Korean Journal of Spine
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Korean Journal of Spine · Sep 2015
Migration of an Intracranial Subdural Hematoma to the Spinal Subdural Space: A Case Report.
A 57-year-old man complained of severe lower back pain and radicular pain in both legs for 1 week after falling from a ladder. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine showed a subdural hematoma (SDH), which was surgically removed. The patient had no back pain or the radicular leg pain at 2 weeks post-surgery. ⋯ This case suggests that it is possible that an intracranial SDH can migrate into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space through an arachnoid tear. CSF circulation allows the intracranial SDH to enter subarachnoid spaces encasing the spinal cord. In order to prevent irreversible damage, surgical intervention should be considered for case of spinal SDH with progressive neurological deficits.
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Korean Journal of Spine · Sep 2015
Intracranial Hypertension in a Patient with a Chiari Malformation Accompanied by Hyperthyroidism.
The Chiari malformation is an infrequently detected congenital anomaly characterized by the downward displacement of the cerebellum with a tonsillar herniation below the foramen magnum that may be accompanied by either syringomyelia or hydrocephalus. Surgery, such as foramen magnum decompression, is indicated for a symptomatic Chiari malformation, although an incidental lesion may be followed-up without further treatment. Infrequently, increased intracranial pressure emerges due to hyperthyroidism. ⋯ The patient started anti-hyperthyroid medical treatment. Subsequently, the headache disappeared after the medical treatment of hyperthyroidism without surgical intervention for the Chiari malformation. A symptomatic Chiari malformation is indicated for surgery, but a surgeon should investigate other potential causes of the symptoms of the Chiari malformation to avoid unnecessary surgery.
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Korean Journal of Spine · Sep 2015
Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma on the Ventral Portion of Whole Spinal Canal: A Case Report.
Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is an uncommon but disabling disease. This paper reports a case of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma and treatment by surgical management. A 32-year-old male presented with a 30-minute history of sudden headache, back pain, chest pain, and progressive quadriplegia. ⋯ The patient improved sufficiently to ambulate, and paresthesia was fully recovered. Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma should be considered when patients present symptoms of spinal cord compression after sudden back pain or chest pain. To prevent permanent neurologic deficits, early and correct diagnosis with timely surgical management is necessary.
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Korean Journal of Spine · Jun 2015
Cervical Sagittal Alignment Parameters of Patients Admitted to Neurosurgery and Emergency Clinics in a State Hospital at Eastern Part of Turkey.
Cervical spine encompasses a bridge role between the head and the lower parts of the spine and therefore has unique properties. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the cervical sagittal alignment parameters in pediatric and adult non-surgical patients and to find any differences in respect of age, sex and admission type. ⋯ In this regional study, it has been observed that global cervical lordosis increases as age increases. C4 vertebra is in the middle of this evaluation as it has many correlations with other cervical segments, which should be kept in mind when making surgical plans for this delicate spine region.
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Korean Journal of Spine · Dec 2014
Postoperative expansion of dural sac cross-sectional area after unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression: correlation with clinical symptoms.
Dural sac cross-sectional area (DSCSA) is a way to measure the degree of central spinal canal compression. The objective was to investigate the correlation between the expansion ratio of DSCSA after unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression (ULBD) and the clinical results for lumbar spinal stenosis. ⋯ Our result indicates that the DSCSA itself has a definite limitation to be correlated to the clinical symptoms, and thus meticulous correlation between the clinical presentation and MRI imaging is essential in determination of surgical treatment.