Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
-
Pneumorrachis (PR) is characterized by the presence of air within the spinal canal. It can be classified descriptively into internal or intradural and external or epidural. The causes of PR can be divided as iatrogenic, nontraumatic and traumatic. ⋯ It is a marker of severe injury and the majority of such patients have a poor outcome. Although, PR is usually asymptomatic and reabsorbs spontaneously, prompt recognition and management of the underlying cause is essential. Therefore, clinicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for serious underlying injury in cases where initial radiological imaging reveals intraspinal air.
-
Laminoplasty (LMP) is a widely accepted surgical procedure for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the cervical spine. Progression of OPLL can occur in the long term after LMP. The aim of the present study was to determine whether addition of the instrumented fusion, (posterior decompression with instrumented fusion [PDF]), can suppress progression of OPLL or not. ⋯ Progression of the thickness of the OPLL in the PDF group (-0.1±0.4mm) was significantly smaller than in the LMP group (0.6±0.7mm, p=0.0002). The proportion of patients showing the decrease in thickness of OPLL was significantly larger in the PDF group (6/27 patients; 22%) than in the LMP group (0/23 patients; 0%, p=0.05). In conclusion, PDF surgery can suppress the thickening of OPLL.
-
Review Case Reports
Cerebral vasospasm and delayed ischaemic deficit following elective aneurysm clipping.
Although common after subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebral vasospasm (CVS) and delayed ischaemic neurological deficit (DIND) rarely occur following elective clipping of unruptured aneurysms. The onset of this complication is variable and its pathophysiology is poorly understood. We report two patients with CVS associated with DIND following unruptured aneurysmal clipping. ⋯ In one patient, this was done promptly and the patient made a complete recovery, but in the other, the diagnosis was delayed for more than 24hours and the patient had residual hemiparesis and dysphasia due to MCA territory infarction. CVS and DIND following treatment of unruptured aneurysms is a very rare event. However, clinicians should be vigilant as prompt diagnosis and management is required to minimise the risk of cerebral infarction and poor outcome.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Outpatient anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: A meta-analysis.
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) performed as an outpatient has become increasingly common for treating cervical spine pathology, largely due to its cost savings compared with inpatient ACDF. Nearly all outpatient ACDF patient reports have originated from single-center studies, with the procedure yet to be addressed via a meta-analysis of the peer-reviewed literature. The Entrez gateway of the PubMed database was used to conduct a comprehensive literature search for articles published in English up to 3/9/16. ⋯ Nearly two-thirds of outpatient ACDFs underwent single-level fusion, with virtually none undergoing 3+ level ACDF. Outpatient ACDF is safe, with a low readmission rate and complication rates comparable to those (2-5%) associated with inpatient ACDF. These findings support an argument for increasing ACDFs performed on an outpatient basis in appropriately selected patients.
-
Intraoperative rerupture (IOR) during clipping of cerebral aneurysms is a difficult complication of microneurosurgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of IOR and analyze the strategies for controlling profound hemorrhage. A total of 165 patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms and 46 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) treated surgically between April 2010 and March 2011, were reviewed. ⋯ One was major IOR, three were moderate and two were minor. Intraoperative rupture of an intracranial aneurysm can be potentially devastating in vascular neurosurgery. Aneurysm location, presence of SAH and surgical experience of the operating surgeon seem to be important factors affecting the incidence of IOR.