Humans ; Joint Dislocations/surgery* ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Anesthesia, General ; Cervical Vertebrae/injuries* ; Spinal Fusion

Cervical Cord ; Cervical Vertebrae/surgery* ; Humans ; Spinal Cord Injuries/etiology* ; Thyroidectomy/adverse effects*

OBJECTIVE: To explore and compare the safety depths of perpendicular and oblique acupuncture at Yamen (GV 15) in patients with atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) and healthy volunteers. METHODS: One bundred and seventy-seven patients with atlantoaxial dislocation were selected as an AAD group, and 207 patients without atlantoaxial dislocation and with normal anatomical structure were selected as a normal group. All participants were moderately sized. The MRI scanning of the cervical vertebra was performed, and the safety depth of perpendicular and oblique acupuncture at Yamen (GV 15) was calculated on the sagittal image. RESULTS: In the AAD group, the safety depth of men was (45.33±5.17) mm for perpendicular acupuncture and (48.58±4.41) mm for oblique acupuncture; the safety depth of women was (44.17±7.80) mm for perpendicular acupuncture and (47.49±7.32) mm for oblique acupuncture. In the normal group, the safety depth of men was (47.72±5.06) mm for perpendicular acupuncture and (42.69±5.53) mm for oblique acupuncture; the safety depth of women was (44.63±5.85) mm for perpendicular acupuncture and (39.88±6.18) mm for oblique acupuncture. The safety depth of men and women for oblique acupuncture was longer than that for perpendicular acupuncture in the AAD group (<0.01); the safety depth of men and women for oblique acupuncture was shorter than that for perpendicular acupuncture in the normal group (<0.01). The safety depth of perpendicular and oblique acupuncture between men and women was not significant in the AAD group (>0.05); the safety depth of perpendicular and oblique acupuncture for men was longer than that for women in the normal group (<0.01). For men, the safety depth of perpendicular acupuncture in the AAD group was shorter than that in the normal group (<0.01), while the safety depth of oblique acupuncture in the AAD group was longer than that in the normal group (<0.01). For women, the safety depth of perpendicular acupuncture in the AAD group was similar with that in the normal group (>0.05), while the safety depth of oblique acupuncture in the AAD group was longer than that in the normal group (<0.01). CONCLUSION The safe depth of acupuncture at Yamen (GV 15) has significantly changed under AAD, so during the clinical acupuncture the needle insertion should be less than its safe depth.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; therapy ; Male ; Neck Injuries ; therapy ; Needles

Spinal cord contusion injury is one of the most serious nervous system disorders, characterized by high morbidity and disability. To mimic spinal cord contusion in humans, various animal models of spinal contusion injury have been developed. These models have been developed in rats, mice, and monkeys. However, most of these models are developed using rats. Two types of animal models, i.e. bilateral contusion injury and unilateral contusion injury models, are developed using either a weight drop method or impactor method. In the weight drop method, a specific weight or a rod, having a specific weight and diameter, is dropped from a specific height on to the exposed spinal cord. Low intensity injury is produced by dropping a 5 g weight from a height of 8 cm, moderate injury by dropping 10 g weight from a height of 12.5–25 mm, and high intensity injury by dropping a 25 g weight from a height of 50 mm. In the impactor method, injury is produced through an impactor by delivering a specific force to the exposed spinal cord area. Mild injury is produced by delivering 100 ± 5 kdyn of force, moderate injury by delivering 200 ± 10 kdyn of force, and severe injury by delivering 300 ± 10 kdyn of force. The contusion injury produces a significant development of locomotor dysfunction, which is generally evident from the 0–14(th) day of surgery and is at its peak after the 28–56th day. The present review discusses different animal models of spinal contusion injury.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Contusions ; Female ; Haplorhini ; Humans ; Locomotion ; Methods ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Nervous System Diseases ; Rats ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spinal Cord

