Paradoxical response in spinal tuberculosis: Lessons learnt

ABSTRACT Background: Patients with spinal tuberculosis started on antituberculous treatment (ATT) empirically and showing increasing size of the lesion on follow-up are a treatment challenge. We describe our experience in managing such cases. Materials and Methods: We treated 80 patients with spinal tuberculosis at our institute from January 2012 to June 2014. Of these, 50 were managed by surgical intervention and the rest 30 were managed conservatively only on anti-tubercular drugs. Six patients out of these 30 patients, showed a paradoxical increase in the size of lesion without any neurological deficits after 3 months of starting ATT. Surgical intervention was done in three cases, whereas other three were managed by ultrasound-guided tapping of the lesion with continuation of ATT. Results: There was an improvement in the symptoms with weight gain and normalcy of appetite. However, all these patients had lymphopenia on differential leukocyte counts at the outset which normalized at 3 months. Conclusion: The mainstay of management of paradoxical response in spinal tuberculosis should be conservative with drainage or aspiration of abscesses along with the continuation of ATT. Surgical decompression and stabilization may be necessary in few cases who develop new neurological deficits or deformity or instability.

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Can We Extrapolate SINS Score to Evaluate Instability in Spinal Tuberculosis?

Global Spine Journal ◽

10.1177/21925682211030876 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 219256822110308

Author(s):

Yogesh Kishorkant Pithwa ◽

Vikrant Sinha Roy

Keyword(s):

Prospective Observational Study ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Spinal Tuberculosis ◽

Neurological Status ◽

Structural Instability ◽

Stable Group ◽

Surgical Decision ◽

Helpful Tool ◽

Surgical Decision Making

Study Design: Prospective Observational Study. Objectives: To assess the feasibility of utilizing SINS score, originally suggested for neoplastic conditions, to assess structural instability in spinal tuberculosis. Methods: Patients with an established diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis were included in the study. Based on SINS scoring, patients classified as those with “indeterminate stability” were managed with or without surgery based on other parameters including neurological status, severity of pain, medical comorbidities, etc. Results: Eighty [39 males, 41 females] patients prospectively evaluated with mean age 46.74 ± 17.3 years. Classification done into stable [n = 7], indeterminate [n = 45] and unstable [n = 28] groups based on SINS scoring. All the patients in unstable group were treated with surgical stabilization whereas none in the stable group required surgical stabilization. In the indeterminate group, 26 patients underwent surgical stabilization, while 19 treated non-operatively. Major determinants predisposing to surgical intervention in “indeterminate group” were pain [14 of 26 patients] and neurological status [11 of 26 patients]. Mean follow-up 38.5 ± 22.61 months with minimum follow-up being 24 months. Preoperative VAS score for pain improved from median of 9/10 to 1/10 following surgery [ P < .0001]. In the non-operative group, the improvement was from median score of 6/10 to 1/10 [ P < .0001]. Preoperative ODI improved in non-operative and operative group from median of 42% and 70%, respectively to 10% and 12%, respectively in the postoperative period [ P < .0001 for both groups]. Conclusions: SINS scoring can be a helpful tool in surgical decision-making even in spinal tuberculosis. Further refinement of the score can be done with a larger, multicenter study.

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Relative Efficacy of Three of Nonsurgical Treatments for Calcific Tendinitis: Physical Therapy vs Steroid Injection vs Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967121s00210 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7_suppl4) ◽

pp. 2325967121S0021

Author(s):

Mauricio Drummond ◽

Caroline Ayinon ◽

Albert Lin ◽

Robin Dunn

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Rotator Cuff ◽

Conservative Treatment ◽

Conservative Management ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Corticosteroid Injection ◽

