Retained foreign needle in the thoracic spinal canal in a child: Case report.

BACKGROUND: The presence of retained foreign bodies in the spinal canal has been reported in the literature. They are attributed to retained pieces of medical equipment after surgery, or, following trauma, to residual bullets, glass fragments, or knife blades. Although some retained materials do not cause any neurological deficits in the short run, others may become symptomatic months later. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 2-year-old male presented with a history of intermittent fever and mild lower extremity weakness. Notably, the original infectious workup was negative. However, a noncontrast CT scan later documented a needle-shaped foreign body in the spinal canal at the T10 level. During the T10 laminectomy, a needle (i.e. from a medical syringe) was removed, the patient remained neurologically intact. The foreign body turned out to be a medical syringe needle tip. CONCLUSION: A 2-year-old male presented with fevers and mild lower extremity weakness attributed to an intraspinal needle tip found utilizing CT at the T10 level. T10 laminectomy allowed for removal of a small needle tip. This shows the importance of removing retained spinal foreign bodies to avoid further/future neurological injury, and/or the potential risks/complications of foreign body migration/sequestration.

A case of Bertolotti's syndrome as a cause of sciatica.

BACKGROUND: Bertolotti's syndrome (i.e., varying extent of fusion between the last lumbar vertebra and the first sacral segment) or lumbosacral transitional vertebrae is a rare cause of back pain. Notably, this syndrome is one of the differential diagnoses for patients with refractory back pain/sciatica. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 71-year-old male presented with low back pain of 3 years duration that radiated into the right lower extremity resulting in numbness in the L5 distribution. He then underwent a minimally invasive approach to resect the L5 "wide" transverse process following the CT diagnosis of Bertolotti's syndrome. Prior to surgery, patient reported pain that was exacerbated by ambulation that resolved post-operative. CONCLUSION: Bertolotti's syndrome is one of the rare causes of sciatica that often goes undiagnosed. Nevertheless, it should be ruled out for patients with back pain without disc herniations or other focal pathology diagnosed on lumbar MR scans.

Trigeminal neuralgia secondary to onyx embolization of a right occipital arteriovenous malformation.

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia is a debilitating chronic condition characterized by severe recurrent hemifacial pain which is often caused by compression of the trigeminal nerve by an adjacent vessel loop. Microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery is an effective procedure that can lead to full symptomatic relief. Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are primarily congenital abnormalities that may be asymptomatic or manifest as seizures or focal neurologic deficits. They may cause intracranial bleeding and hence are promptly treated, often by endovascular embolization. This procedure is safe but may have a multitude of unpredictable complications. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 33-year-old female presented with medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia secondary to Onyx embolization of a right occipital AVM 3 years prior. She underwent surgical exploration and MVD of the trigeminal nerve root which was found to be compressed by the previously embolized superior cerebellar artery. The procedure was successful and full symptomatic resolution was immediately achieved. CONCLUSION: Postprocedural trigeminal neuralgia is a procedural complication of Onyx endovascular embolization. It may be treated by MVD surgery regardless of the presence or absence of a compressive vascular loop on imaging.