Klippel-Feil syndrome is characterized by congenital fusion of two or more cervical vertebrae, a low hair line at the back of the head, restricted neck mobility, and other congenital anomalies. We report a 16-year-old young man with Klippel-Feil syndrome, Sprengel deformity of the right scapula, thoracic kyphoscoliosis, and mandibular prognathism with an anterior open bite. He was treated with orthodontic treatment and maxillofacial surgery. An anticipated difficult airway due to a short neck with restricted neck movements and extrinsic restrictive lung disease due to severe thoracic kyphoscoliosis increased his anesthesia risk. Due to his deviated nasal septum and contralateral inferior turbinate hypertrophy, we chose awake fiber optic orotracheal intubation followed by submental intubation. Considering the cervical vertebral fusion, he was carefully positioned during surgery to avoid potential spinal injury. He recovered well and his postoperative course was uneventful.
Adolescent ; Anesthesia ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Genioplasty ; Hair ; Head ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Intubation ; Klippel-Feil Syndrome ; Lung Diseases ; Mandible ; Nasal Septum ; Neck ; Open Bite ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Osteotomy ; Prognathism ; Scapula ; Spinal Injuries ; Surgery, Oral ; Turbinates

OBJECTIVE: The zero-profile implant (Zero-P) is accepted for use in anterior cervical fusion for the treatment of degenerative cervical disease. However, evidence pertaining to its efficiency and safety in traumatic cervical injury is largely insufficient. This study aimed to compare the overall outcomes of patients who underwent Zero-P for traumatic cervical disc injury.METHODS: Data from a total of 53 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for traumatic or degenerative cervical disc disease using the Zero-P were reviewed. Seventeen patients (group A) had traumatic cervical disc injury and the remaining 36 (group B) had degenerative cervical disc herniation. The fusion and subsidence rates and Cobb angle were measured retrospectively from plain radiographs. The patients’ clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and Odom’s criteria.RESULTS: The C2–7 Cobb and operative segmental angles increased by 3.45±7.61 and 2.94±4.59 in group A; and 2.46±7.31 and 2.88±5.49 in group B over 12 postoperative months, respectively. The subsidence and fusion rate was 35.0% and 95.0% in group A; and 36.6% and 95.1% in group B, respectively. None of the parameters differed significantly between groups. The clinical outcomes were similar in both groups in terms of increasing the JOA score and producing a grade higher than “good” using Odom’s criteria.CONCLUSION: The application of Zero-P in patients with traumatic cervical disc injury was found to be acceptable when compared with the clinical and radiological outcomes of degenerative cervical spondylosis.
Allografts ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Diskectomy ; Female ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spondylosis

STUDY DESIGN: Cadaveric study. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy and feasibility of cervical pedicle screw (CPS) insertion into the subaxial cervical spine placed using a patient-specific drill guide template constructed from a stereolithographic model. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: CPS fixation is an invaluable tool for posterior cervical fixation because of its biomechanical advantages. The major drawback is its narrow corridor that allows very little clearance for neural and vascular injuries. METHODS: Fifty subaxial pedicles of the cervical vertebrae from five cadavers were scanned into thin slices using computed tomography (CT). Digital imaging and communications in medicine images of the cadaver spine were digitally processed and printed to scale as a three-dimensional (3D) model. Drill guide templates were manually moulded over the 3D-printed models incorporating pins inserted in the pedicles. The drill guide templates were used for precise placement of the drill holes in the pedicles of cadaveric specimens for pedicle screw fixation. RESULTS: The instrumented cadaveric spines were subjected to CT to assess the accuracy of our pedicle placement by an external observer. Our patient-specific drill guide template had an accuracy of 94%. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a patient-specific drill guide constructed using stereolithography improved the accuracy of CPS placement in a cadaveric model.
Cadaver ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Pedicle Screws* ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Spine* ; Vascular System Injuries

STUDY DESIGN: Case report OBJECTIVES: To report a case of Brown-Séquard syndrome after blunt cervical trauma. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Brown-Séquard syndrome is a rare disease characterized by hemisection of the spinal cord, and it shows the best prognosis of the various types of incomplete spinal cord injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A patient with Brown-Séquard syndrome that occurred after a traffic accident was followed up for 2 years and 6 months. RESULTS: We observed normal recovery of motor strength, but sensory impairment and deep tendon hyperreflexia remained. CONCLUSIONS: Brown-Séquard syndrome is known to have a good prognosis, but in this case, the neurological abnormality did not fully recover; therefore, we report this rare case and present a review of the literature.
Accidents, Traffic* ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Reflex, Abnormal ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Tendons