Calcific Tendinitis ◽

Ultrasound Guided ◽

Calcium Deposits

Objectives: Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is a painful condition characterized by the presence of calcium deposits within the tendons of the rotator cuff (RTC) that accounts for up to 7% of cases of shoulder pain1. The most common conservative treatments typically include physical therapy (PT), corticosteroid injection (CSI), or ultrasound-guided aspiration (USA). When conservative management fails, the patient may require arthroscopic surgery to remove the calcium with concomitant rotator cuff repair. The purpose of this study was to characterize the failure rates, defined as the need for surgery, of each of these three methods of conservative treatment, as well as to compare post-operative improvement in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) – including subjective shoulder values (SSV) and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores – based on the type of pre-operative conservative intervention provided. A secondary aim was to compare post-operative range of motion (ROM) outcomes between groups that failed conservative management. We hypothesized that all preoperative conservative treatments would have equivalent success rates, PROs, and ROM. Bosworth B. Calcium deposits in the shoulder and subacromial bursitis: a survey of 12122 shoulders. JAMA. 1941;116(22):2477-2489. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients who were diagnosed with calcific tendinitis at our institution treated among 3 fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons between 2009 and 2019 was performed. VAS, SSV, and ROM in forward flexion (FF) and external rotation (ER) was abstracted from the medical records. Scores were recorded at the initial presentation as well as final post-operative follow-up visit for those who underwent surgery. The conservative treatment method utilized by each patient was recorded and included PT, CSI, or USA. Failure of conservative management was defined as eventual progression to surgical intervention. Statistical analysis included chi-square, independent t test and ANOVA. Descriptive statistics were used to report data. A p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: 239 patients diagnosed with calcific tendinitis were identified in the study period with mean age of 54 years and follow up of at least 6 months. In all, 206 (86.2%) patients underwent a method of conservative treatment. Of these patients, 71/239 (29.7%) underwent PT, 67/239 (28%) attempted CSI, and 68/239 (28.5%) underwent USA. The overall failure rate across all treatment groups was 29.1%, with injections yielding the highest success rate of 54/67 (80.6%). Physical therapy saw the highest failure rate, with 26/71 (36.7%) proceeding to surgical intervention. Patients undergoing physical therapy were statistically more likely to require surgery compared to those undergoing corticosteroid injection (RR 1.88, p= 0.024). Of all 93 patients who underwent surgery, VAS, SSV, ROM improved significantly in all groups. On average, VAS decreased by 4.02 points (6.3 to 2.3), SSV increased by 33 points (51 to 84), FF improved by 13.8º, and ER improved 8.4º between the pre- and post-operative visits (p<0.05). The 33 patients who did not attempt a conservative pre-operative treatment demonstrated the largest post-operative improvement in VAS (-6.00), which was significantly greater than those who previously attempted PT (-3.33, p<0.05). There was a trend towards greater improvement in SSV in the pre-operative PT group (45 to 81) compared to others, but this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.47). Range of motion was not significantly affected by the method of pre-operative conservative intervention. Conclusions: Conservative treatment in the form of physical therapy, corticosteroid injection, and ultrasound-guided aspiration is largely successful in managing calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. Of these, PT demonstrated the highest rate of failure in terms of requiring surgical management. PRO improvement varied among the conservative modalities used, however patients who did not attempt conservative management experienced the greatest improvements following surgery. If surgery is necessary following failed conservative treatment, excellent outcomes can be expected with significant improvements in ROM and PROs. This information should be considered by the surgeon when deciding whether to recommend conservative treatment for the management of calcific tendinitis, as well as which specific method to employ.

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Early surgical intervention for active thoracic spinal tuberculosis patients with paraparesis and paraplegia

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12891-021-04078-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Weiwei Li ◽

Zheng Liu ◽

Xiao Xiao ◽

Zhenchao Xu ◽

Zhicheng Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Loss ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Spinal Tuberculosis ◽

