Height Restoration for Vertebra Plana Using a Mechanical Lamellar Vertebral Body Reduction Device: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Compression fractures of thoracolumbar vertebra are the most common vertebral fracture.1 Associated with osteoporosis, the compression can progress until reach vertebra plana and cause a kyphosis.2 The reduction of the fresh fracture and restoration of the height are the purposes of the kyphoplasty.3 We present a modified technique adapted for the treatment of vertebral plana using a mechanical flexible lamellar vertebral body reduction device (Tektona, Spinart).4 We present the case of a 77-year-old woman with back pain after a fall. The radiological investigations show a compressive fracture type AO A1 of T7. After an initial conservative management, the patient presented persistence of the pain with a visual analog scale of 9/10 and progression of the fracture at the 2-week follow-up. On the x-ray, focal kyphosis with vertebra plana was observed. A kyphoplasty for pain management and kyphosis correction was performed. The patient consented to the procedure. A bipedicular approach to the vertebra was performed. The correction of the height was done using 2 mechanical devices. The lamellar device allowed a progressive height restoration of the fracture. On one side, the cannula was used as a support to maintain the correction during the contralateral cementing. The postoperative imaging confirmed a maintained vertebral restoration with kyphosis correction. At 1 year, the patient reported a pain at 1 of 10 on the visual analog scale. In our opinion, this technique is adapted for fresh osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Surgical experience in osteoporotic fracture treatment and kyphoplasty is recommended before the management of vertebra plana.

Evaluation of "appropriate use criteria" for surgical decision-making in lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis. A controlled, multicentre, prospective observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Selecting patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (LDS) for surgery is difficult. Appropriate use criteria (AUC) have been developed to clarify the indications for LDS surgery but have not been evaluated in controlled studies. METHODS: This prospective, controlled, multicentre study involved 908 patients (561 surgical and 347 non-surgical controls; 69.5 ± 9.7y; 69% female), treated as per normal clinical practice. Their appropriateness for surgery was afterwards determined using the AUC. They completed the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) at baseline and 12 months' follow-up. Multiple regression adjusting for confounders evaluated the influence of appropriateness designation and treatment received on the 12-month COMI and achievement of MCIC (≥ 2.2-point-reduction). RESULTS: As per convention, appropriate (A) and uncertain (U) groups were combined for comparison with the inappropriate (I) group. For the adjusted 12-month COMI, the benefit of surgery relative to non-surgical care was not significantly greater for the A/U than the I group (p = 0.189). There was, however, a greater treatment effect of surgery for those with higher baseline COMI (p = 0.035). The groups' adjusted probabilities of achieving MCIC were: 83% (A/U, receiving surgery), 71% (I, receiving surgery), 50% (A/U, receiving non-surgical care), and 32% (I, receiving non-surgical care). CONCLUSIONS: A/U patients receiving surgery had the highest chances of achieving MCIC, but the AUC were not able to identify which patients had a greater treatment effect of surgery relative to non-surgical care. The identification of other characteristics that predict a greater treatment effect of surgery, in addition to baseline COMI, is required to improve decision-making.

Giant Extra-Axial Cavernous Angioma of the Falx: Case Report.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Cavernous angiomas or cavernomas are vascular malformations usually located in the brain parenchyma. However, they rarely present as extra-axial lesions, attached to the dura, and may mimic meningiomas. Most reported cases concern the cavernous sinus region and other locations are very uncommon. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 61-yr-old female known for long-standing mental illness presented with progressive gait instability. Imaging studies revealed an extra-axial lesion in relation to the anterior part of the falx cerebri. An interhemispheric approach was used to remove the lesion. Pathological analysis revealed features compatible with an extra-axial cavernoma: structureless vascular channels lacking smooth muscle and elastic lamellae, without intervening brain parenchyma. CONCLUSION: Cavernous angiomas or cavernomas can present as extra-axial lesions. Although progressive growth can be observed, they should not be considered as tumoral lesions, because there is no cellular duplication. Unlike other locations, resection of anterior cranial fossa extra-axial cavernomas seems to be facilitated by minimal bleeding.

Pott's puffy tumor presenting as a frontal swelling under a Swiss army helmet.

In this report, we describe an uncommon presentation of a Pott's puffy tumor, which is defined as a subperiosteal abscess related to a chronic frontal sinusitis. This condition has become rare in our part of the world because of the widespread use of antibiotics. Clinical history, investigations, and management are presented.

Incidental durotomy in decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis: incidence, risk factors and effect on outcomes in the Spine Tango registry.

