Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Multicenter Study
The impact of direct vertebral body derotation on the lumbar prominence in Lenke Type 5C curves.
The thoracic rib hump, caused by axial rotation of the spine, is one of the most dissatisfying cosmetic features associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, advances in instrumentation and surgical techniques, such as direct vertebral body derotation (DVBD), have allowed improved correction in the axial plane and the rib hump. In cases of thoracolumbar/lumbar curves (Lenke Type 5), the lumbar prominence can be equally disfiguring and is often associated with waist asymmetry, another cosmetic concern. Although DVBD has been evaluated in the thoracic spine, little is known about its impact on the lumbar spine. The authors investigated the outcomes of DVBD on the lumbar prominence. ⋯ Although DVBD has been a valuable tool in the management of AIS, the authors' results suggest that its application for thoracolumbar curves may be limited. Further analysis with a larger cohort is required to better ascertain the impact of DVBD on thoracolumbar curves.
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Case Reports
Surgical management of cervical radiculopathy caused by redundant vertebral artery loop.
In this article, the authors describe the case of a 27-year-old female presenting with a 2-year history of neck pain and radiculopathy attributable to compression of the right C-7 nerve root by tortuosity of the vertebral artery at the level of the C6-7 cervical foramina. An anterolateral approach to the transverse foramen was used to perform a vascular decompression to decompress the nerve root. The procedure was uneventful, and the patient woke up with almost all of her symptoms resolved. The authors also include a literature review of techniques performed in this setting, showing that multiple surgical approaches can be used and should be tailored to the patient symptoms and lesion characteristics.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of mini-open anterior corpectomy and posterior total en bloc spondylectomy for solitary metastases of the thoracolumbar spine.
The object of this study was to compare the mini-open anterior corpectomy procedure with posterior total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) in treating patients with solitary metastases of the thoracolumbar spine. ⋯ Mini-open anterior corpectomy can be accomplished with less blood loss, fewer fixation instrumentations, and shorter surgical time than that required for TES, but patients who undergo a mini-open corpectomy might have a greater tendency to experience local recurrence. A mini-open anterior corpectomy has a relatively mild learning curve and involves fewer technical difficulties. With smaller incisions, mini-open anterior corpectomy is an option in treating solitary metastases of the thoracolumbar spine.
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A patient with failed back surgery syndrome reported paresthesia in his hands and arms during a spinal cord stimulation (SCS) screening trial with a low thoracic electrode. The patient's severe thoracic stenosis necessitated general anesthesia for simultaneous decompressive laminectomy and SCS implantation for chronic use. Use of general anesthesia gave the authors the opportunity to characterize the patient's unusual distribution of paresthesia. ⋯ Stimulation of the dorsal columns at T-8 evoked potentials in the legs (common peroneal nerves) and at similar thresholds, consistent with the sensation of paresthesia in the arms, in the right ulnar nerve. The authors' electrophysiological observations support observations by neuroanatomical specialists that primary afferents can descend several (in this case, at least 8) vertebral segments in the spinal cord before synapsing or ascending. This report thus confirms a physiological basis for unusual paresthesia distribution associated with thoracic SCS.
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Primary outcome measures for the upper limb in trials concerning human spinal cord injury (SCI) need to distinguish between functional and neurological changes and require satisfying psychometric properties for clinical application. ⋯ The GRASSP was found to demonstrate reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity for use as a standardized upper-limb impairment measure for individuals with complete or incomplete tetraplegia. Responsiveness (follow-up from onset to 1 year postinjury) is currently being tested in international studies (in North America and Europe). The GRASSP can be administered early after injury, thus making it a tool that can be administered in acute care (in the ICU), rehabilitation, and outpatient clinics.