This erratum is being published to correct of affiliation and add an acknowledgement.

Correction of funding statement.

Correction of funding statement.

A 24-year-old man with tuberculosis meningitis developed acute paraplegia and sensory disturbances 5 weeks after receiving conventional antituberculous therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary long segmental mass mimicking en plaque meningioma at the T2-T6 vertebrae levels. Prompt surgical decompression was performed. A histology examination of the mass revealed a tuberculoma. After surgery, the patient showed improved motor power and a normal bladder function. Intradural extramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord is rare complication of tuberculosis meningitis, which can occur as a response to conventional antituberculous therapy.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Male ; Meningeal Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Meningioma/*diagnosis ; Spinal Cord Diseases/*diagnosis/surgery ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; Tuberculoma/*diagnosis/surgery ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal/*diagnosis/surgery ; Young Adult

A congenital absence of a lumbar articular process is a rare condition with an uncertain etiology. However, an intervertebral instability caused by this anomaly can cause occasional lower back pain. A 20 years old man presented with lower back pain. The physical examination revealed no neurological deficits. Plain radiographs of the lumbar spine revealed an absence of the left inferior articular process at the fourth lumbar vertebra associated with hypoplasia of the left lamina. The patient's symptoms were resolved after conservative treatment. We report a case of a congenital absence of articular process at the fourth lumbar vertebra.
Low Back Pain ; Physical Examination ; Spine

No abstract available.
Ear, External* ; Humans*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of ultrasonography for lumbar anatomical structure measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2011 to April 2011, 41 patients (22 males, 19 females) with back pain who visited the outpatient department and underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were selected. In each level of L4 and L5, we measured the longest distance and horizontal distance between each inferior articular process based off a spinous process. We also measured the distance between the spinous process tip and the vertebral body posterior surface and the thickness and width of the multifidus muscle. All distances were measured with ultrasonography and MRI and the two measurement results were compared. RESULTS: Using ultrasonography and MRI, we measured the distance between the spinous process tip and the posterior surface of the body. The distances were 39.16+/-8.71 mm/39.53+/-6.01 mm at L4 and 38.32+/-9.66 mm/37.74+/-10.54 mm at L5. The right multifidus muscle thickness measurements were 32.13+/-10.79 mm/33.84+/-9 mm at L4 and 31.32+/-10.04 mm/32.84+/-12.28 mm at L5. The measuring distance between the spinous process center to the posterior vertebral body surface and thickness of multifidus muscles by ultrasonography and MRI had significant correlations (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Limitations still exist in measuring the structure of lumbar anatomy with ultrasonography. However, measuring the distance between the spinous process center to the vertebral body posterior surface and multifidus muscle thickness was effective.
Back Pain ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Male ; Muscles ; Outpatients ; Spine

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of locally harvested bone in anterior cervical interbody fusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted, including 31 patients who underwent anterior cervical interbody fusion using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage and anterior plate fixation. We randomly divided the patients into two groups, local bone group and iliac bone group. In 15 patients of the local bone group, the cage was filled with locally harvested bone, and in another 16 patients of the iliac bone group, the cage was filled with autogenous iliac bone. RESULTS: Improvements in mean visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, from 5.8 and 7.7 to 1.6 and 2.3 for neck pain and arm pain, respectively, were observed in cases using locally harvested bone, while the improvements were from 5.7 and 7.2 to 1.4 and 2.2, respectively, in those using autogenous iliac bone grafts. However, no significant differences in mean VAS and neck disability index were observed between the two groups at the last follow up (p>0.05). Radiologic union was achieved at 14.0+/-2.50 weeks in the local bone group, and at 12.62+/-1.58 weeks in the iliac bone group. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (p=0.076). CONCLUSION: Utilization of locally harvested bone for packing in a PEEK cage for anterior cervical interbody fusion is considered a useful method because it gives satisfactory clinical results for retention of bone union and lordosis angles.
Animals ; Arm ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lordosis ; Neck ; Neck Pain ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants

PURPOSE: We reported relative risk of operation between patients who were diagnosed with lumbar far lateral disc herniation and posterolateral disc herniation after transforaminal epidural block. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 295 patients (131 male and 164 female) who underwent transforaminal epidural block for unilateral radiculopathy caused by lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. Among these 295 patients, 34 patients were diagnosed with far lateral disc herniation and 261 patients with posterolateral disc herniation. The median follow-up period was 23.9 months, with an average age of 55.7 years. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients underwent surgical treatment. Among them, 38 patients had posterolateral disc herniation and 13 patients had far lateral disc herniation. Patients with far lateral disc herniation, when compared with posterolateral disc herniation, had a relative risk of operation of 2.67 (1.59-4.48, 95% confidence interval) with statistical significance (p=0.0002). At the final follow-up, the average visual analogue scale (VAS) score for radicular pain in the surgical and non-surgical groups was 0.69 and 1.50, respectively; the average Korean-Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (K-ODI) score was 11.7 and 9.6, respectively. The difference of average VAS score showed a statistical significance (p=0.035), however, that of K-ODI showed no statistical significance (p=0.266). CONCLUSION: In the case of far lateral disc herniation, the relative risk of surgery after transforaminal epidural block was 2.67, which is higher than that of posterolateral disc herniation. Therefore, we should consider surgical treatment more aggressively.
Cohort Studies* ; Diskectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Injections, Epidural ; Intervertebral Disc ; Male ; Radiculopathy ; Retrospective Studies* ; Spine

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurogenic disorder with the patients having a sensation of discomfort and an urge to move continuously. These symptoms can get worse during night and cause sleep disturbance. These symptoms can be misdiagnosed as lower leg pain of a spinal origin and the treatment can be wrongly focused on this. This treatment for an unproven state of symptoms can place clinicians in a difficult situation. We experienced RLS associated with spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis, and we originally misdiagnosed the patient and wrongly treated the patient operatively with spinal fusion and posterior instrumentation. After an insufficient result, we diagnosed the patient with having RLS with the help of the neurology department and rehabilitation medical department. In one other case we diagnosed a RLS patient with the help of a neurologist and the patients had arrived an our department for total knee arthroplasty and spinal root block. We report on these cases so other orthopedic surgeons will not make same mistakes.
Arthroplasty ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Knee ; Leg ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Neurology ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Orthopedics ; Restless Legs Syndrome ; Sensation ; Spinal Fusion ; Spinal Nerve Roots ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spondylolisthesis