Neurosurgery
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Historical Article
History of spine biomechanics: part II--from the Renaissance to the 20th century.
Spine biomechanics provide the foundation for the disciplines of spine medicine and spine surgery. Although modern spine biomechanics emerged during the second half of the last century, it has many ancient, medieval, and post-Renaissance roots. In Part I of this series, the ancient and medieval roots of spine biomechanics were reviewed. ⋯ Subsequently, war-related studies performed in the 20th century contributed to the formation of modern biomechanics. The first biomechanics-related organizations and scientific publications did not emerge until the second half of the 20th century. These events provided the final bricks in the foundation that facilitated the emergence of modern spine biomechanics research.
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Hemispherotomy techniques have been developed to reduce complication rates and achieve the best possible seizure control. We present the results of our pediatric patients who underwent vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy and evaluate the safety and global long-term outcome of this technique. ⋯ Vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy is an effective surgical technique for hemispheric disconnection. It allows complete disconnection of the hemisphere through a cortical window with good results in terms of seizure outcome and a comparably low complication rate.
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Historical Article
History of spine biomechanics: part I--the pre-Greco-Roman, Greco-Roman, and medieval roots of spine biomechanics.
The roots of spine biomechanics reside in the Antiquity and the Medieval and Renaissance periods. A review of historical treatises reveals detailed information regarding this often historically neglected discipline. ⋯ These documents heavily influenced the portion of the scientific literature that we now regard as "spine biomechanics" up through the Renaissance. The focus of Part I of this two-part series is placed on the ancient and medieval biomechanics-related literature and on associated literature that influenced the development of the field of modern spine biomechanics.
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In recent years, percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) has become a routine surgical procedure because it can be performed under local anesthesia and is minimally invasive. However, there is a risk of nerve root and endplate injury owing to heat generated by laser irradiation during PLDD. We recently performed salvage surgery on a patient with heat injury to the L5 nerve root that developed after PLDD. ⋯ When salvage surgery is performed after a PLDD procedure, disc and nerve root injuries owing to laser heat energy must be considered.
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Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition causing hand pain, dysfunction, and paresthesia. Endoscopic carpal tunnel decompression offers many advantages compared with conventional open surgical decompression. However, it is equipment intensive and requires familiarity with endoscopic surgery. We review a minimally invasive technique to divide the flexor retinaculum by using a new instrument, the KnifeLight (Stryker, Kalamazoo, Michigan), which combines the advantages of the open and endoscopic methods, without the need for endoscopic set-up. ⋯ Excellent functional outcomes and satisfaction were achieved using the KnifeLight for carpal tunnel decompression. Our minimally invasive method offers a quick, easy, and effective alternative to conventional or endoscopic carpal tunnel decompression.