Two Cases of Iatrogenic Lumbar Foraminal Disc Herniations

Study Design. A case report. Objective. We report two cases of iatrogenic deterioration of lumbar foraminal disc herniations following lumbar disc injections. Summary of Background Data. Complications associated with discography were reported. However, only a few reports have thus far referred to the iatrogenic deterioration of lumbar foraminal disc herniations. Cases. 60-year-old and 74-year-old men were treated with MR images of L4-5 foraminal disc herniations without fragment in the spinal canal. The patients underwent discography and disc block for its diagnosis and treatment. After disc injections, both patients complained of deterioration of L4 radiculopathy. Results. On disco-CT or reexamined MR images after disc injections, herniated fragment was migrated from neural foramen to cranial central spinal canal with was not shown in previous MR images. The herniated fragments were extirpated by means of osteoplastic laminoplasty or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with facetectomy. The herniated fragments were migrated from neural foramen to cranial central spinal canal. Conclusions. The injection of liquid medicine into the nucleus led the intradiscal pressure increased, and the disc fragment might prolapsed through the raptured region of annulus fibrosus and migrated to cranial central spinal canal by anatomical reason. The disc injection may have a risk for deterioration of foraminal disc herniation. Our report is instructive for the management of discography for the diagnosis of foraminal disc herniations.

Transvenous embolization of a cerebrospinal fluid–venous fistula for the treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension

Cerebrospinal fluid–venous fistula is an increasingly recognized cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension.1 The site of the leak is between the dural sleeve around a spinal nerve root and the surrounding foraminal veins. In appropriately investigated patients, transvenous embolization of the draining foraminal and paraspinal veins has been shown to be an effective way of treating the disease, with low periprocedural morbidity, improvement in symptoms and radiological appearances.2 Video 1 shows the technique employed in a typical case using Onyx (Medtronic, Minnesota, USA) to embolize a CSF–venous fistula at the right T10 neural foramen.Video 1

Femoral head to lower lumbar neural foramen distance as a novel radiographic parameter to predict postoperative stretch neuropraxia

OBJECTIVE Lumbosacral fractional curves in adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients often have sharp coronal curves resulting in significant pain and imbalance. Postoperative stretch neuropraxia after fractional curve correction can lead to discomfort and unsatisfactory outcomes. The goal of this study was to use radiographic measures to increase understanding of the relationship between postoperative stretch neuropraxia and fractional curve correction. METHODS In 62 ASD patients treated from 2015 to 2018, radiographic review was performed, including measurement of the distance between the lower lumbar neural foramen (L4 and L5) in the concavity and convexity of the lumbosacral fractional curve and the ipsilateral femoral heads (FHs; L4–FH and L5–FH) in pre- and postoperative anteroposterior spine radiographs. The largest absolute preoperative to postoperative change in distance between the lower lumbar neural foramen and the ipsilateral FH (ΔL4/L5–FH) was used for analysis. Chi-square analyses, independent and paired t-tests, and logistic regression were performed to study the relationship between L4/L5–FH and stretch neuropraxia for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. RESULTS Of the 62 patients, 13 (21.0%) had postoperative stretch neuropraxia. Patients without postoperative stretch neuropraxia had an average ΔL4–FH distance of 16.2 mm compared to patients with stretch neuropraxia, who had an average ΔL4–FH distance of 31.5 mm (p < 0.01). Patients without postoperative neuropraxia had an average ΔL5–FH distance of 11.1 mm compared to those with stretch neuropraxia, who had an average ΔL5–FH distance of 23.0 mm (p < 0.01). Chi-square analysis showed that patients had a 4.78-fold risk of developing stretch neuropraxia with ΔL4–FH > 20 mm (95% CI 1.3–17.3) and a 5.17-fold risk of developing stretch neuropraxia with ΔL5–FH > 15 mm (95% CI 1.4–18.7). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of developing stretch neuropraxia were 15:1 with a ΔL4–FH > 20 mm (95% CI 3–78) and 21:1 with a ΔL5–FH > 15 mm (95% CI 4–113). CONCLUSIONS The novel ΔL4/L5–FH distances are strongly associated with postoperative stretch neuropraxia in ASD patients. A ΔL4–FH > 20 mm and ΔL5–FH > 15 mm significantly increase the odds for patients to develop postoperative stretch neuropraxia.

