1,721,003 research outputs found

    Posterior wiring with sublaminar polyester bands, titanium-peek fixation system for C2 fracture management: a 4-patient case series with a maximum of 18 months' follow-up

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    Background: C2 fractures can be classified differently when dens, pedicles or body are injured. With regards to the best management of Type-II Anderson-D'Alonzo fractures, Hangman's fractures of pedicles and C2 body fractures are more debatable. However, vertebral pedicle and/or articular screw and dorsal wiring are the most common surgical posterior approaches opted for. Compared to the screw technique, dorsal wiring provides certain benefits such as a lower risk of vertebral artery injury, no need for navigation, less lateral dissection of the paraspinal muscles, shorter surgery time and lower medical costs. Case description: Two patients with failed conservative treatment for Anderson-D'Alonzo Type-III fractures (Cases 1A and 1B), a patient suffering from a Type-II Hangman's fracture (Case 2) and a patient with failed conservative treatment for a C2 transversal body fracture (Case 3) underwent surgery at the Neurosurgery Division of the University Hospital of Modena (Italy) between July 2020 and September 2021. All patients were treated with posterior wiring with 5 mm Polyester bands, titanium-peek fixation system (Jazz-Lock system MediNext®-Implanet) inserted through the C1 posterior arch and either the C2 or C3 laminae. A fracture diastasis reduction was observed ranging between 4.5 and 1 mm. No intraoperative and post-operative complications were encountered. The duration of the period of hospitalisation ranged between 5 and 12 days. All patients who had worked prior to the traumatic event were able to return to work 18 months following surgery. Conclusions: In reducing C2 fractures, a sublaminar fixation with polyester bands and a titanium-peek fixation system can be proposed for fragile and elderly patients

    Pineoblastoma in Adults: A Rare Case Successfully Treated with Multimodal Approach Including Craniospinal Irradiation Using Helical Tomotherapy

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    Pineoblastomas (PBs) are rare and aggressive malignancies of the pineal gland. They are more commonly diagnosed in children between 1-12 years old, and are very rarely diagnosed in adults. For this reason, evidence in literature for adults is scarce and mainly derives from the paediatric practice. For their clinical behaviour and embryonal histology, PBs are often grouped together with medulloblastomas in clinical trials. In this report, we describe an adult PB case who was treated at our institution. We reference the literature to explain the clinical reasoning behind our decision-making process. A 46-year-old male patient was referred to our institution in November 2015 with three months history of headache. Imaging confirmed localised disease of the pineal gland. He underwent surgery which was radical and clinically uncomplicated. Histology showed PB. He then received adjuvant craniospinal radiotherapy with a boost to the tumour bed followed by consolidation chemotherapy. After 36 months follow-up, he remains disease-free without significant toxicities. Surgery followed by craniospinal irradiation and consolidation chemotherapy can be a safe and effective treatment option in adult PBs

    Myelomeningocele Repair Combining a Double Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane Homograft and the Keystone Flap in a 3-Year-Old Child: A Case Report

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    Introduction: Early repair in patients affected by myelomeningocele (MMC) is of paramount importance in order to prevent infection, minimize neural tissue damage, and reduce mortality. Treatment must include duraplasty and possibly an adequate soft tissue coverage. Delayed surgery in MMC patients can be more tedious due to the less clear borders between the placode and the skin. Moreover, the risks of wound infection and breakdown increase significantly. Case Presentation: We present the unusual case of a large MMC in a 3-year-old patient treated by combining the recently described cryopreserved amniotic membrane (AM) as homograft for dural reconstruction and a bilateral Keystone flap for soft tissue reconstruction. Discussion: Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and elastic proprieties, the AM can play an important role in preventing adhesion between the reconstructed layers, thus reducing the risk of spinal cord tethering. The Keystone flap, at the same time, allows the wound tension to be distributed widely over the flap margins and not only along the midline, which overlies the duraplasty, enhancing the scar quality and lowering the risk of cerebrospinal fluid recurrence and wound dehiscence, with no donor site morbidity

    Transaqueductal trans-Magendie fenestration of arachnoid cyst in the posterior fossa

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    Neuroendoscopy is currently recommended as the first choice to treat posterior fossa arachnoid cysts. It has proven to be effective, providing improved outcome, and safe, having a low complication rate. Compared to craniotomy and shunt placement, it has lower surgical morbidity, minimizing or avoiding risks of subdural fluid collections, shunt infection, malfunction, overdrainage, and dependence. Usually, rigid scopes maneuvered through a suboccipital approach are used. When symptomatic obstructive hydrocephalus develops, CSF diversion is the first aim of surgery

    Spinal hemangioblastomas: analysis of surgical outcome and prognostic factors

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    The prognostic factors for surgically removed spinal hemangioblastomas, the impact of VHL disease on outcome, and the role of intraoperative neuromonitoring are still not completely clear. The aim of this study was to review our experience with spinal hemangioblastomas in order to assess potential predictors of neurological outcome after surgery. All cases of spinal hemangioblastomas removed at two Italian academic institutions from 1985 to 2020 were reviewed. Data about clinical presentation and symptom duration, diagnosis of VHL, surgical approach, use of IONM, duration of hospital stay, follow-up, and modified McCormick grade before and after surgery were extracted. Sixty-one patients (31 F, 30 M) underwent 69 surgeries to remove 74 spinal hemangioblastomas (37 cervical, 32 thoracic, 5 lumbar). Improvement was found in 32.3% of cases, neurological condition remained stable in 51.6% of cases, and deteriorated in 16.1% of patients. A worsening trend in VHL patients and an improvement trend in non-VHL patients were detected, despite the lack of statistical significance. Laminotomy and use of IONM were found to be associated with better outcome, although no association was found between surgery without IONM and worse outcome. In most cases, patients affected by spinal hemangioblastomas can expect a good long-term outcome. In our experience, laminotomy seems to be associated with better outcome compared to laminectomy. While its absence is not associated with worse outcome, IONM seems to be associated with a better neurological outcome. Our study suggests that the more impaired the preoperative neurological condition, the worse the outcome
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