Surgical neurology international
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Case Reports
Ruptured spinal arteriovenous malformation: Presenting as stunned myocardium and neurogenic shock.
Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) is a clinical syndrome usually defined as an acute pulmonary edema occurring shortly after a central neurologic insult. NPE was identified 100 years ago, but it is still underappreciated in the clinical setup. NPE usually appears within minutes to hours after the injury. It has a high mortality rate if not recognized early and treated appropriately. Similarly, neurogenic shock is a known complication of spinal cord injury reported incidence is more than 20% in isolated upper cervical spinal injury. But NPE is rare to occur, and stunned myocardium (SM) is not reported in spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) rupture. SM is a reversible cardiomyopathy resulting in transient left ventricular dysfunction which has been described to occur in the setting of catecholamine release during situations of physiologic stress. We report a case of high spinal AVM rupture presenting as SM, NPE, and neurogenic shock. ⋯ Spinal AVM rupture can present as neurogenic shock, stunned myocardium, and pulmonary edema. Early recognition of AVM rupture and prompt surgical intervention, as well as aggressive treatment of shock, may enhance recovery and decrease the long-term morbidity.
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Epidural steroid injections (ESI) in the lumbar spine are not effective over the long-term for resolving "surgical" lesions. Here, we present a patient with a massive L2-L3 lumbar disk herniation whose surgery was delayed for 4 months by multiple unnecessary ESI, resulting in a cauda equina syndrome. ⋯ Pain specialists performed multiple unnecessary lumbar ESI critically delaying spinal surgery for 4 months in this patient with a massive lumbar disk herniation who ultimately developed a cauda equina syndrome. Unfortunately, pain specialists (e.g., radiologists, anesthesiologists, and physiatrists), not specifically trained to perform neurological examinations or spinal surgery, are increasingly mismanaging spinal disease with ESI/variants. It is time for spine surgeons to speak out against this, and "take back" the care of patients with spinal surgical disease.
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Craniometric studies have shown that both Chiari malformation (CM) and basilar invagination (BI) belong to a spectrum of malformations. A more precise method to differentiate between these types of CVJM is desirable. The Chamberlain's line violation (CLV) is the most common method to identify BI. The authors sought to clarify the real importance of CLV in the spectrum of craniovertebral junction malformations (CVJM) and to identify possible pathophysiological relationships. ⋯ CM's CLV is discrete and similar to the normal subjects. BI1 and BI2 presented with at least of 0.95 cm CLV and these violations were strongly correlated with a primary cranial angulation (clivus horizontalization) and an acute clivus canal angle (a secondary craniocervical angle).
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Case Reports
Carotico-clinoid foramina and a double optic canal: A case report with neurosurgical implications.
The lesser wing of the sphenoid is a clinically important structure, particularly with regard to its anatomical relationship with neurovascular structures including the optic nerve, ophthalmic artery, and internal carotid artery. Anterior clinoidectomy, a neurosurgical procedure utilized to access paraclinoid aneurysms and neoplasms, is often complicated by the presence of anatomical variants including the carotico-clinoid foramen and the accessory optic canal. ⋯ The presence of an accessory optic canal may be misconstrued as a carotico-clinoid foramen or pneumatization of the anterior clinoid process, lesser sphenoidal wing, or optic strut. The case report documents two clinically important variant structures occurring ipsilaterally, each with the potential to masquerade as the other radiographically and present complications to both neurosurgeons and radiologists. Knowledge of the unique combination of anatomical variants presented in this report may prevent adverse surgical events during anterior clinoidectomy procedures including hemorrhage of the ophthalmic artery or internal carotid artery and subsequent vision loss or death.
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Spinal manipulation is widely used for low back pain treatments. Complications associated with spinal manipulation are seen. Lumbar epidural hematoma (EDH) is one of the complications reported in the literature. If lumbar chronic EDH symptoms are present, which are similar to those of a herniated nucleus pulposus, surgery may be considered if medical treatment fails. Percutaneous endoscopic discectomy utilizing an interlaminar approach can be successfully applied to those with herniated nucleus pulposus. We use the same technique to remove the lumbar chronic EDH, which is the first documented report in the related literature. ⋯ Lumbar EDH is a possible complication of spinal manipulation. Patient experiencing rapidly progressive neurologic deficit require early surgical evacuation, while conservative treatment may only be applied to those with mild symptoms. A percutaneous full-endoscopic interlaminar approach may be a viable alternative for the treatment of those with chronic EDH with progressive neurologic deficits.