Clinical Validity of the Smallest Oblique Sagittal Area of the Neural Foramen in Patients With Suspected Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy

Objective To evaluate the smallest oblique sagittal area of the neural foramen in detecting cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and to determine its potential significance for treatment decisions. Methods The subjects of the study were patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy who visited the spine surgery from 2016 to 2019. All patients were compared according to the minimum oblique sagittal area and the cut-off point value, and they were divided into positive and negative parameters. The changes in neck disability index (NDI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (JOA) and visual analog scale (VAS) during the two treatment groups from baseline to at least 24 months of follow-up were compared.Results In the surgery group, there was no significant difference in symptom improvement between patients with positive and negative parameters. In the non-surgical group, for patients with positive parameters, NDI decreased by 2.35, JOA increased by 0.88, and neck VAS score improved by 0.42. For patients with negative parameters, NDI decreased by 10.32, JOA increased by 2.86 on average, and neck VAS score improved by 2.46 points on average (both p＜0.01 on t test).Conclusions In patients undergoing surgery, the symptoms of the patients have been significantly improved after surgery, and the smallest oblique sagittal area of the neural foramen seems to be unable to predict the outcome of the surgery. However, in non-surgical patients, the improvement of symptoms in the stenosis group was more limited. This may imply that surgery may be effective for patients who had positive parameters.

A pure extradural hemangioblastoma mimicking a dumbbell nerve sheath tumor in cervical spine: illustrative case

BACKGROUND Spinal extradural hemangioblastomas (HBs) are quite uncommon, with most reported cases involving the thoracic and lumbar areas. Therefore, the presence of a dumbbell-shaped pure extradural cervical HB is exceptional, making preoperative diagnosis particularly challenging. OBSERVATIONS The authors report a case of a 27-year-old woman who presented to their outpatient clinic with progressive cervicobrachialgia and numbness in the left arm. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a C5–6 intradural extramedullary lesion, and, despite some atypical features, the diagnosis of a possible neurogenic tumor was made. A multidetector computed tomography scan and angiography confirmed the expansion and remodeling of the left neural foramen as well as the highly vascularized nature of the mass. Preoperative embolization of the lesion was performed. Complete tumor resection was accomplished, followed by a C5–6 posterior fusion. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed an HB. LESSONS HBs should be considered among the differential diagnosis of cervical extradural tumors. Exhaustive preoperative workup and surgical planning are decisive in order to attain gross-total resection with favorable outcomes.

A New Parameter, the Smallest Oblique Sagittal Area of the Neural Foramen, as an Index to Diagnose Cervical Neural Foramen Stenosis

Objective: The objective was to reconstruct the cervical neural foramen and accurately measure the minimum oblique sagittal area of the neural foramen. Then, a quantitative diagnostic standard for cervical neural foramen stenosis was proposed and its value as an indication for surgery was evaluated. Methods: (1) CT data were used to reconstruct the neural foramen using Mimics software, and the minimum area was measured. (2) The optimal cut-off value was determined using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. (3) Patients who underwent single-segment surgery were divided into 2 groups according to the cut-off value. Then the postoperative neurological function improvement rate was analyzed to identify any significant difference between the 2 groups. Results: A total of 1056 neural foramens were measured in 132 patients, of which 495 (46.88%) were diagnosed as radiculopathy by clinical neurological examination. The optimal cut-off value determined by the ROC curve was 25.95 mm2 (sensitivity 74.1%, specificity 80.9%) and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.827 (95%CI: 0.803-0.849). There was a significant difference in the neurological function improvement rate between the 2 groups after surgery ( P < 0.05). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.969. Conclusion: Three-dimensional digital simulation reconstruction of CT data is a good measurement method. The optimal cut-off value determined here not only has a certain reference value for the diagnosis of cervical neural foramen bony stenosis, but also helps to select patients suitable for neural foramen decompression and can be used as a reference for surgical indication.

