Preliminary experience with the DOC dynamic cervical implant for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylosis

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Steinmetz ◽  
Ann Warbel ◽  
Melvin Whitfield ◽  
William Bingaman

Object. Despite the wide use of anterior cervical instrumentation in the management of multilevel cervical spondylosis, the incidences of pseudarthrosis and instrument-related failure remain high. The use of a dynamic implant may aid in the prevention of these complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the DOC dynamic cervical implant in the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylosis. Methods. The authors evaluated 34 cases in which anterior multilevel cervical decompression and fusion were performed using the DOC Ventral Cervical Stabilization System. Postoperatively, and at each follow-up visit, the sagittal angle and the degree of subsidence that developed were measured. Fusion rates and clinical outcomes were also evaluated. The mean postoperative sagittal angle was 14° of lordosis. The mean change in the sagittal angle during the follow-up period was 0.4° of lordosis. By 6 months postoperatively some subsidence had occurred in most patients, with no subsidence occurring in only 15%. By 3 months greater than or equal to 2 mm of subsidence was demonstrated in 61% of cases. The overall fusion rate was 91%. In the majority of patients (79%) symptoms were judged to be improved or resolved. Conclusions. The DOC dynamic cervical implant permitted controlled subsidence and prevented progression of kyphotic deformity. There was one construct failure (related to a motor vehicle accident) and an overall fusion rate of 91%. The DOC implant is a safe and effective cervical construct for multilevel spondylotic disease.

1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff S. Compton ◽  
Nicholas W. C. Dorsch

✓ A case is reported of a 45-year-old man who developed quadriplegia following a trivial motor-vehicle accident. Investigation including computerized tomography (CT) of the cervical spine revealed a large calcified lesion displacing the spinal cord and nerve roots, which proved to be a tuberculoma. The case is unusual in regard to the age of the patient, the size, location, and nature of the lesion, the mode of presentation, and the delineation of the lesion by CT scanning.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dumitru ◽  
James E. Lang

✓ A rare case of cruciate paralysis is reported in a 39-year-old man following a motor-vehicle accident. The differentiation of this syndrome from a central cervical spinal cord injury is delineated.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iman Feiz-Erfan ◽  
L. Fernando Gonzalez ◽  
Curtis A. Dickman

✓ The authors describe a new technique of internal atlantooccipital screw fixation involving posterior wiring and fusion for the treatment of traumatic atlantooccipital dislocation, which was performed in a 17-year-old male patient involved in a motor vehicle accident and who suffered from atlantooccipital dislocation without neurological injury. At the 6-month follow-up examination, the patient was neurologically intact with a solid occipitocervical fusion and full range of motion of the neck.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Guimarães-Ferreira ◽  
Fredrik Gewalli ◽  
Pelle Sahlin ◽  
Hans Friede ◽  
Py Owman-Moll ◽  
...  

Object. Brachycephaly is a characteristic feature of Apert syndrome. Traditional techniques of cranioplasty often fail to produce an acceptable morphological outcome in patients with this condition. In 1996 a new surgical procedure called “dynamic cranioplasty for brachycephaly” (DCB) was reported. The purpose of the present study was to analyze perioperative data and morphological long-term results in patients with the cranial vault deformity of Apert syndrome who were treated with DCB. Methods. Twelve patients have undergone surgery performed using this technique since its introduction in 1991 (mean duration of follow-up review 60.2 months). Eleven patients had bicoronal synostosis and one had a combined bicoronal—bilambdoid synostosis. Perioperative data and long-term evolution of skull shape visualized on serial cephalometric radiographs were analyzed and compared with normative data. Changes in mean skull proportions were evaluated using a two-tailed paired-samples t-test, with differences being considered significant for probability values less than 0.01. The mean operative blood transfusion was 136% of estimated red cell mass (ERCM) and the mean postoperative transfusion was 48% of ERCM. The mean operative time was 218 minutes. The duration of stay in the intensive care unit averaged 1.7 days and the mean hospital stay was 11.8 days. There were no incidences of mortality and few complications. An improvement in skull shape was achieved in all cases, with a change in the mean cephalic index from a preoperative value of 90 to a postoperative value of 78 (p = 0.000254). Conclusions. Dynamic cranioplasty for brachycephaly is a safe procedure, yielding high-quality morphological results in the treatment of brachycephaly in patients with Apert syndrome.


