World Neurosurg
-
The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects smoking status on rhBMP-2 supplementation in spinal fusion constructs. ⋯ While rhBMP-2 supplements arthrodesis of instrumented lumbar fusion constructs, smoking status ascertains the strongest predictor of reoperation for pseudarthrosis, instrumentation failure, and adjacent segment.
-
The coexistence of a pituitary adenoma and a meningioma is a rare event. In all previously reported cases, only 1 of these 2 tumors was symptomatic. We present the case of 61-year-old woman with no significant medical history who was treated for a simultaneously symptomatic pituitary nonfunctioning adenoma and foramen magnum meningioma. Such an association has not been reported previously.
-
The natural history of degenerative disease after instrumented lumbar fusion can result in symptomatic radiculopathy at the adjacent segment. Here we describe our experience with transforaminal endoscopic decompression for the treatment of adjacent segment radiculopathy. ⋯ Transforaminal endoscopic surgical access to adjacent level disease pathology may be a unique approach to the treatment of adjacent segment disease because it allows for neural decompression of disc and foraminal pathology without requiring significant destabilizing bone removal. However, the 2-year failure rate presented here is 33%, which indicates that the benefit of this technique may ultimately be temporary.
-
Postoperative hyperperfusion syndrome after extracranial-to-intracranial bypass causing temporary neurologic deterioration has been reported rarely as isosignal intensity on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with hyperintense lesion on T2-weighted image and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging as an expression of vasogenic edema. We present a rare case of a patient suffering from temporary aphasia after an extracranial-to-intracranial bypass surgery, which was shown as a transient hypointense lesion on DWI with increased apparent diffusion coefficient value, evidence of postoperative hyperperfusion. ⋯ An abrupt increase of CBF after bypass installation to the brain with no vascular response and complete disruption of the blood-brain barrier would cause a remarkable increase of extracellular fluid and excessive water molecule diffusion, resulting in excessive vasogenic edema. This was a plausible mechanism for the transient hypointense lesion on DWI with increased apparent diffusion coefficient value.
-
Spinal deformities that require ≥5 fusion levels are difficult and challenging for both the surgeon and patient. Corrections of moderate to severe deformities have been shown to improve patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and provide patients with a better quality of life. Self-image is an important PRO because it sheds insight into the patient's perception of health, as well as serving as a proxy of satisfaction for patients with spine deformity undergoing corrective surgery. However, with an aging population, the impact of age on long-term change in self-image is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of age on self-image 5 years after undergoing an elective complex spinal fusion (≥5 levels). ⋯ Our study suggests that age significantly affects the perception of self-image after deformity correction surgery; with younger patients reporting a greater change from baseline in self-image after surgery. Further studies are necessary to corroborate our observed findings.