Isolated symptomatic cervical spinous process fracture requiring surgery

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard F. Hirsh ◽  
Luis E. Duarte ◽  
Eric H. Wolfson ◽  
Wilhelm Gerhard
Keyword(s):  
Medical Condition ◽  
Spinous Process ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Neurological Injury ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Residual Symptoms ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
Spinous Process Fracture ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Isolated cervical spinous process fractures are common, but are usually considered to be inconsequential. Although such fractures may produce pain, complete recovery without residual symptoms is expected after conservative treatment, and neurological injury does not usually occur. The case of a patient with a persistently symptomatic C-2 spinous process fracture that required surgical treatment for pain relief is reported. A review of the pertinent literature illustrates with unusual clarity the interactions of social, political, and economic forces associated with this medical condition.

Chronic spinal subdural hematomas

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 636-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virender K. Khosla ◽  
Vijay K. Kak ◽  
Suresh N. Mathuriya
Keyword(s):  
Subdural Hematoma ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subdural Hematomas ◽  
Surgical Evacuation ◽  
Spinal Subdural Hematoma ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Two patients with chronic spinal subdural hematomas are described. Both had a fluctuating clinical course, not previously documented in the literature. Surgical evacuation resulted in almost complete recovery. The pathogenesis of spinal subdural hematoma is discussed and the pertinent literature is reviewed.

Delayed intracranial migration of cervical sublaminar and interspinous wires and subsequent cerebellar abscess

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin L. Stevenson ◽  
Matthew Wetzel ◽  
Ian F. Pollack
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spine ◽  
Neurological Injury ◽  
Cervical Fusion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cerebellar Abscess ◽  
Delayed Complication ◽  
History Of ◽  
Delayed Complications ◽  
The Wire ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Delayed complications associated with sublaminar and interspinous wiring in the pediatric cervical spine are rare. The authors present a case of delayed complication in which a cervical fusion wire migrated into the cerebellum, causing subsequent cerebellar abscess 2 years after posterior cervical arthrodesis. A craniotomy was required to remove the wire and drain the abscess. Despite their history of safety and successful fusion, procedures involving sublaminar and interspinous wiring carry a risk of neurological injury secondary to wire migration. A thorough neuroimaging evaluation is required in patients who have undergone fusion and who have neurological complaints to detect late instrumentation-related sequelae.

Recurrent atlantoaxial rotatory fixation in children: a rare complication of a rare condition

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Crossman ◽  
Dominic Thompson ◽  
Richard D. Hayward ◽  
Andrew O. Ransford ◽  
H. Alan Crockard
Keyword(s):  
Rare Complication ◽  
Spinous Process ◽  
Operative Procedure ◽  
Rare Condition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Joint Stabilization ◽  
Atlantoaxial Rotatory Fixation ◽  
Uncommon Condition ◽  
Rotatory Fixation ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) is an uncommon condition of childhood. Occasionally AARF may recur. The authors describe the cases of four patients with recurrent AARF (RAARF). The probable cause of the RAARF and operative procedure selected are discussed. In three cases, attempts were made to stabilize the atlantoaxial complex rather than to perform fusion to preserve the function of the joint complex. Joint stabilization is performed by incorporating a “check ligament” into the joint construct between the axial spinous process and the atlantal lateral mass. The authors believe this technique of joint stabilization augments the strength of the joint, allowing normal, but preventing excessive, rotation, until the joint reaches physiological maturity.

Neurocytoma of the cauda equina

1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. Stephan ◽  
John J. Kepes ◽  
Paul Arnold ◽  
K. Douglas Green ◽  
Fran Chamberlin
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Nerve Root ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Image ◽  
Cauda Equina ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Lower Extremity Weakness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Left Lower Extremity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A case of a neurocytoma involving a nerve root of the cauda equina in a 46-year-old woman is reported. The patient presented with a 2-month history of progressive left lower-extremity weakness and pain and decreased ability to walk, as well as complaints of incomplete voiding. A magnetic resonance image revealed a 7-mm oval mass that was located intrathecally and extended from T-12 to L-1 and was adjacent to a nerve root. No lesions were identified at higher vertebral levels. The mass was excised. On histological examination it was found to have classical features of a neurocytoma. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a neurocytoma occurring in that region. A detailed histological description of this case and review of the pertinent literature are provided.

