Cervical kyphosis after posterior cervical laminectomy with and without fusion.

BACKGROUND: Cervical posterior instrumentation and fusion is often performed to avoid post-laminectomy kyphosis. However, larger comparative analyses of cervical laminectomy with or without fusion are sparse. METHODS: A retrospective, two-center, comparative cohort study included patients after stand-alone dorsal laminectomy with (n = 91) or without (n = 46) additional fusion for degenerative cervical myelopathy with a median follow-up of 59 (interquartile range (IQR) 52) months. The primary outcome was the C2-7 Cobb angle and secondary outcomes were Neck Disability Index (NDI), modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scale, revision rates, T1 slope and C2-7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-7 SVA) at final follow-up. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders (i.e. age, operated levels, and follow-up). RESULTS: Preoperative C2-7 Cobb angle and T1 slope were higher in the laminectomy group, while the C2-7 SVA was similar. The decrease in C2-7 Cobb angle from pre- to postoperatively was more pronounced in the laminectomy group (- 6° (IQR 20) versus -1° (IQR 7), p = 0.002). When adjusting for confounders, the decrease in C2-7 Cobb angle remained higher in the laminectomy group (coefficient - 12 (95% confidence interval (CI) -18 to -5), p = 0.001). However, there were no adjusted differences for postoperative NDI (- 11 (- 23 to 2), p = 0.10), mJOA, revision rates, T1 slope and C2-7 SVA. CONCLUSION: Posterior cervical laminectomy without fusion is associated with mild loss of cervical lordosis of around 6° in the mid-term after approximately five years, however without any clinical relevance regarding NDI or mJOA in well-selected patients (particularly in shorter segment laminectomies of < 3 levels).

Using Clinical Vignettes and a Modified Expert Delphi Panel to Determine Parameters for Identifying Non-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Health Administrative and Electronic Medical Record Databases.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain expert consensus on the parameters and etiologic conditions required to retrospectively identify cases of non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) in health administrative and electronic medical record (EMR) databases based on the rating of clinical vignettes. DESIGN: A modified Delphi process included 2 survey rounds and 1 remote consensus panel. The surveys required the rating of clinical vignettes, developed after chart reviews and expert consultation. Experts who participated in survey rounds were invited to participate in the Delphi Consensus Panel. SETTING: An international collaboration using an online meeting platform. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one expert physicians and/or clinical researchers in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Agreement on clinical vignettes as NTSCI. Parameters to classify cases of NTSCI in health administrative and EMR databases. RESULTS: In health administrative and EMR databases, cauda equina syndromes should be considered SCI and classified as a NTSCI or TSCI based on the mechanism of injury. A traumatic event needs to be listed for injury to be considered TSCI. To be classified as NTSCI, neurologic sufficient impairments (motor, sensory, bowel, and bladder) are required, in addition to an etiology. It is possible to have both a NTSCI and a TSCI, as well as a recovered NTSCI. If information is unavailable or missing in health administrative and EMR databases, the case may be listed as "unclassifiable" depending on the purpose of the research study. CONCLUSION: The Delphi panel provided guidelines to appropriately classify cases of NTSCI in health administrative and EMR databases.

A real-world analysis of hybrid CDA and ACDF compared to multilevel ACDF.

