[Revision surgery after previous spinal decompression and fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis]. / Revizionnye khirurgicheskie vmeshatel'stva posle dekompressivno-stabiliziruyushchikh operatsii po povodu poyasnichnogo stenoza.

Nowadays, vertebral stenosis is the most common indication for surgical treatment in patients over 65 years old in spine surgery. According to the literature, there are conflicting data on the incidence and indications for revision surgery after previous spinal decompression and fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and indications for revision surgery after previous spinal decompression and fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective single-center study enrolled 1233 patients with lumbar spine stenosis who underwent spinal decompression and fusion surgery between 2014 and 2018. The number and causes of readmission were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 164 readmissions. Revision surgery at the same level was performed in 63 patients (38.4%), at the higher level - 72 (43.9%), at the lower level - in 29 (17.7%) patients. The most common indication for readmission was spondyloarthrosis with facet joint syndrome (94 (57.3%) patients). The second common complication was pseudoarthrosis (26 (15.9%) patients). These ones comprised 2.1% of all patients with lumbar spine stenosis. CONCLUSION: The most common indication for readmission was adjacent segment degeneration. The most severe complications requiring complex and even multiple stage revision surgery were pseudoarthrosis and postoperative spondylodiscitis. Causes of readmission are significantly changing at different periods after surgery.

[Treatment of patients with ossifying arachnoiditis and progressive syringomyelia (analysis of three cases and a literature review)]. / Lechenie patsientov s ossifitsiruiushchei arakhnopatiei i progressiruiushchei siringomieliei (analiz trekh sluchaev i obzor literatury).

To date, only 12 cases of ossifying arachnoiditis with concomitant syringomyelia have been reported in the world literature. In this article, we presented our experience of treating three patients with syringomyelia associated with ossifying arachnoiditis. OBJECTIVE: based on the literature data and our own experience, we tried to define the most optimal treatment approach for this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the data of 15 patients (12 cases reported in the literature and 3 our own cases). The diagnosis was established on the basis of complaints, medical history, patient examination, MRI and CT of the spinal cord, and intraoperative data. Progression of syringomyelia was evaluated by comparison of the neurological status and calculation of the Vaquero index before and after surgery; the Domenicucci classification was used to evaluate the severity of ossifying arachnoiditis. Surgical treatment included several stages: decompressive laminectomy, elimination of spinal cord fixation, excision of ossifying arachnoiditis, shunting of the syrinx, and repair of the dura mater. RESULTS: An analysis of the patient data reported in the literature (12 cases) and those in our series (3) revealed that in the early postoperative period, 7 (46.7%) of these 15 patients had improvements, 5 (33.3%) patients had no changes, and 3 (20%) patients experienced a worsening. At present, there is no clear algorithm for diagnosing and treating this disease. CONCLUSION: Further investigation of the problem may facilitate an earlier diagnosis of the disease and provide more effective medical care.

[Treatment of syringomyelia associated with adhesive arachnoiditis]. / Lechenie siringomielii, assotsiirovannoi s adgezivnym arakhnoiditom.