Thoracic Spinal ◽

Cobb’S Angle ◽

Perioperative Complication ◽

The Mean ◽

Early Surgical Intervention ◽

Thoracic Spinal Tuberculosis

Abstract Background To explore the therapeutic effect of early surgical intervention for active thoracic spinal tuberculosis (TB) patients with paraparesis and paraplegia. Methods Data on 118 active thoracic spinal TB patients with paraparesis and paraplegia who had undergone surgery at an early stage (within three weeks of paraparesis and paraplegia) from January 2008 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The operation duration, blood loss, perioperative complication rate, VAS score, ASIA grade and NASCIS score of neurological status rating, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), kyphotic Cobb’s angle, and duration of bone graft fusion were analyzed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of surgery. Results The mean operating time was 194.2 minutes, and the mean blood loss was 871.2 ml. The perioperative complication rate was 5.9 %. The mean preoperative VAS score was 5.3, which significantly decreased to 3.2 after the operation and continued decreasing to 1.1 at follow up (P<0.05). All cases achieved an increase of at least one ASIA grade after operation. The rate of full neurological recovery for paraplegia (ASIA grade A and B) was 18.0 % and was significantly lower than the rate (100 %) for paraparesis (ASIA grade C and D) (P<0.05). On the NASCIS scale, the difference in the neurological improvement rate between paraplegia (22.2 % ± 14.1 % in sensation and 52.2 % ± 25.8 % in movement) and paraparesis (26.7 % ± 7.5 % in sensation and 59.4 % ± 7.3 % in movement) was remarkable (P<0.05). Mean preoperative ESR and CRP were 73.1 mm /h and 82.4 mg/L, respectively, which showed a significant increase after operation (P>0.05), then gradually decreased to 11.5 ± 1.8 mm/h and 2.6 ± 0.82 mg/L, respectively, at final follow up (P<0.05). The mean preoperative kyphotic Cobb’s angle was 21.9º, which significantly decreased to 6.5º after operation (P<0.05) while kyphotic correction was not lost during follow up (P>0.05). The mean duration of bone graft fusion was 8.6 ± 1.3 months. Conclusions Early surgical intervention may be beneficial for active thoracic spinal TB patients with paraparesis and paraplegia, with surgical intervention being more beneficial for recovery from paraparesis than paraplegia.

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Progressive Scoliosis and Syringomyelia - Questions of Surgical Approach

Folia Medica ◽

10.1515/folmed-2017-0099 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 261-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mikhail Mikhaylovskiy ◽

Vyacheslav Stupak ◽

Vadim Belozerov ◽

Nikolay Fomichev ◽

Anatoliy Lutsik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surgical Intervention ◽

Surgical Correction ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Spinal Deformities ◽

Loss Of Correction ◽

Scoliotic Deformity ◽

Scoliosis Correction ◽

The Moment ◽

Comparison Of The Results

Abstract Background: The rate of scoliosis in syringomyelia patients ranges from 25 to 74.4%. In turn, syringomyelia occurs in 1.2% to 9.7% of scoliosis patients. Aim: To evaluate outcomes of surgical correction of the scoliotic deformity in syringomyelia patients. Materials and methods: Between 1996 and 2015, 3120 patients with scoliosis of various etiologies were treated at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Vertebrology of the Novosibirsk Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. We conducted a retrospective analysis of syringomyelia-associated scoliosis cases that required surgical correction. Results: Syringomyelia was found in 33 patients (1.05%) out of 3120 patients with spinal deformities of various etiologies; in 21 patients (0.9%) with idiopathic scoliosis of 2334 patients. In identifying the neurological deficit, the recommended first step is to perform neurosurgery. Nineteen patients were operated using the CDI, 4 patients underwent correction VEPTR, in 1 case instrumentation could not be established, 9 patients are undergoing treatment in the department of neurosurgery at the moment. Worsening of neurological deficits was not observed in any patient. Conclusion: A comparison of the results of syringomyelia-associated scoliosis correction with the data of other authors was done. The choice of surgery tactics is strictly individual and depends on the size of the cavity. The result of surgical intervention is generally positive and the loss of correction by the end of follow-up is negligible.

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Early Surgical Intervention for Active Thoracic Spinal Tuberculosis with Paraplegia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-48848/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Weiwei Li ◽

Zheng Liu ◽

Xiao Xiao ◽

Zhenchao Xu ◽

Zhicheng Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Loss ◽

Complication Rate ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Spinal Tuberculosis ◽