BACKGROUND: Multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (mACDF) is the gold standard for multilevel spinal disease; although safe and effective, mACDF can limit regular spinal motion and contribute to adjacent segment disease (ASD). Hybrid surgery, composed of ACDF and cervical disc arthroplasty, has the potential to reduce ASD by retaining spinal mobility. This study examined the safety of hybrid surgery by utilizing administrative claims data to compare real-world rates of subsequent surgery and post-procedural hospitalization within populations of patients undergoing hybrid surgery versus mACDF for multilevel spinal disease. METHODS: This observational, retrospective analysis used the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Database from July 2013 through June 2020. Propensity score matched cohorts of patients who received hybrid surgery or mACDF were established based on the presence of spinal surgery procedure codes in the claims data and followed over a variable post-period. Rates of subsequent surgery and post-procedural hospitalization (30- and 90-day) were compared between hybrid surgery and mACDF cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 430 hybrid surgery patients and 2,136 mACDF patients qualified for the study; average follow-up was approximately 2 years. Similar rates of subsequent surgery (Hybrid: 1.9 surgeries/100 patient-years; mACDF: 1.8 surgeries/100 patient-years) were observed for the two cohorts. Hospitalization rates were also similar across cohorts at 30 days post-procedure (Hybrid: 0.67% hospitalized/patient-year; mACDF: 0.87% hospitalized/patient-year). At 90 days post-procedure, hybrid surgery patients had slightly lower rates of hospitalization compared to mACDF patients (0.23% versus 0.42% hospitalized/patient-year; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this real-world, retrospective cohort study confirm prior reports indicating that hybrid surgery is a safe and effective intervention for multilevel spinal disease which demonstrates non-inferiority in relation to the current gold standard mACDF. The use of administrative claims data in this analysis provides a unique perspective allowing the inclusion of a larger, more generalizable population has historically been reported on in small cohort studies.

Predictors of Quality of Life in Patients With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Receiving Nonsurgical Management Due to Chronic Pain.

BACKGROUND: Most patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) experience pain, and their quality of life (QoL) is poor. AIMS: This study aimed to identify predictors of QoL, including demographic, clinical, physical, and psychosocial characteristics, in chronic pain patients with DCM receiving non-surgical management. DESIGN: A descriptive study design was used. SETTING: Participants were recruited at the pain clinic at a university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. PARTICIPANTS/SUBJECTS: The subjects included 157 inpatients and outpatients with DCM receiving non-surgical management. METHODS: We administered a written, structured, self-reported questionnaire, which included standard validated measures for the main variables of interest. RESULTS: The median number of pain sites was two, and the average and most pain severities were 4.63 ± 2.35 and 5.71 ± 2.32 out of 10 within one month, respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that depression, education level, and headache were factors influencing physical QoL. Depression, education level, and marital status were factors influencing psychological QoL, whereas depression and education level were factors influencing social relationships QoL. Finally, the factors influencing environmental QoL were depression, educational level, and marital status. CONCLUSIONS: Demographic characteristics, including educational level and marital status, clinical characteristics, including pain site, and psychological characteristics, including depression, were identified as factors influencing QoL in chronic pain patients with DCM receiving non-surgical management. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare professionals should consider demographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics when evaluating patients... QoL. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the QoL of participants who are single and have lower levels of education, headache pain, and high levels of depression. These patients are likely to have low QoL and strategies to improve their QoL should be developed.

Bladder cancer in patients with neurogenic bladder disorder: a comparative study of different etiologies.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to conduct a comparative study of different etiologies of neurogenic bladder disorders (NBDs) in patients with bladder cancer (BC) regarding patient- and tumor-related parameters and their oncological outcome. METHODS: Out of 98 patients with bladder tumors and neurogenic disease, 23 patients with BC and NBDs from Jan 1, 2010, to Dec 31, 2020, were included. The different etiologies of NBDs were merged in three groups based on the level of the nervous system (NS)-lesion: (i) central (n = 6), (ii) spinal cord (n = 10), and (iii) peripheral lesions (n = 7). RESULTS: Patients with lesions at the spinal cord level were younger at the time of BC diagnosis compared to patients with central or peripheral NS lesions (54 vs. 68 vs. 78 years, p = 0.0219). However, the latency to malignant transformation was more than twice as long (33 vs. 15 years, p = 0.0108). Most tumors were muscle-invasive or locally advanced BCs (62%) and presented lymph node metastases (55%), resulting in a poor mean overall survival of 30.9 ± 3.6 months. No significant differences regarding histopathology, tumor stage, and oncological outcome could be observed between the groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with NBDs have a poor prognosis regardless of their etiology or the level of NS lesion. Patients with spinal cord lesions, including congenital NBDs, appear to develop BC at a young age, but compared to other etiologies latency from NBD to BC is longer.

