The 100 Most-Cited Papers in Traumatic Injury of the Spine.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury to the spine can be a complex diagnostic and therapeutic entity often with devastating consequences. Outside of the isolated vertebral column injury costs; annual costs associated with spinal cord injury (SCI) are estimated to exceed $9.7 billion. OBJECTIVE: To identify the 100 most-cited articles on spine trauma. METHODS: The Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation indexing service was queried. The articles were sorted by times cited in descending order. Two independent reviewers reviewed the article titles and abstracts to identify the top 100 most-cited articles. RESULTS: The top 100 articles were found to be cited between 108 (articles #99-100) and 1595 times (article #1). The most-cited basic science article was cited 340 times (#12 on the top 100 list). The oldest article on the top 100 list was from 1953 and most recent from 2012. The number of patients, when applicable, in a study ranged from 9 (article #34) to 34,069 (article #5). Top 100 articles were published in 41 different journals with a wide range of specialities and fields most commonly multidisciplinary. Basic science research encompassed 34 of the 100 articles on the list. CONCLUSIONS: We present the 100 most-cited articles in spinal trauma with emphases on important contributions from both basic science and clinical research across a wide range of authors, specialties, patient populations, and countries. Recognizing some of the most important contributions in the field of spinal trauma may provide insight and guide future work.

Ominous Occurrence of Spinal Intradural Primary Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Four Decades following Radiation Therapy for Testicular Seminoma.

Primary intradural malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is an extremely rare diagnosis and is associated with an extremely poor prognosis. A 77-year-old man diagnosed with an intradural MPNST, more than 40 years after radiation for a testicular seminoma, is reported. Intradural MPNSTs of the spine outside the setting of neurofibromatosis is extremely rare and can masquerade as common benign nerve sheath tumors, on imaging. An older age at presentation with short duration of symptoms and prior regional radiation treatment encompassing the spine in the treatment field regardless of remoteness should alert the oncologists and neurosurgeons to the possible existence of this rare and aggressive tumor, as the management, and overall prognosis of this tumor is distinctly different compared to the usual intradural spinal tumors.

Facial Sensory Restoration After Trigeminal Sensory Rhizotomy by Collateral Sprouting From the Occipital Nerves.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Lesioning procedures are effective for trigeminal neuralgia (TN), but late pain recurrence associated with sensory recovery is common. We report a case of recurrence of type 1A TN and recovery of facial sensory function after trigeminal rhizotomy associated with collateral sprouting from upper cervical spinal nerves. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 41-yr-old woman presented 2 yr after open left trigeminal sensory rhizotomy for TN with pain-free anesthesia in the entire left trigeminal nerve distribution. Over 18 mo, she developed gradual recovery of facial sensation migrating anteromedially from the occipital region, eventually extending to the midpupillary line across the distribution of all trigeminal nerve branches. She reported recurrence of her triggered lancinating TN pain isolated to the area of recovered sensation with no pain in anesthetic areas. Nerve ultrasound demonstrated enlargement of ipsilateral greater and lesser occipital nerves, and occipital nerve block restored facial anesthesia and resolved her pain, indicating that recovered facial sensation was provided exclusively by the upper cervical spinal nerves. She underwent C2/C3 ganglionectomy, and ganglia were observed to be hypertrophic. Postoperatively, trigeminal anesthesia was restored with complete resolution of pain that persisted at 12-mo follow-up. CONCLUSION: This is the first documented case of a spinal nerve innervating a cranial dermatome by collateral sprouting after cranial nerve injury. The fact that typical TN pain can occur even when sensation is mediated by spinal nerves suggests that the disorder can be centrally mediated and late failure after lesioning procedures may result from maladaptive reinnervation.

Resection of 2 Intradural Extramedullary Cervical Spine Tumors in a Patient With Neurofibromatosis Type 2: 3-Dimensional Operative Video.

