No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Ossification, Heterotopic* ; Risk Factors* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective comparative study. PURPOSE: To clarify the risk factors related to the development of postoperative C5 palsy through radiological studies after cervical double-door laminoplasty (DDL). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Although postoperative C5 palsy is generally considered to be the result of damage to the nerve root or segmental spinal cord, the associated pathology remains controversial. METHODS: A consecutive case series of 47 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy treated by DDL at our institution between April 2008 and April 2015 were reviewed. Postoperative C5 palsy occurred in 5 of 47 cases after DDL. We investigated 9 radiologic factors that have been reported to be risk factors for C5 palsy in various studies, and statistically examined these between the two groups of palsy and the non-palsy patients. RESULTS: We found a significant difference between patients with and without postoperative C5 palsy with regards to the posterior shift of spinal cord at C4/5 (p=0.008). The logistic regression analyses revealed posterior shift of the spinal cord at C4/5 (odds ratio, 12.066; p=0.029; 95% confidence interval, 1.295–112.378). For the other radiologic factors, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we showed a significant difference in the posterior shift of the spinal cord at C4/5 between the palsy and the non-palsy groups, indicating that the "tethering phenomenon" was likely a greater risk factor for postoperative C5 palsy.
Humans ; Logistic Models ; Paralysis* ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

The primary and secondary tuberculosis features two completely different pathogenesis.At present,the pathogenesis of primary tuberculosis has been clear,whereas that of secondary tuberculosis remains unclear.In order to decipher the mechanism of secondary infection of
Coinfection ; Cord Factors ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

We have undertaken a clinical analysis of 33 patients who underwent decompressive surgery for cervical myelopathy and compared the preoperative and postoperative MRI images of these patients to clarify the relation between morphologic changes in the spinal cord and clinical improvement of myelopathy after decompressive surgery and to evaluate other factors which might affect the surgical outcome of these patients. The severity of myelopathy was evaluated using the scale proposed by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA score) and the postoperative outcome of the myelopathy was assessed using the postoperative JOA score, increase in points, and recovery rate. The patients were compared with respect to age, symptom duration, underlying cause and surgical method. There were no statistically significant differences in respect of symptom duration, underlying cause and surgical method, but, age, postoperative JOA score and recovery rate increased significantly in group with age under 50 years compared with that in group with age over 51 years. According to the morphologic changes of spinal cord on MRI after surgery, the patients were divided into the following four types: Type I which showed complete disappearance of preoperative cord indentation was present in 23 cases, Type II which showed partial disappearance in 5 cases, Type III which showed no imprevement in 2 cases, and Type IV which showed cord enlargement in 3 cases. Excepting Type IV, increased restoration of spinal cord morphology after decompressive surgery was closely correlated with postoperative improvement in the myelopathy, suggesting that morphologic changes of the spinal cord closely reflect neurologic recovery. In Type IV, notwithstanding the peculiarpostoperative reaction, improvement was relatively good. These results suggest that the age factor may play a role in anticipating the surgical outcome of cervical compression myelopathy and the morphologic changes of the spinal cord on MRI may closely reflect the degree of neurologic recovery in the patients with the cervical cord compression.
Age Factors ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neuronal Plasticity ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

Among the complications of percutaneous vertebroplasty, bone cement leakage into the spinal canal doesn't happen very often, but this could provoke a severe neurologic deficit. It is not certain whether this neurologic deficit may be permanent or reversible. Yet if the bone cement is left in the spinal canal, trivial events such as minor trauma could worsen the neurologic symptoms. The authors treated a 75-year-old female patient with Nurick's grade IV neurologic deficit, which was due to cement leakage into the spinal canal after previous vertebroplasty of T8 and T9. She had been having a neurologic deficit for 9 years, and it became aggravated after a minor trauma to Nurick's grade V. After the cement in the spinal canal was removed, her neurologic symptoms were improved to Nurick's grade II. Leaving a cement mass in the spinal canal may be a risk factor for additional neurologic injury even when suffering only a minor trauma, and the neurologic symptoms can be improved after removal of the cement, even for the case with a long-term neurological defect.
Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Risk Factors ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Stress, Psychological ; Vertebroplasty

BACKGROUND: It is uncommon for patients who have received a permanent implant to remove the spinal cord stimulator (SCS) after discontinuation of medication in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) due to their completely painless state. This study evaluated CRPS patients who successfully removed their SCSs. METHODS: This 10-year retrospective study was performed on patients who had received the permanent implantation of an SCS and had removed it 6 months after discontinuation of stimulation, while halting all medications for neuropathic pain. Age, sex, duration of implantation, site and type of CRPS, and their return to work were compared between the removal and non-removal groups. RESULTS: Five (12.5%, M/F = 4/1) of 40 patients (M/F = 33/7) successfully removed the permanent implant. The mean age was younger in the removal group (27.2 ± 6.4 vs. 43.5 ± 10.7 years, P < 0.01). The mean duration of implantation in the removal group was 34.4 ± 18.2 months. Two of 15 patients (13.3%) and 3 of 25 patients (12%) who had upper and lower extremity pain, respectively, had removed the implant. The implants could be removed in 5 of 27 patients (18.5%) with CRPS type 1 (P < 0.01). All 5 patients (100%) who removed their SCS returned to work, while only 5 of 35 (14.3%) in the non-removal group did (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Even though this study had limited data, younger patients with CRPS type 1 could remove their SCSs within a 5-year period and return to work with complete pain relief.
Age Factors ; Device Removal ; Extremities ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Neuralgia ; Retrospective Studies ; Return to Work ; Spinal Cord Stimulation ; Spinal Cord

