[Incidental durotomy: intraoperative aid in ten steps]. / Iatrogene Duraverletzung: intraoperative Hilfe in zehn Schritten.

OBJECTIVE: Management of the intradural structures safely, closure of the dura according to the tear, and minimizing the epidural dead space. INDICATIONS: Incidental durotomy (ID). CONTRAINDICATIONS: None. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: 1. Bone removal until whole dural tear is visible (if necessary); 2. intradural inspection; 3. reposition the fibers; 4. perform an inside patch (if ID > 5 mm); 5. dural closure; 6. outside patch; 7. Valsalva maneuver; 8. epidural pedicled muscle flap; 9. multilayer wound closure; 10. lumbar drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (if necessary). POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Bed rest up to 48 h; analgesics. RESULTS: The intraspinal part of 4020 surgeries performed with the aid of a microscope were evaluated. The overall prevalence of ID was 4.4%. The prevalence was lowest in virgin microdiscectomies (1.7%) and varied from 3.6% in decompression for spinal canal stenosis up to 14.5% in revision procedures. Of the overall 195 IDs, 127 occurred in primary surgeries and 68 in revision surgeries. In 107 primary surgeries, the individual surgical technique (InT) achieved a single stage closure of the ID in 96 procedures (89.7%). Among 20 virgin surgeries, the ten-step technique (10 ST) was successful in all cases (P = 0.21). Among 42 revision procedures following failed attempts to stop the CSF leakage, the InT achieved single-stage closure in 36 procedures (85.7%), whereas after introduction of the 10 ST, closure was successful in all 26 cases (P = 0.03).

Open-door laminoplasty : What can the unilateral approach offer?

OBJECTIVE: Multilevel posterior decompression of subaxial cervical spinal canal stenosis through a less-invasive unilateral approach. INDICATIONS: Degenerative cervical myelopathy due to multilevel subaxial spinal canal stenosis. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Cervical kyphosis or instability, bilateral radiculopathy due to foraminal stenosis, involvement of C2 or C7. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Unilateral subaxial approach with detachment of muscles only on one side. The ipsilateral laminae C6 to C3 are cut at the laminofacet junction and opened up. The loss of resistance is usually due to a greenstick fracture in the proximity of the contralateral laminofacet junction. The opened laminae are fixed with Z­shaped thin titanium plates. If necessary, the laminoplasty can be combined with a unilateral fixation and fusion by the same approach. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Early mobilization 4-6 h postoperatively. No orthosis necessary. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients (77 men, mean age 67 years) with a multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) underwent surgery using a posterior approach. In 52 patients (40%), a unilateral approach was performed (laminoplasty: n = 30; laminoplasty/fusion: n = 22). In this group, the mean operation time was less compared with two other techniques (unilateral approach: 110 min; laminectomy/fusion: 150 min; 360° approach: 210 min). The postoperative European myelopathy score (EMS) improved from 12.8 to 15.2. The overall complication rate was 17% (unilateral approach: 9%; laminectomy/fusion: 18%; 360° approach: 27%).

Correction to: Minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy for treatment of radiculopathy : An effective, time-tested, and cost-efficient motion-preservation technique.

Correction to: Oper Orthop Traumatol 2017 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00064-017-0516-6 In this article the following acknowledgement was missing:Acknowledgement: With the kind assistance of Deutsche Arthrose-Hilfe e. ….

Minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy for treatment of radiculopathy : An effective, time-tested, and cost-efficient motion-preservation technique.