This 3-dimensional operative video illustrates resection of 2 cervical spine schwannomas in a 19-yr-old female with neurofibromatosis type 2. The patient presented with lower extremity hyperreflexity and hypertonicity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated 2 contrast-enhancing intradural extramedullary cervical spine lesions causing spinal cord compression at C4 and C5. The patient underwent a posterior cervical laminoplasty with a midline dural opening for tumor resection. Curvilinear spine cord compression is demonstrated in the operative video. After meticulous dissection, the tumors were resected without complication. The dural closure was performed in watertight fashion followed by laminoplasty using osteoplastic titanium miniplates and screws. Postoperative MRI demonstrated gross total resection with excellent decompression of the spinal cord. The postoperative course was uneventful. The natural history of this disease, treatment options, and potential complications are discussed.

Repeated recurrence of thoracic spine stenosis following decompression alone for ossification of the ligamentum flavum: case report.

Ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) is a well-recognized but rare cause of thoracic myelopathy. Its subtle and variable clinical presentation often makes the diagnosis challenging. The treatment of symptomatic OLF requires surgical intervention, with the most common surgical procedure being a posterior decompression with or without instrumentation. Recurrence of ossification and stenosis after surgery is rare and usually occurs at the same intervertebral level. Multiple recurrences of ossification and stenosis are exceptionally rare. The authors report the case of OLF in a 60-year-old man who experienced recurrence of ossification and stenosis twice after posterior decompression surgeries alone. The patient was ultimately treated with revision decompression and instrumented fusion. The authors also present a pertinent review of the literature.

Wrap-Around Appearance: Underrecognized Radiologic Feature of Spinal Lymphoma.

A 71-year-old man presented with neck and upper back pain to the emergency department. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic demonstrated a T2 vertebral lesion with epidural spinal cord compression. Considering the degree of severe spinal cord compression and the absence of a pathologic diagnosis, an urgent separation surgery was planned. A frozen section of the tumor from the paraspinal mass during initial exposure confirmed the presence of lymphoma, and hence only a T2 laminectomy and decompression were performed. Final pathology was non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Careful evaluation of the magnetic resonance image shows the presence of circumferential epidural spinal cord compression along with involvement of the posterior elements in a characteristic "wrap-around" fashion. Recognition of this finding may steer the surgeon toward a differential of spinal lymphoma, and its clinical importance cannot be overemphasized.

Acute Ischemic Pediatric Stroke Management: An Extended Window for Mechanical Thrombectomy?

Ischemic stroke is a rare condition to afflict the pediatric population. Congenital cardiomyopathy represents one of several possible etiologies in children. We report a 9-year-old boy who developed right middle cerebral artery stroke secondary to primary restrictive cardiomyopathy. In the absence of pediatric guidelines, the child met adult criteria for mechanical thrombectomy given the small core infarct and large penumbra. The literature suggests children may benefit from mechanical thrombectomy in carefully selected cases. Our patient exemplifies specific circumstances in which acute stroke therapy with thrombolysis and thrombectomy may be safe.

The remarkable medical lineage of the Monro family: contributions of Alexander primus, secundus, and tertius.

Among the families that have influenced the development of modern medicine into what it is today, the Monro lineage stands as one of the most notable. Alexander Monro primus (1697-1767) was the first of 3 generations with the same name, a dynasty that spanned 126 years occupying the Chair of Anatomy one after the other at the University of Edinburgh. After becoming Professor of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh in 1719, Monro primus played a principal role in the establishment of the University of Edinburgh School of Medicine and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. In 1726, he published The Anatomy of the Humane Bones, of which 8 editions were printed during his lifetime. His son, Alexander Monro secundus (1733-1817), arguably the most notable of the 3 men, succeeded him as Professor of Anatomy. A highly regarded lecturer and anatomist, Monro secundus studied under many great physicians, including William Hunter and Johann Friedrich Meckel the Elder, and was also teacher to other well-known figures at the time, such as Joseph Black and Thomas Trotter. His most notable contributions include his work with the lymphatic system, the interventricular foramen (of Monro), and the Monro-Kellie doctrine. Alexander Monro tertius (1773-1859), the last of the dynasty, also succeeded his father as Professor of Anatomy. His work included insights into abdominal aortic aneurysms and the anatomy of the genitourinary system. The prominent association of the Monro family with the University of Edinburgh and the effects of a tenured professorship under the concept of "Ad vitam aut culpam" over successive generations are also described. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this historical review of the Monro family is among the few published in neurosurgical literature. A vivid historical overview of the medical contributions of the most famous and influential dynasty of physicians in Edinburgh at that time is provided, with relevant excerpts from original publications.

