Further evidence for Zenker’s diverticulum in a slim woman with body figure predisposition: a case report and literature review

Zenker’s diverticulum (ZD) is a bag-like pharyngeal pouch that protrudes to the outside of the pharynx. It is thought to be an acquired disease that occurs following the dysfunction of laryngopharynx muscle, and certain body shapes may be predisposed to this condition. We report a 56-year-old female of slim build with ZD. Computed tomography scanning revealed a hypodense lesion on the left posterior side of her upper esophagus that was filled with air and had no obvious wall. To verify this finding, a barium esophagogram was carried out which showed a round pouch at the level of the 6th cervical vertebral body that communicated with the esophagus through a narrow neck. ZD was subsequently confirmed by endoscopy. These findings provide further evidence in support of a body shape predisposition for ZD.

Use of a nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide composite in anterior cervical subtotal corpectomy and fusion

This study aimed to explore the safety and efficacy of using nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide (N-HA/PA) composite in anterior cervical vertebral body subtotal corpectomy and interbody fusion. Total 50 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy were enrolled to undergo anterior cervical spondylectomy. Bone graft pedicles were compounded with N-HA/PA and intervertebral body fusion was performed. Study outcomes included surgical efficacy and the degree of fusion. Patients in whom vertebral body fusion was performed with N-HA/PA composite pedicles had significantly improved symptoms. The postoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores increased to 18.56±4.37 from 11.37±3.52, reflecting an improvement rate of 87.3%. The composite pedicle fusion rate was 96.4%. Therefore, N-HA/PA composite pedicle as a bone graft material in fusion surgery provides significant therapeutic efficacy. Moreover, the composite pedicle fusion rate is high, making it ideal for anterior cervical vertebral body subtotal corpectomy and fusion.

Reliability and reproducibility of measurements in para-sagittal planes on sub-axial cervical vertebral bodies: a morphometric study of endplates in three-dimensional models

Background Dimensional measurements have been implemented on a variety of entities in morphological studies of the sub-axial cervical vertebral endplate. Despite great progress, little information between the mid-sagittal plane and bilateral uncinate processes has been acquired due to the lack of a reliable method to determine the para-sagittal planes. Also, few studies of this region are available. We proposed a new approach to defining the para-sagittal planes on a 3D cervical vertebral body model; in this approach, dimensions can be measured in a specific plane. The aim of this study was to assess the inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of the measurements in different sagittal planes on sub-axial cervical vertebral endplates of 3D models. Methods We established mid-sagittal and bilateral quarter para-sagittal planes on the 3D model of a sub-axial cervical vertebral body based on landmarks labeled on the surface. By intersecting the vertebral body with the planes, three curves located at the three para-sagittal planes were generated. Linear dimensions were measured on every curve by two observers separately, and in total, 24 sub-axial cervical spines were included in the study. The first observer (O1) performed the procedure twice with an interval of 2 weeks. The paired t test, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test and the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were employed to evaluate the inter- and intra-observer reliability of the proposed method. Results There were no significant differences in most intra- and inter-observer comparisons, and higher non-significant proportions were found in the intra-observer comparisons than in comparisons between different observers. The interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) in the measurements were excellent (> 0.75) in most circumstances, and the values in intra-observer comparisons were higher than those in inter-observer comparisons. Conclusions In this study, we proposed an approach to determine the bilateral quarter para-sagittal planes in a 3D cervical vertebral body model; the results demonstrated that the method is reproducible with high intra- and inter-observer agreement.

Comparison of Cervical Vertebral Body Volume in Class II Vertical and Class II Horizontal Cases With Class I Cases Using 3D-DVT

The branch of orthodontics has had an interest in the cervical vertebrae wherein cervical spine is used as a reference structure for natural head position, so skeletal age was evaluated by studying variations in the cervical vertebral morphologies. Among all evaluations, very limited data is available wherein comparison between cervical vertebral body volumes between the different malocclusions has been done. This study aimed to compare the differences in the volumes of cervical vertebral bodies of C2, C3, and C4 between skeletal class I and class II malocclusions of both horizontal and vertical growth patterns. In class I the volume was significantly lesser as compared to class II. It was seen that there was statistically no significant difference in the volume between the horizontal and vertical growers. It can be concluded from this study that cervical vertebral body volume has no effect on growth pattern. However, variations in cervical vertebral body volume are seen with different malocclusions.