The prevalence of syringomyelia (SM) caused by adhesive arachnoiditis (AA) is 2 to 4 cases per 100000 population. Surgical treatment of this pathology usually includes implantation of shunts into the cyst cavity or opening and drainage of the cavity. In this case, SM continues to progress in 72-100% of patients. Unsatisfactory outcomes of this surgical approach necessitate searching for other treatment options. PURPOSE: To define the optimal amount of surgery for SM associated with AA and the criteria for assessment of surgery outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors treated 47 SM patients in the period from 2010 to 2015. Of these, 34 (72.3%) patients underwent surgery; a total of 40 operations were performed. The patients' age ranged from 18 to 64 years (mean, 43.5 years). Tethering of the spinal cord was eliminated in 25 patients; 9 patients underwent cyst shunting. RESULTS: Among operated patients, 5 patients had grade 1 arachnopathy, 13 patients had grade 2 arachnopathy, 12 patients had grade 3 arachnopathy, and 4 patients had grade 4 arachnopathy. The minimal postoperative follow-up period was 11 months. After shunting, the condition improved in 8 of 9 patients; in 7 patients, the condition returned to the baseline level within the first postoperative year; in 6 (66.7%) of these patients, the disease continued to progress. After surgical release of spinal cord tethering, satisfactory long-term results were achieved in 13 (86.6%) patients with grade 1-2 arachnopathy. In 3 (50%) patients with grade 3 arachnopathy, the condition was stabilized. Among patients with grade 4 arachnopathy, progression of the disease was stopped in 1 patient; the condition worsened in 2 (50%) patients. Among all the operated patients, complications developed in 7 patients. There were no lethal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In grade 1-2 arachnopathy, progression of SM after release of spinal cord tethering occurs only in 13.4% of patients. Therefore, release of spinal cord tethering is recommended for these patients. In grade 3-4 arachnopathy, the rate of relapse after this surgery is more than 80%. Therefore, given the simplicity and a lower risk of complications of cyst shunting, this procedure is advisable for these patients.

[Results of surgical treatment of syringomyelia associated with Chiari 1 malformation. An analysis of 125 cases].

UNLABELLED: The rate of Chiari malformation (CM) in a population ranges from 3 to 8 per 100,000 population. In 62-80% of cases, CM is accompanied by the development of syringomyelia (SM) at various levels. The clinical picture in these patients is a combination of CM and SM manifestations; however, SM symptoms often prevail, which creates some problems in the diagnosis of the disease and in the choice of optimal treatment. OBJECTIVE: On the basis of our own experience of surgical interventions, we aimed to clarify the indications for surgical treatment of SM associated with CM and to determine the optimal amount of surgery and the criteria for evaluation of treatment outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred twenty five patients with a combination of syringomyelia and Chiari 1 malformation were examined in the period from 2011 to February 2015. Of them, 125 patients were operated on. The mean age of the operated patients was 56±8 years. The mean time from the appearance of the first signs of the disease to surgery was 75±82 months. All operations were performed by a single surgeon. The operations were carried out in the half-sitting (89.6%) or prone (10.4%) position. The operation included sparing suboccipital craniectomy, C1 arch resection, recovery of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation along the posterior surface of the cerebellum, and reconstruction of the dura mater in the craniovertebral junction region. RESULTS: Exploration of the arachnoid mater of the cisterna magna after dura opening revealed no arachnopathy in 78 (62.4%) patients (Chiari 0 malformation according to Klekamp). The type 1 arachnopathy (by Klekamp) was detected in 31 patients (24.8%), and the type 2 arachnopathy was observed in 16 (12.8%). The condition of 109 (88%) patients was evaluated one year after the surgery. Sixty one (56%) patients had partial or complete regression of preoperative neurological symptoms. The disease stopped progressing in 44 patients (40%). The disease was progressing in 4 (3.7%) patients. No recurrence of a CSF circulation disturbance at the craniovertebral level was observed during follow-up. Early postoperative complications occurred in 4 (3.2%) patients: wound CSF leakage in 1 (0.8%) patient, acute epidural hematoma in 1 (0.8%) patient, and aseptic meningitis in 2 (1.6%) patients. Temporary deteriorations in the condition (headache worsening, meteosensitivity) were detected in 11 (8.9%) patients. These symptoms regressed by the end of the 1st postoperative month. There were no deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The indication for surgery in patients with a combination of CM and SM is the presence of neurological symptoms associated with syringomyelia and their progression as well as headache caused by herniation of the cerebellar tonsils, which significantly deteriorates the patient's quality of life. The main criteria for evaluating the efficacy of treatment include stabilization of the clinical symptoms and/or improvement in the patient condition. Suboccipital craniectomy followed by reconstruction of the dura mater and recovery of the CSF circulation in the craniovertebral region is an effective treatment of syringomyelia associated with Chiari 1 malformation.