Radiotherapy efficacies for vertebral hemangioma patients with severe spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome

Background: Although vertebral hemangioma is the most common benign spine tumor, rare patients may experience spinal cord compression accompanied by pain and neurological deficits, in whom surgery remains the standard treatment option. For patients with comorbidities who cannot tolerate operation, radiotherapy may be an alternative treatment, however, previous studies suggested that if spinal cord cannel was aggressively compressed by vertebral hemangioma, the efficacies of radiotherapy were suboptimal. Methods and results: Herein, we presented two patients with vertebral hemangioma who developed spinal cord compression, first patient with underlying congenital heart disease had spinal canal encroachment of 63.4% at ninth thoracic vertebra, and second patient failed to transcatheter arterial embolization for treating total encroachment of sacrum plexus. The first patient underwent radiotherapy with 44 Gy at 20 fractions using Tomotherapy and became fully recovered from the severe neurological deficits at 5.5 months after completing radiotherapy. The second patient benefited from neurological symptoms relief at 6 months after completion of radiotherapy using 42 Gy at 21 fractions using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique.Conclusions: Our results indicate that radiotherapy with 42 to 44 Gy using conventional fractions could efficiently cause tumor regressions and improve neurological symptoms resulted from vertebral hemangioma-causing spinal cord compression.

Predicting neurological deficit in patients with spinal tuberculosis – A single-center retrospective case-control study

Background: Identifying the risk factors for the neurological deficit in spine tuberculosis would help surgeons in deciding on early surgery, thus reducing the morbidity related to neurological deficit. The main objective of our study was to predict the risk of neurological deficit in patients with spinal tuberculosis (TB). Methods: The demographic, clinical, radiological (X-ray and MRI) data of 105 patients with active spine TB were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups – with a neurological deficit (n = 52) as Group A and those without deficit (n = 53) as Group B. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to predict the risk factors for the neurological deficit. Results: The mean age of the patients was 38.1 years. The most common location of disease was dorsal region (35.2%). Paradiscal (77%) was the most common type of involvement. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was noted in the location of disease, presence of cord compression, kyphosis, cord oedema, loss of CSF anterior to the cord, and degree of canal compromise or canal encroachment between two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed kyphosis > 30° (OR – 3.92, CI – 1.21–12.7, p – 0.023), canal encroachment > 50% (OR – 7.34, CI – 2.32–23.17, p – 0.001), and cord oedema (OR – 11.93, CI – 1.24–114.05, p – 0.03) as independent risk factors for predicting the risk of neurological deficit. Conclusion: Kyphosis > 30°, cord oedema, and canal encroachment (>50%) significantly predicted neurological deficit in patients with spine TB. Early surgery should be considered with all these risk factors to prevent a neurological deficit.

What is the importance of the spinal canal encroachment in the management of thoracolumbar burst fracture without neurological deficit?

Introduction: The relevant features in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures vary in the literature. The classical surgical indications of burst fractures are loss of vertebral body height, kyphosis, neurological deficit and canal encroachment. Recent papers have attributed less importance to canal impingement as a surgical indicator in intact patients, irrespectively of the degree of encroachment. The several thoracolumbar fracture classifications have prompted efforts to guide the surgical indications. We analyzed the relevance attributed to the canal encroachment by thoracolumbar fracture classifications in the management of burst fractures without neurological deficit. Objective: To evaluate the relevance attributed by the thoracolumbar fractures classifications to the canal encroachment in the management of burst fractures without posterior ligamentous complex disruptions or neurological deficits. Methods: A literature search was performed by tracking the related articles of thoracolumbar fractures classifications from Vaccaro’s to Holdsworth’s study. We analyzed the role of canal impingement in the management of burst fractures without posterior ligament complex injury or neurological deficits in each classification. Results: Seven classifications were included. Holdsworth considered the burst fractures as stable, irrespectively of the amount of canal impingement or neurological deficit. Denis considered that the burst fracture carried a neurological instability criterion, therefore, in these cases he suggested surgical treatment because of the riskof new neurological damage. McAffee postulated that there is no reliable predictor to correlate the severity of canal encroachment with the risk of neurological damage. Ferguson and Allen discussed the possibility of anterior decompression, stabilization and anterior fusion of the spine in certain cases of burst fractures. The classifications of McCormack, Karaikovic and Gaines, Magerl and Vaccaro did not include canal encroachment in their considerations. Conclusion: The thoracolumbar fractures classifications did not directly consider the severity of canal encroachment in the treatment decision making of burst fractures without neurological damage. It is not possible to predict which patients will deteriorate if not operated. It remains unclear what is the risk of neurological deterioration in a SCE greater than 50%.

Importance of load sharing column and canal violation in the management of thoracolumbar burst fractures.

Introduction: The ideal classification of spinal fractures should include every kind of fracture and suggest patterns of treatments. Vaccaro et al. proposed a classification and treatment rules according to a comprehensive severity score. In this one, fractures with exclusive lesion of the vertebral body, burst fractures, without either damage of the posterior ligament band or neurological deficit, are considered for conservative treatment. Objective: To demonstrate that some fractures, with an exclusive lesion of the load sharing column, the vertebral body, without any posterior ligament destruction, may be unable to share physiological loads and if associated with great compression of spinal canal, carries so much risk of neural damage that it should be submitted to surgery. Methods: This review is based on the discussion of the literature and is illustrated by a case description. Results: We demonstrate the importance of inclusion of the concepts, load sharing column and intensity of canal encroachment in therapeutic decision regarding thoracolumbar fractures. Conclusions: Patients with canal compression ≥ 50% should be considered for surgery. Patients with lesser degrees of canal encroach may be submitted to erect radiography and operated if there is an additional loss of vertebral body height or neurological symptoms.

Dural Tears Associated with Burst Fractures of Lumbar Vertebrae: A Series of Three Cases

Burst fractures of dorsolumbar vertebrae are a common occurrence. There is presence of dural tear in approximately 7.7% of cases, but its diagnosis is commonly missed because of lack of preoperative suspicion. Its preoperative diagnosis is an important adjunct in making a rationale decision for choosing surgical approaches and care during surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not always helpful in its detection and has its own drawbacks. Out of a total of 27 patients operated for burst fractures of dorsolumbar vertebrae, 3 had a dural tear. Patients who were suspected to have dural tears were taken up for surgical intervention either only posteriorly or along with anterior approach. All three patients had neurologic deficits, widened interpedicular distance, laminar fracture of Gd 1 or more with canal compromise greater than 50%, and wedging with an acute angle. Presence of dural tear with wedging of roots was confirmed intraoperatively. Active effort should be made to detect presence of dural tears if patients of dorsolumbar burst fractures have neurologic deficit, laminar fracture is present, interpedicular distance is widened, and there is severe canal encroachment with an acute angle of the wedge.