Modification of the ventral approach to the caudal cervical spine by resection of the manubrium in a dog

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (06) ◽  
pp. 514-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Owen ◽  
M. A. Bush

SummaryA five-year-old neutered female Bassett Hound weighing 29 kg was presented with a two-day history of paraparesis. Neurological examination and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of extruded disc material ventral to the spinal cord, from the C7-T1 intervertebral disc. A ventral slot was performed to decompress the cord. In making the approach to the caudal cervical spine, the cranial aspect of the manubrium of the sternum was resected. This improved the exposure of a region normally difficult to expose via a conventional ventral approach to the cervical spine. The successful performance of the ventral slot procedure was greatly facilitated by this adaptation, which was quick and simple to perform, without any apparent adverse affects to the animal.

Neurosurgery ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. E1440-E1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason H. Huang ◽  
Irena Tsui ◽  
Alexander R. Judkins ◽  
Erin Simon ◽  
John K. Birknes ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report an extremely rare case of primary intramedullary germinoma in the cervical spinal cord arising in an 18-year-old man who had not undergone previous surgery or irradiation. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient had a 2-month history of intermittent neck pain and a 4-week history of bilateral hand paresthesias and weakness. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrated a heterogeneous cervical spine lesion with marked contrast enhancement extending from C3 to C6. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent a cervical laminotomy with tumor resection, and pathological examination revealed the tumor to be a germinoma. He recovered well from the surgery with minimal neurological deficits. A postoperative magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain and spinal cord did not show any other tumors. In addition, imaging studies of the mediastinum, testes, and the rest of the body also did not demonstrate any other tumors. The patient received local radiation as well as three courses of chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of an intramedullary cervical spine germinoma with confirmed tissue diagnosis. Although extremely uncommon, the possibility of germinoma should be included in the differential diagnosis for primary intramedullary spinal cord tumors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-63
Author(s):  
Kathleen Ann Bonawandt ◽  
Jason M. Berg ◽  
Richard J. Joseph ◽  
Joseph D. Stefanacci

ABSTRACT A 7 yr old female spayed Yorkshire terrier was referred to the author's institute for a 5 mo history of recurrent cervical spinal pain. Neurologic examination did not reveal any deficits. Hematologic and serum analyses were within normal limits. Thoracic radiographs that incorporated the cervical spine did not show structural abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine demonstrated a contrast enhancing, intradural extramedullary lesion at the level of the C2 vertebra. Hemilaminectomy was performed, during which a long, narrow nematode was visualized upon opening of the dura mater. The parasite was alive when removed during surgery, and the dog recovered with complete resolution of symptoms. The parasite was submitted and confirmed as a male adult Dirofilaria immitis. This is a novel case of an intradural D. immitis infection in the dog with a magnetic resonance imaging description of spinal D. immitis.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aria Nouri ◽  
Lindsay Tetreault ◽  
Satoshi Nori ◽  
Allan R Martin ◽  
Anick Nater ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Congenital spinal stenosis (CSS) of the cervical spine is a risk factor for acute spinal cord injury and development of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). OBJECTIVE To develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based criteria to diagnose preexisting CSS and evaluate differences between patients with and without CSS. METHODS A secondary analysis of international prospectively collected data between 2005 and 2011 was conducted. We examined the data of 349 surgical DCM patients and 27 controls. Spinal canal and cord anteroposterior diameters were measured at noncompressed sites to calculate spinal cord occupation ratio (SCOR). Torg–Pavlov ratios and spinal canal diameters from radiographs were correlated with SCOR. Clinical and MRI factors were compared between patients with and without CSS. Surgical outcomes were also assessed. RESULTS Calculation of SCOR was feasible in 311/349 patients. Twenty-six patients with CSS were identified (8.4%). Patients with CSS were younger than patients without CSS (P = .03) and had worse baseline severity as measured by the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association score (P = .04), Nurick scale (P = .05), and Neck Disability Index (P < .01). CSS patients more commonly had T2 cord hyperintensity changes (P = .09, ns) and worse SF-36 Physical Component scores (P = .06, ns). SCOR correlated better with Torg–Pavlov ratio and spinal canal diameter at C3 than C5. Patients with SCOR ≥ 65% were also younger but did not differ in baseline severity. CONCLUSION SCOR ≥ 70% is an effective criterion to diagnose CSS. CSS patients develop myelopathy at a younger age and have greater impairment and disability than other patients with DCM. Despite this, CSS patients have comparable duration of symptoms, MRI presentations, and surgical outcomes to DCM patients without CSS.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-230
Author(s):  
Keith Jackson ◽  
Uma Ramadorai ◽  
Brian Abell ◽  
John DeVine

Background Charcot arthropathy is a cascade of destructive changes that can effect joints of both the axial and appendicular skeleton. The pathogenesis of this condition centers around the accumulation of minor traumatic events after the loss of normal joint sensation. The most frequently cited cause of Charcot arthropathy of the upper extremity is syringomyelia, and magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine should be obtained at presentation. Case Report A 72-year-old woman presented with a painless right wrist deformity. Radiographs demonstrated advanced destructive changes of the radiocarpal joint. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed multilevel cervical spondylotic stenosis with cord deformation, but no evidence of syringomyelia. Neurological examination confirmed the presence of myelopathy. Literature Review The most frequently cited cause of Charcot arthropathy of the upper extremity is syringomyelia, although pathologies such as diabetes mellitus, tabes dorsalis, leprosy, and other disorders affecting the nervous system have been reported to lead to this condition. Neuropathic arthropathy involving the wrist is a rare phenomenon with fewer than 20 published reports in modern literature. Clinical Relevance Charcot arthropathy of the wrist is a rare but potentially disabling condition. The diagnosis of spondylotic myelopathy should be considered when evaluating a patient with this presentation. Evaluation consisting of a detailed neurological examination and advanced imaging of the cervical spine is warranted to identify the etiology.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kern H. Guppy ◽  
Mark Hawk ◽  
Indro Chakrabarti ◽  
Amit Banerjee

The authors present 2 cases involving patients who presented with myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed spinal cord signal changes on T2-weighted images without any spinal cord compression. Flexion-extension plain radiographs of the spine showed no instability. Dynamic MR imaging of the cervical spine, however, showed spinal cord compression on extension. Compression of the spinal cord was caused by dynamic anulus bulging and ligamentum flavum buckling. This report emphasizes the need for dynamic MR imaging of the cervical spine for evaluating spinal cord changes on neutral position MR imaging before further workup for other causes such as demyelinating disease.


2014 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 919-923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan N. Sellin ◽  
Baraa Al-Hafez ◽  
Edward A. M. Duckworth

The authors report a case of trigeminal hypesthesia caused by compression of the spinal cord by a C-2 segmental-type vertebral artery (VA) that was successfully treated with microvascular decompression. Aberrant intradural VA loops have been reported as causes of cervical myelopathy, some of which improved with microvascular decompression. A 52-year-old man presented with progressive complaints of headache, dizziness, left facial numbness, and left upper-extremity paresthesia that worsened when turning his head to the right. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed the left VA passing intradurally between the axis and atlas, foregoing the C-1 foramen transversarium, and impinging on the spinal cord. The patient underwent left C-1 and C-2 hemilaminectomies followed by microvascular decompression of an aberrant VA loop compressing the spinal cord. The patient subsequently reported complete resolution of symptoms.


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