[Ureteral injury after posterior lumbar surgery. Case report]. / Lesión del uréter tras una cirugía lumbar posterior. Caso clínico.

INTRODUCTION: The percentage of complications in posterior lumbar spine surgery varies from 1,9 to 10,8%. Injury to retroperitoneal structures is a severe but unfrequent complication. Ureter injury is an extremely rare complication with only 24 documented cases up to date. CASE REPORT: 43 year old woman. A deep bleeding was observed while performing a L4-L5 microdiscectomy. It was controlled with firm pressure and hemostatic agents. 36 hours later the patient developed a distended and painful abdomen associated with anemia and an increase in white blood cell count. Abdominal CT and retrograde pyelography confirmed the diagnosis of ureter injury. An emergency laparotomy was perfomed and a total section of the left ureter was treated with a end to end anastomosis. DISCUSSION: Ureter injury in posterior lumbar spine surgery can happen due to its close anatomical relationship with the vertebral body and disc. L4-L5 is the level most often affected. Due to the fact the ureter is surrounded by retroperitoneal fat, injury is less likely to happen and thus the low number of documented cases. Although the initial symptomatology may be inespecific, an early diagnosis is essential in order to avoid further complications such as a sepsis or a kidney loss. There are several treatment options although the most often used is the end to end anastomosis specially if there is a complete ureter injury.

Lesión del uréter tras una cirugía lumbar posterior. Caso clínico / Ureteral injury after posterior lumbar surgery. Case report

Introducción. La frecuencia de complicaciones enla cirugía lumbar por vía posterior oscila entre 1,9 y10,8%. Dentro de estas complicaciones la lesión deestructuras retroperitoneales es una complicación pococomún pero potencialmente grave. La lesión del uréteres una complicación extremadamente rara existiendoen la literatura únicamente 24 casos documentados.Caso clínico. Mujer de 43 años que durante la realizaciónde una microdiscectomía L4-L5 se observó unsangrado profundo que fue controlado con compresiónsin que existiera compromiso hemodinámico. A las 36horas la paciente presentó un abdomen distendido ydoloroso acompañado de anemia y leucocitosis. A travésde un TAC abdominal y una pielografía retrógrada sediagnostico de rotura del uréter izquierdo. Se le practicóuna laparotomía de urgencias y se observó unasección total del uréter izquierdo que se trató con unaanastomosis termino-terminal (..) (AU)

Introduction. The percentage of complications inposterior lumbar spine surgery varies from 1,9 to10,8%. Injury to retroperitoneal structures is a severebut unfrequent complication. Ureter injury is an extremelyrare complication with only 24 documented casesup to date.Case report. 43 year old woman. A deep bleeding wasobserved while performing a L4-L5 microdiscectomy.It was controlled with firm pressure and hemostaticagents. 36 hours later the patient developed a distendedand painful abdomen associated with anemia andan increase in white blood cell count. Abdominal CTand retrograde pyelography confirmed the diagnosis ofureter injury. An emergency laparotomy was perfomedand a total section of the left ureter was treated with aend to end anastomosis (..) (AU)

[The effectiveness of gravitational valves in the prevention of over-drainage in adult patients with hydrocephalus]. / Efectividad de las válvulas gravitacionales en la prevención del hiperdrenaje en pacientes adultos con hidrocefalia.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of gravitational valves on over-drainage in hydrocephalus in adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of the shunt systems placed in patients over the age of 18 years between 1998 and 2006. Patients were divided into two groups: non-GV group (without gravitational valve) and GV group (with a gravitational valve, Aesculap-Miethke 5/35). The complications that occurred during the first year following the placement of the shunt system were recorded. RESULTS: Of a total of 137 patients, 91 were from the non-GV group and 46 belonged to the GV group. Mean age: non-GV group, 62.1 years; and GV group, 64.2 years, without any significant differences. In 80 patients the aetiology was chronic adult hydrocephalus, 19 were due to expansive processes, 15 due to vascular causes, eight pseudo tumours, six post-traumatic injuries and nine were due to other causes. In the non-GV group, 9.89% presented over-drainage, whereas there were no cases in the GV group; the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.029). In the rest of the complications there were no significant differences between the two groups. The total complications in the non-GV group were 25.27% and in the GV group, 6.52%, and there were significant differences (p = 0.01), although, above all, at the expense of over-drainage, because if this complication was excluded, then the differences were no longer significant (p = 0.175). CONCLUSIONS: In our series, the use of gravitational valves in the prevention of over-drainage in adult hydrocephalus proved to be more effective than employing valves without the gravitational device.