OBJECTIVE: To relieve foraminal root impingement due to lateral soft disc fragments, bony spurs, or other rarer causes. INDICATIONS: Soft disc fragment whose bulk is >2/3 lateral to the lateral border of the thecal sac. Intraforaminal dorsal bony narrowing of the root canal. Intraforaminal synovial cyst, extra/intradural tumor. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Paramedian and median soft/hard disc protrusions. Kyphosis of the index level. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Patient prone in reverse Trendelenburg position with the head fixed in a Mayfield clamp. Cervical spine horizontal and approximately 10 cm above the heart. Microscope from skin to skin. Skin incision: 25 mm, about 10 mm off the midline. Microsurgical blunt splitting of the muscle layers along the fiber direction. An expandable tubular retractor or a miniaturized speculum counter retractor, table anchored, is centered on the target lamino-facet junction as confirmed by fluoroscopy. Drilling of the keyhole. The axilla of the root is exposed while preserving most of the facet complex. Epidural exploration until an extruded or subligamentous disc fragment(s) is removed. If needed, removal of the dorsal bone overlying the root exiting in the foramen. The adequacy of decompression is assessed by palpating the root along its course with a small nerve hook. Closure by layers. No drain. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Same day mobilization. No external brace. RESULTS: Minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy (MI-PCF) was used to treat 103 patients for unilateral cervical radiculopathy. Mean follow-up was 32 months. Despite 1 cerebrospinal fluid leak, 1 wound hematoma, and 1 radiculitis during the early postoperative period, no patients required revision surgery. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores for neck/shoulder and arm improved significantly in the early postoperative period (3 months) and were maintained with time (p < 0.001). Neck Disability Index (NDI) improved significantly postoperatively but worsened slightly during follow-up (p < 0.001). Anterior decompression and fusion (ACDF) was required at the index level by 3 patients (mean: 55 months later) and at the adjacent level by 4 patients (mean: 27 months later).

Unilateral laminoplasty with lateral mass screw fixation for less invasive decompression of the cervical spine: a biomechanical investigation.

PURPOSE: To compare the stabilization behavior of additional unilateral mass screw fixation with current standard procedures in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) in a biomechanical study. METHODS: Ten human C2-C7 cervical specimens were tested under various segment conditions: native (NAT), laminoplasty (LP), laminoplasty with unilateral (LPU) or bilateral (LPB) stabilization, laminectomy with bilateral stabilization (LCB), and laminectomy. The instrumented level was from C3 to C6. For each segment condition, in vitro flexibility tests were performed using a spinal simulator and an applied load of ±2.5 Nm. The three-dimensional kinematics of the entire cervical segment in three main loading directions [flexion-extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR)] was measured with an ultrasonic motion analysis system. Analysis of variance followed by a post hoc test was used to determine differences under the specific segment conditions to assess the parameters range of motion (ROM) and neutral zone (NZ). RESULTS: For FE, the total ROM of laminoplasty (-6.3% difference to NAT) and laminectomy (+6.4%) remained at the level of native (p > 0.56), whereas the instrumentations LPU (-37.1%), LPB (-44%), and LCB (-43.2%) lead to significant reductions (p < 0.01) without significant differences in LPU to LPB and LCB (p > 0.38). The same results were found with LB. For AR, the stabilization of all instrumentations was less pronounced, but had the same tendency seen for FE and AR. The results for the NZ showed equivalent values as that for ROM. CONCLUSION: The degree of stabilization was as expected for LC and LCB; namely, no stabilization for LC and maximal stabilization for LCB. LPU exhibited almost the same degree of stabilization as LCB. LPU could be a new treatment option for less invasive decompression for multilevel CSM.

The translaminar approach for cranially extruded lumbar disc herniations.

OBJECTIVE: To remove extruded disc fragments impinging the exiting root. To spare the interlaminar space and the facet joint. INDICATION: Cranially migrated disc herniation. CONTRAINDICATION: Severe spinal canal stenosis. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Microscope from skin to skin, 25 mm skin incision about 5 mm off the midline, conventional subperiosteal route or transmuscular access by blunt splitting the multifidus muscle. A translaminar hole (diameter 10 mm) is drilled off. The epidural exploration starts along the thecal sac until the axilla of the exiting root is reached. An extruded or subligamentous disc fragment(s) is removed. If an extensive annular perforation is detected, the disc space should be cleared (20% of the cases). POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Same day mobilization. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients (46 men) underwent the translaminar approach. The mean age was 57 years (range 27-80 years). Follow-up examinations by an independent observer at 1 and 6 weeks; 3, 6 and 12 months and once yearly thereafter (mean follow-up 27 months). Extruded (61%) and subligamentous (39%) disc fragments were found. In 4 cases the translaminar hole was enlarged to a laminotomy. In 12 patients the disc space was cleared. The outcome (MacNab criteria) was excellent (67%), good (27%), fair (5%), and poor (1%). The incidence of recurrent disc herniations was 7%.

