We describe our surgical management for removal of the retained blade. The retrojugular approach gives excellent access to all of the important anatomical structures of the neck from an anterolateral approach.
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We herein describe a case of delayed union of a lumbar spine fracture in a 70-year-old patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). ⋯ This is the first report of successful use of TPTD to treat delayed union of a spine fracture in a patient with DISH without surgical intervention.
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To compare early changes in the ASIA Motor Score (AMS) between patients with central cord syndrome (CCS) from an acute fracture to patients without a fracture. ⋯ Patients with central cord syndrome present with similar symptoms, but injuries with and without a fracture may be associated with a different early neurologic recovery. Patients with a fracture have a more severe injury at initial presentation, but tend to have neurologic improvement in the first week; conversely patients without a fracture have a less severe initial neurologic injury, but tend to have a slight decline in neurologic function over the first week.