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence, time of onset, and risk factors of deep vein thrombosis asssociated with heterotopic ossification in patients with spinal cord injury. METHOD: The medical records of 201 patients with spinal cord injury were reviewed. Duplex ultrasound and/or venography were used for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and 3 phase bone scan and/or plain radiologic studies were used for the diagnosis of heterotopic ossification. RESULTS: Whereas the incidence of heterotopic ossification and deep vein thrombosis in this population were 10.0% and 4.5%, respectively, 55.5% of the individuals with deep vein thrombosis developed heterotopic ossification. The overall incidence of coexistence of deep vein thrombosis and heterotopic ossification was 2.5%. The significant difference between the occurrence of heterotopic ossification and deep vein thrombosis in this SCI population reached statistical significance (Fisher's exact test p<0.005). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that there exists an association between the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis and heterotopic ossification following SCI.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Ossification, Heterotopic* ; Phlebography ; Risk Factors ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Ultrasonography ; Venous Thrombosis*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors of adhesive capsulitis and the effect of intra-articular steroid injection in spinal cord injured patients. METHOD: Fifty spinal cord injured patients participated in this study. The risk factors of adhesive capsulitis were compared between fourteen patients with adhesive capsulitis and thirty-six patients without one. Methylprednisolone acetate 40 mg mixed with 0.5% lidocaine 2 ml was given into glenohumeral joint space in adhesive capsulitis group and their pain and range of motion (ROM) were analyzed. RESULTS: 1) The incidence of adhesive capsulitis was higher in patients with higher injury level, older age and delayed start of rehabilitation therapy. 2) 10 cm visual analogue scale scores were significantly decreased after intra-articular steroid injection (p<0.01). 3) The shoulder ROM was increased after intra-articular steroid injection. The shoulder ROM at pre-injection was 126o in flexion, 113o in abduction, 64o in external rotation and 51o in internal rotation. The shoulder ROM at 4 weeks after injection was 138o in flexion, 131o in abduction, 74o in external rotation and 77o in internal rotation. CONCLUSION: There was a trend that the incidence of adhesive capsulitis was higher in patients with higher injury level, older age and delayed start of rehabilitation therapy. Further, it was suggested that intra-articular steroid injection was effective for reducing pain and improving ROM.
Adhesives* ; Bursitis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lidocaine ; Methylprednisolone ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Rehabilitation ; Risk Factors ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spinal Cord*

STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective study of 85 patients. OBJECTIVES: We wanted to identify the changes of ROM and sagittal alignment of the cervical spine after laminoplasty, and we wanted to determine the preoperative factors affecting the ROM and sagittal alignment of the cervical spine after laminoplasty. SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW: Cervical laminoplasty is an effective procedure for decompressing multilevel spinal cord compression. It has been reported that the ROM of the cervical spine was decreased after laminoplasty. It is well known that preoperative lordosis of the cervical spine is prerequisite for performing laminoplasty. Maintaining the postoperative lordosis of the cervical spine is also important for decompressing the spinal cord after laminoplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-five patients who underwent open door laminoplasty from the C3 to C7 levels were prospectively studied. The minimum follow-up was two-years. The preoperative diagnosis was cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) for 52 patients, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) for 29 patients and multilevel cervical disc herniation for 4 patients. Plain cervical spine lateral radiography in the neutral, flexion and extension positions was performed preoperatively and at the two-year follow-up. The cervical lordosis or kyphosis was measured by Cobb's method. The diagnosis, degree of preoperative lordosis in the neutral position, and the degree of preoperative sagittal alignment in flexion and extension were studied as the risk factors for postoperative kyphosis. RESULTS: The preoperative ROM of the cervical spine was 29.2 degrees and the postoperative ROM was 20.3 degrees. Therefore, 30.5% of the preoperative ROM was decreased after laminoplasty. A decreased ROM of more than 50% was found in 13 patients (15.3%). Their diagnosis was CSM in 11 patients (11/52, 21.1%) and OPLL in 2 patients (2/29, 6.9%). There were no significant differences in preoperative ROM between the two groups with decreased ROM being noted in more than 50% of the patients and decreased ROM being noted in less than 50% of the patients. The preoperative lordotic angle in the neutral position was 16.2 degrees and the postoperative lordotic angle was 11.4 degrees. Kyphosis (mean: 12.2 degrees) developed in 9 patients (9/85, 10.6%) after the surgery. Their preoperative diagnosis was CSM in all patients. The preoperative lordotic angle was significantly less in the kyphotic group than in the lordotic group. The preoperative flexion was 10.2 degrees greater and the preoperative extension was 10.3 degrees less in the kyphotic group than in lordotic group. The preoperative flexion angle was 19.3 degree kyphosis and the extension angle was 8.7 degree lordosis in the kyphotic group. CONCLUSIONS: The ROM of the cervical spine was decreased 30.5% after laminoplasty. Kyphosis developed in 10.6% of the patients. The preoperative factors affecting postoperative kyphosis were the diagnosis of CSM, a preoperative lordosis less than 10 degrees and a greater preoperative flexion angle than the extension angle. Therefore, kyphosis after laminoplasty was expected in a patient with the above three preoperative factors, so other treatment options such as instrumented fusion should be considered.
Animals ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Lordosis ; Prospective Studies ; Radiography ; Range of Motion, Articular* ; Risk Factors ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Compression ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine*

Cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy are common pathologies that often improve with spinal decompression and fusion. Postoperative complications include pseudarthrosis, which can be challenging to diagnose and manage. We reviewed the literature with regard to risk factors, diagnosis, controversies, and management of cervical pseudarthrosis.
Decompression ; Diagnosis* ; Pathology ; Postoperative Complications ; Pseudarthrosis* ; Radiculopathy ; Risk Factors* ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine*