Unilateral Lumbosacral Facet Abnormality Resembling Facet Interlocking: A Case Report.

We report a rare case presenting radiculopathy caused by unilateral lumbosacral facet abnormality resembling facet interlocking. The patient was a 57-year-old man with no medical and traumatic history. He began to exhibit numbness below his left ankle followed by pain at the left buttock with no obvious causes. He visited our hospital approximately 1 year after the onset of his symptom. Preoperative images revealed a left lumbosacral facet abnormality resembling facet interlocking. His left S1 nerve root was compressed by the dislocated left L5 inferior articular process and bone fragment. His symptom was consistent with left S1 radiculopathy without an obvious stenosis of the left L5 intervertebral foramen; thus, we performed partial facetectomy of the left L5/S1, posterior decompression of the S1 nerve root tunnel, and removal of bone fragment. After the operation, his symptom completely disappeared with satisfactory result. There are several types of congenital facet anomalies in the lumbosacral facet joint; however, congenital unilateral lumbosacral facet abnormality resembling facet interlocking described in this paper has not been reported. His clinical symptom was completely recovered after simple decompression surgery. In this paper, we report the interesting and unique findings of facet abnormality resembling facet interlocking.

Long-term follow-up after BCNU wafer implantation in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

1,3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU, or Carmustine) wafers are intraoperatively implantable wafers used to achieve local tumor control. There is scarce data about the behavior of wafers in the long-term follow-up of implanted cases. We reviewed the data of 64 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated by surgery, BCNU wafers, radiation therapy, and temozolomide administration. This cohort included 55 patients who presented first recurrence, and 49 of them showed tumor progression to death. The MR imaging of each patient at the terminal stage and an autopsy case were used to elucidate the tumor progression pattern after the wafer implantation. We subdivided the first recurrence pattern into local, distant, and multifocal based on MR imaging or into infield, outfield, and marginal based on the radiation field. The first recurrence pattern was 33 patients (60%) with local, 13 (24%) with distant, and nine (16%) with multifocal recurrence, or 38 patients (69%) with infield, 13 (24%) with outfield, and four (7%) with marginal. The median and mean time intervals between MR imaging at the terminal stage and death were 2.0 and 2.3 months, respectively. Of note, 13 patients with first distant recurrence had no obvious radiological local tumor progression even at the terminal stage. Long-term follow-up after BCNU wafer implantation revealed that patients with first distant recurrence had long-lasting local tumor control until the terminal stage.

Severe low back pain with mild leg symptoms due to lumbar spine stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Some patients with lumbar spine stenosis (LSS) have severe low back pain (LBP) with only mild leg symptoms. The effects of decompression surgery for such patients remain unknown. METHODS: Of 818 patients with LSS who underwent surgical treatment in our institution from 2011 to 2019, eight patients had a numeric rating scale (NRS) score of ≥7 for LBP and 3≤ for leg pain. The patients' age, sex, clinical characteristics, preoperative leg symptoms, and level of LSS were investigated. The detailed characteristics of LBP, such as the disease duration, location of LBP, and exacerbating factors, were obtained from each patient. The NRS and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores for LBP were evaluated on admission, at 1 and 3 months postoperatively, and at the final follow-up (>1 year postoperatively). RESULTS: All patients were male with a mean age of 71.5 years (range, 57-82 years). LBP was exacerbated during walking in six patients and during an extension posture in three patients. The median duration of LBP was 2.9 years (range, 0.3-7 years). The stenosis was located at L2/3 in three patients, L3/4 in five patients, and L4/5 in seven patients. The stenosis involved one level in three patients and more than two levels in five patients. Other pathologies, such as sacroiliac joint lesions, facet pain, superior/middle cluneal nerve pain, and discogenic pain, were excluded by diagnostic anesthetic block and detailed physical examination. All patients underwent posterior decompression surgery without fusion. In all eight patients, the NRS score for LBP significantly improved from 7.6 (range, 7-10) to 1.7 (range, 0-3) and the JOA score improved from 13.1 (range, 4-19) to 21.8 (range, 18-27). CONCLUSION: A low proportion of patients showed walking-evoked severe LBP with mild leg symptoms due to lumbar spine stenosis. The patients' pain was improved by decompression surgery with satisfactory results.

Improvement in Neurogenic Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction Following Posterior Decompression Surgery for Cauda Equina Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms of neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) and neurogenic bladder (NB), which are major consequences of spinal cord injury and occasionally degenerative lumbar disease. The following in patients with cauda equina syndrome who underwent posterior decompression surgery was investigated: (1) the preoperative prevalence of NBD and NB, measured using the Constipation Scoring System (CSS) and International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS); (2) the degree and timing of postoperative improvement of NBD and NB. METHODS: We administered the CSS and IPSS in 93 patients before surgery and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. We prospectively examined patient characteristics, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and postoperative improvements in each score. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptomatic defecation and urinary symptoms at admission were 37 patients (38.1%) and 31 patients (33.3%), respectively. Among the symptomatic patients with defecation problems, 12 patients had improved at 1 month, 13 at 3 months, 14 at 6 months, and 13 at 12 months postoperatively. Among the symptomatic patients with urinary problems, 5 patients improved at 1 month, 11 at 3 months, 6 at 6 months, and 10 at 1 year postoperatively. Comparing patients with improved versus unimproved in CSS, the degree of JOA score improvement was a significant prognosis factor (p < 0.05; odds ratio, 1.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of symptomatic defecation and urinary symptoms in patients with cauda equina syndrome was 38.1% and 33.3%, respectively. Decompression surgery improved symptoms in 30%-50%. These effects were first observed 1 month after the operation and persisted up to 1 year.