Thoracic Spinal ◽

Cobb’S Angle ◽

Perioperative Complication ◽

Early Surgical Intervention ◽

Thoracic Spinal Tuberculosis

Abstract Background: To explore the therapeutic effect of early surgical interventions for patients of active thoracic spinal tuberculosis (TB) with paraplegia. Methods: Data of 118 patients with active thoracic spinal TB and paraplegia who had undergone surgeries at an early stage (within three weeks of paraplegia) from January 2008 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The operation duration, blood loss, perioperative complication rate, VAS score, ASIA grade of neurological status, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), kyphotic Cobb’s angle, and duration of bone graft fusion were analyzed to evaluate the therapeutic effects. Results: Mean operation time was 194.2 minutes, mean blood loss was 871.2 ml. The perioperative complication rate was 5.1%. Mean preoperative VAS score was 5.3, significantly decreased to 3.2 after operation, and continued decreasing to 1.1 at the follow up (P＜0.05). All cases achieved at least one grade elevation after operation, specifically, 2 cases of ASIA grade A rose to grade B, 10 cases of ASIA grade A rose to grade C, 2 cases of ASIA grade A rose to grade E; 9 cases of ASIA grade B rose to grade D, 38 cases of ASIA grade B rose to grade E; all 57 cases of ASIA grade C rose to ASIA grade E. The rate of full neurological recovery for complete paraplegia patients was 14.3%, significantly lower than the rate (91.3%) for incomplete paraplegia patients. Mean preoperative ESR and CRP were 73.1 mm /h and 82.4 mg/L, insignificantly increased after operation (P＞0.05), then gradually decreased to 11.5 ± 1.8 mm /h and 2.6 ± 0.82 mg/L at the final follow up, respectively (P＜0.05). The mean preoperative kyphotic Cobb’s angle was 21.9º, significantly decreased to 6.5º after operation (P＜0.05) and the kyphotic correction had not lost during the follow up (P＞0.05). Mean duration of bone graft fusion was 8.6±1.3 months Conclusion: Early surgical intervention may be beneficial for patients with active thoracic spinal TB with and paraplegia, with surgical intervention being more beneficial for incomplete paraplegic recovery compared with that of complete paraplegia.

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The lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window to deep pontine lesions

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/2014.11.jns141116 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 123 (3) ◽

pp. 699-710 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Paolo Ferroli ◽

Marco Schiariti ◽

Roberto Cordella ◽

Carlo Boffano ◽

Simone Nava ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Critical Area ◽

Surgical Indications ◽

Surgical Strategies ◽

Csf Leakage ◽

New Knowledge ◽

Pontine Lesion

OBJECT Surgery of brainstem lesions is increasingly performed despite the fact that surgical indications and techniques continue to be debated. The deep pons, in particular, continues to be a critical area in which the specific risks related to different surgical strategies continue to be examined. With the intention of bringing new knowledge into this important arena, the authors systematically examined the results of brainstem surgeries that have been performed through the lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window. METHODS Between 1990 and 2013, 29 consecutive patients underwent surgery through this window for either biopsy sampling or for removal of a deep pontine lesion. All of this work was performed at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Istituto Nazionale Neurologico "Carlo Besta", in Milan, Italy. A retrospective analysis of the findings was conducted with the intention of bringing further clarity to this important surgical strategy. RESULTS The lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window was exposed through 4 different approaches: 1) classic retrosigmoid (15 cases), 2) minimally invasive keyhole retrosigmoid (10 cases), 3) translabyrinthine (1 case), and 4) combined petrosal (3 cases). No deaths occurred during the entire clinical study. The surgical complications that were observed included hydrocephalus (2 cases) and CSF leakage (1 case). In 6 (20.7%) of 29 patients the authors encountered new neurological deficits during the immediate postoperative period. All 6 of these patients had undergone lesion removal. In only 2 of these 6 patients were permanent sequelae observed at 3 months follow-up. These findings show that 93% of the patients studied did not report any permanent worsening of their neurological condition after this surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS This retrospective study supports the idea that the lateral infratrigeminal transpontine window is both a low-risk and safe corridor for either biopsy sampling or for removal of deep pontine lesions.

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Early Surgical Intervention for Active Thoracic Spinal Tuberculosis with Paraparesis and Paraplegia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-48848/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Weiwei Li ◽

Zheng Liu ◽

Xiao Xiao ◽

Zhenchao Xu ◽

Zhicheng Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Loss ◽

Complication Rate ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Spinal Tuberculosis ◽