Quality-of-life assessment in patients who had been surgically treated for cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma in childhood

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo Pompili ◽  
Marco Caperle ◽  
Andrea Pace ◽  
Valerio Ramazzotti ◽  
Laura Raus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Karnofsky Performance Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

Object. After radical surgery for childhood cerebellar astrocytomas, patients are considered to be cured. Long-term follow up demonstrates that these patients survive, with most of them leading a normal life. The study reported here was aimed at assessing the quality of life (QOL) of these adults, which is defined as a person's sense of well-being, as derived from his or her current experience of life as a whole. Methods. Twenty patients who had undergone surgery between 1970 and 1985 were enrolled in the study. In four patients ventriculoperitoneal shunts were in place; two of these patients had required more than six shunt revisions. At present, all patients have clear neuroimaging studies and their Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores are as follows: 70 in three, 80 in seven, 90 in six, and 100 in four. A QOL questionnaire was administered to the patients and to a control group consisting of 20 healthy volunteers of matching age and sex. The chi-square test was applied to compare patients and controls. Traditional questions on the level of education, work, whether the patients have their own families, and whether they possessed a driver's license were asked at the end of the questionnaire. In all the dimensions assessed except one (sex life), the difference between patients and control volunteers was significant, socializing and adolescence being the most striking ones. This was also true when the three patients with the lowest KPS scores and the worst QOL results were excluded. Conclusions. By traditional standards, these patients appear to fare quite well. Nevertheless, their self-reported life experience is unsatisfying when compared with the control group. The authors conclude that psychosocial factors are critical to complete recovery and the QOL of children who undergo successful operations for benign cerebellar astrocytoma.

S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase in CSF after experimental traumatic or focal ischemic brain damage

1989 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Göran Hårdemark ◽  
Nils Ericsson ◽  
Zbigniew Kotwica ◽  
Gerd Rundström ◽  
Ib Mendel-Hartvig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Brain Damage ◽  
Focal Cerebral Ischemia ◽  
Neuron Specific Enolase ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Neurological Injury ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mca Occlusion ◽  
S 100 ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of brain damage are potentially capable of providing quantitative information about the extent of certain neurological injury. The presence of such markers in CSF after brain damage is transient and it is essential to understand their kinetics if they are to be used in clinical practice. In the present study, the CSF concentrations of two neurospecific proteins, S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), were determined in rats before and repeatedly after one of two types of experimental brain damage: traumatic cortical injury and focal cerebral ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. The two types of experimental brain damage resulted in significant differences in the kinetics of S-100 and NSE concentrations in CSF. Cortical contusion was followed by a rapid increase in both S-100 and NSE and a peak occurred in both after about 7½ hours, at which time the values declined toward normal. A second, smaller peak was seen after about 1½ days. The increase and decrease in S-100 and NSE levels in CSF was slower after MCA occlusion; a peak was seen after 2 to 4 days. Furthermore, S-100 was generally higher than NSE after trauma, whereas after MCA occlusion the NSE concentration was slightly higher than the S-100 value. These results support the use of CSF markers for estimation of the extent of brain damage in experimental models and forms a basis for the understanding of their kinetics, which is important for their use in clinical practice.

Reversal of thalamic hand syndrome by long-term motor cortex stimulation

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 873-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Franzini ◽  
Paolo Ferroli ◽  
Domenico Servello ◽  
Giovanni Broggi
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Central Pain ◽  
Motor Cortex Stimulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hand Dystonia ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors describe a case of complete recovery from the so-called “thalamic hand” syndrome following chronic motor cortex stimulation in a 64-year-old man suffering from poststroke thalamic central pain. As of the 2-year follow-up examination, the patient's dystonia and pain are still controlled by electrical stimulation.It is speculated that a common mechanism in which the thalamocortical circuit loops are rendered out of balance may sustain hand dystonia and central pain in this case of thalamic syndrome. To the authors' knowledge this is the first reported case of its kind.

Basilar-middle meningeal arterial anastomosis

1978 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 450-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiro Waga ◽  
Masahiko Okada ◽  
Yoshisuke Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Rare Case ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Arterial Anastomosis ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A rare case of basilar-middle meningeal arterial anastomosis is reported. Pertinent literature is reviewed and an embryological explanation of this anastomosis is discussed.

Congenital ventriculocisternostomy

1981 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirpal S. Mann ◽  
Virender K. Khosla ◽  
Des R. Gulati
Keyword(s):  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conray Ventriculography ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A case of congenital ventriculocisternostomy is reported. This infant presented with occipital meningocele. Conray ventriculography demonstrated a spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy and stenosis of the aqueduct. The case is discussed and pertinent literature reviewed.

Late complications of Silastic duraplasty: low-virulence infections

1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kåre Ekseth ◽  
Sverre Bostr∞m
Keyword(s):  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Late Complications ◽  
Good Recovery ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Third ◽  
Antibiotic Drugs ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Mass Lesions ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors describe three patients with expanding hemorrhagic mass lesions who presented 13 to 18 years after undergoing Silastic duraplasty. In all patients, results of bacteriological cultures of the masses obtained intraoperatively were positive, revealing low-virulence bacteria. Two of the patients were treated with antibiotic drugs and made a good recovery. The third did not receive antibiotic medications initially and later developed an epidural empyema that necessitated reoperation, but subsequently made a complete recovery. Vascularized neomembranes are generally agreed to be causes of the expanding masses, but the possibility that patients could be harboring chronic infections must be considered. Thus, on removal of duraplasty materials a complete bacteriological culture should be obtained, and if it is positive the proper antibiotic therapy should be administered. Furthermore, the creation of a registry of patients who have received implants is advocated to facilitate tracking of implanted material in case of complications.

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