Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of posterior laminectomy and transfacet discectomy combined with interbody fusion and segment fixation for the treatment of lower thoracic disc herniation.Methods From June 2000 to June 2010,36 cases of lower thoracic disc herniation were treated with method of posterior laminectomy and transfacet discectomy combined with interbody fusion and segment fixation,including 23 males and 13 females,with an average of 42 years old(range,22-61 years old).The courses of disease were from 21 days to 69 months,with an average of 22 months.The lesion locations were T10-11 for 12 cases,T11-12 for 15 cases and T12L1 for 9 cases.Each of the patients underwent X-ray and MR examination,31 of them underwent CT scanning.Twenty-five cases were central protrusion type,7 cases were para-central protrusion type,4 cases were lateral protrusionstype.The clinical results were evaluated by Otanni scored system.Results The operative time was 135-220 min,with average of 155 min.The blood loss was 350-800 ml,with average of 460 ml.All patients were successfully operated without neurological symptoms aggravation and accidents.Cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 12 cases,which was treated by continuous suture or dura patch repair.Two cases with giant disc herniation suffered from muscle strength decrease of lower limbs after surgery,which gradually recovered after drug treatment of hormones,dehydration,high-pressure oxygen and nerve nutrients.Postoperative X-ray examinations showed that there were no internal fixation loosening.The followed-up period was 14 days to 48 months,mean 4 months.According to Otani scored system,there were excellent results in 12 cases,good results in 18 cases and poor results in 1 case.The clinical satisfaction rate was 83.3%.Conclusion Posterior laminectomy and transfacet discectomy combined with interbody fusion and segment fixation is a safe and effective surgical procedure for the treatment of lower thoracic disc herniation.

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of two different anterior cervical surgeries in treatment of multi-segmental cervical spondylosis. Methods: A total of 86 patients with multi-segmental cervical spondylosis were treated by anterior cervical surgery procedure. Among them, 62 and 24 cases were involved in three and four gap, respectively. Each patient underwent the surgery of long or segmented anterior cervical decompression and fixation. Preoperative and postoperative cervical curvature change, internal if xation stability, fusion rate and nerve function were evaluated. Results: All patients were successfully completed the operation, segmented surgery showed better cervical lordosis recovery, but there were no significant difference between long and segmented anterior cervical surgery in blood loss and recovery of neurological function (P>0.05). Conclusion: The segmented anterior cervical surgery has advantages in the treatment of multi-segmental cervical spondylosis.