Microsurgical extraforaminal decompression of lumbar root canal stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To decompress the lumbar spinal nerve impinged peripherally to the lateral recess. To avoid in selected cases the pedicle screw fixation and fusion of the segment. INDICATION: Single level radiculopathy in degenerative scoliosis or in degenerative disc disease without segmental instability. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Scoliosis > 30° at the index level, lateral listhesis > 6 mm, mobile vertebral slip. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Microscope from skin to skin. A 35-mm skin incision about 40 mm off the midline. Transmuscular access by blunt splitting of the paravertebral muscles pointing about 40° towards the midline. Insertion of an expandable tubular retractor or of a speculum counter retractor system. Dissection of the target lumbar nerve in the midst of the extraforaminal fat tissue. Enlargment of the root canal mostly by drilling and using thin foot plate punches. The nerve is decompressed from peripherally to the lateral rim of the yellow ligament. Closure by layers. Drainage is usually not required. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: Same day mobilization. RESULTS: The clinical results in 22 cases (15 men) of extraforaminal nerve root involvement were studied. Because of the very selective indication the patients were recruited over a 3-year time-span. The mean age was 64 years (range 50-82 years). An independent follow-up examination was performed 3 months and 1 year following surgery. The mean FU was 27 months (range 41-22 months). According to the modified MacNab criteria, the results were excellent (45%), good (23%), fair (14%), and poor (18%). Four patients underwent second surgery for pedicle screw fixation and fusion. Persistent low back pain was the most common cause of an unsatisfactory postoperative course.

[Treatment of traumatic rotatory atlanto-axial subluxation in childhood. Case report and literature review]. / Behandlung der traumatisch rotatorischen atlantoaxialen Dislokation im Kindesalter. Fallvorstellung und Literaturübersicht.

Cervical spine injuries are rare in children. They tend to occur predominantly in the region of atlanto-axial articulation. Even traumatic rotatory atlanto-axial subluxation (AAD) has been described in the literature, however, there is no consistent therapeutic protocol. We report on a 4 year old girl with an acute traumatic rotatory atlanto-axial subluxation treated with closed reduction and retention in a hard-collar. Control CT scans and physical examination after 6 weeks revealed an excellent outcome without any signs of recurrence. As there is a correlation between outcome and increasing length of the dislocation-therapy interval, optimal management of acute rotatory atlanto-axial subluxation depends on early diagnosis with plain radiography and CT scans. Timely diagnosed cases may be treated successfully with closed reduction and cervical immobilisation in a hard-collar. Failure to obtain reduction and recurrence are an appropriate indication for surgical intervention.

Anterior cervical plating for the treatment of neoplasms in the cervical vertebrae.

OBJECT: To assess clinical outcome and survival in patients with cervical vertebral spinal neoplasms after they have undergone anterior decompression and cervical plate stabilization (ACPS) by using either autologous bone graft or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as the anterior load-bearing support structure. METHODS: This was a retrospective case study composed of 30 patients harboring cervical spinal vertebral neoplasms who underwent anterior cervical decompression and (ACPS) within a 7-year period. Postoperative immobilization included treatment in a halo brace in two cases and in a hard cervical collar for the remaining patients. Postoperatively most patients underwent radio- and/or chemotherapy. All patients except one benefited from a significantly improved quality of life with decreased pain and/or improved neurological status. The mean Kaplan-Meier survivoral estimate was 35.8 months (range 8 days-11.3 years, with 10 patients alive at most recent follow-up contact). Patients achieved long-term or lifelong mechanical stability in the cervical spine, and only one patient required a repeated posterior stabilization procedure. No hardware-related complications occurred. One patient died 8 days postoperatively of pneumonia. A nonsignificant difference in survival (p = 0.2164) was observed between patients harboring metastatic neoplasms (26.8 months) and those harboring lymphomatous and multiple myeloma neoplasms (54 months). CONCLUSIONS: Favorable clinical outcome of both neurological symptoms and pain can be achieved using ACPS after surgery for neoplasms in the cervical vertebrae. Furthermore, long-term or lifelong cervical spine mechanical stability with bone fusion is achieved using this technique even when radiation therapy is delivered to the site of the bone graft.

Precise and limited decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis.

Fifty-eight consecutive patients with lumbosacral nerve root entrapment due to spinal stenosis were treated with modified microsurgical decompression. Only the clinically relevant sides and levels were decompressed while the spinous processes, the interspinous ligaments, the medial portion of ligamentum flavum and the functionally important parts of the facet joints were preserved. The reviewers rated recovery as good or excellent in 71% of patients while patient self-assessment indicated 76% good or excellent outcome. These data suggest that microsurgical decompression of spondyloarthritic changes can effectively relieve the signs and symptoms of nerve root compression and that with careful evaluation of all available data the number of nerve roots requiring decompression is often fewer than what is suggested by diagnostic images alone.

