Metallosis with spinal implant loosening after spinal instrumentation: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Spinal metallosis is a rare complication following spinal instrumentation whereby an inflammatory response to the metal implants results in the development of granulomatous tissue. CASE SUMMARY: We describe the case of a 78-year-old woman who had recurrence of back pain 5 years after lumbar spine posterior decompression and instrumented fusion. Lumbar spine radiographs showed hardware loosening and magnetic resonance imaging showed adjacent segment disease. Revision surgery revealed evidence of metallosis intraoperatively. CONCLUSION: Spinal metallosis can present several years after instrumentation. Radiography and computed tomography may demonstrate hardware loosening secondary to metallosis. Blood metal concentrations associated with spinal metallosis have yet to be established. Hence, metallosis is still an intraoperative and histopathological diagnosis. The presence of metallosis after spinal instrumentation likely indicates a more complex underlying problem: Pseudarthrosis, failure to address sagittal balance, infection, and cross-threading of set screws. Hence, identifying metallosis is important, but initiating treatment promptly for symptomatic implant loosening is of greater paramount.

Multifocal tuberculous osteomyelitis mimicking widespread bony metastases: review of literature and case report.

INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Extrapulmonary infections are less common, and skeletal tuberculosis accounts for about 5-20% of all cases. Skeletal tuberculosis cases often pose diagnostic challenges due to its insidious onset, non-specific clinical presentation and radiographic findings similar to other diseases. Multifocal skeletal tuberculosis is an extremely rare clinical entity, and is defined as an infection that affects two or more non-contiguous bony structures. This clinical entity can mimic bony metastasis and may lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of multifocal skeletal tuberculous infection mimicking widespread bony metastasis, occurring in an immunocompetent 28-year-old male, and discuss the diagnostic challenges faced and management strategies. The patient successfully underwent instrumentation and stabilization of a pathological T11 vertebra fracture and treatment of tuberculosis infection. DISCUSSION: While TB infections remain less common in developed countries, they can still cause significant morbidity. Multifocal skeletal tuberculous infections can resemble spinal or bony metastasis on various imaging modalities. Care must be taken when interpreting such imaging results, with histopathology and mycobacterial cultures remaining the gold standard to determine the presence of active TB infections.

Mycoplasma hominis Lumbar Wound Infection After Posterior Decompression and Instrumented Fusion: A Case Report.

CASE: A 63-year-old man underwent L2-S1 decompression and fusion for spinal stenosis. He developed urinary retention postoperatively requiring catheterization. He developed fever, purulence, and foot-drop 8 days postoperatively and underwent debridement with implant retention. Cultures yielded Mycoplasma hominis after 10 days. He received 4 weeks of doxycycline. Four years postoperatively, he had no recurrence of infection and was able to ambulate despite a persistent foot-drop. CONCLUSION: Mycoplasma hominis is a urogenital commensal rarely implicated in musculoskeletal infections. A high index of suspicion is required in spinal surgery patients who develop fever and purulence and have initial negative cultures and poor response to empirical antibiotics.

Utility of a high-definition 3D digital exoscope for spinal surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic creates unique challenges in the practice of spinal surgery. We aim to show how the use of a high-definition 3D digital exoscope can help streamline workflows, and protect both patients and healthcare staff.

Correction to: Cervical pedicle screw instrumentation is more reliable with O-arm-based 3D navigation: analysis of cervical pedicle screw placement accuracy with O-arm-based 3D navigation.

Unfortunately, the second author name of the above-mentioned article was incorrectly published in original publication. The complete correct name is given below: Hamid Rahmatullah Bin Abd Razak. The original article has been corrected.

Cervical pedicle screw instrumentation is more reliable with O-arm-based 3D navigation: analysis of cervical pedicle screw placement accuracy with O-arm-based 3D navigation.

PURPOSE: Despite proven biomechanical superiority and resultant superior clinical outcomes, pedicle instrumentation in cervical spine is not widely practiced due to technical difficulties, steep learning curve, and possible potential catastrophic complications due to screw misplacement. This study was undertaken with the purpose to evaluate the feasibility, accuracy, and complications of cervical pedicle screw instrumentation solely using O-arm-based 3D navigation technology. METHODS: Prospectively maintained data from a single-surgeon case series were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients had undergone cervical pedicle instrumentation under O-arm 3D navigation. Screw placement accuracy was analyzed and compared among different vertebral levels and also between different patient groups. RESULTS: A total of 241 cervical pedicle screws were inserted in 44 patients. Out of the 241 screws, 197 (81.74%) were inserted at the level of C3-C6 vertebrae with nearly equal distribution among the 4 vertebrae, followed by 32 (13.28%) and 12 (4.98%) screws at C2 and C7 vertebrae, respectively. After the analysis of screw placement as per Gertzbein classification, the overall breach rates were found to be 7.05% (17 screws) with 52.94% (10 screws) Grade I, 47.06% (7 screws) Grade II, and nil Grade III screw breaches. CONCLUSION: The use of O-arm-based intra-operative 3D scans for navigation can make cervical pedicle screw placement reliable. High accuracy and better intra-operative control can increase surgeon's confidence in using cervical pedicle instrumentation on more regular basis. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome in surgical patients: a diagnostic dilemma.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in surgical patients can potentially be missed based on current World Health Organization (WHO) case definitions. METHOD: We report a retrospective case series of 10 surgical inpatients diagnosed with SARS following an outbreak in the surgical wards. Patients were included if they fulfilled the WHO case definition of probable SARS, had an active surgical problem and were admitted to the surgical wards during the outbreak period. Clinical histories, laboratory investigations and radiological findings were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the cohort was 57.6 years (range: 38-78 years). Nine patients had concomitant medical conditions. Three patients were in the early postoperative period, while the remaining seven were admitted for surgical related infections. All patients presented with fever, but only eight had accompanying respiratory symptoms. Lymphopenia and raised lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was seen in seven patients. Eight patients had positive bacterial cultures. The primary abnormality on chest radiograph was air-space opacification. Rapid progression of radiological changes was seen in seven patients. Mortality rate for our cohort is 20%. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of SARS in surgical patients differs from that previously described in normal patients. An apparent cause of fever and positive blood cultures cannot exclude a diagnosis of SARS. The current WHO case definition could result in delayed or even missed diagnosis. Early isolation of febrile patients with a positive contact history must be undertaken, even in the face of another identifiable cause.