Prospective comparison of the therapeutic effect of teriparatide with that of combined vertebroplasty with antiresorptive agents for the treatment of new-onset adjacent vertebral compression fracture after percutaneous vertebroplasty.

UNLABELLED: Most post-vertebroplasty new-onset adjacent vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) occur within 2-3 months, and antiresorptive agents do not significantly reduce the risk of their occurrence. In opposite mechanism, teriparatide directly stimulates bone formation and improves bone strength and quality faster. The therapeutic effect of teriparatide is better than that of vertebroplasty combined with an antiresorptive treatment and is a potentially useful therapy for new-onset adjacent VCFs after vertebroplasty. INTRODUCTION: Following vertebroplasty, patients are at increased risk of new-onset adjacent-level VCFs. The therapeutic effect of antiresorptive agents is too slow, and they are associated with the risk of new VCFs. Teriparatide markedly increases bone formation and strength and reduces the incidence of new-onset VCFs. This prospective cohort study compared the therapeutic effects of teriparatide with those of combined vertebroplasty and an anti-resorber for treating new-onset adjacent VCFs after vertebroplasty. METHODS: Fifty patients with adjacent VCFs were randomly assigned to two groups: teriparatide only (group A) and additional vertebroplasty combined with an antiresorptive agent (group B). Relevant clinical data of the two groups were prospectively compared. RESULTS: The 22 patients in group A were at higher risk of new VCFs than those in group B (22 patients); they were older and had more pre-existing fractures (p < 0.05). Patients treated with teriparatide had a significantly lower incidence of new-onset VCFs (odds ratio = 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-2.10). Teriparatide-mediated VCF reduction was 78.57%, which was markedly better than that of group B. The teriparatide group had a significant decrease in the visual analog scale and an increase in the Japanese Orthopedic Association low back pain score after 6 months of treatment (p < 0.05). The increase in lumbar spine BMD was marked in the teriparatide group (21.70% vs. 6.87%) after an 18-month treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of post-vertebroplasty adjacent VCFs with teriparatide (no new vertebroplasty) was more effective than that of repeated vertebroplasties combined with an anti-resorber.

Coexistence of schizencephaly and intracranial arteriovenous malformation in an infant.

A 9-month-old infant had unilateral closed-lip schizencephaly in the right parietal lobe, which coexisted with an arteriovenous malformation in the nearby temporal area. Cranial MR showed a right parietal cleft lined with gray matter between the right lateral ventricle and the subarachnoid space, and cluster hypointensities throughout the right temporal lobe. Cerebral angiography revealed a right temporal arteriovenous malformation with feeding arteries arising from the right middle and posterior cerebral arteries and draining into the right sigmoid sinus via the engorged vein of Labbé.

Fractured odontoid: the management of delayed neurological symptoms.

Undiagnosed and untreated odontoid fractures are relatively common in developing countries where treatment for minor injuries is not considered. As a result, patients frequently present with neurological deterioration secondary to delayed odontoid dislocation. Fifty-one consecutive patients with this problem were entered into a management protocol and reviewed for this report. After diagnosis, reducibility was analyzed by extension films, and all patients who could not be reduced were initially managed in cranial long traction. Thirty-seven were reduced spontaneously or by traction alone, and 12 required transoral decompression. All underwent posterior C1-C2 fusion. Postoperatively, all were treated in external orthoses. The neurological recovery was excellent in 34 patients. Seven patients could function but had some disability, three patients had disabling spasticity, and three remained bedridden. Four deaths occurred as a result of respirator-dependent patients being taken home for social and financial reasons. As a result of this case-controlled study, we recommend that the treatment protocol first analyze reducibility by extension x-rays and then try traction for as long as 14 days to attempt reduction in patients who did not reduce in extension. Failure of reduction is indication for transoral decompression, and all patients require C1-C2 fusion. The neurological recovery is related to initial impairement but can be satisfactory in > 75% of patients.