Predicting postoperative recovery in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: construction and interpretation of T2*-weighted radiomic-based extra trees models.

OBJECTIVES: Conventional MRI may not be ideal for predicting cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) prognosis. In this study, we used radiomics in predicting postoperative recovery in CSM. We aimed to develop and validate radiomic feature-based extra trees models. METHODS: There were 151 patients with CSM who underwent preoperative T2-/ T2*-weighted imaging (WI) and surgery. They were divided into good/poor outcome groups based on the recovery rate. Datasets from multiple scanners were randomised into training and internal validation sets, while the dataset from an independent scanner was used for external validation. Radiomic features were extracted from the transverse spinal cord at the maximum compressed level. Threshold selection algorithm, collinearity removal, and tree-based feature selection were applied sequentially in the training set to obtain the optimal radiomic features. The classification of intramedullary increased signal on T2/T2*WI and compression ratio of the spinal cord on T2*WI were selected as the conventional MRI features. Clinical features were age, preoperative mJOA, and symptom duration. Four models were constructed: radiological, radiomic, clinical-radiological, and clinical-radiomic. An AUC significantly > 0.5 was considered meaningful predictive performance based on the DeLong test. The mean decrease in impurity was used to measure feature importance. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: On internal and external validations, AUCs of the radiomic and clinical-radiomic models, and radiological and clinical-radiological models ranged from 0.71 to 0.81 (significantly > 0.5) and 0.40 to 0.55, respectively. Wavelet-LL first-order variance was the most important feature in the radiomic model. CONCLUSION: Radiomic features, especially wavelet-LL first-order variance, contribute to meaningful predictive models for CSM prognosis. KEY POINTS: • Conventional MRI features may not be ideal in predicting prognosis. • Radiomics provides greater predictive efficiency in the recovery from cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Functional MRI evidence for primary motor cortex plasticity contributes to the disease's severity and prognosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the brain mechanism of non-correspondence between diseases severity and compression degree of the spinal cord in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients and to test the utility of brain imaging biomarkers for predicting prognosis of CSM. METHODS: We calculated voxel-wise zALFF from 54 CSM patients and 50 healthy controls using resting-state fMRI data. In analysis 1, we identified the brain regions exhibited significant differences of zALFF between CSM patients and healthy controls. In analyses 2 through 3, we investigated the zALFF differences between light-symptom CSM patients and severe-symptom CSM patients while carefully matching the degree of compression between these two groups. In analysis 4, we tested the utility of zALFF within the primary motor cortex (M1) for predicting the prognosis of CSM. RESULTS: We found that (1) compared with the healthy controls, CSM patients exhibited higher ALFF within left M1, bilateral superior frontal gyrus, and lower zALFF within right precuneus and calcarine, suggesting altered brain neural activity in CSM patients; (2) after matching the compression degree, the CSM patients with more severe clinical symptoms exhibited higher zALFF within M1, indicating cortical function contributes to disease's severity of CSM; (3) taking the M1 zALFF as features in the prognosis prediction model improves the prediction accuracy, indicating that the M1 zALFF provide additional value for predicting the prognosis of CSM patients following decompression surgery. CONCLUSION: The functional state of M1 contributes to the disease's severity of CSM and can provide complementary information for predicting the prognosis of CSM following decompression surgery. KEY POINTS: • Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients exhibited increased zALFF within the primary motor cortex (M1), bilateral superior frontal gyrus, and decreased zALFF within the right precuneus and calcarine. • After matching the compression degree, the CSM patients with more severe clinical symptoms exhibited higher zALFF within M1, indicating cortical function contributes to disease severity of CSM. • zALFF within M1 provided additional value for predicting the prognosis of CSM patients.

