Minimally invasive retrieval of a bullet settling into the thoracic spinal canal in a pediatric patient: A case report / Recuperación mínimamente invasiva de una bala que se asienta en el canal espinal torácico en un paciente pediátrico: reporte de un caso

A 10-year-old boy presented to neurosurgery department after a gunshot wound to the upper thoracic spine. The bullet entered through the right deltoid muscle and lodged inside the spinal canal at T1 level. The patient arrived conscious and obeying commands; however, he experienced a loss of sensation below T3 level, loss of reflexes below the injured T1 level, loss of anal sphincter tone and paraplegia in the lower limbs (American Spinal Injury Association grade-A). Imaging studies revealed an intra-canalicular metallic bullet at the T1 level. The patient underwent urgent operation using a tubular retractor system and the microscope. Subsequently, the bullet was successfully retrieved. Postoperatively, the patient made a significant recovery and by the end of the 6th month, he was able to walk independently despite some gait instability. A minimally invasive approach for intra-canalicular bullet removal in the thoracic region is a safe and effective technique in pediatric patients. (AU)

Un niño de 10 años se presentó al departamento de neurocirugía después de una herida de bala en la columna torácica superior. La bala entró por el músculo deltoides derecho y se alojó dentro del canal espinal a nivel T1. El paciente llegó consciente y obedeciendo órdenes; sin embargo, experimentó una pérdida de sensibilidad por debajo del nivel T3, pérdida de reflejos por debajo del nivel T1 lesionado, pérdida del tono del esfínter anal y paraplejía en las extremidades inferiores (American Spinal Injury Association grado-A). Los estudios de imagen revelaron una bala metálica intracanalicular a nivel T1. El paciente fue intervenido de urgencia mediante un sistema retractor tubular y el microscopio. Posteriormente, la bala se recuperó con éxito. En el postoperatorio, el paciente se recuperó significativamente y, al final del sexto mes, podía caminar de forma independiente a pesar de cierta inestabilidad en la marcha. Un enfoque mínimamente invasivo para la extracción de balas intracanaliculares en la región torácica es una técnica segura y eficaz en pacientes pediátricos. (AU)

Minimally invasive retrieval of a bullet settling into the thoracic spinal canal in a pediatric patient: A case report.

A 10-year-old boy presented to neurosurgery department after a gunshot wound to the upper thoracic spine. The bullet entered through the right deltoid muscle and lodged inside the spinal canal at T1 level. The patient arrived conscious and obeying commands; however, he experienced a loss of sensation below T3 level, loss of reflexes below the injured T1 level, loss of anal sphincter tone and paraplegia in the lower limbs (American Spinal Injury Association grade-A). Imaging studies revealed an intra-canalicular metallic bullet at the T1 level. The patient underwent urgent operation using a tubular retractor system and the microscope. Subsequently, the bullet was successfully retrieved. Postoperatively, the patient made a significant recovery and by the end of the 6th month, he was able to walk independently despite some gait instability. A minimally invasive approach for intra-canalicular bullet removal in the thoracic region is a safe and effective technique in pediatric patients.

Immunoglobulin G4-Related Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis of the Spine: A Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Spinal immunoglobulin G4-related hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IgG4-HP) is a rare disease. Little information is known regarding the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of patients with spinal IgG4-HP. METHODS: The authors present a case of spinal IgG4-HP with a systematic review of the literature according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Relevant studies (up to April 2020) that reported patients with spinal IgG4-HP, based on the criteria of Japan College of Rheumatology, were identified from the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases. RESULTS: This systematic review identified 33 patients, including the present case, of whom 21 were male and 12 were female. The mean value of age was 51.2 (±12.6) years. Eight patients had systemic involvement. In addition, among 33 patients, 13 patients had an elevated serum IgG4. Surgery was performed in 31 patients. Steroid therapy alone and steroid therapy with immunosuppressants were effective in 94% and 100% of the cases, respectively. Furthermore, 31 of 33 patients reported improved outcomes, 1 patient died due to infection, and in 2 patients the data were not available. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal IgG4-HP is a rare entity. In addition, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of space-occupying lesions around the spinal cord. Histopathology with immunohistochemistry results provides the most reliable evidence for diagnosis. Steroid therapy is the first line of treatment. Surgical decompression may be required in patients presenting with nerve root and/or spinal cord compression. Long-term follow-up is necessary for patients with spinal IgG4-HP.