Lumbar stenosis surgery: the experience of the neurosurgeon.

Even when multiple levels are affected, lumbar canal stenosis can be surgically treated using the microsurgical technique. This microapproach combines the advantage of an efficient decompression of the compromised neurostructures along with the preservation of the spinous processes the interspinous ligaments, the medial section of the yellow ligament as well as of the biomechanically relevant portion of the facet joints. Thus, due to minimal surgical trauma spinal stability is maintained, resulting in reduction of postoperative discomfort and a favorable clinical outcome. We report the results of 35 patients operated on consecutively using the microsurgical technique. Our study further shows that there is a remarkable discrepancy between radiological and clinical evidence of the levels of stenosis.

The trapezial plate osteosynthesis: an advanced technology for anterior internal stabilization in cervical spine injuries and for the treatment of neck instability due to non traumatic causes.

The authors present a series of anterior fusion of the cervical spine using internal fixation by means of a screwed plate. After the description of the surgical technique utilized in 408 consecutive surgical procedures the authors report the results of 60 patients affected by traumatic lesions and followed up 1 to 3 years. In 27 cases a single-level fusion was performed; in 2 cases a two-level fusion; in 17 cases a subtotal corporectomy, and in 14 cases a total corporectomy. A good bony fusion was obtained in all 60 cases. All patients improved neurologically from incomplete cord and root lesions. None of the patients showed neurological worsening. Complications were rare and minor. Anterior fusion of the cervical spine with an osteosynthetic screwed plate is a surgical technique that is able to offer satisfying outcomes in cervical traumatic lesions and in non traumatic cervical pathology.

Indications for extra-intracranial bypass surgery. New orientation after the Toronto Bypass Study based on angiographic and non-invasive ultrasound flow measurements.

UNLABELLED: Angiographic and flow measurement results in 18 cases, who underwent extra-intracranial bypass surgery, are presented. The method was the Mavis ultrasound technique. MAIN RESULT: Patients with unilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion and additional contralateral ICA stenosis or occlusion had a permanent cerebral blood flow (CBF) increase as a consequence of the anastomosis. On the contrary, patients without contralateral flow impairment or with good spontaneous extra-intracranial anastomosis did not have a real CBF improvement but only a temporary flow increase on the anastomotic side with comparable flow decrease in the contralateral ICA. The so-called Toronto Bypass Study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of extra-intracranial bypass surgery for stroke prevention but it did not prove its effectiveness in this regard. Intentionally it did not put or answer the question of possible haemodynamic benefit for special subgroups of patients with cerebrovascular occlusive disease. Our results suggest such a haemodynamic benefit, and in consequence an indication for bypass treatment may be given in cases with ICA occlusion and additional contralateral flow impairment and without sufficient spontaneous collateralization. The question of a stroke preventing effect in this special subgroup should be answered by another controlled study. But this will be almost impossible to realize because--as a consequence of the Toronto study--at least in our country almost no further patients are transferred to the neurosurgeon for possible bypass surgery.

The intraarterial route of drug delivery in the chemotherapy of malignant brain tumours.

This review is based on literature data and own experiences in 79 patients with malignant brain tumours using intraarterial delivery of cytostatic agents as adjuvant therapy. A survey is given of the pharmacological rationale of this therapeutic approach, of the drugs which have been used and of the related experimental and clinical experiences. Advantages and limitations are discussed and clinical conclusion drawn. Experience so far suggests that in anaplastic astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas intraarterial ACNU might be as effective as intravenous BCNU against the tumours but causes less systemic side-effects.

Intracarotid infusion of ACNU and BCNU as adjuvant therapy of malignant gliomas. Clinical aspects and critical considerations.

Thirty patients with malignant gliomas were treated by operation, radiotherapy and additional intracarotid infusions of ACNU and BCNU. Positive results were obtained in the treatment of oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas grade III and IV. On the contrary, the results in cases of glioblastoma multiforme were disappointing: neither survival time nor quality of life had been significantly improved. The protective effect of phenobarbitone against systemic toxicity by ACNU was not always confirmed in this study. Based on literature reports and our own experience the indications, technical aspects, unexpected complications and results of this therapeutic approach are discussed.