A Radiological Assessment of Chronic Subdural Hematomas.

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), which generally occurs in elderly patients, is a frequently diagnosed condition in neurosurgical departments. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most preferred diagnostic modalities for CSDH assessment. With early diagnosis and adequate management, CSDH may show favorable prognosis in majority of the patients; however, recurrence after surgery can occur in a significant number of patients. The recently increasing number of CSDH studies could reveal the prognostic factors affecting CSDH recurrence. Particularly, radiological characteristics regarding the internal architecture of CSDH are considered closely associated with recurrence in surgically treated CSDH patients. In this literature review, we evaluated the various diagnostic modalities of CSDH and its radiological characteristics on CT and MRI. Furthermore, we summarized the prognostic factors of recurrence for the hematoma type based on the radiological findings.

Computed Tomographic Assessment of Sagittal Plane Alignment of the Thoracolumbar Junction in a Young Adult Korean Population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine reference values for the sagittal plane alignment of the thoracolumbar junction (TLJ) in a young adult Korean population. METHODS: Thoracolumbar computed tomography (CT) scans of 1000 individuals (age range, 20-39 years; 500 men and 500 women) from Hanyang University Health Care Center were reviewed. All subjects had no spinal pathology or a history of previous spinal surgery. The segmental (each level from T11 to L2) and global (T11-L1 and T11-L2) Cobb angles of the TLJ of the spine were measured in midsagittal CT scans. Moreover, comparisons between the 2 age groups (20s and 30s) and sexes were performed. RESULTS: The segmental Cobb angles of T11, T12, L1, and L2 were 6.5° ± 3.9°, 5.5° ± 4.1°, 2.2° ± 4.7°, and -3.3° ± 5.3°, respectively. The global Cobb angles of T11-L1 and T11-L2 were 6.5° ± 5.2° and 0.5° ± 6.1°, respectively. There were no differences in the sagittal alignment between the 2 age groups. Women presented less kyphotic and more lordotic alignment in the lumbar spine (L1 and L2) than men; however, the thoracic spine (T11 and T12) alignment was not different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides reference values with a wide physiologic range for the sagittal alignment of the TLJ of the spine in a young adult Korean population.