World Neurosurg
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Review Comparative Study
C2 nerve root sectioning in posterior atlantoaxial instrumented fusions: a structured review of literature.
To review published series describing C1-2 posterolateral instrumentation, comparing outcomes in patients who had and did not have C2 nerve sacrifice. ⋯ Sacrifice of the C2 nerve root to aid in the insertion of C1 lateral mass screws when performing posterior atlantoaxial instrumented fusions is a treatment option (class III). It may decrease blood loss and operative duration, potentially advantageous in elderly or frail patients. Numbness occurred in roughly 12% of patients, an outcome that may be unacceptable to certain patient populations, but neuropathic pain was nearly absent in reported studies with nerve section. C2 nerve preservation and retraction for C1 screw placement may have higher incidence of neuropathic pain (~5%). Rates of fusion are universally high independent of C2 nerve technique.
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Review Case Reports
Posttraumatic Benedikt's syndrome: a rare entity with unclear anatomopathological correlations.
This study sought to present a very rare case of a posttraumatic midbrain lesion producing a debilitating constellation of symptoms identified as Benedikt's syndrome. ⋯ Benedikt's syndrome is a very rare condition, usually of vascular etiology. Our case is just the second one of traumatic pathogenesis ever reported, the first in the English language literature.
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Review Case Reports
Transcervical double mandibular osteotomy approach to the infratemporal fossa.
In this study, we propose an alternative to the traditional transmandibular lower lip and chin splitting approach for exposing high infratemporal fossa and parapharyngeal space lesions involving the carotid canal and jugular foramen. ⋯ This novel technique is useful for providing excellent access to high infratemporal fossa or parapharyngeal space tumors. It avoids the traditional chin or lip incision and preserves the mental and facial nerves and is a useful procedure in the armamentarium of skull base/cerebrovascular neurosurgeons.
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Review Case Reports
Percutaneous trans-facet screws for supplemental posterior cervical fixation.
Numerous innovative minimally invasive fusion and fixation techniques for the thoracolumbar spine have recently been developed. However, less-invasive approaches for accessing the posterior cervical spine surgery have been more elusive. One promising option for posterior cervical fixation is trans-facet screw placement. ⋯ In this report we describe an initial clinical experience with cervical trans-facet screws, which we found to be a technically feasible option in the subaxial cervical spine for truly percutaneous spinal fixation. However, until percutaneous bony fusion methods are developed, this approach is limited to the fixation application, such as supplementing an anterior fusion construct.