Thoracic Spinal ◽

Cobb’S Angle ◽

Perioperative Complication ◽

Early Surgical Intervention ◽

Thoracic Spinal Tuberculosis

Abstract Background: To explore the therapeutic effect of early surgical interventions for patients of active thoracic spinal tuberculosis (TB) with paraparesis and paraplegia.Methods: Data of 118 patients with active thoracic spinal TB and paraparesis and paraplegia who had undergone surgeries at an early stage (within three weeks of paraparesis and paraplegia) from January 2008 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The operation duration, blood loss, perioperative complication rate, VAS score, ASIA grade of neurological status, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), kyphotic Cobb’s angle, and duration of bone graft fusion were analyzed to evaluate the therapeutic effects.Results: Mean operation time was 194.2 minutes, mean blood loss was 871.2 ml. The perioperative complication rate was 5.1%. Mean preoperative VAS score was 5.3, significantly decreased to 3.2 after operation, and continued decreasing to 1.1 at the follow up (P＜0.05). All cases achieved at least one grade elevation after operation, specifically, 2 cases of ASIA grade A rose to grade B, 10 cases of ASIA grade A rose to grade C, 2 cases of ASIA grade A rose to grade E; 9 cases of ASIA grade B rose to grade D, 38 cases of ASIA grade B rose to grade E; all 57 cases of ASIA grade C rose to ASIA grade E. The rate of full neurological recovery for patients with paraplegia was 14.3%, significantly lower than the rate (91.3%) for patients with paraparesis. Mean preoperative ESR and CRP were 73.1 mm /h and 82.4 mg/L, insignificantly increased after operation (P＞0.05), then gradually decreased to 11.5 ± 1.8 mm /h and 2.6 ± 0.82 mg/L at the final follow up, respectively (P＜0.05). The mean preoperative kyphotic Cobb’s angle was 21.9º, significantly decreased to 6.5º after operation (P＜0.05) and the kyphotic correction had not lost during the follow up (P＞0.05). Mean duration of bone graft fusion was 8.6±1.3 monthsConclusion: Early surgical intervention may be beneficial for patients with active thoracic spinal TB and paraparesis or paraplegia, with surgical intervention being more beneficial for paraparesis recovery compared with paraplegia recovery.

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Quantifying the impact of surgical decompression on quality of life and identification of factors associated with outcomes in patients with symptomatic metastatic spinal cord compression

Journal of Neurosurgery Spine ◽

10.3171/2020.1.spine191326 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 237-244

Author(s):

Asad M. Lak ◽

Amina Rahimi ◽

Abdullah M. Abunimer ◽

Ian Tafel ◽

Sharmila Devi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Cord Compression ◽

Surgical Decompression ◽

First Year ◽

Motor Weakness ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

OBJECTIVEMetastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) imposes significant impairment on patient quality of life and often requires immediate surgical intervention. In this study the authors sought to estimate the impact of surgical intervention on patient quality of life in the form of mean quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained and identify factors associated with positive outcomes.METHODSThe authors performed a retrospective chart review and collected data for patients who had neurological symptoms resulting from radiologically and histologically confirmed MSCC and were treated with surgical decompression during the last 12 years.RESULTSA total of 151 patients were included in this study (mean age 60.4 years, 57.6% males). The 5 most common metastatic tumor types were lung, multiple myeloma, renal, breast, and prostate cancer. The majority of patients had radioresistant tumors (82.7%) and had an active primary site at presentation (67.5%). The median time from tumor diagnosis to cord compression was 12 months and the median time from identification of cord compression to death was 4 months. Preoperative presenting symptoms included motor weakness (70.8%), pain (70.1%), sensory disturbances (47.6%), and bowel or bladder disturbance (31.1%). The median estimated blood loss was 500 mL and the average length of hospital stay was 10.3 days. About 18% of patients had postoperative complications and the mean follow-up was 7 months. The mean pre- and postoperative ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status grades were 3.2 and 2.4, respectively. At follow-up, 58.3% of patients had improved status, 31.5% had no improvement, and 10.0% had worsening of functional status. The mean QALY gained per year in the entire cohort was 0.55. The mean QALY gained in the first 6 months was 0.1 and in the first year was 0.4. For patients who lived 1–2, 2–3, 3–4, or 4–5 years, the mean QALY gained were 0.8, 1.4, 1.7, and 2.3, respectively. Preoperative motor weakness, bowel dysfunction, bladder dysfunction, and ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) class were identified as independent predictors inversely associated with good outcome.CONCLUSIONSThe mean QALY gained from surgical decompression in the first 6 months and first year equals 1.2 months and 5 months of life in perfect health, respectively. These findings suggest that surgery might also be beneficial to patients with life expectancy < 6 months.