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Direct-to-User Transfer Training Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a web-based, direct-to-user transfer training program in improving transfer quality and maintaining improvements for up to 1 month after training as compared with a control group. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with participants randomized to an immediate intervention group (IIG) or waitlist control group (WLCG) that received the training after a 6-month delay. SETTING: Wherever the participants accessed the web-based training, likely the home environment. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of full-time wheelchair users (N=72; IIG, n=34; WLCG, n=38 for between-group analysis, n=48 for combined within-group analysis) with spinal cord injury or disorder who were able to independently perform a lateral scoot transfer. INTERVENTIONS: Self-paced, web-based transfer training module. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transfer Assessment Instrument Questionnaire (TAI-Q) score at baseline, 1 month, and 6 months postbaseline (WLCG only), immediately posttraining, and 1 month posttraining. The TAI-Q is an 18-item self-assessment that covers several aspects of a quality transfer. RESULTS: The IIG significantly increased particpants' baseline TAI-Q score from 6.91±0.98 to 7.79±1.12 (P<.001) by 1 month posttraining. The WLCG also increased from baseline to the 1-month postbaseline assessment (from 6.52±1.13 to 7.00±1.09; P=.014), potentially from learning effects secondary to self-assessment with the TAI-Q. The extent of change over time did not differ significantly between the IIG and WLCG from baseline to 1 month (P=.169). However, significant improvements in TAI-Q scores were still evident after the training for the WLCG (P<.001). Those with a lower pretraining TAI-Q score and more shoulder pain were most likely to benefit from the training. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated TAI-Q self-assessments likely contributed to improved transfer quality, with web-based training having an additive effect. Wheelchair users are likely to benefit from transfer training and self-assessment of transfer quality in their home environments. This has the potential to decrease injury risk while avoiding barriers to in-person training.

Distal renal tubular acidosis presenting with an acute hypokalemic paralysis in an older child with severe vesicoureteral reflux and syringomyelia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA) is the most common type of renal tubular acidosis (RTA) in children. Pediatric dRTA is usually genetic and rarely occurs due to acquired issues such as obstructive uropathies, recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although persistent hypokalemia frequently occurs with dRTA, acute hypokalemic paralysis is not frequently reported, especially in older children. CASE PRESENTATION: An eight-year-old girl presented with an acute first episode of paralysis. A physical examination revealed normal vital signs, short stature consistent with her genetic potential, and decreased muscle strength of her upper and lower extremities. Preexisting conditions included stage 4 CKD due to recurrent UTIs, severe vesicoureteral reflux and bilateral hydronephrosis, neurogenic bladder, and multisegment thoracic syringomyelia. Her laboratory work-up revealed hypokalemic, hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with a normal anion gap. She also had a urine osmolal gap of 1.9 mOsmol/kg with a high urine pH. Intravenous potassium replacement resulted in a complete resolution of her paralysis. She was diagnosed with dRTA and discharged with oral bicarbonate and slow-release potassium supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: This case report highlights the importance of considering dRTA in the differential diagnosis of hypokalemic acute paralysis in children. Additionally, in children with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction and recurrent UTIs, early diagnosis of spinal cord etiology is crucial to treat promptly, slow the progression of CKD, and prevent long-term complications such as RTA.

Comparison of health-related quality of life in patients with traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid haemorrhage and cervical spine disease.

PURPOSE: The degree of disability that is acceptable to patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to be debated. While the dichotomization of outcome on the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOSE) into 'favourable' and 'unfavourable' continues to guide clinical decisions, this may not reflect an individual's subjective experience. The aim of this study is to assess how patients' self-reported quality of life (QoL) relates to objective outcome assessments and how it compares to other debilitating neurosurgical pathologies, including subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and cervical myelopathy. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of over 1300 patients seen in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK with TBI, SAH and patients pre- and post- cervical surgery was performed. QoL was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyse the difference in SF-36 domain scores between the four unpaired patient groups. To determine how the point of dichotomization of GOSE into 'favourable' and 'unfavourable' outcome affected QOL, SF-36 scores were compared between GOSE and mRS. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the median Physical Component Score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS) of SF-36 between the three neurosurgical pathologies. Patients with TBI and SAH scored higher on most SF-36 domains when compared with cervical myelopathy patients in the severe category. While patients with Upper Severe Disability on GOSE showed significantly higher PC and MC scores compared to GOSE 3, there was a significant degree of variability in individual responses across the groups. CONCLUSION: A significant number of patients following TBI and SAH have better self-reported QOL than cervical spine patients and patients' subjective perception and expectations following injury do not always correspond to objective disability. These results can guide discussion of treatment and outcomes with patients and families.

