Cervical disc herniation presenting as a mass lesion posterior to the odontoid process

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 954-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Rosenberg ◽  
Andrew E. Rosenberg ◽  
Charles E. Poletti

✓ The authors report two cases of herniated intervertebral disc presenting as a mass posterior to the odontoid process and causing myelopathy in previously healthy elderly women. The differential diagnosis of a mass at the craniovertebral junction is reviewed, and the implications of these cases are discussed.

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul Goel

Object. The author discusses the successful preliminary experience of treating selected cases of basilar invagination by performing atlantoaxial joint distraction, reduction of the basilar invagination, and direct lateral mass atlantoaxial plate/screw fixation. Methods. Twenty-two patients with basilar invagination—in which the odontoid process invaginated into the foramen magnum and the tip of the odontoid process was above the Chamberlain, McRae foramen magnum, and Wackenheim clival lines—were selected to undergo surgery. In all patients fixed atlantoaxial dislocations were documented. The 16 male and six female patients ranged in age from 8 to 50 years. A history of trauma prior to the onset of symptoms was documented in 17 patients. Following surgery, the author observed minimal-to-significant reduction of basilar invagination and alteration in other craniospinal parameters resulting in restoration of alignment of the tip of the odontoid process and the clivus and the entire craniovertebral junction in all patients. In addition to neurological and radiological improvement, preoperative symptoms of torticollis resolved significantly in all patients. The minimum follow-up period was 12 months and the mean was 28 months. Conclusions. Joint distraction and firm lateral mass fixation in selected cases of basilar invagination is a reasonable surgical treatment for reducing the basilar invagination, restoring craniospinal alignment, and establishing fixation of the atlantoaxial joint.


1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Giancarlo Vishteh ◽  
Stephen P. Beals ◽  
Edward F. Joganic ◽  
Jacque L. Reiff ◽  
Curtis A. Dickman ◽  
...  

✓ Transoral approaches are used to expose the craniovertebral junction anteriorly. In patients in whom there is limited mandibular excursion, the placement of retractors and/or surgical instruments is difficult, and midline “stairstep split mandibulotomy” has been advocated as an adjunctive procedure. Although effective, this approach requires external splitting of the lip as well as median glossotomy or a lateral mucosal incision. The purpose of this study was to show that bilateral sagittal split mandibular osteotomies (BSSMOs), which are used in orthognathic surgery, represent a safer and more effective alternative to the stairstep split mandibulotomy when performed as an adjunct to the transoral approach because all incisions are intraoral and the plane of retraction is rostrocaudal instead of lateral. Hospital records and radiographic files of four patients who underwent BSSMO/transoral approach for odontoidectomy between 1994 and 1997 were reviewed retrospectively. There were three women and one boy (mean age 37.8 years, range 11–68 years). Predisposing conditions included rheumatoid arthritis (two patients), Klippel—Feil syndrome (one patient), and congenital occipitocervical instability (one patient). Jaw mobility was limited in all patients. In addition, one patient had macroglossia, another micrognathia, and another retrognathia. The BSSMO provided excellent exposure for resection of the odontoid process, as verified on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography studies obtained in all patients. All mandibles were rigidly fixed by placing anterior mandibular border titanium plates and unicortical screws, and there was no incidence of nonunion or of lingual or inferior alveolar nerve injuries. The mean follow-up period was 26 months. The BSSMO is an excellent, less invasive adjunct to the transoral approach in patients with limited jaw mobility.


1978 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 914-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrell J. Harris ◽  
Victor L. Fornasier ◽  
Kenneth E. Livingston

✓ Hemangiopericytoma is a vascular neoplasm consisting of capillaries outlined by an intact basement membrane that separates the endothelial cells of the capillaries from the spindle-shaped tumor cells in the extravascular area. These neoplasms are found in soft tissues but have rarely been shown to involve the spinal canal. This is a report of three such cases. Surgical removal of the tumor from the spinal canal was technically difficult. A high risk of recurrence has been reported but in these three cases adjunctive radiotherapy appeared to be of benefit in controlling the progression of the disease. These cases, added to the six cases in the literature, confirm the existence of hemangiopericytoma involving the vertebral column with extension into the spinal canal. This entity should be included in the differential diagnosis of lesions of the spinal canal. The risk of intraoperative hemorrhage should be anticipated.


