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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Review Case Reports
Hypoglossal nerve injury as a complication of anterior surgery to the upper cervical spine.
Injury to the hypoglossal nerve is a recognised complication after soft tissue surgery in the upper part of the anterior aspect of the neck, e.g. branchial cyst or carotid body tumour excision. However, this complication has been rarely reported following surgery of the upper cervical spine. We report the case of a 35-year-old woman with tuberculosis of C2-3. ⋯ The hypoglossal palsy persisted, although with minimal functional disability. The only other reported case of hypoglossal lesion after anterior cervical spine surgery in the literature also failed to recover. It is concluded that hypoglossal nerve palsy following anterior cervical spine surgery is unlikely to recover spontaneously and it should be carefully identified.
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Somatic and mental symptoms in 22 patients (16 women and 6 men) 22-73 months after a whiplash injury are described. The results of the present study are compared with the corresponding results of a previous study on the same patients. According to the Quebec Classification System, the whiplash injuries of 15 patients were classified as grade 2 and those of 7 patients as grade 3. ⋯ The Mood Adjective Check List was used as a measure of mental well-being. During the 2 years that had passed since the previous study, the patients had improved regarding pain intensity, pain tolerance level and mental well-being. The results show that patients with prolonged disability after a whiplash injury can improve even after a long time.
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Review Case Reports
Traumatic L5-S1 spondylolisthesis: report of three cases and a review of the literature.
The literature reports that traumatic spondylolisthesis of L5 is an uncommon lesion. The authors report their experience of three cases of this particular fracture-dislocation of the lumbosacral spine. ⋯ A preoperative MRI study appears mandatory in order to evaluate the integrity of the L5-S1 disc. In the event of a traumatic disruption of the disc, they state the importance of posterior interbody fusion by means of a strut graft carved from the ilium or, in case of iliac wing fracture (which is not uncommon in these patients), by means of interbody cages.