1993 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Spetzler ◽  
James M. Herman ◽  
Stephen Beals ◽  
Edward Joganic ◽  
John Milligan

✓ Through the combined efforts of neurosurgeons, head and neck surgeons, and craniofacial surgeons, the standard transbasal approach to the frontal fossa has been modified to include removal of the orbital roofs, nasion, and ethmoid sinuses. This approach has been combined further with facial disassembly procedures to provide extensive midline exposure to the midface and clival region. Extended frontal approaches, however, necessitate removal of the crista galli and sectioning of the olfactory rootlets with the associated risk of anosmia, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, and the need for complex reconstruction of the frontal floor. To avoid these problems, the authors have modified the technique of handling the cribriform plate to preserve the olfactory unit. Circumferential osteotomy cuts are made around the cribriform plate to allow an en bloc removal with its attachment to both the dura and underlying mucosa. Opening of the dura is avoided and the cribriform bone is used to reconstruct the floor. Four patients underwent this approach, for treatment of an angiofibroma in three and a fibrosarcoma in one. The mean follow-up period was 7 months. No patients developed a CSF leak, and within 8 weeks olfaction had returned in all patients. There was no other associated morbidity. These data suggest that this modification of the transbasilar approach can alleviate extensive reconstructive procedures and CSF leaks while preserving olfaction.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 81-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang-Du Liu ◽  
Wen-Yuh Chung ◽  
Hsiu-Mei Wu ◽  
Cheng-Ying Shiau ◽  
Ling-Wei Wang ◽  
...  

Object. The authors sought to determine the value of gamma knife surgery (GKS) in the treatment of cavernous hemangiomas (CHs). Methods. Between 1993 and 2002, a total of 125 patients with symptomatic CHs were treated with GKS. Ninety-seven patients presented with bleeding and 45 of these had at least two bleeding episodes. Thirteen patients presented with seizures combined with hemorrhage, and 15 patients presented with seizures alone. The mean margin dose of radiation was 12.1 Gy and the mean follow-up time was 5.4 years. In the 112 patients who had bled the number of rebleeds after GKS was 32. These rebleeds were defined both clinically and based on magnetic resonance imaging for an annual rebleeding rate of 32 episodes/492 patient-years or 6.5%. Twenty-three of the 32 rebleeding episodes occurred within 2 years after GKS. Nine episodes occurred after 2 years; thus, the annual rebleeding rate after GKS was 10.3% for the first 2 years and 3.3% thereafter (p = 0.0038). In the 45 patients with at least two bleeding episodes before GKS, the rebleeding rate dropped from 29.2% (55 episodes/188 patient-years) before treatment to 5% (10 episodes/197 patient-years) after treatment (p < 0.0001). Among the 28 patients who presented with seizures, 15 (53%) had good outcomes (Engel Grades I and II). In this study of 125 patients, symptomatic radiation-induced complications developed in only three patients. Conclusions. Gamma knife surgery can effectively reduce the rebleeding rate after the first symptomatic hemorrhage in patients with CH. In addition, GKS may be useful in reducing the severity of seizures in patients with CH.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 225-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
En-Min Wang ◽  
Li Pan ◽  
Bing-Jiang Wang ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Liang-Fu Zhou ◽  
...  

