Comparing outcomes between anterior cervical disc replacement (ACDR) and minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy (MI-PCF) in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Anterior cervical disc replacement (ACDR) and minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy (MI-PCF) have emerged as two increasingly popular alternatives to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for the management of cervical radiculopathy. Both techniques provide advantages of segmental motion preservation and lower rates of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) compared to ACDF. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical and functional outcomes of patients undergoing ACDR or MI-PCF for the treatment of unilateral cervical radiculopathy. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Retrospective Cohort Review. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 152 patients were included (86 ACDR and 66 MI-PCF). OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Patient demographics; (2) perioperative data; (3) rates of complications and revisions; (5) visual analogue scale (VAS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores. METHODS: A retrospective cohort review was performed to identify all patients at a single institution between 2012-2020 who underwent 1- or 2- level ACDR or MI-PCF from C3-C7 with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Patient demographics, perioperative data, postoperative complications, and revisions were analyzed. Patient reported outcome measures including VAS and NDI scores were compared. RESULTS: The ACDR group had a significantly greater mean operative time (99.8 minutes vs 79.2 minutes, p<.001), but comparable estimated blood loss and length of stay following surgical intervention (p=.899). The overall complication rate was significantly greater in the ACDR group than the MI-PCF group (24.4% vs 6.2%; p=.003) but was largely driven by approach-related dysphagia in 20.9% of ACDR patients. The MI-PCF group had significantly greater revision rates (13.6% vs 1.2%; p=.002) with an average time to revision of 20.7 months in the MI-PCF group compared to 40.3 months in the ACDR group. The ACDR cohort had significantly greater improvements in NDI scores at the final follow-up (25.0 vs 21.3, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ACDR offer clinically relevant advantages over MI-PCF in terms of long-term revision rates despite an increased approach-related risk of transient postoperative dysphagia. Additionally, patients in the ACDR cohort achieved greater mean improvements in NDI scores but these results may have limited clinical significance due to inability to reach minimally clinically important difference (MCID) thresholds.

A Retrospective Study Comparing Radiological to Histopathological Diagnosis After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Suspected Cholecystitis.

Introduction Acute calculus cholecystitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdominal pain in patients presenting to the emergency department, representing a third of all surgical emergency hospital admissions. Laparoscopic surgery is typically performed within 24 to 48 hours of hospital admission. Due to similarities in presentation, it is often difficult to differentiate between biliary colic and acute cholecystitis. Currently, it is not clear how the clinical and radiological diagnosis of acute calculus cholecystitis correlates with the histopathological diagnosis.  Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 350 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our community hospital for acute calculus cholecystitis. The aim was to compare pre-operative radiological diagnoses of acute calculous cholecystitis to post-operative histopathological diagnosis. Four radiographic modalities were used for diagnosis of acute calculous cholecystitis: ultrasound, computerized tomography, MRI, and hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HIDA scan). A correlation was found between both the clinical pain of biliary origin and radiological diagnosis with subsequent histopathological diagnosis after laparoscopic surgery. Results When the four commonly used imaging modalities were compared, HIDA scan had the highest sensitivity and ultrasound had the highest specificity in successfully diagnosing acute calculus cholecystitis that had been confirmed with histopathological analysis. Conclusion No absolute correlation was found between any of the imaging modalities when compared to the pathological diagnosis. The ultrasound had maximum specificity, while the HIDA scan had maximum sensitivity when radiological imaging was compared to histopathology.

Ogilvie Syndrome Following an Inflatable Penile Implant.

A 59-year-old male patient presented with Ogilvie syndrome which developed after inflatable penile prosthesis placement. The patient presented to the emergency room three days after having an inflatable penile prosthesis with complaints of obstipation. A trial of conservative measures failed, and because of the development of peritonitis, the patient underwent a right hemicolectomy with a loop ileostomy.

Uterine Sandwich Method: A Case of Posterior Placenta Previa in an In Vitro Fertilization Pregnancy Complicated by Velamentous Cord Insertion.

The risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and placental adhesion anomalies, including placenta previa, may be increased in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other forms of assisted reproduction technologies. The uterine compression suture, known as the "uterine sandwich method," may be useful in pregnancies complicated by placenta previa. We report an unusual case of placenta previa complicated by velamentous cord insertion, which was treated by a B-Lynch suture, a Bakri balloon tamponade, and vaginal packing.

Mesenchyme-free expansion and transplantation of adult alveolar progenitor cells: steps toward cell-based regenerative therapies.

Alveolar type-2 (AT2) cells are necessary for the lung's regenerative response to epithelial insults such as influenza. However, current methods to expand these cells rely on mesenchymal co-culture, complicating the possibility of transplantation following acute injury. Here we developed several mesenchyme-free culture conditions that promote growth of murine AT2 organoids. Transplanting dissociated AT2 organoids into influenza-infected mice demonstrated that organoids engraft and either proliferate as AT2 cells or unexpectedly adopt a basal cell-like fate associated with maladaptive regeneration. Alternatively, transplanted primary AT2 cells also robustly engraft, maintaining their AT2 lineage while replenishing the alveolar type-1 (AT1) cell population in the epithelium. Importantly, pulse oximetry revealed significant increase in blood-oxygen saturation in primary AT2 recipients, indicating that transplanted cells also confer increased pulmonary function after influenza. We further demonstrated that both acid installation and bleomycin injury models are also amenable to AT2 transplantation. These studies provide additional methods to study AT2 progenitor potential, while serving as proof-of-principle for adoptive transfer of alveolar progenitors in potential therapeutic applications.