RESUMEN
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. PURPOSE: To describe a safe and effective surgical procedure for old distractive flexion (DF) injuries of the subaxial cervical spine. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Surgical treatment is required in old cases when a progression of the kyphotic deformity and/or persistent neck pain and/or the appearance of new neurological symptoms are observed. Since surgical treatment is more complicated and dangerous in old cases than in acute distractive-flexion cases, the indications for surgery and the selection of the surgical procedure must be carefully conducted. METHODS: To identify a safe and effective surgical procedure, the procedure selected, reason(s) for its selection, and associated neurological complications were investigated in 13 patients with old cervical DF injuries. RESULTS: No neurological complications were observed in nine patients (DF stage 2 or 3) who underwent the anterior-posterior-anterior (A-P-A) method and two patients (DF stage 1) who underwent the posterior method. It was initially planned that two patients (DF stage 2) who underwent the P-A method would be treated using the Posterior method alone; however, anterior discectomy was added to the procedure after the development of a severe spinal cord disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The A-P-A method (anterior discectomy, posterior release and/or partial facetectomy, reduction and instrumentation, anterior bone grafting) is considered to be a suitable surgical procedure for old cervical DF injuries.
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Humanos , Anomalías Congénitas , Discectomía , Métodos , Dolor de Cuello , Estudios Retrospectivos , Enfermedades de la Médula Espinal , Columna VertebralRESUMEN
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PURPOSE: To clarify the influence of cervical spinal canal stenosis (CSCS) on neurological functional recovery after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) without major fracture or dislocation. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The biomechanical etiology of traumatic CSCI remains under discussion and its relationship with CSCS is one of the most controversial issues in the clinical management of traumatic CSCI. METHODS: To obtain a relatively uniform background, patients non-surgically treated for an acute C3-4 level CSCI without major fracture or dislocation were selected. We analyzed 58 subjects with traumatic CSCI using T2-weighted mid-sagittal magnetic resonance imaging. The sagittal diameter of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) column, degree of canal stenosis, and neurologic outcomes in motor function, including improvement rate, were assessed. RESULTS: There were no significant relationships between sagittal diameter of the CSF column at the C3-4 segment and their American Spinal Injury Association motor scores at both admission and discharge. Moreover, no significant relationships were observed between the sagittal diameter of the CSF column at the C3-4 segment and their neurological recovery during the following period. CONCLUSIONS: No relationships between pre-existing CSCS and neurological outcomes were evident after traumatic CSCI. These results suggest that decompression surgery might not be recommended for traumatic CSCI without major fracture or dislocation despite pre-existing CSCS.
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Humanos , Líquido Cefalorraquídeo , Médula Cervical , Constricción Patológica , Descompresión , Luxaciones Articulares , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Estudios Retrospectivos , Canal Medular , Traumatismos VertebralesRESUMEN
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiological outcome of the surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures by using short segment posterior instrumentation (SSPI) and fusion. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The optimal surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures remains a matter of debate. SSPI is one of a number of possible choices, yet some studies have revealed high rates of poor radiological outcome for this SSPI. METHODS: Patients treated using the short segment instrumentation and fusion technique at the Spinal Injuries Center (Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) from January 1, 2006 to July 31, 2012 were selected for this study. Radiographic parameters such as local sagittal angle, regional sagittal angle, disc angle, anterior or posterior height of the vertebral body at admission, postoperation and final observation were collected for radiological outcome evaluation. RESULTS: There were 31 patients who met the inclusion criteria with a mean follow-up duration of 22.7 months (range, 12-48 months). The mean age of this group was 47.9 years (range, 15-77 years). The mean local sagittal angles at the time of admission, post-operation and final observation were 13.1degrees, 7.8degrees and 14.8degrees, respectively. There were 71% good cases and 29% poor cases based on our criteria for the radiological outcome evaluation. The correction loss has a strong correlation with the load sharing classification score (Spearman rho=0.64, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The loss of kyphotic correction following the surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture by short segment instrumentation is common and has a close correlation with the degree of comminution of the vertebral body. Patients with high load sharing scores are more susceptible to correction loss and postoperative kyphotic deformity than those with low scores.
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Humanos , Clasificación , Anomalías Congénitas , Estudios de Seguimiento , Estudios Retrospectivos , Traumatismos VertebralesRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The conventional open pedicle screw fusion (PSF) requires an extensive detachment of the paraspinal muscle from the posterior aspect of the lumbar spine, which can cause muscle injury and subsequently lead to "approach-related morbidity". The spinous process-splitting (SPS) approach for decompression, unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression, and the Wiltse approach for pedicle screw insertion are considered to be less invasive to the paraspinal musculature. We investigated whether SPS open PSF combined with the abovementioned techniques attenuates the paraspinal muscle damage and yields favorable clinical results, including alleviation in the low back discomfort, in comparison to the conventional open PSF. METHODS: We studied 53 patients who underwent single-level PSF for the treatment of degenerative spondylolisthesis (27 patients underwent SPS open PSF and the other 26 underwent the conventional open PSF). The clinical outcomes were assessed using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RDQ), and the visual analog scale (VAS) for low back pain and low back discomfort (heavy feeling or stiffness). Postoperative multifidus (MF) atrophy was evaluated using MRI. Follow-up examinations were performed at 1 and 3 years after the surgery. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference in the JOA and RDQ score between the two groups, the VAS score for low back pain and discomfort after the surgery were significantly lower in the SPS open PSF group than in the conventional open PSF group. The extent of MF atrophy after SPS open PSF was reduced more significantly than after the conventional open PSF during the follow-up. The MF atrophy ratio was found to correlate with low back discomfort at the 1-year follow-up examination. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, SPS open PSF was less damaging to the paraspinal muscle than the conventional open PSF and had a significant clinical effect, reducing low back discomfort over 1 year after the surgery.