Microsurgical Resection of Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament in the Thoracic Spine via the Transthoracic Approach Without Spinal Fusion: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Surgical management of thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) remains challenging because of the fragility of the thoracic spinal cord. Posterior approach with long instrumentation has been predominantly performed. However, this procedure includes the risk of neurologic deterioration caused by the progression of OPLL during long-term follow-up and the need for long instrumentation to achieve dekyphosis, even for so-called beaked-type OPLL between 1 vertebra. The present Video shows the microsurgical removal of OPLL in the middle thoracic level without spinal fusion, including the operative tips. The surgical techniques were demonstrated in detail handling patients with single OPLL. The patient is a 54-year-old woman with T5-6 OPLL. She presented with gradually worsening myelopathy and underwent the operation via the transthoracic anterolateral approach. Although intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred, it was successfully treated with fibrin glue sealing and spinal drainage. The modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score improved from 5.5 preoperatively to 8.0 postoperatively. Postoperative deterioration of the thoracic kyphotic angle has not been noticed during the follow-up period of 149.7 months. Anterior decompression is the logical and ideal procedure to treat thoracic myelopathy caused by OPLL; however, this procedure is technically demanding. Microsurgery via the transthoracic anterolateral approach enables direct visualization of the thoracic ventral ossified lesion. Relatively narrow and little resection of the vertebral body under the presently demonstrated microsurgical procedures might negate the need for bone grafting or spinal instrumentation. The patient gave informed consent for surgery and video recording (Video 1).

[A Case of Familial Schwannomatosis Occurring as Intraorbital Schwannoma].

A 67-year-old male presenting with left exophthalmos and progressive visual disturbance was referred to our department. Tumors at the supraclavicular fossa and dorsal femoral region were resected at ages 27 and 45 years. His father and son had both been diagnosed with spinal tumors, and his son's tumor was pathologically diagnosed as a schwannoma. Brain MRI of his son demonstrated no intracranial tumor. Brain MRI of the patient revealed a multilobular tumor of 2 cm diameter compressing the optic nerve medially within the left muscle cone, and no other intracranial tumors. However, large masses lateral to the pharynx and intercostal nerve, as well as multiple spinal tumors were detected. Transcranial total resection of the intraorbital tumor was performed. The pathological diagnosis was consistent with a schwannoma. These clinical characteristics fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of familial schwannomatosis. The postoperative course was uneventful. His visual dysfunction and eye movement disorder resolved completely. The intraorbital tumor was believed to originate from the lacrimal nerve. Sequencing of all exons for SMARCB1 and LZTR1 using DNA extracted from the tumor did not reveal any mutations. This case is the third report on familial schwannomatosis in Japan.

Case of Calcifying Pseudoneoplasms of the Neuraxis Coexisting with Interhemispheric Lipoma and Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum: Involvement of Infiltrating Macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis (CAPNON) is a rare clinical entity. We report an unusual case of intraparenchymal bifrontal CAPNON coexisting with interhemispheric lipoma and agenesis of the corpus callosum. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 64-year-old woman presented with slight weakness of her left leg. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed massive nodular intraparenchymal calcifications at both sides of the interhemispheric lipoma associated with partial agenesis of the corpus callosum. Enhancement was observed at the periphery and within the calcification. Massive perifocal edema was also demonstrated. The enhanced lesion with calcification was partially resected. Histologic analysis of the resected specimen disclosed nodular calcification with fibro-osseous components and histiocytic reaction, consistent with CAPNON. A high ratio of M2 macrophages was observed among the infiltrating macrophages. 11C-methionine positron emission tomography demonstrated high uptake of the tracer at the lesion corresponding to the calcified lesion on computed tomography. Postoperatively, massive perifocal edema was decreased and maintained without progression for a year. CONCLUSIONS: The high M2 macrophage activity verified by histopathologic analysis suggests that CAPNON is not a silent but a more active, tumefactive disease involving the immune response. This hypothesis may be supported by the high uptake of 11C-methionine positron emission tomography.

Angiographic Characterization of the External Carotid Artery: Special Attention to Variations in Branching Patterns.