The expectant treatment of "asymptomatic" supratentorial epidural hematomas.

Seventy-four patients with a traumatic epidural hematoma (EDH) and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of more than 12 received expectant treatment; 14 subsequently underwent surgical evacuation of the EDH. A patient with initial brain computed tomograms (CT) showing an EDH volume of more than 30 ml, a thickness of more than 15 mm, and a midline shift beyond 5 mm tended to require surgery within 3 days of the injury when the brain had exhausted its compensatory mechanism and yielded to the expanding EDH. After the 3-day period, in the absence of neurological symptoms, the presence of the EDH may not be an indication for surgical evacuation or hospitalization beyond 7 days. In our patients, the presence of a skull fracture in the temporal bone, the heterogeneous density of the EDH in the CT scan, or the 6-hour period between the CT study and the injury did not significantly increase the failure rate of nonsurgical treatment. Although a zero mortality was achieved in this series, these guidelines may not be applicable to the management of an infratentorial EDH.

Early seizures after mild closed head injury.

The authors review the seizure incidence in 4232 adult patients with mild closed head injury who did not receive prophylactic anticonvulsant agents. One hundred patients (2.36%) experienced seizures within 1 week after head injury; 43 of these (1.02% of the series) had seizures within 24 hours after trauma. Most of the seizures (84%) that developed during the 1st week after injury were of the generalized tonic-clonic type. The incidence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures was higher than that of partial seizures with motor symptoms both within 24 hours (91% vs. 9%) and during the Day 2 to 7 period (79% vs. 21%). No definite intracranial pathological findings were detected by computerized tomography (CT) in 53% of patients with early posttraumatic seizures; six patients had intracranial hemorrhage without intracranial parenchymal damage (three with epidural hematoma and three with subarachnoid hemorrhage). The most common positive CT findings in the early posttraumatic-seizure group were intracerebral hemorrhage (24%), followed by acute subdural hematoma with intracerebral hemorrhage (17%). Intracerebral parenchymal damage could be identified on CT scans in 41 (48.8%) of 84 patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizures and five (31%) of 16 patients with partial seizures with motor symptoms. The intracerebral parenchymal damage was most commonly detected in the frontal lobe (21%) and the temporal lobe (19%). Seven patients with early posttraumatic seizures received emergency craniotomy to remove an intracranial hematoma (epidural in three, subdural and intracerebral in four) because the mass effect resulted in significant midline shift as seen on CT scans. This review suggests that early posttraumatic seizures after mild closed head injury have a high incidence (53%) in patients with normal CT scan findings. Although the possibility of surgically correctable intracranial hemorrhage is low (7%), the condition may be devastating if not treated properly.

Early postoperative seizures after posterior fossa surgery.

A review is reported of the seizure incidence in 726 patients who underwent 740 posterior fossa operations via a suboccipital craniectomy without prophylactic anticonvulsant agents. Thirteen patients (1.8%) experienced seizures within 2 weeks postoperatively. Five of these patients (0.7% of the series) had seizures within 24 hours after operation. The incidence was highest for patients with medulloblastoma (7.2%) followed by those with astrocytoma (2.3%). Also, a higher percentage was found in patients with preoperative ventriculoperitoneal shunt or intraoperative ventriculostomy (2.7%) than in those without (1%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Metabolic acidosis (80%) and hyponatremia (20%) were the major causes of the seizures that developed within 24 hours after operation. Follow-up computerized tomography showed no definite lesion in these patients. Hydrocephalus (75%) and supratentorial hemorrhage remote from the operative site (25%) were detected in the patients who developed seizures between the 2nd and 14th postoperative day. Two of these patients also had postoperative bacterial meningitis. This review suggests that seizures are a possible complication in the early postoperative period after suboccipital craniectomy for posterior fossa lesions.

Early seizures after severe closed head injury.

