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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The efficacy and safety of endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy (EPCF) have been demonstrated for single-level cervical radiculopathy, but no report in the medical literature has described the clinical results of two-level EPCF. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and radiological outcomes of two-level EPCF performed in patients with cervical radiculopathy. ⋯ Two-level EPCF can be safely preformed and should be considered an alternative to two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion or open posterior cervical foraminotomy in selected patients.
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In acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, we sought to characterize how objective MRI measures of injury change during the first 3 week post-injury. ⋯ This study demonstrates the dynamic nature of imaging changes on MRI in the first weeks after injury and highlights the importance of taking into account the timing of imaging when interpreting objective measures of damage.
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The aim is to analyze the agreement between different types of physicians in terms of the inter-observer and intra-observer reliability in addition to the agreement between the experienced and non-experienced physicians with respect to three different classification systems for diagnosis of cervical spinal canal stenosis. ⋯ All three classification systems showed excellent reproducibility and also displayed a substantial agreement. The classification system used by Vaccaro et al. was proven to be a method with substantial agreement both in the experienced group and the non-experienced group. It can be a useful classification system for simplifying communication among all physicians.
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Synovial cysts of the cervical spine are rare. These lesions have been associated with other spinal conditions as osteoarthritis, spondylolisthesis, and disc degeneration, with authors postulating a possible link with segmental spinal instability. This study aims to describe an atypically presenting case of a cervical synovial cyst. ⋯ Although rare, cervical synovial cysts are associated with a significant impairment in patients' daily activities. The atypical pattern of symptoms described in this case may be associated with the fluid content of the cyst, with postural changes causing different degrees of root compression. Most authors agree on a surgical option, but the need for associated fusion is still under debate.