Central corpectomy for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a consecutive series with long-term follow-up evaluation

1991 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Saunders ◽  
Philip M. Bernini ◽  
Thomas G. Shirrefks ◽  
Alexander G. Reeves

✓ Since 1984, a consecutive series of patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy has been treated by central corpectomy and strut grafting. This report focuses on 40 cases operated on between 1984 and 1987 and followed from 2 to 5 years. The perioperative complication rate was 47.5%, with a 7.5% incidence of persistent sequelae: severe C-5 radiculopathy in one patient, swallowing dysfunction in one, and hypoglossal nerve palsy in one. No single factor (age, duration of symptoms, or severity of myelopathy) was absolutely predictive of outcome; however, syndromes of short duration had the best likelihood of cure. Similar outcomes were associated, individually, with long duration of symptoms, age over 70 years, and severe myelopathy. After factoring a 5% regression of improvement, the long-term cure rate was 57.5% and the failure rate was 15%. Myelopathy worsening was not documented.

Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M Jackson ◽  
Ning Lin ◽  
Lissa Baird ◽  
R. Michael Scott ◽  
Edward R Smith

Introduction: Moyamoya patients under two years of age represent a therapeutic challenge because of their frequent neurologic instability and concomitant anesthetic risks. We report our experience with pial synangiosis revascularization in this population. Methods: We reviewed the clinical and radiographic records of all patients with moyamoya syndrome in a consecutive series of patients under 2 years of age, who underwent cerebral revascularization surgery using pial synangiosis at a single institution. Results: During a 12-year period (1994-2005), thirty-four procedures (15 bilateral, 4 unilateral) were performed in 19 patients under two years of age (out of a total of 456 procedures in 240 patients). Eighteen of these patients presented with either stroke or TIA. Average age at first surgery was 1.4 years (range 6 months to 1.9 years). Unanticipated staged operations occurred in three patients, two due to persistent EEG changes during the initial surgery and one due to brain swelling during the procedure requiring ventriculostomy. There were two perioperative strokes; both patients had post-operative seizures but made clinical recoveries. The average follow-up was 7 years (range 1-14). In long term follow-up, 13 patients (68%) were clinically independent for their age, with 8 (42%) having no significant deficit. Late complications included subdural hygroma evacuation (1), additional revascularization procedures years later for frontal lobe ischemia (2), late infarction (1) and asymptomatic ischemic change on routine follow-up MRI studies (1). All patients who had both pre and post-operative angiography demonstrated progression of disease. Conclusions: Despite the challenges inherent to this population, the majority of children with moyamoya under 2 years of age have a good long-term prognosis. Our data support the use of pial synangiosis as a safe, effective and durable method for treatment of moyamoya for most children in this potentially high-risk population.


2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 899-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. FAVA ◽  
S. GRANDI ◽  
C. RAFANELLI ◽  
C. RUINI ◽  
S. CONTI ◽  
...  

Background. There is very little information on long-term follow-up of social phobia.Methods. A consecutive series of 70 patients satisfying the DSM-IV criteria for social phobia was treated in an out-patient clinic with behavioural methods based on exposure homework. Forty-five patients were judged to be remitted after eight individual sessions of psychotherapy. A 2 to 12 year (median = 6 years) follow-up was performed. Survival analysis was selected to characterize the clinical course of patients. Assessments were performed before treatment, at the end of therapy, after 1 year, and subsequently on a yearly basis, and utilized selected items of Paykel's Clinical Interview for Depression.Results. Six of the 45 patients (13%) had a relapse of social phobia at some time during follow-up. The estimated cumulative percentage of patients remaining in remission was 98 after 2 years, 85 after 5 years and 85 after 10 years. Such probabilities increased in the absence of a personality disorder, of residual social phobic avoidance after exposure, and of concurrent use of benzodiazepines.Conclusions. The findings suggest that, even though one patient out of three is unable to complete treatment or does not benefit sufficiently from it, exposure treatment can provide lasting effects to the majority of patients with social phobia. Disappearance of residual, subclinical social phobic avoidance appears to be the target of treatment.


1987 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 450-453
Author(s):  
Katsumi Nakamura ◽  
Shinya Kawai ◽  
Kozo Sunago ◽  
Kozo Nomura ◽  
Koichi Sanuki ◽  
...  

1984 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward R. Laws ◽  
William F. Taylor ◽  
Marvin B. Clifton ◽  
Haruo Okazaki

✓ The authors conducted a retrospective review of surgically treated, histologically proven cases of low-grade (Grade 1 or 2) astrocytomas. Follow-up analysis, with survival time as the end-point, was completed using multivariant statistical analysis. In the 461 cases of supratentorial low-grade astrocytoma in this study, age of the patient at the time of surgery was by far the most important variable in predicting length of survival. Other variables correlating with increasing survival times were: gross total surgical removal, lack of major preoperative neurological deficit, long duration of symptoms prior to surgery, seizures as a presenting symptom, lack of major postoperative neurological deficit, and surgery performed in recent decades. The multi-variant regression analysis showed that radiation therapy was of clear benefit, primarily in older patients with incompletely removed tumors. For purposes of establishing prognosis and testing the results, a “score” was developed to predict survival times, based on the most important variables. The data in this study provide a basis for the analysis of future modes of management of low-grade gliomas.