1973 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwight Parkinson ◽  
Christopher Shields

✓ Thirty-three intervertebral disc patients who otherwise would have been subjected to surgery were treated by injection with chymopapain. The pharmacology, toxicology, physiology, immunology, and chemical action of this enzyme, which specifically reacts with chondromucoproteins, are discussed. Results indicate that this method, although still experimental and unapproved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, may become a useful addition to the surgeon's armamentarium in the treatment of intervertebral disc disease.


1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 784-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Hardenack ◽  
Anje Völker ◽  
J. Michael Schröder ◽  
Joachim M. Gilsbach ◽  
Albrecht G. Harders

The authors report the occurrence of primary eosinophilic granuloma of the oculomotor nerve without osseous involvement in a 68-year-old man. Histopathological and neuroradiological findings are discussed. This case demonstrates that eosinophilic granuloma should be included in the differential diagnosis of tumor in which cranial nerves are involved.


1988 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan C. Grabel ◽  
Raphael Davis ◽  
Rosario Zappulla

✓ The case presented is of a patient with an intervertebral disc space cyst producing recurrent radicular pain following microdiscectomy in the lumbar region. Difficulties with the preoperative diagnosis of this and other recurrent radicular syndromes are discussed, and a review of the relevant literature is presented.


1990 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Aldrich

✓ The controversy over whether to use a posterior or anterior approach for surgical treatment of soft cervical discs is still largely unsettled. However, although the posterior approach may be underutilized, it has distinct advantages when there are specific indications. Out of a large pool of cases, 53 patients presented with acute monoradiculopathy caused by soft cervical disc herniation. In 36 of these, the disc was sequestered (nonconfined) and was posterolateral to the disc space as seen on computerized tomography-myelography. Distinct motor weakness was a common clinical finding in all 36 cases. These patients were treated by using a 2- to 3-cm skin incision for the posterolateral microsurgical approach. The extent of the lateral facetectomy depended upon the relationship between the nerve root and the disc. All fragments were lateral to the dural sac and were sequestered through the anulus fibrosus and the posterior longitudinal ligament. Sequestrations were removed under direct microscopic vision, but the disc space was not entered. Pain relief and motor-power improvement in the affected radicular distribution were immediate in all patients. Sensory deficit and residual motor loss improved dramatically with normalization at approximately 6 months. No complications occurred and the mean hospital stay was 2 days. The follow-up period varied from 4 to 42 months with a mean of 26 months. Thus far, there have been no recurrences or other associated complications. By using strict selection criteria and a microsurgical posterolateral approach with removal of the sequestered disc fragment, excellent results with normalization of the monoradiculopathy can be obtained. The ease of this technique, low risk, minimal complications, and excellent results make it an attractive alternative to the anterior approach. The clinical presentations, specific indications, surgical technique, and clinical results are discussed; and a prototype of a small cervical self-retaining retractor is described.


1979 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven L. Wald ◽  
James E. McLennan ◽  
Richard M. Carroll ◽  
Harold Segal

✓ A case of extradural gouty tophus in the lumbar region in a teen-age girl is presented as an addition to the differential diagnosis of erosive lesions of the spinal canal.


1971 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Fox ◽  
Joel L. Falik ◽  
Robert J. Shalhoub

✓ Of 80 consecutive neurosurgical patients, 23 exhibited inappropriate secretion of the antidiuretic hormone (ISADH); 11 of these patients required marked fluid restriction. Sodium concentration in the urine characteristically increased as serum values decreased. Only by following the urine sodium concentrations could the differential diagnosis of nutritional hyponatremia and ISADH be made. The role of ISADH in cerebral edema is stressed. The treatment recommended for ISADH is marked fluid restriction, whereas in nutritional hyponatremia, saline replacement is indicated.


1981 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 480-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. Fisher ◽  
Richard L. Saunders

✓ Forty-three cases of surgically treated lumbar disc protrusion in patients 21 years or younger are analyzed. The results were generally good. Ten percent of the patients required reoperation within 3 years. No major complications were experienced. Follow-up observation ranged from 4 to 30 years. Disc protrusion should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children with back and sciatic pain, and early myelography should be carried out in the refractory case. The symptoms, signs, myelograms, and surgical findings are usually similar to those of the adult patient with a disc protrusion.


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