Pharmacological management of acromegaly: a current perspective.

Acromegaly is a chronic disorder of enhanced growth hormone (GH) secretion and elevated insulin-like growth factor­I (IGF-I) levels, the most frequent cause of which is a pituitary adenoma. Persistently elevated GH and IGF-I levels lead to substantial morbidity and mortality. Treatment goals include complete removal of the tumor causing the disease, symptomatic relief, reduction of multisystem complications, and control of local mass effect. While transsphenoidal tumor resection is considered first-line treatment of patients in whom a surgical cure can be expected, pharmacological therapy is playing an increased role in the armamentarium against acromegaly in patients unsuitable for or refusing surgery, after failure of surgical treatment (inadequate resection, cavernous sinus invasion, or transcapsular intraarachnoid invasion), or in select cases as primary treatment. Three broad drug classes are available for the treatment of acromegaly: somatostatin analogs, dopamine agonists, and GH receptor antagonists. Somatostatin analogs are considered as the first-line pharmacological treatment of acromegaly, although efficacy varies among the different formulations. Octreotide long-acting release (LAR) appears to be more efficacious than lanreotide sustained release (SR). Lanreotide Autogel (ATG) has been shown to result in similar biological control as octreotide LAR, and there may be a benefit in switching from one to the other in some cases of treatment failure. The novel multireceptor somatostatin analog pasireotide, currently in Phase II clinical trials, also shows promise in the treatment of acromegaly. Dopamine agonists have been the earliest and most widely used agents in the treatment of acromegaly but have been found to be less effective than somatostatin analogs. In this class of drugs, cabergoline has shown greater efficacy and tolerability than bromocriptine. Dopamine agonists have the advantage of oral administration, resulting in increased use in select patient groups. Selective GH receptor antagonists, such as pegvisomant, act by blocking the effects of GH, resulting in decreased IGF-I production despite persistent elevation of GH serum levels. Thus far, tumor growth has not been a concern during pegvisomant therapy. However, combination treatment with somatostatin analogs may counteract these effects. The authors discuss the latest guidelines for biochemical cure and highlight the efficacy of combination therapy. In addition, the effects of pharmacological presurgical treatment on surgical outcome are explored.

High-throughput analysis of telomerase by capillary electrophoresis.

The enzyme telomerase is expressed in (85-90)% of all human cancers, but not in normal, non-stem cell somatic tissues. Clinical assays for telomerase in easily obtained body fluids would have great utility as noninvasive, cost-effective methods for the early detection of cancer. The most commonly used method for the detection and quantification of telomerase enzyme activity is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay known as the telomerase repeat amplification protocol or TRAP assay. Most of the TRAP assay systems use a slab-gel based electrophoresis system to size and quantify the PCR-amplified extension products. We are developing high-throughput capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods for the analysis of TRAP/PCR products. The TRAP assay was conducted on lysates of the human lung cancer cell line A-549 in reactions containing 5-100 cells. TRAP/PCR products were generated using a fluorescent 4,7,2'4'5'7',-hexachloro-6-carboxyfluorescein(HEX)-labeled TS primer and analyzed on the Applied Biosystems Model 310 CE system using POP4 polymer. After analysis with GeneScan and Genotyper software, the total peak areas of the TRAP ladder extension products were computed using Microsoft Excel. Results were compared with unlabeled TRAP/PCR products analyzed on the Bio-Rad BioFocus 3000 CE system using 6% high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (HMW PVP) polymer and SYBR Green I dye. Both CE systems were able to resolve the TRAP ladder products with high reproducibility and sensitivity (5-15 cells). With the appropriate robotic sample handling system, these CE methods would enable performing the telomerase TRAP assay with increased sensitivity, reproducibility and automation over slab-gel methods.