1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 99???101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Saruhashi ◽  
Sinsuke Hukuda ◽  
Akitomo Katsuura ◽  
Kenichiro Miyahara ◽  
Shuzo Asajima ◽  
...  

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark G. Belza ◽  
Sarah S. Donaldson ◽  
Gary K. Steinberg ◽  
Richard S. Cox ◽  
Philip H. Cogen

✓ Seventy-seven patients presenting with medulloblastoma between 1958 and 1986 were treated at Stanford University Medical Center and studied retrospectively. Multimodality therapy utilized surgical extirpation followed by megavoltage irradiation. In 15 cases chemotherapy was used as adjunctive treatment. The 10- and 15-year actuarial survival rates were both 41% with an 18-year maximum follow-up period (median 4.75 years). There were no treatment failures after 8 years of tumor-free survival. Gross total removal of tumor was achieved in 22 patients (32%); the surgical mortality rate was 3.9%. No significant difference was noted in the incidence of metastatic disease between shunted and nonshunted patients. The classical form of medulloblastoma was present in 67% of cases while the desmoplastic subtype was found in 16%. Survival rates were best for patients presenting after 1970, for those with desmoplastic tumors, and for patients receiving high-dose irradiation (≥ 5000 cGy) to the posterior fossa. Although early data on freedom from relapse suggested a possible beneficial effect from chemotherapy, long-term follow-up results showed no advantage from this modality of treatment. The patterns of relapse and survival were examined; 64% of relapses occurred within the central nervous system, and Collins' rule was applicable in 83% of cases beyond the period of risk. Although patients treated for recurrent disease could be palliated, none were long-term survivors. The study data indicate that freedom from relapse beyond 8 years from diagnosis can be considered as a cure in this disease. Long-term follow-up monitoring is essential to determine efficacy of treatment and to assess survival patterns accurately.


1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 740-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fritz Mundinger ◽  
Dieter F. Braus ◽  
Joachim K. Krauss ◽  
Walter Birg

✓ Between 1974 and 1985, 89 patients suffering from histologically confirmed, nonresectable low-grade astrocytomas located in the brain stem were entered into a retrospective study. Iodine-125 (125I) was implanted in 29 patients and iridium-192 (192Ir) in 26 patients. Computerized tomography revealed that 78% of the tumors in these patients were located chiefly in the mesencephalic region, 70% were circumscribed, and 78% were contrast-enhanced. Thirty-four patients underwent biopsy without prior aggressive tumor-specific therapy such as chemotherapy or external beam irradiation. Among these, 70% of the tumors were located predominantly in the pons, 74% were diffuse, and 59% were hypodense or isodense after contrast enhancement. Long-term follow-up investigations indicated that life expectancy after interstitial radiation therapy with 125I implanted directly by catheter either permanently or temporarily showed a more favorable trend than that after treatment with 192Ir. Interstitial radiation therapy with 125I appears to be an effective treatment for slowly proliferating, differentiated, well-delineated, nonresectable brain-stem gliomas. This technique makes it possible to achieve radio-surgical tumor control and, when carefully applied, represents the least traumatic treatment. Reduction of the tumor mass brings about improvement of the clinical symptoms. Further investigations on the biological behavior of brain-stem gliomas and prospective randomized long-term follow-up studies are necessary to evaluate the different kinds of treatment available for these patients.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshishige Nagaseki ◽  
Tohru Shibazaki ◽  
Tatsuo Hirai ◽  
Yasuhiro Kawashima ◽  
Masafumi Hirato ◽  
...  

✓ The authors report the results of a long-term follow-up study of the effects of the physiologically defined selective VIM (nucleus ventralis intermedius)-thalamotomy on tremor of Parkinson's disease in 27 patients and essential tremor in 16 patients. The follow-up period ranged from 3.25 to 10 years (mean 6.58 years). In 43 patients a total of 50 operations (including four bilateral operations and three reoperations) were carried out. The early (2 to 4 weeks after surgery) and late effects on the tremors were determined clinically and electromyographically. Fourteen parkinsonian cases were treated with minimal lesions (about 40 cu mm). Their late results were very similar to the early results: in 10, the tremors were completely abolished, three had a slight residual tremor, and one underwent reoperation 3 months after the first surgery. Eleven essential tremor cases were treated with minimal lesions. Six of these tremors were completely abolished, four patients had slight residual tremors, and one patient with a recurrence underwent reoperation 2 years after the initial surgery. In these 23 successful operations with minimal lesions (excluding two cases with reoperation), the tremor was abolished without discernible long-lasting side effects. The other 23 operations on 16 patients with Parkinson's disease (including one reoperation) and on seven with essential tremor (one of whom also had a minimal lesion on the other side) involved relatively large lesions. In this group, the surgery was successful in almost every case. It was concluded that radiographically and physiologically monitored selective VIM-thalamotomy for parkinsonian and essential tremor is effective even when lesioning is minimal. Moreover, the beneficial effect is maintained over a long period of time.


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