Retropharyngeal chordoma extending to the spinal cord, mimicking a neurogenic tumor: a case report and literature review

Chordomas are rare, locally aggressive bone malignancies with poor prognoses. However, those with minimal or no bone involvement are more easily resectable because of their well-delineated margins and thus have better prognoses. Such extraosseous chordomas of the spine are localized both intradurally and extradurally. Only a few case reports have focused on extraosseous, extradural spinal chordomas. Radiologically, this type of chordoma has a dumbbell shape; however, dumbbell-shaped spinal tumors are traditionally thought to be neurogenic tumors (i.e., schwannomas or neurofibromas). We herein report a unique case involving a woman with a dumbbell-shaped extraosseous chordoma protruding predominantly into the retropharyngeal space. A 44-year-old woman presented for evaluation of a left submandibular mass. A T2-hyperintense, gadolinium-enhancing mass was found in her cervical spinal canal, protruding through the C2/3 neural foramen into the retropharyngeal space with minimal vertebral involvement. The initial diagnosis was a neurogenic tumor, most likely a schwannoma. After subtotal removal, the pathologic diagnosis was a chordoma. Because chordomas and schwannomas have significantly different prognoses, caution is warranted when a dumbbell-shaped tumor is identified in the spine with minimal or no vertebral deterioration on radiology. This report also provides the first thorough review of extraosseous dumbbell-shaped intraspinal–extraspinal chordomas.

Primary intradural/extradural Ewing’s sarcoma of the sacral spine: A case report and literature review

Background: Ewing’s sarcoma (ES) is a malignant mesenchymal tumor, most often found in the long bones, and usually affecting children and adolescents in the second decade of life. ES of the spine is a clinical rarity. Case Description: A 45-year-old male presented with a 3-month history of lower back pain which acutely worsened in conjunction with urinary retention. The magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass extending from L5 to S2 with additional extension through the left S2-3 neural foramen. The metastatic workup was negative. At surgery, the lesion was both intradural and extradural. Following complete surgical resection, the patient was later treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Conclusion: Here, we report an adult male who acutely presented with low back pain attributable to primary intradural/extradural sacral ES.

A case of pediatric paraspinal arteriovenous fistula with multiple fistulas

Paraspinal arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a rare vascular malformation. This is the first described case of a pediatric paraspinal AVF along nonvertebral segmental nerve with multiple fistulas. An 8 months-old girl was found to have a continuous murmur on the back on chest auscultation. Enhanced computed tomography revealed a segmental nerve AVF of the right thoracic spine. Selective angiography of the right T8 and T9 intercostal arteries demonstrated a high flow fistula at the level of the neural foramen, with drainage to the epidural and azygos veins. The fistulas point was visualized using Volume rendering(VR) and Minimum Intensity Projection(MIP) images. Endovascular treatment from the right T8 and T9 feeding arteries was provided using coils and n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate(NBCA). Postembolization angiography demonstrated complete occlusion of the fistulas. The postoperative course was uneventful. We discuss the first case of a pediatric paraspinal AVF along nonvertebral segmental nerve with double holes of fistulas with literature review.

Lumbar Lateral Recess Decompression: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

Lateral recess stenosis is a common cause of lumbar radiculopathy in adults. A lumbar nerve root travels in the lateral recess prior to exiting the spinal canal via the neural foramen. In the lateral recess, the traversing nerve root is susceptible to compression by the degenerative hypertrophy of the medial facet in addition to hypertrophied ligamentum flavum and herniated intervertebral disc.1 These degenerative changes are also typically associated with neural foraminal stenosis. Surgical treatment in unilateral cases consists of hemilaminectomy, medial facetectomy, foraminotomy, and, if applicable, microdiscectomy. In this video, we present a case of a 64-yr-old male presenting with progressive left L5 radiculopathy refractory to conservative management, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of left L4-5 foraminal and lateral recess stenosis. We demonstrate the operative steps to complete a left L4-5 hemilaminectomy, medial facetectomy, foraminotomy, and microdiscectomy. Appropriate patient consent was obtained.