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. PURPOSE: We retrospectively reviewed our patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) to identify their patterns of spinal fractures to help clarify management strategies and the morbidity and mortality rates associated with this group of patients. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Because of the brittleness of bone and long autofused spinal segments in AS, spinal fractures are common even after minor trauma and often associated with overt instability. METHODS: Between January 1, 1998 and March 2011, 30 patients (23 males, 7 females; mean age, 70.43 years; range, 45 to 95 years) with the radiographic diagnosis of AS of the spinal column had 42 fractures. Eight patients presented with significant trauma, 17 after falls, and 5 after minor falls or no recorded trauma. Eleven patients presented with a neurological injury, ranging from mild sensory loss to quadriplegia. RESULTS: There were 16 compression and 10 transverse fractures, two Jefferson's fractures, one type II and two type III odontoid process fractures, and five fractures of the posterior spinal elements (including lamina and/or facet, three spinous process fractures, three transverse process fractures). Twenty-four fractures affected the craniocervical junction and/or cervical vertebrae, 17 were thoracic, and one involved the lumbar spine. The most affected vertebrae were C6 and T10. The mean follow-up was 29.9 months. One patient was lost to follow-up. Eighteen patients were treated conservatively with bed rest and bracing. Twelve patients underwent surgery for spinal stabilization either with an anterior, posterior or combined approach. CONCLUSIONS: Nonsurgical treatment can be considered especially in the elderly patients with AS and spinal trauma but without instability or major neurological deficits. The nonfusion rate in conservatively treated patients is low. When treatment is selected for patients with spinal fractures and AS, the pattern of injury must be considered and the need for individualized treatment is paramount.
Accidental Falls ; Aged ; Bed Rest ; Braces ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mortality ; Odontoid Process ; Quadriplegia ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures ; Spinal Injuries* ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between cervical pedicle and compressed spinal cord.

METHODSOne hundred and five patients (53 male,52 female,age from 29 to 80 years) with cervical spondylotic myelopathy who needed surgery were included from December 2011 to January 2013 in Shengjing Hospital. Plain MRI scan was used for cross section of C4 - C7 vertebral bodies parallel to the axis of bilateral pedicle, and the images were sent to the workstation. PACS system was applied to measure the anatomical parameters related to the security of cervical pedicle screw, including the shortest distance from medial left/right cervical pedicle to the cervical spinal cord (LH/RH), and the smallest angle between the longitudinal axis of left/right cervical pedicle and the screw which was assumed to just touch the cervical spinal cord (LSA/RSA). All these data in each segment were classified according to compression or not:with compression and without compression. Twelve cases were selected and measured by MRI and 3D cervical CT for spinal canal width D, namely the straight-line distance between the medial margins of cervical pedicle. And the results of two methods were compared to see whether there were statistical differences.

RESULTSAt C4, LH was (7.2±1.3) mm, RH was (6.7±1.4) mm, and the average was (6.9±1.4) mm; at C5, LH was (7.7±1.4) mm, RH was (6.7±1.4) mm, and the average was (7.2±1.5) mm; at C6, LH was (8.2±1.5) mm, RH was (6.9±1.3) mm, and the average was (7.5±1.5) mm; at C7, LH was (8.2±1.4) mm, RH was (7.3±2.1) mm, and the average was (7.7±1.8) mm. At C4, LSA was 34.4°±4.2°, RSA was 34.4°±5.2° and the average angle was 34.4°±4.7°; at C5, LSA was 35.9°±5.2°, RSA was 34.6°±5.4° and the average angle was 35.3°±5.3°; at C6, LSA was 37.4°±4.8°, RSA was 34.8°±4.8° and the average angle was 36.1°±5.0°; at C7, LSA was 39.2°±5.8°, RSA was 37.1°±5.2° and the average angle was 38.1°±5.6°; There were no statistically significant differences between segments with and without compression in H, SA and D (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThere is security space between the medial vertebral pedicle and compressed spinal cord. There is individual variation in security space. It is very necessary to identify security space before surgery by MRI, emphasize individual procedure and avoid spinal cord injury.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Screws ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Pedicle Screws ; Spinal Cord Compression ; surgery ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spine