Spontaneous lumbar spinal subdural hematoma: a case report.

Spinal subdural hematoma (SSDH) is an uncommon disease causing acute onset of spinal disorder. Several causes of SSDH have been reported, but reports of spontaneous occurrence of SSDH are limited.

Rehydration of a degenerated disc on MRI synchronized with transition of Modic changes following stand-alone XLIF.

Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (LDD) is known to be associated with low back pain (LBP) and leads to degenerative lumbar disease. LDD is considered to be irreversible, and no truly effective treatment that suppresses LDD or regenerates the degenerated disc has been established thus far. Here, we report the case of a 42-year-old woman with a 10-year history of persistent LBP. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated degenerative changes (Pfirrmann classification: grade IV) in the L4-5 intervertebral disc with type I and III mixed Modic changes adjacent to the disc. Conservative treatments were not effective, so we opted for stand-alone extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF). One year after the operation, the LBP had almost disappeared. Follow-up MRI revealed transition of the Modic changes from type I to type III. In addition, rehydration of the degenerated disc behind the XLIF cage was evident (Pfirrmann classification changed from grade IV to grade II). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a change in LDD. Several factors are likely responsible for the regenerative response, including curettage of the hyaline cartilaginous endplates and auto-iliac cancellous bone grafting, which were considered to have affected nucleus pulposus cells in the residual disc.

Intraligamentous Hematoma of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

Lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are rare entities in clinical practice. Here, we present the case of an intraligamentous hematoma of the ACL. A 20-year-old man (height 173 cm, weight 62.9 kg, body mass index 21) with no significant past medical history developed progressively worsening pain and limitation of range of motion in the left knee due to minor trauma. No abnormality was found on plain radiography; however, magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic lesion in the intercondylar fossa that was hypointense on T1-weighted imaging and hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging. We performed knee arthroscopy, made a longitudinal incision in the anterior aspect of the ACL, and identified a hematoma. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. There is no evidence of recurrence at one year after surgery. Although the ACL is a relatively hypovascular structure, it does contain microscopic blood vessels. In this case, we speculate that the intraligamentous hematoma was the result of rupture of these very small blood vessels in response to a minor injury.

One-Stage Reconstruction for Re-rupture of Achilles Tendon with Soft Tissue Infection: Using an Anterolateral Thigh Flap Incorporating a Vascularized Muscle Flap and a Strip of Iliotibial Tract.

Reconstruction is challenging in a patient with loss of a segment of Achilles tendon and infection in the overlying soft tissue. Here the authors describe one-stage tendon reconstruction, using an anterolateral thigh free flap incorporating a vascularized muscle flap and a strip of iliotibial tract in a patient with re-rupture of an Achilles tendon and soft tissue infection. Postoperative immobilization of the affected ankle using an external fixator enabled us to observe the flap directly and reduce pressure on the flap. The patient had a successful outcome, with no difficulty in walking, running, or climbing stairs and no limitation of range of motion at the ankle joint postoperatively. This is a promising technique for reconstruction of the Achilles tendon and treatment of infection as a one-step procedure.

Eight-year follow-up findings of surgical treatment for severe dystrophic changes in the cervical spine associated with neurofibromatosis type I: a case report.

Long-term follow-up findings for dystrophic changes in the cervical spine caused by neurofibromatosis type 1 have been rarely reported. A 13-year-old boy with severe dural ectasia in the cervical spine underwent cervical posterior fusion from C1 to C5 for prevention of cervical spine fracture and spinal injury. We followed him up for 8 years after surgery. We measured the progression of the destruction on yearly MRI. The dural ectasia gradually progressed until 3 years postoperatively. Subsequently, no further enlargement of the dural sac occurred. At the 8-year follow-up examination, the patient had no limitations in the activities of daily life.

Surgical Removal of Circumferentially Leaked Polymethyl Methacrylate in the Epidural Space of the Thoracic Spine after Percutaneous Vertebroplasty.

Background The major complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is epidural leakage of PMMA that damages the spinal cord. Methods This is a case report. Result A 77-year-old man presented to our institution with a 6-month history of muscle weakness and an intolerable burning sensation of both lower limbs after PVP with PMMA for thoracic compression fracture at T7 at another hospital. His past medical history was significant for hypertension. He had no history of smoking and alcohol. Computed tomography revealed massive leakage of PMMA into the T6 and T7 spinal canal circumferentially surrounding the spinal cord that caused marked encroachment of the thecal sac. Magnetic resonance images revealed cord compression and intramedullary signal change from T6 to T7 level. After we verified that the leaked PMMA could be easily detached from the dura mater in the cadaveric lumbar spine, surgical decompression and removal of epidural PMMA was performed. The leaked PMMA was carefully thinned down with a high-speed diamond burr. Eight pieces of PMMA were detached from the dura mater easily without causing a dural tear. No neurologic deterioration was observed in the postoperative period. The burning sensation resolved, but the muscle weakness remained unchanged. One and a half years postoperatively, the muscle weakness has improved to ⅘ on the manual muscle strength test, but he could not walk without an aid because of spasticity. Conclusion This report demonstrates the catastrophic epidural extrusion of PMMA following PVP. Extravasated PMMA can be removed through a working space created by means of laminectomy and subtraction of the affected pedicle. Spine surgeons should recognize the possible neurologic complications of PVP and be prepared to treat them using suitable approaches.

Arthroscopic excision of unstable os acromiale associated with impingement syndrome: a case report.

Os acromiale is a rare anatomical variant that is caused by failure of fusion of the acromial apophysis and is usually asymptomatic. We report a case of impingement syndrome of the left shoulder secondary to unstable os acromiale, which was initially overlooked and confirmed only during arthroscopic examination. Arthroscopic excision of the unstable fragment was successful without residual dysfunction of the deltoid muscle.

Arthroscopic Removal of a Wire Fragment from the Posterior Septum of the Knee following Tension Band Wiring of a Patellar Fracture.

Tension band wiring with cerclage wiring is most widely used for treating displaced patellar fractures. Although wire breakage is not uncommon, migration of a fragment of the broken wire is rare, especially migration into the knee joint. We describe here a rare case of migration of a wire fragment into the posterior septum of the knee joint after fixation of a displaced patellar fracture with tension band wiring and cerclage wiring. Although it was difficult to determine whether the wire fragment was located within or outside the knee joint from the preoperative plain radiographs or three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT), we found it arthroscopically through the posterior transseptal portal with assistance of intraoperative fluoroscopy. Surgeons who treat such cases should bear in mind the possibility that wire could be embedded in the posterior septum of the knee joint.

Basic fibroblast growth factor supports expansion of mouse compact bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and regeneration of bone from MSC in vivo.

Some progress has been made in development of methods to regenerate bone from cultured cells, however no method is put to practical use. Here, we developed methods to isolate, purify, and expand mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from mouse compact bone that may be used to regenerate bone in vivo. These cells were maintained in long-term culture and were capable of differentiating along multiple lineages, including chondrocyte, osteocyte, and adipocyte trajectories. We used standard cell isolation and culture methods to establish cell cultures from mouse compact bone and bone marrow. Cultures were grown in four distinct media to determine the optimal composition of culture medium for bone-derived MSCs. Putative MSCs were subjected to flow cytometry, alkaline phosphatase assays, immunohistochemical staining, and several differentiation assays to assess cell identity, protein expression, and developmental potential. Finally, we used an in vivo bone formation assay to determine whether putative MSCs were capable of regenerating bone. We found that compact bone of mice was a better source of MCSs than the bone marrow, that growth in plastic flasks served to purify MSCs from hematopoietic cells, and that MSCs grown in basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-conditioned medium were, based on multiple criteria, superior to those grown in leukemia inhibitory factor-conditioned medium. Moreover, we found that the MSCs isolated from compact bone and grown in bFGF-conditioned medium were capable of supporting bone formation in vivo. The methods and results described here have implications for understanding MSC biology and for clinical purpose.