Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Spinal subdural hematomas (SDHs) are rare and some are concomitant with intracranial SDH. Their pathogenesis and etiology remain to be elucidated although their migration from the intracranial space has been suggested. The authors postulated that if migration plays a major role, patients with intracranial SDH may harbor asymptomatic lumbar SDH. The authors performed a prospective study on the incidence of spinal SDH in patients with intracranial SDH to determine whether migration is a key factor in their concomitance. ⋯ As the incidence of concomitant lumbar and intracranial chronic SDH is rare and both patients in this study had sustained a direct impact to the head and hips, the authors suggest that the major mechanism underlying their concomitant SDH was double trauma. Another possible explanation is hemorrhagic diathesis and low CSF syndrome.
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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) frequently metastasizes to the spine, and the prognosis can be quite variable. Surgical removal of the tumor with spinal reconstruction has been a mainstay of palliative treatment. The ability to predict prognosis is valuable when determining the role and magnitude of surgical intervention in cancer patients. To better identify factors affecting survival in patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastasis from RCC, the authors undertook a retrospective analysis of a large patient cohort at a tertiary care cancer center. ⋯ The authors identified several factors influencing survival after spine surgery for metastatic spinal RCC, including grade of the original nephrectomy specimen, activity of the systemic disease, and neurological status at the time of surgery. These clinical features may help to identify patients who may benefit from aggressive surgical intervention.