A computerised tomographic scan study of Luque loops and the progression of vertebral fusion in the surgical treatment of scoliosis.

The authors report the results of a study, using CT scan, on 15 patients with scoliosis treated by the Harrington-Luque method. The patients were monitored periodically from the 3rd to the 30th month after operation. Each patient was monitored only once in order to limit the risk of ionizing radiation. In all the follow-ups it was observed that the metallic loops were in close contact with the laminae, which did not show any signs of disturbances. The medullary canal appeared to be of normal dimensions. Vertebral fusion was evident at the first 3 months follow-up and at this time partial corticalization also commenced. In successive follow-ups, fusion progressed steadily, and after 8 months it was completely corticalized. This progression continued even after 18 months so that at 30 months the fusion was such that the distractor was completely surrounded.

Cerebral edema associated with meningiomas.

Fifty patients with intracranial meningiomas have been retrospectively examined, and the cerebral edema on computed tomography scan has been correlated with the clinical evolution, size, location, and histological features of the tumor. The degree of brain edema was found to be related to the clinical evolution and the size of the tumor, whereas the histological features were less significant. These results are discussed after reviewing the data of five other series in the literature of this subject. A correlation between the tumor steroid receptors and edema is suggested.