Traumatic lumbar spine fractures: Transverse process fractures dominate.

PURPOSE: With motor vehicle collisions (MVC) predominating as a source of trauma now, we sought to 1) reassess the types of traumatic lumbar spine fractures, 2) highlight the coincidence of transverse process fractures (TPF) with visceral injuries and 3) emphasize the difference in management between compression fracture (CF) and TPF. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the reports of lumbar spine and abdominopelvic CT scans from 2017 and 2018 to classify the types of spine fractures, their mechanism of injury, treatment and coexistence of abdominopelvic injuries. RESULTS: 2.2% of patients had posttraumatic lumbar spine fractures (113/5229), including 58 patients (51.3%) with isolated TPF and 42 (37.2%) with isolated CF; 13 patients had mixed types. TPF accounted for 70% of all fractures (195/277) as opposed to 24% for CF (67/277). MVC was responsible for 60.3% (35/58) of TPF but falls accounted for 73.8% (31/42) of CF. The odds ratio of having isolated TPF from MVC was 4.1[1.8-9.0] versus CF after a fall from standing was 4.5[2.0-10.5]. Of patients with both visceral injuries and lumbar spine fractures, 75% (27/36) had isolated TPF (odds ratio of visceral injury with TPF was 4.4[1.8-10.7]). No TPF were treated with an intervention, however 77% (40/52) of CF were addressed surgically or with braces. CONCLUSION: TPF are the most common lumbar spine fractures and are often associated with MVC. There is a high association between TPF and abdominopelvic visceral injury requiring radiologists' attentiveness even though the TPF is not directly addressed.

Intracranial hypotension secondary to spinal pathology: Diagnosis and treatment.

Spinal pathology resulting in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak and intracranial hypotension is an infrequently reported and a potentially severe cause of headaches. We present a case of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak caused by a thoracic disk herniation successfully treated with two targeted epidural blood patches. Although patients typically present with orthostatic headaches, the imaging findings of intracranial hypotension should prompt investigation of the spine for site and cause of the CSF leakage. Treatment includes autologous blood patch and surgery in refractory cases.

Ovarian vein thrombosis: analysis of patient age, etiology, and side of involvement.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the age distribution, underlying etiology, and side of involvement in patients diagnosed with ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at Christiana Care Health System to identify all patients with an imaging diagnosis of OVT from January 2003 to September 2010. The data collected on this patient population included patient age, etiology, imaging modality used for diagnosis, side of involvement, as well as renal vein and inferior vena cava involvement. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients were diagnosed with OVT. The age distribution in patients with ovarian vein thrombosis ranged from 21 to 91. Ovarian vein thrombosis was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) in 85 percent (22/26) of patients and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 15 percent (4/26) of patients. The most common etiologies were underlying malignancy (27 percent, 7/26) and non-pregnancy related pelvic surgery (23 percent, 6/26). The postpartum state accounted for only 12 percent (3/26) of the cases. Thrombosis occurred in left ovarian vein in 50 percent (13/26), in the right ovarian vein in 42 percent (11/26), and bilaterally in 8 percent (2/26) of patients. Associated thrombus in the left renal vein was observed in 12 percent (3/26), and in the inferior vena cava in 15 percent (4/26) of patients. CONCLUSION: In our clinical practice, ovarian vein thrombosis is primarily diagnosed with computed tomography (CT) and less frequently via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In contrast to most of the published data, which emphasizes occurrence of OVT in women of child bearing age and postpartum state, in our series we found it occurred over a broad age distribution. There were a wide range of underlying etiologies. Half of the cases of ovarian vein thrombosis unilaterally involved the left ovarian vein, unlike the overwhelming right sided predominance reported by most other studies.

Syndrome of the trephined (sinking skin flap syndrome) with and without paradoxical herniation: a series of case reports and review.

Decompressive craniectomy is gaining an increasing role in the neurosurgical treatment of intractable intracranial hypertension in patients with head injury, acute stroke, and severe brain edema. The conversion of the cranium from a "closed box" to an "open box" alters the barometric pressure, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) and may or may not lead to syndrome of the trephined (sinking skin flap syndrome).