Tremor as a symptom of degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: AO Spine RECODE-DCM (Research objectives and common data elements for degenerative cervical myelopathy) has highlighted that the subjective disability reported by people living with DCM is much broader than routinely considered today by most professionals. This includes a description of tremor. The objective of this review was to study the incidence and possible aetiology of tremor in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). METHODS: A systematic review registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020176905) was conducted in Embase and MEDLINE for papers studying tremor and DCM published on or before the 20th of July 2020. All manuscripts describing an association between tremor and DCM in humans were included. Articles relating to non-human animals, and those not available in English were excluded. An analysis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA and SWiM guidelines for systematic reviews. RESULTS: Out of a total of 4402 screened abstracts, we identified 7 case reports and series describing tremor in 9 DCM patients. Papers were divided into three groups for the discussion. The first group includes DCM correctly identified on presentation, with tremor as a described symptom. The second group includes cases where DCM was misdiagnosed, often as Parkinson's disease. The third group includes a single case with a previous history of DCM, presenting with an otherwise unexplained tremor. This grouping allows for the clustering of cases supporting various arguments for the association between tremor and DCM. CONCLUSION: DCM can be associated with tremor. The current evidence is restricted to case series. Further study is warranted to establish tremor prevalence, and its significance to assessment and management.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in a COVID-19 pediatric patient.

The authors present a case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in a COVID-19 pediatric patient with positive SARS-CoV2 markers from a nasopharyngeal swab. A previously healthy 12-year-old-girl presented with a skin rash, headache, and fever. Five days after that, she had an acute, progressive, bilateral, and symmetrical motor weakness. She evolved to respiratory failure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and cervical spine showed extensive bilateral and symmetric restricted diffusion involving the subcortical and deep white matter, a focal hyperintense T2/FLAIR lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum with restricted diffusion, and extensive cervical myelopathy involving both white and gray matter. Follow-up examinations of the brain and spine were performed 30 days after the first MRI examination. The images of the brain demonstrated mild dilatation of the lateral ventricles and widespread widening of the cerebral sulci, complete resolution of the extensive white matter restricted diffusion, and complete resolution of the restricted diffusion in the lesion of the splenium of the corpus callosum, leaving behind a small gliotic focus. The follow-up examination of the spine demonstrated nearly complete resolution of the extensive signal changes in the spinal cord, leaving behind scattered signal changes in keeping with gliosis. She evolved with partial clinical and neurological improvement and was subsequently discharged.

Incidence of Acquired Nontraumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Finland: A 4-Year Prospective Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence and epidemiologic characteristics of acquired nontraumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) in Finland. DESIGN: Prospective 4-year epidemiologic multicenter study. SETTING: Two of the 3 spinal cord injury (SCI) centers in Finland responsible for acute care, immediate rehabilitation, and lifelong follow-up for all SCI patients in a population of 3,073,052 (as of 2013). PARTICIPANTS: All newly diagnosed NTSCI patients (N=430) admitted to Tampere University Hospital between 2012 and 2015 and Oulu University Hospital between 2013 and 2016 based on the evaluation of the designated rehabilitation teams. Patients with NTSCI resulting from congenital etiologies or progressive neurologic diseases were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence and variables, according to the International SCI Core Data Set and the International Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI, including etiology and the severity of injury. RESULTS: The incidence of NTSCI was 54.1 per million per year. NTSCI was more common in men (n=260, 60.5%) than women (n=170, 39.5%). The mean age was 62.0±14.6 years old. Degenerative causes were the most common etiology (n=219, 50.9%), followed by malignant (n=88, 20.5%) and benign (n=41, 9.5%) neoplasms. The injury resulted in tetraplegia in 177 patients (41.1%) and paraplegia in 249 patients (57.9%). American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade D injuries were common, with an incidence of 71% (n=304). Specialized inpatient rehabilitation was needed in 44% (n=189) of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: There are no previous studies on the epidemiology of NTSCI in Finland, and international reporting has been limited. The incidence of NTSCI in our study was substantially higher than in most previous studies, which was likely owing to our study including individuals with less severe lesions who did not require inpatient rehabilitation.

