Spine
-
This article discusses emerging and conflicting trends in recent Americans with Disabilities Act discrimination legal decisions in which plaintiffs seek compensatory or punitive damages directly from supervisors and their employers, creating potential issues of personal liability for physicians or hospital administrators, for example. Also addressed in the article are potential problems employers face if supervisors are held personally liable for Americans with Disabilities Act discrimination.
-
Comparative Study
Efficacy of multimodality spinal cord monitoring during surgery for neuromuscular scoliosis.
This study determined the relative efficacy of somatosensory-evoked potentials and motor-evoked potentials in monitoring spinal cord function during surgery for patients with idiopathic versus neuromuscular scoliosis. ⋯ Single-channel cortical somatosensory-evoked potentials demonstrated a high level of unreliability, which reduced their clinical effectiveness. However, by using multiple recording sites with the somatosensory-evoked potentials and by administering motor-evoked potential procedures, it was possible to monitor spinal cord function in neuromuscular patients and avoid postoperative neurologic deficits.
-
This study evaluated a lightweight Minerva cervicothoracic orthosis with an occipital flare and forehead strap. ⋯ This orthosis provides good control of the cervical spine below C1.
-
Case Reports
Ligamentum flavum hematoma presenting as progressive root compression in the lumbar spine.
This is a case report. ⋯ Magnetic resonance imaging can provide a basis for diagnosing ligamentum flavum hematoma. Removal of ligamentum flavum is the treatment of choice.
-
This report describes an infrequent but major complication resulting from a lateral extracavitary approach to the spinal cord. The diagnosis was made via myelography-computed tomography. ⋯ This complication should be taken into account when this kind of surgical approach is performed. Myelography-computed tomography is the most reliable test for diagnosing this clinical condition and pinpointing the exact location of the leakage.