[Delayed progressive kyphotic deformity of cervical vertebra in a patient with odontoid fracture].

This 75-year-old male who fell from a 1-m hight road shoulder subsequently suffered persistent neck pain. On admission to our institute he exhibited no neurological abnormalities. CT scan revealed an odontoid Anderson type III fracture. We selected conservative treatment with external fixation using a hard collar. No cervical deformity was recognized over the course of a month and he was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation. As a cervical X-ray performed a month later disclosed a progressive kyphotic deformity, he was readmitted to our institute for surgery. He underwent internal fixation with a Ransford loop between the occipital bone and the C3 lamina. During the operation we noted that his bone was very fragile. His postoperative course was uneventful and he exhibited no neurological deficits; his cervical alignmen stabilized completely. At his 2nd admission, his bone mineral density was 0.767 g/cm2, 64% of the young adult mean and thus indicative of severe osteoporosis. We conclude that careful observation and appropriate internal fixation are necessary in osteoporotic patients who manifest deformity following an odontoid fracture.

[Carotid occlusive disease presenting with loss of consciousness].

The authors report 9 patients who presented with loss of consciousness (syncope) due to occlusive carotid artery diseases. All patients were males, and their age ranged from 59 to 83 years. The attack was associated with dehydration or hypotension in 5 patients. MRI demonstrated fresh cerebral infarction in the watershed zone. Cerebral angiography revealed occlusion of the unilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) in 7 patients, severe stenosis of the bilateral ICA in one, and occlusion of the unilateral ICA and severe stenosis of the contralateral ICA in one. Single photon emission tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) suggested reduced cerebral perfusion reserve because of inappropriate development of collateral circulation in 4 out of 9 patients. These 4 patients underwent superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery anastomosis and/or carotid endarterectomy. Other 5 patients were medically treated. No further episode of syncope occurred in all 9 patients during follow-up periods. The results suggest that occlusive carotid artery diseases should be taken in considerations as a cause of syncope attack.

[Clinical analysis of cervical-spine and spinal-cord-injured patients brought in without cervical spinal immobilization].

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of mismanaged injury of the cervical spinal cord, to identify factors contributing to a failure to recognize such injury. Thirty-three patients with cervical spinal cord injury were transported to emergency department during the period from October, 1999 to March, 2001. Seven patients (21%) of them were transferred without cervical spine immobilization. Mechanism of injury in 7 patients was fall in 4, motor vehicle crash in 2, unknown in one. Clinical signs on admission revealed neck pain and/or back pain in 4 patients, altered mental status in 4 patients, numbness of extremities in 2 patients, paradoxical respiration in 2 patients, respiratory arrest in one. Neurological classification of Frankel grade was A in 2, B in 1, C in 2, D in 1 and E in 1. All trauma patients with a cervical spine injury or with a mechanism of injury having the potential to cause cervical spine injury should be immobilized at the scene, during transport and at the emergency room by using one of several available methods.

[Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis: two case reports and literature review].

Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis was thought to be rare, but the advent of MR imaging and treatment for malignancy have revealed that it is more frequent than we previously thought. We report two cases of intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from lung and rectal colon carcinoma. Their symptoms were aggravated rapidly. We performed surgical treatment in both cases; one was grosstotal and the other was subtotal resection. After the operation, symptoms improved mildly in one patient and worsened in the other patient. Both died 3 months after surgery, because of respiratory disturbance due to brain stem compression and lung metastasis. In conclusion, MRI is highly useful for making a diagnosis of intramedullary spinal metastatic tumors. However, it is still difficult to treat such a patient by surgery alone. Further postoperative adjuvant therapy will be necessary to improve the prognosis of such patients.

Clinicopathological studies of peripheral neuropathy in Churg-Strauss syndrome.

Clinicopathological studies were performed on the visceral organs and the sural nerve of a male patient with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) in order to understand the mechanisms of peripheral nervous system damage. A 67-year-old man, with a 2-year history of bronchial asthma, developed acutely painful paraplegia and dyspnea. Laboratory data showed a leukocytosis, an elevated serum creatinine kinase (CK) and marked eosionophilia. Autoantibodies including p- and c-ANCA were negative. Electrophysiological studies revealed a severe sensory-motor neuropathy of multiple mononeuritis type. Steroid pulse therapy performed a day after biopsy of skin, muscle and sural nerve was effective in resolving his respiratory and neurological dysfunction but a perforation of an intestinal ulcer occurred which required surgical intervention. In the biopsied sural nerve and the surgically resected intestine and mesentery there was vasculitis with fibrinoid necrosis accompanied by numerous eosinophils and macrophages containing eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). These findings suggest that in addition to ischemic changes due to vasculitis some neurotoxic substances generated by the eosinophils may be involved in the development of neuropathy in CSS.