Knowledge of branching patterns of external carotid artery (ECA) is essential for planning and execution of head and neck surgeries. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images of 532 ECAs from 302 consecutive patients were retrospectively evaluated. We classify the branch variants of ECA into three types, simply based on the number of branches arising close together. Type A, Type B, and Type C variants are defined as two, three, and four or more branches of ECAs arising at a common point from the proximal ECA, respectively. In this classification, the distal ECA was counted as one branch. Of 532 ECAs, Type A was found in 344 ECAs (64.6%) of 237 patients (78.5%), Type B in 134 ECAs (25.2%) of 110 patients (36.4%), and Type C in 54 ECAs (10.2%) of 49 patients (16.2%). The distance from the common carotid artery (CCA) bifurcation to the first branch of ECA with Type C was 14.7 ± 6.6 mm; its distance is shorter compared with Type A (21.8 ± 15.6 mm) and Type B (20.6 ± 8.9 mm) (P < 0.05). The position of CCA bifurcation with Type C was detected at the third-fourth junction cervical vertebral level or higher in 52 of 54 ECAs (96.3%), significantly higher than those of the other types (P < 0.05). In conclusion, Type C ECA has aggregated vessels with short distance from CCA and high position of CCA bifurcation. Type C ECA is not uncommon; thus, special consideration should be paid to avoid complications during surgeries.

Temporal Glioblastoma Mimicking Basal Ganglia Invasion: Distinguishing Removable and Unremovable Tumors.

OBJECTIVE: Maximal safe resection prolongs the survival of patients with glioblastoma (GB). However, whether total resection of the enhanced lesion is pursued or abandoned depends on preoperative judgments based on the findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Anatomically, medial temporal tumor tends to invade toward the temporal stem, insula, and basal ganglia, representing tumor with high surgical risk. In the present study, we describe the key radiologic features of medial temporal GB to achieve extent of resection. METHODS: We reviewed all GB cases located in the temporal lobe (tGB) treated between April 2013 and March 2018 at Kitasato University Hospital. On the basis of MRI, tGB was simply classified into 3 groups: medial tGB and nonmedial tGB, and medial tGB was further subdivided into invading type and mimicking type. We focused on the resectability of medial tGB. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with tGB were identified. Twenty were included in the nonmedial tGB, and 7 were in the medial tGB. All medial tGB seemed to invade into the basal ganglia and/or the lenticulostriate arteries, but detailed examination revealed 2 types of tumor, invading type (3 cases) and mimicking type (4 cases). The invading type had true involvement of the basal ganglia and/or lenticulostriate arteries, whereas the mimicking type had no involvement of these structures. This new classification is highly effective, as the former is unresectable, but the latter is totally resectable. CONCLUSIONS: Medial tGB is a challenging tumor for maximal safe resection, so our classification will help to identify cases of removable medial tGB.

Visual disorders caused by cranial arteriovenous fistula with venous drainage into the superior ophthalmic vein.

BACKGROUND: Although the abnormal venous drainage into the superior ophthalmic vein (SOV) is a well-known entity responsible for ocular symptoms, it remains unclear to what degree it affects the visual function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence, characteristics and outcomes of the visual disorders in patients with intracranial arteriovenous fistula (AVF) with venous drainage into the SOV. METHODS: This retrospective study involved eight patients diagnosed with intracranial AVFs with abnormal venous drainage into the SOV between January 2014 and December 2016. RESULTS: The most common location of AVF was the cavernous sinus (CS) in five patients, followed by the intraorbit in two patients and superior sagittal sinus (SSS) in one patient. Visual disorders were detected in three patients (two intraorbit and one CS). The visual field contraction was observed in a patient with intraorbital AVF, and the reduction of visual acuity was confirmed in another patient with intraorbital AVF and a patient with CS dural AVF. All patients underwent an interventional treatment consisting of endovascular embolisation, stereotactic radiosurgery or both, which was selected based on their angioarchitecture. Although angiographic cure of AVF was confirmed in all patients, visual function did not fully recover in two patients with intraorbital AVF. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of intraorbital AVF, visual disorders are more frequent and can result in poorer outcomes compared with other dural AVFs with drainage into the SOV. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to preserve the visual function of patients with intraorbital AVF.

Safe Stereotactic Biopsy for Basal Ganglia Lesions: Avoiding Injury to the Basal Perforating Arteries.

BACKGROUND: One of the most serious complications of stereotactic biopsy is postoperative symptomatic hemorrhage due to injury to the basal perforating arteries such as the lenticulostriate arteries neighboring the basal ganglia lesions. OBJECTIVES: A new target-planning method was proposed to reduce hemorrhagic complications by avoiding injury to the perforating arteries. METHODS: Three-dimensional 3-T time-of-flight (3D 3-T TOF) imaging was applied to delineate the basal perforating arteries such as the lenticulostriate arteries. The incidence of postoperative hemorrhage in basal ganglia cases was compared between a new method using 3D 3-T TOF and a conventional target-planning method based on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance images obtained by 1.5-T scanning. RESULTS: 3D 3-T TOF imaging could delineate the basal perforating arteries sufficiently in target planning. No postoperative hemorrhage occurred with the new method (n = 10), while 6 postoperative hemorrhages occurred with the conventional method (n = 14). The new method significantly reduced the occurrence of postoperative hemorrhages (p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: 3D 3-T TOF MR imaging with contrast medium administration provides useful information about the perforating arteries and allows safe stereotactic biopsy of basal ganglia lesions.