BACKGROUND: We studied the incidence and clinical significance of early post-traumatic seizures after severe closed head injury. METHODS: This prospective study is based on clinical observation of 3340 adult patients with severe closed head injuries, each of them having a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 3 to 8 after trauma. Anticonvulsant agents were not given to these patients unless there was evidence of seizure. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-one patients (3.6%) experienced seizures within 1 week after head injury; 42 of these (1.26% of the series) had seizures within 24 hours after trauma. The incidence of intracerebral parenchymal damage was found to be higher among those patients who developed seizures in the first week (66.1%) than in those who did not (62.7%). However this result did not reach statistical significance. The patients with early seizures had a lower mortality rate (p < 0.01). In patients who survived from the initial injury, the occurrence of early post-traumatic seizures did not appear to influence the neurological recovery at 6 months after injury. CONCLUSION: Presence of intracerebral parenchymal damage on CT scan after severe closed head injury does not increase the risk of early post-traumatic seizures. With proper treatment, patients presenting with early seizures may have a lower mortality rate. However, the occurrence of early seizures does not influence the neurological recovery in patients who survive the initial severe closed head injury.

Coexistence of oto-palato-digital syndrome type II and Arnold-Chiari I malformation in an infant.

A Taiwanese infant with clinically apparent oto-palato-digital syndrome type II had Arnold-Chiari I malformation. Arnold-Chiari I malformation has not been reported previously to occur in association with oto-palato-digital type II syndrome. The pathogenesis of both conditions has remain unclear although the Arnold-Cliari I malformation is most likely due to a developmental abnormality of improperly times or incomplete closure of the neural tube. We propose the physician who care for children with OPD type II must be aware of one more condition.

Dermoid cyst with dermal sinus tract complicated with spinal subdural abscess.

Spinal subdural abscess caused by spread of infection with the dermal sinus tract is rare in children. This article reports on a 1-year-old male with prolonged fever, progressive paraplegia, and bowel and bladder dysfunction resulting from a spinal subdural abscess secondary to an infected spinal dermoid cyst with a dermal sinus tract. This is the youngest patient to be reported having this condition. Surgical intervention was performed to find a tumor that had capsule and keratinlike contents. Culture of the abscess was positive for Escherichia coli and Bacteroides vulgatus. He received 6 weeks of parenteral antibiotic treatment. This patient illustrates the importance of urgent radiologic examination, immediate surgical resection, and appropriate antibiotic therapy for spinal subdural abscess.

Retrodental fibrocartilaginous mass. Report of a case.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a report of a 63-year-old woman with a retrodental fibrocartilaginous mass and myelopathy. OBJECTIVE: To describe the pathophysiology of the retrodental fibrocartilaginous mass formation and its association with the C2-C3 disc. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: High cervical disc protrusion is an uncommon condition and presents even more rarely as a craniovertebral junction mass with spinal cord compression. Uncertainty remains regarding the etiology of its formation in the retrodental region. METHODS: The patient underwent surgical intervention with transoral decompression and posterior C1-C2 skeletal fusion with bony graft. RESULTS: On the basis of dynamic plain radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical pathology, the origin of the mass may have been the C2-C3 disc. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesized that the mechanism underlying the posterior odontoid fibrocartilaginous mass with spinal cord involvement most likely originate upward migration of the C2-C3 annulus fragment to the atlantoaxial joint as a result of aging. Secondary fibrocartilaginous metaplasia plays a major role in creating such disc-like material. To prevent unrecoverable myelopathy, early detection and anterior decompression with posterior C1-C2 skeletal fixation and bony fusion are the best treatment methods.

Citrobacter meningitis in adults.

Citrobacter meningitis is an uncommon infection of neonates and young children. It is rarely seen in adults. We describe a 46-year-old man with a mixed bacterial meningitis caused by C. diversus and Klebsiella oxytoca and a 64-year-old woman with C. freundii meningitis. Review of the English-language literature revealed only 2 adult patients with C. diversus meningitis and another 2, with C. freundii meningitis. The ages of these 6 aforementioned patients ranged from 31 to 84 years. Multiple facial fractures, neurosurgical procedures, alcoholism and diabetes mellitus were predisposing conditions. Among the 5 patients whose outcome was known, antibiotic therapy was successful in 4 but failed in 1. This study emphasizes that almost any of the gram-negative bacilli can cause serious infection of the central nervous system in adults in the proper setting.