Efectividad de las válvulas gravitacionales en la prevención del hiperdrenaje en pacientes adultos con hidrocefalia / The effectiveness of gravitational valves in the prevention of over drainage in adult patients with hydrocephalus

Resumen. Objetivo. Evaluar el efecto de las válvulas gravitacionales sobre el hiperdrenaje en la hidrocefalia en el adulto. Pacientes y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo de los sistemas de derivación colocados en pacientes mayores de 18 años entre 1998 y 2006. Se dividió a los pacientes en dos grupos: grupo no VG (sin válvula gravitacional) y grupo VG (con válvula gravitacional, Aesculap-Miethke 5/35). Se contabilizaron las complicaciones producidas dentro del primer año tras la colocación del sistema de derivación. Resultados. Sobre un total de 137 pacientes, 91 fueron del grupo no VG y 46 del grupo VG. Edad media: grupo no VG, 62,1 años, y grupo VG, 64,2 años, sin que las diferencias fueran significativas. La etiología en 80 pacientes fue hidrocefalia crónica del adulto, 19 por procesos expansivos, 15 por causas vasculares, ocho pseudotumores, seis postraumáticos y nueve por otras causas. En el grupo no VG, un 9,89% presentó hiperdrenaje, mientras que en el grupo VG no hubo ningún caso; la diferencia fue estadísticamente significativa (p = 0,029). En el resto de las complicaciones no se obtuvieron diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos. Las complicaciones totales en el grupo no VG fueron del 25,27% y en el grupo VG del 6,52%, y hubo diferencias significativas (p = 0,01), aunque, sobre todo, a expensas del hiperdrenaje, ya que si se excluía esta complicación las diferencias no eran significativas (p = 0,175). Conclusión. En nuestra serie queda probada la eficacia de las válvulas gravitacionales en la prevención del hiperdrenaje en la hidrocefalia en el adulto comparado con las válvulas sin dispositivo gravitacional (AU)

Summary. Aim. To evaluate the effect of gravitational valves on over-drainage in hydrocephalus in adults. Patients and methods. We performed a retrospective study of the shunt systems placed in patients over the age of 18 years between 1998 and 2006. Patients were divided into two groups: non-GV group (without gravitational valve) and GV group (with a gravitational valve, Aesculap-Miethke 5/35). The complications that occurred during the first year following the placement of the shunt system were recorded. Results. Of a total of 137 patients, 91 were from the non-GV group and 46 belonged to the GV group. Mean age: non- GV group, 62.1 years; and GV group, 64.2 years, without any significant differences. In 80 patients the aetiology was chronic adult hydrocephalus, 19 were due to expansive processes, 15 due to vascular causes, eight pseudo tumours, six post-traumatic injuries and nine were due to other causes. In the non-GV group, 9.89% presented over-drainage, whereas there were no cases in the GV group; the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.029). In the rest of the complications there were no significant differences between the two groups. The total complications in the non-GV group were 25.27% and in the GV group, 6.52%, and there were significant differences (p = 0.01), although, above all, at the expense of over-drainage, because if this complication was excluded, then the differences were no longer significant (p = 0.175). Conclusions. In our series, the use of gravitational valves in the prevention of over-drainage in adult hydrocephalus proved to be more effective than employing valves without the gravitational device (AU)

Neumoencéfalo a tensión tras un registro de presión intracraneal / Tension pneumocephalus following intracranial pressure recording

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[Pseudoporoencephaly and congenital hydrocephaly as sequelae of a prenatal intracranial hemorrhage]. / Pseudoporencefalia e hidrocefalia congénitas como secuelas de una hemorragia intracraneal prenatal.

A term newborn with megacephaly and coagulation disease after a difficult delivery is reported. Images of pseudoporencephaly and hydrocephaly were seen in the scan as well as recent hemorrhages due to obstetric injury. Possibility of a prenatal intracranial hemorrhage being first cause is discussed.