Spinal fusion has performed for instability and anatomical reconstruction since 1985 by Barthe. Bone grafts and synthetic materials has been used for spinal fusion, but they have several limitations and complications. Recently a new synthetic polymer B.O.P.(Biocompatible Osteoconductive Polymer) was developed and it overcome the limitations of other materials. The B.O.P. showed no foreign body reaction and gave scaffolding for the osteoconduction and osteointegration. Authors operated 35 cases of spinal fusion with B.O.P. and the results and literature reviews were discussed.
Bone Regeneration ; Bone Substitutes ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Polymers ; Spinal Fusion* ; Transplants

Anterior interbody fusion has used for instability and anatomical reconstruction in various cervical diseases since 1958 by cloward. Bone grafts such as autograft, allograft, xenograft and synthetic materials were utilized in fusion as a graft material. But conventional fusion materials have problems including postoperative morbidity, transmission of diseases, foreign body reaction, collapse, prolongation of operation time. A new synthetic material, Biocompatible Osteoconductive Polymer(B.O.P) is developed and it was useful for cervical anterior interbody fusion as a substitute for other fusion materials.
Allografts ; Autografts ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Heterografts ; Transplants

Intrameduallary spinal hemangioblastoma is frequently associated with syringomyelia. It grows slowly and can be removed totally. Syringomyelia can be subcided by total removal of tumor and opening of syringomyelia. Two cases of intramedullary spinal hemangioblastomas associated with syringomyelia are reported. Intramedullary tumor and syrinx was easily diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). They are successfully managed by total removal of tumor and opening of syrinx. Patients showed improved neurological status after operations.
Hemangioblastoma* ; Humans ; Syringomyelia*

Background: Capsular contracture is the most common serious breast surgery complication. The cause of capsular formation remains unknown, but chronic inflammation is commonly considered to cause excessive fibrosis. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory effects and thus can relieve the symptoms of inflammatory diseases, as demonstrated in animal studies. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin on the fibrous envelope covering silicone implants in a rat model. Methods: Two solid 1.8-cm oval-shaped silicone implants were placed beneath both sides of the back in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. The control group included 10 rats that were fed a normal diet (group A), while the experimental group (group B) included the remaining 10 rats that were fed ground curcumin. En bloc excision was conducted at 8 postoperative weeks. Capsular thickness and inflammatory cell distribution were examined using a fixed tissue sample. Results: Gross findings and histologic differences between the groups were observed. The experimental group had a significantly lower mean total capsular thickness than the control group (177.4±31.4 μm vs. 145.9±32.5 μm, P=0.007). A significant decreasing tendency was found in several inflammatory cells in the experimental group (7,070±744.3/mm2 vs. 2,640±301.7/mm2, P=0.001). Conclusions Curcumin significantly reduced the inflammatory reaction, and will help to lower the risk of capsular contracture. Long-term studies are required to determine whether this hypothesis can provide a basis for a viable therapeutic strategy to reduce capsular contracture.

PURPOSE: Standard treatment of asymptomatic spinal cord hemangioblastoma in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease has yet to be established. The purpose of this study was to propose guidelines for the treatment of asymptomatic spinal cord hemangioblastomas in VHL disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: VHL disease patients treated for spinal cord hemangioblastomas between 1999 and 2009 were included. All spinal cord hemangioblastomas were divided into three groups: Group 1, asymptomatic tumors at initial diagnosis followed with serial imaging studies; Group 2, asymptomatic tumors at initial diagnosis that were subsequently resected; and Group 3, symptomatic tumors at initial diagnosis, all of which were resected. RESULTS: We identified 24 spinal cord hemangioblastomas in 12 patients. Groups 1, 2 and 3 comprised 13, 4 and 7 tumors, respectively. Group 1 exhibited a smaller tumor volume (257.1 mm3) and syrinx size (0.8 vertebral columns) than those of Group 2 (1304.5 mm3, 3.3 vertebral columns) and Group 3 (1787.4 mm3, 6.1 vertebral columns). No difference in tumor volume or syrinx size was observed between Groups 2 and 3. Five tumors in Group 1 were resected during follow-up because symptoms had developed or the tumor had significantly grown. Finally, among 17 asymptomatic tumors at the initial diagnosis, nine tumors were resected. Only one tumor of these nine tumors resulted in neurological deficits, while five of seven symptomatic tumors caused neurological deficits. CONCLUSION: Selective resection of asymptomatic tumors before they cause neurological deficits might bring about better outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hemangioblastoma/etiology/*pathology/*surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; von Hippel-Lindau Disease/*complications

