Accuracy and Safety of Fluoroscopy-Assisted Transpedicular Screw Insertion in Thoracolumbar Spine Surgery: Evaluation of 122 Screws.

The objective of this study is to determine the accuracy and safety of trans-pedicular screws' insertion in the thoracolumbar spine using a fluoroscopy-assisted surgical technique. We retrospectively evaluated all patients who underwent a postoperative computed tomography scan to assess the location of the pedicular screws following thoracolumbar spinal surgery, at the Mohammed Vth Military Training Hospital-Rabat, from January 2020 to April 2022. We used Gertzbein's classification to grade pedicular cortex breaches. A screw penetration greater than 4 mm (grades D-E) was considered critical and one less than 4 mm was classified as noncritical (grades A-C). A total of 122 screws inserted in the T1 to L5 vertebrae were included from 25 patients. The average age was 46 years old. Pathologies included degenerative disorders (5 patients), tumors (8 patients), and trauma (12 patients). All screws were inserted using lateral and anteroposterior fluoroscopic guidance. A total of 11 transpedicular screws breaches were identified. The breaches incidence was significantly higher in thoracic pedicles (8 screws) than in lumbar pedicles (3 screws). Of these, three critical cases occurred in two patients and one of them required reintervention. The remaining eight exceedances were not critical and were closely monitored and followed up. Transpedicular screws fluoroscopy-assisted surgical fixation can be performed for the stabilization of the thoracolumbar spine with satisfactory safety and precision.

Primary Intracranial pPNET/Ewing Sarcoma: Diagnosis, Management, and Prognostic Factors Dilemma-A Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a malignant bone tumor that is most commonly observed in the long bones, the pelvis, and the chest. Primary intracranial localization is extremely rare. OBJECTIVE: In the aim of identifying the prognostic factors of this rare localization, we conducted a systematic review of the literature for patients with primary intracranial peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor/ES. METHODS: A complete MEDLINE search was undertaken for all articles reporting data for primary intracranial peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor/ES. We divided the patient population into 2 groups: group I, patients who were free of disease; and group II, patients who died or had uncontrolled disease at the last available follow-up. We conducted a comparative statistical analysis of data between the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients were included in the review. There were 32 patients in group I and 12 in group II. Fifty percent of tumors in group II and only 16% of tumors in group I were infratentotorial (P = 0.03). Signs of bone involvement were observed in 19% of patients in group I and 54% in group II (P = 0.03). Total removal was accomplished in 29% of patients in group I and in no patients in group II (P = 0.03). Radiotherapy was performed in 73% of patients in group II and 81% in group I (P = 0.43). Chemotherapy was administered in 36% of patients in group II and 74% in group I (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Infratentorial localization and the presence of bone involvement were associated with poor prognosis; Surgery seems to be a predictive factor of prognosis; radiotherapy and chemotherapy must be performed whenever the tumor is not totally removed.