[Nonneoplastic lesions of the spinal canal]. / Nichtneoplastische Raumforderungen des Spinalkanals.

Numerous vascular, inflammatory, degenerative and tumorous lesions of the spinal canal can cause paraplegic symptoms. In addition to the neurological examination and the leading symptoms, the first topographical classification of the (suspected) disease is essential for further diagnostics. Hence, high-resolution magnet resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for the majority of questions. To avoid diagnostic and therapeutic mistakes, differentiation of intraspinal tumors from tumor-like (nonneoplastic) lesions is indispensable, which is often only possible after follow-up imaging or surgical exploration.

Syringomyelia and hydromyelia: Current understanding and neurosurgical management.

Syringomyelia is a rare disorder in which a fluid-filled cyst forms within the spinal cord, resulting in myelopathy. Meanwhile, the abnormal dilatation of the central canal is referred to as hydromyelia or slit-like syrinx. The most prevailing classification is based on anatomical features and pathogeny rather than pathophysiological mechanisms. It is usual to distinguish foraminal syringomyelia related mainly to abnormalities at the craniocervical junction, non-foraminal syringomyelia dealing with any cause of arachnoiditis (infection, inflammation, trauma…) and more rarely syringomyelia associated with intramedullary tumors. Although many pathophysiological theories have been argued over time, the prevailing one is that disturbances in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in the sub-arachnoid spaces disrupt flow velocity leading to the syrinx. Symptoms of paralysis, sensory loss and chronic pain commonly develop during the third/fourth decades of life. The natural history of syringomyelia is typically one of gradual, stepwise neurological deterioration extending over many years. Diagnosis is based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including excellent morphological sequences (T1-, T2-, FLAIR-, T2*-, enhanced T1-) and dynamic MRI with careful study of CSF velocity (CISS, cine-MR sequences). Surgical management is at first dedicated to treat the cause of the syringomyelia, mainly to re-establish a physiological CSF pathway in the subarachnoid spaces. Mostly, the surgical goal is to enlarge the craniocervical junction with duraplasty. Other surgical strategies such as arachnoidolysis or shunt procedures are performed based on the pathogenic mechanisms or as second-line treatment. Medical treatments are also necessary as chronic pain is the main long-lasting symptom. As evolutive syringomyelia is a severe disease with a high impact on quality of life, it is recommended to treat without delay. There is no evidence for surgery for incidental asymptomatic syringomyelia or hydromyelia. Finally, syringomyelia associated with intramedullary tumors resolves spontaneously after tumor resection. Syringomyelia is a rare disease, which requires a dedicated multidisciplinary approach, emphasizing the need for a nationwide scientific organization so as to offer optimal care to the patient.

[Intraoperative computed tomography and modern navigation in surgical treatment of spine and spinal cord diseases]. / Opyt primeneniya intraoperatsionnogo spiral'nogo komp'yuternogo tomografa i sovremennoi sistemy navigatsii v khirurgicheskom lechenii zabolevanii pozvonochnika i spinnogo mozga.

Surgical treatment of spine and spinal cord diseases is one of important objectives in modern neurosurgery. Patient safety is a priority in spine and spinal cord surgery. Intraoperative imaging ensures efficacy and safe surgery with and without stabilization, preoperative marking, control of decompression and correct implant placement. Surgical C-arms and intraoperative cone-beam CT scanners are the most widespread in everyday practice. The latest achievement was intraoperative spiral computed tomography. C-arms and CT scanners with intraoperative navigation increase the efficiency and safety of surgical interventions.

