Thoracoscopic surgery for thoracic disc herniation.

Technical improvements in endoscopy have had a major effect in the practice of minimally invasive surgery, which is preferable to more invasive surgical procedures for central and hard thoracic disc herniation. Eleven patients underwent surgery between 2002 and 2008. Data was collected from self-reporting questionnaires completed by the patient at each visit before surgery and after surgery at 3,6,12 and 24 months. The questionnaires included in the study were the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire and a visual analog scale(VAS) for the evaluation of pain. In all eleven patients, the thoracoscopic approach was technically performed satisfactorily. There was a significant initial improvement in both the Oswestry score and the VAS pain score at up to nine months(P<0.05). The average relative difference in the Oswestry and VAS score was not significant at 12 and 24 months. The complication rate(pleurisy and lung contusion) in our small study was 18%, which compares favorably with the literature. Video assisted thoracic spine surgery (VATS) clearly provides a minimally invasive and effective alternative to open thoracic surgery. A surgeon must be familiar with the surgical anatomy and the endoscopic techniques to ensure an optimal surgical outcome. Hence, that is one limitation in the practice of thoracoscopic discectomy.

Posterior dynamic stabilization in the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease: 2-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: A prospective pilot study was designed to evaluate the role of a posterior dynamic stabilization technique in the surgical treatment of degenerative disc disease. Posterior dynamic stabilization with a hinged screw is a new concept in the surgical treatment of degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The traditional surgical treatment is to apply a fusion procedure. However, numerous reports showed unsatisfactory clinical outcomes even when patients have satisfactory radiological outcomes following fusion procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included patients who were surgically treated with a dynamic stabilization technique due to painful degenerative disc disease. Clinical and radiological findings for the 20 participating patients were analyzed in a 2-year follow-up study. Preoperative and postoperative data at the 3 (rd), 12 (th) and 24 (th) month were collected for both clinical and radiological outcomes. Statistical analyses between preoperative and postoperative data were performed using the Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: The clinical outcome measurements (VAS, ODI) showed significant improvement in all postoperative measurements compared to preoperative values. The mean preoperative visual analogue score (VAS, 7.9) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI 59.2) significantly decreased to 0.8 for VAS and 9.2 for ODI, at 2 years post-operation (p<0.05). The radiological studies showed no significant changes between pre- and postoperative values, in all parameters. There was no mortality or morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study are encouraging. Dynamic stabilization may be an effective technique in the surgical treatment of painful degenerative disc disease. A larger series study, with longer follow-up periods and with control groups is needed to determine the success and safety of posterior dynamic stabilization in the surgical treatment of degenerative disc disease.

Effects of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin on blood loss and coagulation factors in scoliosis surgery. A double-blind randomized clinical trial.

STUDY DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized, prospective clinical study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin in reducing blood loss in major scoliosis surgery. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether desmopressin has any effect on reducing blood loss in spinal surgery, to identify the probable mechanisms of effectiveness via blood coagulation factors, and to outline any adverse effect associated with the use of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Scoliosis surgery is known to be associated with major blood loss. Because of major drawbacks of homologous blood transfusion, many alternative methods have been used to counter the blood loss. Only a few studies exist, with controversial results, on the use of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin. METHODS: The study population included 40 operations on 35 consecutive patients undergoing reconstructive surgery for either idiopathic (n = 26) or congenital (n = 9) scoliosis. Operations were randomized into deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin (0.3 microgram/kg body weight; maximum, 20 micrograms) (n = 18) or placebo (n = 22) groups and stratified according to the diagnosis and the type of surgery performed (i.e., anterior versus posterior versus anterior and posterior sequential). Parameters of blood loss, serum levels of blood coagulation factors at different time intervals, and urinary output were measured. RESULTS: Findings indicated that blood loss per kilogram of body weight, blood loss per surgically treated spinal level, urinary output per kilogram of body weight and serum levels of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor (vWF) activity, tissue type plasminogen activator activity, and plasminogen activator inhibitor activity were not sensitive to the administration of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin at any time interval during surgery or at 24 hours after surgery (P > 0.05). Only factor VIII:C levels exhibited significant elevations at 30 minutes and at 24 hours (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study could not demonstrate any significant effect of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin on the amount of blood loss in a group of patients with idiopathic or congenital scoliosis. Findings indicate that for most of the coagulation factors, any changes in serum levels induced by deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin were much like those expected from surgery itself. This study also failed to demonstrate any significant effects altering the urinary output that may be attributed to the use of deamino-8-D-arginin vasopressin.

Cerebral aneurysm surgery in a patient with phaeochromocytoma.

This case report describes the peri-operative management of a 48-year-old woman with three cerebral aneurysms and phaeochromocytoma. The pharmacological and anaesthetic management of such patients is complex, and needs to be managed carefully by titrating anaesthetic agents and vasoactive drugs. The primary concern is the maintenance of cerebral perfusion pressure and autoregulation throughout the procedure, although these states cannot be monitored directly. The patient survived the operation neurologically intact, and it is presumed that the course of management which was chosen helped to achieve this result.

Anaesthetic management in maple syrup urine disease.

Two children with maple syrup urine disease undergoing emergency and elective surgery are reported. The administration of ketamine to a 12-month-old boy without neurological problems and propofol infusion to a 5-year-old girl with a history of convulsions, was uneventful. We believe that a full knowledge of the pathophysiology of maple syrup urine disease and potential peri-operative problems associated with the disease are essential, so that patients are not subjected to unnecessary risks.