World Neurosurg
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Combined triple atlas (C1)-axis (C2) fixation has been described in previous literature as a safe, effective, and minimally invasive procedure for complex atlas and odontoid fractures that allows for a greater range of motion compared with posterior approaches and atlanto-occipital fusion. However, it is rarely performed due to the occipital-cervical diastasis resulting from often-fractured C1 joint masses. No evidence-based consensus has been reached regarding the treatment of complex atlantoaxial fractures, and the choice of surgical strategy is based only on clinical experience. ⋯ Combined triple C1-C2 fixation represents a safe and efficient minimally invasive anterior approach for complex type II fractures of C1 with type II odontoid fractures. Manual reduction of the joint masses during patient positioning allows for effective stabilization in a single surgical session.
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Spinal surgeries are increasingly performed in the United States, but complication rates can be unacceptably high at up to 26%. Consequently, plastic surgeons (PS) are sometimes recruited by spine surgeons (SS) for intraoperative assistance with soft tissue closures. An electronic multidatabase literature search was systematically conducted to determine whether spinal wound closure performed by PS minimizes postoperative wound healing complications when compared to closure by SS (neurosurgical or orthopedic), with the hypothesis that closures by PS minimizes incidence of complications. ⋯ Across all studies, PS were involved in cases with higher baseline risk for wound complications and greater comorbidity burden. Closures by PS were significantly more likely to have had prior chemotherapy in 2 of the 4 (50%) studies (P = 0.014, P < 0.001) and radiation in 3 of the 4 (75%) studies (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.001). In conclusion, closures by PS are frequently performed in higher risk cases, and use of PS in these closures may normalize the risk of wound complications to that of the normal risk cohort, though the overall level of evidence of the published literature is low.