Thoracic Spinal Intradural Arachnoid Cyst With a Fulminant Course.

Background: Spinal arachnoid cysts are rarely occurring benign cerebrospinal fluid-containing lesions that can occur anywhere along the spinal axis but are principally seen in the thoracic spine. They occur either ventrally or dorsally and can be extradural, intradural extramedullary, or intramedullary. They may be asymptomatic or can present with insidious pain and neurologic symptoms related to spinal cord and/or nerve root compression. Case Report: A 49-year-old male developed sudden midback pain with rapid progression to gait instability, urinary retention, and paraplegia within 10 hours. His presentation for neurosurgical care was delayed because of lack of funds and unfavorable insurance policies. At presentation 3 months after the onset of symptoms, magnetic resonance imaging of his spine showed a ventrolateral intradural extramedullary cystic lesion at T5-T6 with severe cord compression. He underwent T5-T6 and T6-T7 laminectomies with a limited left sixth rib costotransversectomy for microsurgical resection of the cyst. Postoperatively, the patient reported improvement in bladder and bowel control, but his paraplegia persisted. Conclusion: Arachnoid cysts are mostly benign lesions; however, they may have disastrous outcomes if not promptly addressed with the necessary urgency when symptoms are progressive, as in our patient.

Ventrolateral partial dorsal root entry zone rhizotomy for occipital neuralgia.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Medically refractory occipital neuralgia (ON) has been treated with a variety of neuroablative procedures. The present case report supports the effectiveness of ventrolateral partial rhizotomy (pVL-DREZ) of the C1 to C3 cervical dorsal roots, a relatively unknown procedure. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old woman had a 14-month history of severe right-sided ON. Multiple trials of medical treatments, nerve blocks and local steroid injections had failed. Her daily opioid requirements had escalated to include frequent injections in addition to prescribed oral opiates. INTERVENTION AND RESULTS: A pVL-DREZ at the right C1 to C3 level was performed through a C1 laminectomy and C2 right laminotomy. The ipsilateral upper cervical dorsal roots were exposed and a 1 mm deep incision was made at a 45 degrees angle to the sagittal midline at the ventrolateral aspect of each dorsal rootlet entry. The patient experienced postoperative opioid withdrawal seizure and transient disequilibrium for two weeks. Touch sensation was preserved and complete abolition of ON over a four year follow-up was achieved. CONCLUSION: The pVL-DREZ procedure provided complete pain relief for the patient and avoided the potential complications often encountered with other destructive interventions. pVL-DREZ should be considered among the available options for the treatment of refractory ON.

Neuromodulation for cephalgias.

Headaches (cephalgias) are a common reason for patients to seek medical care. There are groups of patients with recurrent headache and craniofacial pain presenting with malignant course of their disease that becomes refractory to pharmacotherapy and other medical management options. Neuromodulation can be a viable treatment modality for at least some of these patients. We review the available evidence related to the use of neuromodulation modalities for the treatment of medically refractory craniofacial pain of different nosology based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2(nd) edition (ICHD-II) classification. This article also reviews the scientific rationale of neuromodulation application in management of cephalgias.