Psoriatic arthritis with C-1-C-2 subluxation as a neurosurgical complication.

A 39-year-old man presented with a 10-year history of psoriatic arthritis, and more recently a progressive high cervical myelopathy. The development of the myelopathy syndrome was unassociated with trauma or any other specific inciting cause. Cervical spine x-rays demonstrated a significant atlantoaxial subluxation. Other x-ray features of the spine met the criteria for diagnosis of psoriatic spondylitis. The association of a high cervical myelopathy with atlantoaxial subluxation in psoriatic spondylitis is rare. Conversely, atlantoaxial subluxation without high cervical myelopathy has been reported in 45% of cases of psoriatic spondylitis. The authors report this case with a review of the diagnosis, possible pathogenesis, and treatment of atlantoaxial subluxation in psoriatic spondylitis.

Primary intraspinal dura mesenchymal chondrosarcoma.

An 18-year-old woman presented with 6 months of local paraspinal pain and 2 months midthoracic myelopathy. She was proved to have an intraspinal tumor. After successful surgical removal, it was found histologically to be a mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. Local irradiation was administered for the prevention of local recurrence. This case is reported with a review of the literature of primary mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the spinal dura.

Fluctuating hemiparesis caused by a quadrigeminal arachnoid cyst: case report.

A 42-year-old woman presented with intermittent hemiparesis mimicking a reversible ischemic neurologic deficit. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a compression of the left side of the midbrain by a quadrigeminal arachnoid cyst without hydrocephalus. After the cystic wall was widely excised under operating microscope, the patient made a good recovery and remained well at a follow-up of 18 months. The absence of hydrocephalus in a symptomatic patient with a quadrigeminal cyst was exceptional, which might result from the early diagnosis with MRI. The use of microsurgical technique made it possible to excise the cystic wall widely and omit a shunting procedure.

Surgical treatment for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine.

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a degenerative disease of the spine, usually found in the cervical vertebrae. Most symptomatic patients present with a myelopathy or myeloradiculopathy. Surgical decompression is the preferred treatment. The choice of operative approach, anterior or posterior, is still controversial. From January 1986 to June 1992, 20 patients with this condition received operations at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The clinical manifestations and the results of treatment are analysed. The ideal surgery seems to be the anterior approach with bone fusion. If, however, the OPLL involves more than three segments, the posterior approach with an expansive laminoplasty would be the better alternative technique.

Efficacy of surgical treatment in traumatic central cord syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Controversy surrounds the treatment of traumatic central cord syndrome (TCCS), as there are strong advocates for nonsurgical treatment for most patients. However, conservative treatment has been shown to yield a longer period of discomfort from pain and weakness in certain cases. METHODS: In a retrospective review of 114 patients presenting with acute or chronic TCCS from 1988-94, four different age groups were separately observed under different treatments. Motor and sensory recovery were assessed. RESULTS: Better results were achieved in younger patients, with or without radiographic abnormalities, and in patients with clinically correlated encroaching cord lesions who received early surgical decompression. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical intervention for TCCS must be addressed with careful clinical and radiographic survey. Removal of offending lesions in the subacute period results in significant motor and sensory improvement in short-term and long-term follow-up.

Prophylactic anticonvulsants for prevention of immediate and early postcraniotomy seizures.

