Effectiveness of using low rate fluoroscopy to reduce an examiner's radiation dose during lumbar nerve root block.

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to radiation can lead to gene mutations and increase the risk of cancer. Low rate fluoroscopy has the potential to reduce the radiation exposure for both the examiner and the patient during various fluoroscopic procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of low rate fluoroscopy on reducing an examiner's radiation dose during nerve root block. METHODS: A total of 101 lumbar nerve root block examinations were performed at our institute during a 6-month period. During the first 3 months, low rate fluoroscopy was performed at 7.5 frames/s (FPS) in 54 examinations, while 47 were performed at 15 FPS during the last 3 months. The examiner wore a torso protector, a neck protector, radiation protection gloves, and radiation protection glasses. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter badges were placed on both the inside and the outside of each protector. The dosimeters were exchanged every month. Radiation doses (mSv) were measured as the integrated radiation quantity every month from the OSL dosimeters. The effective and equivalent doses for the hands, skin, and eyes were investigated. RESULTS: The mean monthly equivalent doses were significantly lower both inside and outside the hand protector for the 7.5 FPS versus 15 FPS (inside; P = 0.021, outside; P = 0.024). There were no significant differences between the two groups for the mean monthly calculated effective dose for each protector's condition. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation exposure was significantly reduced for the skin on the examiner's hand when using low rate fluoroscopy at 7.5 FPS, with no noticeable decrease in image quality or prolonged fluoroscopy time.

Anterior cervical arthrodesis for chronic hangman's fracture in a patient with osteopetrosis: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Osteopetrosis is a clinical syndrome characterized by the failure of osteoclasts to resorb bone. Affected patients usually suffer from repetitive fractures due to this pathological state. Surgical treatment of these fractures is often complicated by the difficulty of working with the extremely hard and brittle bones. The purpose of this study was to report a case of chronic hangman's fracture in a patient with osteopetrosis who underwent surgery for cervical anterior interbody fusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 76-year-old woman visited our institute 1 month after injury. Radiographs revealed a type II hangman's fracture with severe translation according to the Levine-Edwards classification. We performed anterior spinal arthrodesis from C2 to C3. RESULTS: We obtained successful anterior C2-C3 arthrodesis without major complications, but encountered some surgical difficulties in treatment due to hard and brittle bones. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior cervical arthrodesis can be considered an effective treatment for chronic unstable hangman's fracture in patients with osteopetrosis. However, great care must be taken when performing surgery and continued follow-up is warranted.

Exposure of the examiner to radiation during myelography versus radiculography and root block: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to radiation over many years prompts concerns regarding potential health-related effects, particularly the incidence of cataracts and the development of cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the exposure of the examiner to radiation during myelography versus radiculography and root block. METHODS: A total of 114 examinations were performed in our institute in the 6 months. Sixty-two examinations were performed during myelography in the first 3 months (MG group), while 52 were performed during radiculography and root block in the last 3 months (RB group). The examiner wore a torso protector, a neck protector, radiation protection gloves, and radiation protection glasses. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter badges were placed on both the inside and the outside of each protector. The dosimeters were exchanged every month. Radiation doses (mSv) were measured as the integrated radiation quantity every month from the OSL dosimeters. The effective dose and the equivalent doses of hand, skin, and eyes were investigated. RESULTS: The mean equivalent doses were significantly lower outside the neck, torso, eye protectors, and inside the torso protector in the RB group than in the MG group. Conversely, the mean equivalent dose was significantly lower outside the hand protector in the MG group than in the RB group. The use of a neck protector significantly decreased the effective dose compared to the non-use of a neck protector in the RB group. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed the standard radiation exposure to the examiner during myelography, radiculography, and root block. Receiving full protection including a neck protector and protection gloves is an easy and reliable means to reduce radiation exposure.

Does high dose methylprednisolone sodium succinate really improve neurological status in patient with acute cervical cord injury?: a prospective study about neurological recovery and early complications.

STUDY DESIGN: Consecutive cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To reconsider effects of the Second National Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: High dose methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) for the patients with acute spinal cord injury has been considered standard treatment in the several countries. However, many authors have criticized the effect of MPSS because of lack of evidence about neurologic improvement and the high incidence of complications. METHODS: During 2-year, all patients with cervical cord injury were treated with MPSS within 8 hours of their injuries based on the Second National Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study protocol (MPSS group). During the next 2-year, all patients were treated without MPSS (non-MPSS group). There were 38 patients in the MPSS group and 41 in the non-MPSS. Early spinal decompression and stabilization was performed as soon after injury in both the groups. RESULTS: According to The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score, there was an average improvement by 3 months postinjury of 12.4 points in the MPSS group and 13.8 points in the non-MPSS group. In patients with complete motor loss, average ASIA motor score improved 9.0 points in the MPSS group and 12.6 points in the non-MPSS group. For patients with incomplete motor loss, average ASIA motor score improvement was 14.1 and 15.5 points in the MPSS and non-MPSS groups, respectively.In the MPSS group, 19 patients developed pneumonia, 13 developed urinary tract infections, and 5 developed wound infections. Incidence of pneumonia was significantly increased with the use of MPSS medication. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence supporting the opinion that high-dose MPSS administration facilitates neurologic improvement in patients with spinal cord injury. We believe MPSS should be used under limited circumstances because of the high incidence of pulmonary complication.