Objective To study three-dimensional feature of the thickness of subchondral cortical bone, the surface area and space width of the facet joints as well as its morphological characteristics and variation, and to compare the differences of these parameters in patients with low back pains and healthy people, based on three dimensional reconstruction images of the facet joints. Methods CT scanning from L1/2 to L5/S1 at supine position was performed on 90 subjects to obtain two-dimensional images of the facet joints and three-dimensional point-cloud data of the subchondral cortical bone, the surface area and space width of the facet joints after reconstruction. Distributions of these parameters between the superior and inferior facet joints and at different regions of the articular process were investigated, and differences of these parameters in lumbar segments, gender, age and symptoms were also compared. Results (1)At superior facet, the largest thickness was located at the cranial region, while at inferior facet, it was located at the caudal region. The thickness of subchondral cortical bone was significantly smaller at central region than at the other regions. A more obvious difference could be observed at the lower lumbar levels（L4/5, L5/S1）. (2)The average surface area of the facet joints was (173.2±3.6) mm2, and it was increased with the lumbar level and age increasing, especially at the L4/5 level and at the age of more than 40. The surface area of superior facet joints was significantly larger than that of inferior facet joints for patients with low back pains (except at L5/S1 level), who had an obviously larger surface area of the facet joints than healthy people. (3)The average thickness of space width of the facet joints was (1.46±0.08) mm, and it was decreased with age decreasing, especially at the age of more than 40. The female had significantly larger space width than the male, while patients with low back pains had significantly smaller space width. At each facet joint, the space at cranial region was significantly larger than that at caudal region, and it was also significantly larger at central region than at surrounding region. These differences were more obvious at the lower three lumbar levels. Conclusions Computer-assistant image processing and reconstruction analysis techniques can accurately measure the relative parameters of lumbar facet joints with complicated structure in three dimensional space. The feature of the facet joints was correlated with shape of the facet joint surface，stress on the joint and degeneration of the joint, so it was a reflection of adaptive changes in human body structure due to the long-term loading on the facet joint.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of manual reduction under general anesthesia combined with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the treatment of lower cervical locked facet dislocation.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed were the data of 53 patients with traumatic single segment dislocation of lower cervical spine combined with single/bilateral facet articular lock who had been admitted to Department of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from January 2019 to December 2020. There were 36 males and 17 females, aged from 18 to 64 years (average, 45.5 years). All the patients were treated with ACDF under neuroelectrophysiological monitoring. Clinical efficacy was assessed by observing complications and comparing American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grading, Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scores, neck disability index (NDI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after surgery.Results:All patients were followed up for 16 to 30 months (mean, 24 months). All incisions healed by primary intention with no infection after operation. There were 2 cases of delirium, 9 cases of abdominal distension, 4 cases of lower extremity venous thrombosis, and one case of central diabetes insipidus. Postoperative imaging data showed that all patients achieved sequential reduction of the cervical spine, intervertebral bony fusion, and no internal fixation loosening. The last follow-up showed that the overall improvement rate of ASIA grading of spinal cord function was 84.9% (45/53) compared with the preoperation and that the VAS score (2.0±0.5), mJOA score (13.1±3.1) and NDI index (16.6±5.9) were significantly improved compared with the preoperative values (7.5±1.5, 6.9±3.5, and 37.8±7.8) ( P< 0.05). Conclusion:On the premise of fully assessing the patient's injury status, manual reduction under general anesthesia combined with ACDF is a safe and effective treatment of single-level lower cervical fracture combined with facet dislocation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of early and one-stage posterior laminectomy decompression, fracture reconstruction and lateral mess screw fixation combined with anterior cervical corpectomy or discectomy for the treatment of fresh and severe lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation.
 METHODS: A total of 156 consecutive cases of severe fracture and dislocation of lower cervical spine were reviewed from January 2008 to January 2015. Skull traction was installed when the patients were enrolled in the hospital, so the operation was performed as early as possible. Firstly, the posterior procedure was applied to the patients prone on a frame. A standard posterior laminectomy, fixation and fusion were performed with lateral mass screws and rods. The cervical spine reconstruction was achieved by laminecomy, partially facetectomy, leverage and distraction. The technique of rotating rod was applied to recover the sequence of the cervical and keep or increase the zygopophysis and lordosis of the cervical on the sagittal plane. After the skull traction removed, a standard anterior approach to the cervical spine was initiated as the second stage of the procedure. Anterior cervical corpectomy or discectomy, spinal cord decompression, antograft and cervical spine auto-locking plate fixation were carried out. The stability, the fusion rate of the injured segments and spinal cord decompression were observed on the regular postoperative X-ray film and CT scan. The function of the spinal cord was evaluated by American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification.
 RESULTS: A total of 137 cases were followed-up, 19 failed to follow-up and 8 of them were due to death. The follow-up time was from 9.0 months to 35.0 months (mean: 13.7 months). All patients got completely reduction of the cervical spine. The injured segments were stable. There was no patient of bone graft no-fusion. The cervical intervertebral height and lordosis were reconstructed and maintained and all grafts were fused at the end of follow-up period. There was no complication related to internal fixation breakage, loosening or displacement. There was also no neurovascular and esophagus complications during the operation. Twelve patients complained neck pain at the final follow-up. There were 12 cases of wound infection and 12 cases of neck inflammatory. They were healed after anti-inflammatory therapy. There were 13 cases of cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and they were healed after the symptomatic treatment. The neuro-function of most patients was improved, and ASIA classification was improved by 1 to 2 grade.
 CONCLUSION Early and one-stage posterior-anterior decompression and reconstruction for the patients with fresh and severe lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation can achieve good reduction and cervical alignment of cervical spine. The injured segments can gain postoperative immediate stability. It also gives a completely decompression, which is benefit to the patients for nursing, functional exercise, and the functional recovery of the spinal cord.
Bone Plates ; Bone Screws ; Bone Transplantation ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Decompression, Surgical ; Diskectomy ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; Laminectomy ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Spinal Fractures ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Traction

Effective methods for visualizing neurovascular morphology are essential for understanding the normal spinal cord and the morphological alterations associated with diseases. However, ideal techniques for simultaneously imaging neurovascular structure in a broad region of a specimen are still lacking. In this study, we combined Golgi staining with angiography and synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SRμCT) to visualize the 3D neurovascular network in the mouse spinal cord. Using our method, the 3D neurons, nerve fibers, and vasculature in a broad region could be visualized in the same image at cellular resolution without destructive sectioning. Besides, we found that the 3D morphology of neurons, nerve fiber tracts, and vasculature visualized by SRμCT were highly consistent with that visualized using the histological method. Moreover, the 3D neurovascular structure could be quantitatively evaluated by the combined methodology. The method shown here will be useful in fundamental neuroscience studies.

Effective methods for visualizing neurovascular morphology are essential for understanding the normal spinal cord and the morphological alterations associated with diseases. However, ideal techniques for simultaneously imaging neurovascular structure in a broad region of a specimen are still lacking. In this study, we combined Golgi staining with angiography and synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography (SRμCT) to visualize the 3D neurovascular network in the mouse spinal cord. Using our method, the 3D neurons, nerve fibers, and vasculature in a broad region could be visualized in the same image at cellular resolution without destructive sectioning. Besides, we found that the 3D morphology of neurons, nerve fiber tracts, and vasculature visualized by SRμCT were highly consistent with that visualized using the histological method. Moreover, the 3D neurovascular structure could be quantitatively evaluated by the combined methodology. The method shown here will be useful in fundamental neuroscience studies.
Animals ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Mice ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Spinal Cord/diagnostic imaging* ; Synchrotrons ; X-Ray Microtomography