Phenytoin (15 mg/kg) was administered intravenously to 189 patients shortly before their intracranial, supratentorial surgery was completed. Intravenous phenytoin of 5-6 mg/kg/day in three divided doses was administered daily for the first 3 postoperative days. Therapeutic serum levels (10-20 micrograms/mL) were achieved in 113 (59.8%) patients. An equally constituted, randomized control group of 185 patients received a placebo under identical conditions. The group receiving phenytoin had only one immediate and two early postoperative seizures. The 185 controls had four immediate and nine early postoperative seizures. None of the follow-up computed tomography scans of the patients with seizures showed postoperative hematoma. One patient had a significant tension pneumocranium, a possible cause of postoperative seizures. To avoid a decrease in the serum anticonvulsant level due to intraoperative blood loss, it is suggested that for patients who need an urgent or emergent craniotomy, prophylatic anticonvulsant medication should be given at least 20 minutes before completion of wound closure.

Surgical treatment of spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage.

UNLABELLED: Spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage accounts for 5%-10% of intracerebral hemorrhage in most series. From June 1979 to June 1983 we had 26 surgical cases of spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage. There were 15 men and 11 women. The typical history was sudden onset of severe headache, vomiting, dizziness, and inability to walk. Disturbance of consciousness was usually a late feature. Common signs were truncal ataxia, nystagmus, conjugate eyeball deviation, small miotic pupils with or without light reflex and abducens palsy. Surgical indications are (a) disturbance of consciousness, (b) signs of brainstem compression and (c) hematoma with transverse diameter greater than 3 cm. The overall surgical mortality was 34.6%. Twenty-two patients underwent suboccipital craniectomy to evacuate hematomas with or without ventriculostomy; mortality rate was 27%. Four patients underwent ventriculostomy only; mortality was 75%. Causes of death were (a) brainstem failure, six patients; (b) airway obstruction, one patient; (c) chest infection, one patient; (d) chronic renal failure, one patient. CONCLUSION: (a) suboccipital craniectomy to evacuate the hematoma is the most effective procedure where treatment is indicated; (b) the clinical recovery of the survivors show that 31% return to work, 38% are moderately disabled but take care of themselves, and 31% remain dependent on others; (c) deeply comatose patients may still benefit from early operation.

Mesencephalic cavernous hemangioma.

A 49-year-old female had experienced headaches and nausea for 2 months. Neurologic examinations showed mild blurring of the optic disc and limitation of ocular movement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies disclosed a mass in the central and right paramedian mesencephalon with rostral extension to the third ventricle and the right side of the thalamus. This tumor had a peripheral low signal ring and a heterogeneous central signal on T1 weighted images. The findings were thought to be consistent with a cavernous hemangioma. The clear anatomic boundary of the lesion was defined by MRI enabling removal of the mesencephalic cavernoma. The patient headache remained well with no neurologic symptoms in the 3 years following the operation.

Combined use of stereotactic aspiration and intracerebral streptokinase infusion in the surgical treatment of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.

Stereotactic aspiration is well known for its simplicity and safety in the surgical treatment of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. Postoperative fibrinolytic infusion with urokinase or recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and drainage of liquified hematoma are often used to improve the removal of hematoma. We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of streptokinase in this treatment modality in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage or cerebellar hemorrhage. Twelve patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage underwent stereotactic aspiration using streptokinase as a fibrinolytic agent. There were six cases of putaminal hemorrhage, three of thalamic hemorrhage, and three of cerebellar hemorrhage. All but one patient had a large hematoma and presented with intracranial hypertension. Stereotactic aspiration was undertaken to remove the hematoma. Postoperatively, streptokinase was infused into the residual hematoma every 6 to 12 hours via a catheter implanted during the operation. Liquified hematoma was aspirated by syringe manually just before each infusion of streptokinase. The average duration of the entire treatment was 6 days (range 1-7). The residual hematoma at the end of treatment was less than 10 mL in all patients. Intracranial hypertension also subsided significantly in all patients. Only one patient had aspiration-induced bleeding during the operation. We conclude that stereotactic aspiration of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage is relatively safe and simple. Streptokinase can be infused intracerebrally to drain residual hematoma without severe side-effects.