Employment Among People With Spinal Cord Injury in 22 Countries Across the World: Results From the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the employment situation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in 22 countries participating in the International Spinal Cord Injury community survey, to compare observed and predicted employment rates, to estimate gaps in employment rates among people with SCI compared with the general population, and to study differences in employment between men and women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: People of employable age (N=9875; 18-64 y) with traumatic or non-traumatic SCI (including cauda equina syndrome) who were at least 18 years of age at the time of the survey, living in the community, and able to respond to one of the available language versions of the questionnaire. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The observed employment rate was defined as performing paid work for at least 1 hour a week, and predicted employment rate was adjusted for sample composition from mixed logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 9875 participants were included (165-1174 per country). Considerable differences in sample composition were found. The observed worldwide employment rate was 38%. A wide variation was found across countries, ranging from 10.3% to 61.4%. Some countries showed substantially higher or lower employment rates than predicted based on the composition of their sample. Gaps between the observed employment rates among participants with SCI and the general population ranged from 14.8% to 54.8%. On average, employment rates were slightly higher among men compared with women, but with large variation across countries. Employment gaps, however, were smaller among women for most countries. CONCLUSIONS: This first worldwide survey among people with SCI shows an average employment rate of 38%. Differences between observed and predicted employment rates across countries point at country-specific factors that warrant further investigation. Gaps with employment rates in the general population were considerable and call for actions for more inclusive labor market policies in most of the countries investigated.

Effect of posterior cervical expansive open-door laminoplasty on cervical sagittal balance.

PURPOSE: Posterior cervical expansive open-door laminoplasty (LAMP) is a mature surgical procedure for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), but there are few studies on the changes in cervical sagittal balance. This study aimed to analyze the imaging and clinical data of patients who underwent LAMP and to explore the effect of this procedure on the cervical sagittal balance. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of the patients who underwent LAMP between 01/2014 and 12/2017. The C0-C2 Cobb angle, sagittal vertical angle (SVA), C2-C7 Cobb angle, and T1-slope were measured. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, neck disability index (NDI), and visual analog scale (VAS) were used. RESULTS: There were 69 males and 39 females. The mean age was 61.3 ± 5.3 years. The C0-C2 Cobb angle increased from 11.3 ± 5.5° to 26.8 ± 4.8° (P = 0.186). The C2-C7 Cobb angle decreased from 13.9 ± 8.6° to 10.65 ± 10.7° P = 0.016). SVA increased from 21.0 ± 5.8 mm to 25.4 ± 11.5 mm (P = 0.001). The preoperative average JOA score was 11.1 ± 2.2 points, and the postoperative score was 14.0 ± 2.1 points, with an average improvement rate of JOA of 46.5 ± 3.8%. The NDI score decreased from preoperative 15.6 ± 5.4 points to 11.3 ± 7.9 points, and the VAS score was decreased from 4.6 ± 1.8 points to 3.3 ± 1.6 points (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LAMP improved the neurological function and quality of life of patients with CSM. The cervical vertebrae show a tendency of tilting forward, suggesting that overextension of the upper cervical vertebra might be used to maintain the center of gravity of the skull and horizontal vision.

Introduction of the Purdue Pegboard Test for fine assessment of severity of cervical myelopathy before and after surgery.

[Purpose] To evaluate the severity of symptoms before and after cervical myelopathy surgery using the Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function. Because a test ceiling effect was observed in patients with less severe forms of myelopathy, we investigated the correlation between and accuracy of several different tests in order to clarify the usefulness of the Purdue Pegboard Test for evaluation of one or both hands. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-four patients (6 females and 28 males; mean age, 64.5 years) were examined, and scores were determined for each of the following tests: Purdue Pegboard Test; Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function; Japanese Orthopedic Association assessment; and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand assessment. Correlations between scores of different tests were then determined. The cut-off values used for the Purdue Pegboard Test and the Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function were determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve to assess the use of chopsticks. [Results] The Purdue Pegboard Test assembly task correlated moderately with the Japanese Orthopedic Association and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand scores. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, the Purdue Pegboard Test cut-off value was 11 and the Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function cut-off value was 90. [Conclusion] The Purdue Pegboard Test is useful for evaluating manual dexterity and coordination in both hands in patients with cervical myelopathy.