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Comparative Efficacy of Traditional Conservative Treatment and Ct-guided Local Chemotherapy for Mild Spinal Tuberculosis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-538789/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yangyang Guo ◽

Meitao Xu ◽

Lei Li ◽

Bin Gu ◽

Zehua Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservative Treatment ◽

Spinal Tuberculosis ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Chemotherapy Treatment ◽

Comparative Efficacy ◽

Local Chemotherapy ◽

Ct Guided ◽

Vas Scores ◽

Chemotherapy Strategy

Abstract Background: There are considerable differences in the treatment strategy for spinal tuberculosis, inclouding conservative or surgical procedures. Conservative treatment is always suitable for most patients. This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of traditional conservative treatment with CT-guided local chemotherapy strategy of mild spinal tuberculosis.Methods: This research retrospectively analysed 120 patients with spinal tuberculosis between January 2005 and January 2016 according to the diagnostic criteria of mild spinal tuberculosis. In total, 89 patients underwent traditional conservative treatment, 31 underwent CT-guided local chemotherapy. Clinical outcome, laboratory indexes, and radiological results were analysed to provide a clinical basis for the choice of mild spinal tuberculosis treatment.Results: All cases achieved a clinical cure with 24 to 50 months followed up. Cobb angle of the two groups spinal tuberculosis segments was 6.25 ± 3.11°, 5.69 ± 2.58° before treatment and 12.36 ± 6.31°, 14.87 ± 7.26° after treatment, respectively. VAS scores were significantly decreased post-treatment. There was no obvious kyphosis, symptoms or neurological deficits at the final follow-up.Conclusions: For mild spinal tuberculosis, traditional conservative treatment can achieve satisfactory results. The strategy combined with CT-guided local chemotherapy treatment is minimally invasive, beneficial for the drainage of paravertebral abscesses and pain relief.

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Surgical management of craniopharyngiomas

Journal of Neurosurgery ◽

10.3171/jns.1986.65.1.0022 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 22-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 204

Author(s):

David S. Baskin ◽

Charles B. Wilson

Keyword(s):

Tumor Size ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Direct Result ◽

Content Type ◽

Fair Result ◽

Transcallosal Approach ◽

Common Presentation ◽

Fine Print

✓ A series of 74 patients with craniopharyngiomas were treated during a 15-year period. Of the 74 patients, 40 were males and 34 were females, with a mean age of 27 years (range 3 to 65 years). Twenty-eight patients (38%) were less than 18 years of age. Remission was defined as clinical improvement with stable ophthalmological and neurological status, radiological evidence of a decrease in tumor size, and either a continued decrease or a stable tumor size on follow-up radiological evaluations. A fair result was considered remission with new neurological deficits related to surgical intervention. All other results were considered a failure. The mean follow-up period in this study was 4 years, with 100% of the patients monitored. In children, the most common presentation was that of growth failure (93%). In adults, sexual dysfunction was the most common presentation, with 88% of males presenting with impotence or marked decrease in sexual drive, and 82% of females presenting with primary or secondary amenorrhea, often associated with galactorrhea. Considering the pediatric and adult populations together, the most common presenting symptom was visual dysfunction, with 71% of patients presenting in this manner. Fifty percent of patients presented with severe headache. The most frequent preoperative finding was a visual field defect, with 72% of patients so affected; 42% of patients had preoperative hypothyroidism and 24% had hypoadrenalism. Diabetes insipidus was present preoperatively in 23%. Hydrocephalus was uncommon, being present in only 15%. A subfrontal craniotomy was used in 47% of patients, a transsphenoidal approach in 39%, a subtemporal approach in 11%, a transcallosal approach in 5%, and a suboccipital craniectomy in 2%. Multiple procedures were required in 15% of patients in order to provide significant relief of compressive symptomatology. The results of therapy indicate that total tumor removal was deemed to have been achieved in only seven patients, six of whom have had no recurrence. However, 91% of patients are in remission, one had a fair result, and two died as a direct result of surgical intervention. One patient died from uncontrolled disease, and three patients died from unrelated causes. The results of this study indicate that radical subtotal removal followed by radiotherapy is an acceptable treatment for craniopharyngioma.

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