Object. The authors assessed the long-term result of gamma knife surgery (GKS) for hemangioblastomas of the brain (HABs) and show histopathological findings after GKS. Methods. Thirty-five patients, 28 men and seven women, with a mean age of 36 years underwent GKS. Eighteen patients presented with multiple tumors and 17 with a solitary tumor. Twenty-one patients had von Hippel—Lindau (VHL) disease. The mean tumor diameter was 13 mm (range 5–55 mm). The mean follow up after GKS was 66 months (range 24–114 months). The mean prescription dose was 17.2 Gy (range 12–24 Gy) at the tumor margin. For tumors close to or within the brainstem a prescription dose of 12 to 13 Gy was used. At the most recent follow up, 29 patients were alive, six were dead, and satisfactory tumor control had been achieved in 29. A stable or improved neurological status was obtained in 21 patients. Eight patients underwent open surgery because of tumor-associated cyst enlargement or the development of new tumors after GKS. Seven patients developed new tumors and five of them required a second GKS. The 1-year tumor control rate was 94%; 2 years, 85%; 3 years, 82%; 4 years, 79%; and 5 years, 71%. Histopathology showed that no tumor cells were found and there was degeneration and necrosis in a tumor nodule 48 months after GKS with a prescription dose of 18 Gy. Conclusions. Gamma knife surgery was a useful choice for small- or medium-sized, solid HAB in the long term, especially when the tumor margin dose was 18 Gy. Although GKS can treat multiple tumors in a single session, for HABs associated with VHL disease, GKS faces the dual problems of tumor recurrence or development of a new tumor.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Ahn ◽  
Sang-Ho Lee ◽  
Woo-Min Park ◽  
Ho-Yeon Lee

✓ The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and feasibility of posterolateral percutaneous endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy (PELF) for foraminal or lateral exit zone stenosis of the L5—S1 level in the awake patient. Twelve consecutive patients with L5—S1 foraminal stenosis and associated leg pain underwent PELF between May 2001 and July 2002. Under fluoroscopic guidance, posterolateral endoscopic foraminal decompression was performed using a bone reamer, endoscopic forceps, and a laser. Using this new technique, the authors removed part of the hypertrophied superior facet, thickened ligamentum flavum, and protruded disc compressing the exiting (L-5) nerve root. Clinical outcome was measured using the Macnab criteria. The mean follow-up period was 12.9 months. All the patients were discharged within 24 hours. Satisfactory (excellent or good) results were demonstrated in 10 patients. There was no complication. The PELF procedure provides a simple alternative for treating lumbar foraminal or lateral exit zone stenosis in selected cases. The authors found that the posterolateral endoscopic approach to the L5—S1 foramen was usually possible and that using a bone reamer to undercut the superior facet was effective.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 978-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Lung Lin ◽  
Aaron S. Dumont ◽  
Ann-Shung Lieu ◽  
Chen-Po Yen ◽  
Shiuh-Lin Hwang ◽  
...  

Object. The reported incidence, timing, and predictive factors of perioperative seizures and epilepsy after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have differed considerably because of a lack of uniform definitions and variable follow-up periods. In this study the authors evaluate the incidence, temporal course, and predictive factors of perioperative seizures and epilepsy during long-term follow up of patients with SAH who underwent surgical treatment. Methods. Two hundred seventeen patients who survived more than 2 years after surgery for ruptured intracranial aneurysms were enrolled and retrospectively studied. Episodes were categorized into onset seizures (≤ 12 hours of initial hemorrhage), preoperative seizures, postoperative seizures, and late epilepsy, according to their timing. The mean follow-up time was 78.7 months (range 24–157 months). Forty-six patients (21.2%) had at least one seizure post-SAH. Seventeen patients (7.8%) had onset seizures, five (2.3%) had preoperative seizures, four (1.8%) had postoperative seizures, 21 (9.7%) had at least one seizure episode after the 1st week postoperatively, and late epilepsy developed in 15 (6.9%). One (3.8%) of 26 patients with perioperative seizures (onset, preoperative, or postoperative seizure) had late epilepsy at follow up. The mean latency between the operation and the onset of late epilepsy was 8.3 months (range 0.3–19 months). Younger age (< 40 years old), loss of consciousness of more than 1 hour at ictus, and Fisher Grade 3 or greater on computerized tomography scans proved to be significantly related to onset seizures. Onset seizure was also a significant predictor of persistent neurological deficits (Glasgow Outcome Scale Scores 2–4) at follow up. Factors associated with the development of late epilepsy were loss of consciousness of more than 1 hour at ictus and persistent postoperative neurological deficit. Conclusions. Although up to one fifth of patients experienced seizure(s) after SAH, more than half had seizure(s) during the perioperative period. The frequency of late epilepsy in patients with perioperative seizures (7.8%) was not significantly higher than those without such seizures (6.8%). Perioperative seizures did not recur frequently and were not a significant predictor for late epilepsy.


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