European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Spinal haemangioblastomas are rare, accounting for only about 7% of all central nervous system cases. The case of a 40-year-old woman with a haemangioblastoma arising solely from a cervical sensory nerve root is presented. ⋯ The patient has Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome and a history of multiple solid tumours. The possible role of the Von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor gene in the pathogenesis of these neoplasms is discussed.
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Comparative Study
Range of global motion of the cervical spine: intraindividual reliability and the influence of measurement device.
Range of motion tests are often employed in the quantification of musculoskeletal impairment and in the assessment of the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. The aim of the present study was to compare the absolute values for, and the day-to-day reliability of, measures of cervical spinal mobility made with two computerised motion analysis devices. The ranges of cervical flexion, extension, lateral bending, axial rotation, and axial rotation in flexion and extension were determined for 19 volunteers using both the CA6000 Spine Motion Analyser and the Zebris CMS system; all measures were repeated on a second occasion 1-3 days later. ⋯ Each device is highly reliable in itself and can be used with confidence in longitudinal studies. The establishment of 'normal' values for the primary motions should take account of the slight differences observed between devices. Normal values for rotation in flexion or extension cannot be established until the source of the device-dependent difference is identified.
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Concomitant traumatic injuries in the upper cervical spine are often encountered and rarely reported. We examined the data concerning 784 patients with cervical spine injuries following trauma, including 116 patients with upper cervical spine injuries. Twenty-six percent of patients with upper cervical spine injuries (31 cases) were found to have combined injuries involving either the upper or the upper and lower cervical spine. ⋯ A total of 1.7% of patients with lower cervical spine injuries had a combined injury in the upper cervical spine. A comprehensive therapeutic schedule is outlined. Combined injuries in the upper cervical spine should be sought in any patient with a cervical spine injury.
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Comparative Study
Primary stabilizing effect of interbody fusion devices for the cervical spine: an in vitro comparison between three different cage types and bone cement.
Interbody fusion cages are small hollow implants that are inserted into the intervertebral space to restore physiological disc height and to allow bony fusion. They sometimes cause clinical complications due to instability, subsidence or dislocation. These are basic biomechanical parameters, which influence strongly the quality of a fusion device; however, only few data about these parameters are available. ⋯ In extension, specimens fused with bone cement were most stable. With respect to the primary stabilizing effect, cages, especially the AcroMed I/F cage but also the WING cage and to a minor extent the BAK/C cage, seem to be a good alternative to bone cement in cervical interbody fusion. Other characteristics, such as the effect of implant design on subsidence tendency and the promotion of bone ingrowth, have to be determined in further studies.
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We report a case of 14-year-old male patient with osteoid osteoma of the cervical spine. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large dumbbell-shaped paravertebral tumor in the region of the exiting left C6 nerve. ⋯ The resected specimen exhibited extensive vascularization of the osteoid tissue. The case is presented because MRI did not allow a specific diagnosis of osteoid osteoma, and suggested the tumor was larger than in reality it was, by also depicting the reactive inflammation around the tumor as if it were part of the tumor.