A case of cervical cord injury with neurological deficit in patient with ankylosing spondylitis is presented. Ankylosing spondylitis causes a high incidence of spinal cord injury with a minor trauma and at that time inital treatments and combined complications are quite different from other spinal cord injuries. We discuss the treatment and complication of spinal cord injury in ankylsing spondylitis with literatures review.
Humans ; Incidence ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spondylitis ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of the swallowing kinematic analysis. METHODS: To evaluate the accuracy at various velocities of movement, we developed an instrumental model of linear and rotational movement, representing the physiologic movement of the hyoid and epiglottis, respectively. A still image of 8 objects was also used for measuring the length of the objects as a basic screening, and 18 movie files of the instrumental model, taken from videofluoroscopy with different velocities. The images and movie files were digitized and analyzed by an experienced examiner, who was blinded to the study. RESULTS: The Pearson correlation coefficients between the measured and instrumental reference values were over 0.99 (p<0.001) for all of the analyses. Bland-Altman plots showed narrow ranges of the 95% confidence interval of agreement between the measured and reference values as follows: 0.14 to 0.94 mm for distances in a still image, -0.14 to 1.09 mm/s for linear velocities, and -1.02 to 3.81 degree/s for angular velocities. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that the distance and velocity measurements obtained by swallowing kinematic analysis are highly valid in a wide range of movement velocity.
Biomechanics ; Deglutition ; Epiglottis ; Mass Screening ; Reference Values ; Reproducibility of Results

The Cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal (COFS) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by multiple abnormalities that involve the brain, face, eyes, and extremities. COFS syndrome is regarded as a degenerative disorder of the brain and spinal cord caused by a mutation of the DNA repair genes. We report on an 8-month-old girl with COFS syndrome who exhibited growth and developmental delay, hypotonia, microcephaly, nystagmus, cleft palate, widely separated nipples, inguinal hernia, camptodactyly, and rocker-bottom feet with vertical talus.
Abnormalities, Multiple ; Brain ; Cleft Palate ; Cockayne Syndrome ; DNA Repair ; Extremities ; Eye ; Foot ; Growth and Development ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Humans ; Infant ; Microcephaly ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Nipples ; Spinal Cord ; Talus

A Modified irradiation technique utilizing a linear accelerator for radiation surgery within the brain was performed in 4 patients. Three of them had brain tumors and one small arteriovenous malformation in midbrain. A Hitchcock stereotactic apparatus and a 10 MeV linear accelerator have been adapted and special computer programs for dosimetry were obtained and studied experimentally with a phantom model. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a valuable tool in the treatment of inoperable, deep seated intracranial lesions, the major advantage being high efficacy and smoothness of the procedure, as well as short hospitalization times.
Arteriovenous Malformations ; Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mesencephalon ; Particle Accelerators* ; Radiosurgery*

Purpose: We applied a low-dose fluoroscopic protocol in routine diagnostic cerebral angiography and evaluated the feasibility of the protocol. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 60 patients who underwent diagnostic cerebral angiography for various neurovascular diseases from September to November 2019. Routine protocols were used for patients in the first phase and low-dose protocols in the second phase. We compared radiation dose, fluoroscopy time, and complications between groups. Results: Age, diseases, and operators were not significantly different between the two groups. The mean fluoroscopy dose significantly decreased by 52% in the low-dose group (3.09 vs. 6.38 Gy·cm2 ); however, the total dose was not significantly different between the two groups (34.07 vs. 33.70 Gy·cm2 ). The total fluoroscopic time was slightly longer in the low-dose group, but the difference was not statistically significant (12.2. vs. 12.5 minutes). In all patients, angiography was successfully performed without complications. Conclusion The low-dose fluoroscopy protocol is feasible to apply for diagnostic cerebral angiography in that this protocol could significantly reduce the fluoroscopic dose.