PURPOSE: The three aims of this Spine Tango registry study of patients undergoing decompression for spinal stenosis were to: report the rate of dural tear (DT) stratified by treatment centre; find factors associated with an increased likelihood of incurring a DT; and compare treatment outcomes in relation to DT (none vs. repaired vs. unrepaired DT). METHODS: Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between DT and patient and treatment characteristics. Patient-rated and surgical outcomes were compared in patients with no DT, repaired DT, and unrepaired DT, while adjusting for case-mix. RESULTS: DT occurred in 328/3254 (10.1%) of included patients. The rate for all 29 contributing hospitals was within 95% confidence intervals of the average. The likelihood of DT increased by 2% per year of age, 1.78 times with previous spine surgery, 1.67 for a minimally/less invasive surgery, 1.58 times with laminectomy, and 1.40, and 2.12 times for BMI 31-35, and >35 in comparison with BMI 26-30, respectively. The majority of DTs (272/328; 82.9%) were repaired. Repairing the DT was associated with a longer duration of surgery (p < 0.001). More patients with repaired than with unrepaired DTs were satisfied with treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no association between DT and patient-reported outcomes. CONCLUSION: The unadjusted rate of incidental DT during decompression for LSS was homogeneous across the participating centres and was associated with age, BMI, previous surgery at the same spinal level, minimally/less invasive surgery, and laminectomy. Non-repair of DTs had no negative association with treatment outcome; however, the unrepaired DTs may have been those that were smaller in size.

Sacroiliac joint syndrome 10 years after lumbar arthroplasty: the importance of spinopelvic alignment.

INTRODUCTION: Sagittal balance is an independent predictor of outcomes in spinal care and several authors focused their attention on the lumbar lordosis restoration as the key point to prevent secondary sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SIJD) after fusion. On the other hand, lumbar disc arthroplasty allows preservation of motion avoiding increased stress on the spinopelvic junction and preventing iatrogenic sagittal imbalance. METHODS: We analyze the incidence of a secondary SIJD and the spinopelvic alignment on a series of 31 consecutive lumbar disc prosthesis with a 10-year follow-up. RESULTS: Sagittal balance assessment showed no significant variation of preoperative spinopelvic parameters. Four patients (12 %) presented a symptomatic SIJD. Only two of them required a percutaneous SIJ fixation. Both of them presented a fused L5-S1 prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: The low rate of SIJD 10 years after lumbar arthroplasty might be explained by the preservation of the spinopelvic balance.

Five-year results of lumbar disc prostheses in the SWISSspine registry.

PURPOSE: The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health demanded a nationwide HTA registry for lumbar total disc arthroplasty (TDA), to decide about its reimbursement. The goal of the SWISS spine registry is to generate evidence about the safety and efficiency of lumbar TDA. METHODS: Two hundred forty-eight cases treated between 3-2005 and 6-2006, who were eligible for the 5-year follow-up were included in the study. Follow-up rates for 3-6 months, 1, 2 and 5 years were 85.9, 77.0, 44.0 and 51.2 %, respectively. Outcome measures were back and leg pain, medication consumption, quality of life, intraoperative and postoperative complication and revision rates. Additionally, segmental mobility, ossification, adjacent and distant segment degeneration were analysed at the 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: There was a significant, clinically relevant and lasting reduction of back (preop/postop 73/29 VAS points) and leg pain (preop/postop VAS 55/22) and a consequently decreased analgesics consumption and quality of life improvement (preop/postop 0.30/0.76 EQ-5D score points) until 5 years after surgery. The rates for intraoperative and early postoperative complications were 4.4 and 3.2 %, respectively. The overall complication rate during five postoperative years was 23.4 %, and the adjacent segment degeneration rate was 10.7 %. In 4.4 % of patients, a revision surgery was performed. Cumulative survivorship probability for a revision/re-intervention-free 5-year postoperative course was 90.4 %. At the 5-year follow-up, the average range of motion of the mobile segments (86.8 %) was 9.7°. In 43.9 % of patients, osteophytes at least potentially affecting the range of motion were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Lumbar TDA appeared as efficient in long-term pain alleviation, consequent reduction of pain medication consumption and improvement of quality of life. The procedure also appeared sufficiently safe, but surgeons have to be aware of a list of potential adverse events. The outcome is stable over the 5-year postoperative period. The vast majority of treated segments remained mobile after 5 years, although almost half of patients showed osteophytes.

Late infections after dynamic stabilization of the lumbar spine with Dynesys.

INTRODUCTION: Dynamic stabilization of the spine was developed as an alternative to rigid fusion in chronic back pain to reduce the risk of adjacent segment degeneration. Dynamic neutralization system (Dynesys, Zimmer CH) is one of the most popular systems available, but some midterm studies show revision rates as high as 30 %. Some late infectious complications in our patients prompted us to review them systematically. Propionibacterium recently has been shown to cause subtle infections of prosthetic material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here, we report on a consecutive series of 50 Dynesys implants. In a median follow-up of 51 months (range 0-91), we identified 12 infectious and 11 non-infectious complications necessitating reoperation or removal of the implant in 17 patients. RESULTS: Material infections occurred after a median of 52 months (2-77) and were due to Propionibacterium alone (n = 4) or in combination (n = 3) in seven out of 11 patients. Clinical presentation combines new or increasing pain associated with signs of screw loosening on conventional X-rays; however, as many as 73.5 % of patients present some degree of screw loosening without being at all symptomatic of infection. CONCLUSION: The high rate of late infections with low-grade germs and the frequency of screw loosening signs made us suspect a lack of integration at the bone-screw interface. Surgeons should be suspicious if the patient presents a combination of new or increasing pain and signs of screw loosening, and aggressive revision is recommended in these cases.

Primary cranial vault lymphoma with brain infiltration: case report and review of the literature.

Primary cranial vault lymphomas (PCVL) are extremely rare tumours. An extensive review of the literature shows that only 26 previous PCVL were reported while only four presented with cortex infiltration. We present a singular case of a 74-year-old woman with a voluminous painful mass lesion of the right temporal scalp. Preoperative neuroradiological assessment showed a lesion involving the scalp, the cranial vault and the subdural space; underneath, a cerebral oedema suggested brain infiltration. The absence of any neurological signs despite brain infiltration makes this case exceptional. The preoperative diagnostic hypothesis was infiltrating meningioma, and a surgical excision was scheduled. A radical removal of the lesion was obtained, but the histopathological result was unexpectedly large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Further investigations failed to identify pathology elsewhere confirming the diagnosis of PCVL. Postoperative radio and chemotherapy were administered. The patient is free from signs of disease recurrence at a 2-year follow-up. Radiological features are debated with the aim to stress the possible differential diagnosis, and prognostic factors are discussed. Even if an accepted therapeutic algorithm is far from being defined for these extremely rare tumours, we suggest that radical surgical removal associated with radio and chemotherapy could be the best choice in these particular cases.

Prospective study of standalone balloon kyphoplasty with calcium phosphate cement augmentation in traumatic fractures.

Prospective consecutive series cases study to investigate the clinical and radiological results of standalone balloon kyphoplasty and cement augmentation with calcium phosphate in traumatic fractures. Independent observer evaluation of radiological and computer tomography results, visual analogue scale (VAS), Roland-Morris score and complications with acute traumatic compression fractures type A, treated with a standalone balloon kyphoplasty and cement augmentation with calcium phosphate (Calcibon); follow-up time at a mean of 30 months (24-37 months). From August 2002 to August 2003, consecutive patients with traumatic compression fractures (Magerl type A) without neurological deficit underwent standalone kyphoplasty with Calcibon. We report here the pre-, post-operative and the follow-up results, applying the VAS (0-10) for pain rating, the Roland-Morris (0-24) disability score, CT-scan examination, detailed radiographic evaluation of vertebral body (VB) deformity and segmental kyphosis measurement. The pre-operative X-ray measurements, VAS and the 7 days Roland-Morris scores are compared with the post-operative and the 30 months follow-up findings. Twenty-eight patients with 33 treated fracture levels were included in this study. The mean initial vertebral deformity (VB kyphosis) was 17 degrees, corrected to a post-operative of 6 degrees. We noted a loss of correction at the follow-up in comparison to the post-operative standing X-ray at 24 h of 3 degrees vertebral deformity and 3 degrees segmental kyphosis. The VAS score demonstrates a decrease over time from a mean of 8.7-3.1 at 7 days and to 0.8 at the last follow-up. The Roland-Morris disability score demonstrates a similar improvement. We noticed no major complications related to the procedure. The mean cement resorption after 1 year was 20.3% (0.3-35.3%) and is related to the individual biological resorption process and is not predictable. All patients with vertebral fractures as sole medical problem were discharged within 48 h. All active patients returned to the same work within 3 months with the same working ability as before the accident. Standalone balloon kyphoplasty is a potential alternative mini-invasive technique to reduce the fractures. However, due to the intrinsic characteristic of calcium phosphate cement (Calcibon) we recommend the application of this biological cement for standalone reduction and stabilisation only in fractures type A1 and A3.1 in young patient. In case of higher destruction levels of the VB, we propose the utilisation of Calcibon associated with posterior instrumentation. Having regard to the pointed out indications, our preliminary results demonstrate a new possibility to treat this kind of fractures, allowing a rapid handling of pain, early discharge and return to normal activities.

Clinical trial substantiates the predictive value of O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation in glioblastoma patients treated with temozolomide.

PURPOSE: In the setting of a prospective clinical trial, we determined the predictive value of the methylation status of the O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter for outcome in glioblastoma patients treated with the alkylating agent temozolomide. Expression of this excision repair enzyme has been associated with resistance to alkylating chemotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The methylation status of MGMT in the tumor biopsies was evaluated in 38 patients undergoing resection for newly diagnosed glioblastoma and enrolled in a Phase II trial testing concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide and radiation. The epigenetic silencing of the MGMT gene was determined using methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: Inactivation of the MGMT gene by promoter methylation was associated with longer survival (P = 0.0051; Log-rank test). At 18 months, survival was 62% (16 of 26) for patients testing positive for a methylated MGMT promoter but reached only 8% (1 of 12) in absence of methylation (P = 0.002; Fisher's exact test). In the presence of other clinically relevant factors, methylation of the MGMT promoter remains the only significant predictor (P = 0.017; Cox regression). CONCLUSIONS: This prospective clinical trial identifies MGMT-methylation status as an independent predictor for glioblastoma patients treated with a methylating agent. The association of the epigenetic inactivation of the DNA repair gene MGMT with better outcome in this homogenous cohort may have important implications for the design of future trials and supports efforts to deplete MGMT by O-6-benzylguanine, a noncytotoxic substrate of this enzyme.