Rationale and design of the peripheral nerve tumor registry: an observational cohort study.

Aim: Peripheral nerve tumors (PNT) are rare lesions. To date, no systematic multicenter studies on epidemiology, clinical symptoms, treatment strategies and outcomes, genetic and histopathologic features, as well as imaging characteristics of PNT were published. The main goal of our PNT Registry is the systematic multicenter investigation to improve our understanding of PNT and to assist future interventional studies in establishing hypotheses, determining potential endpoints, and assessing treatment efficacy.

Posterolateral myelotomy for intramedullary spinal cord tumors: the other way to do it?

Background And Purpose: To evaluate posterolateral myelotomy (PLM) as a surgical method for all cases of intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT) by assessing the surgical and functional outcomes of patients treated in our clinic.

Materials And Methods: Patients with IMSCT who underwent surgery using PLM from 2013 to 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Objective and quantitative assessment of the preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up neurological status was performed by using the modified McCormick functional schema and sensory pain scale.

Comparison between optical coherence tomography imaging and histological sections of peripheral nerves.

Objective: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique that uses the light-backscattering properties of different tissue types to generate an image. In an earlier feasibility study the authors showed that it can be applied to visualize human peripheral nerves. As a follow-up, this paper focuses on the interpretation of the images obtained.

The Interdisciplinary Management of Foot Drop.

Background: Foot drop can be caused by a variety of diseases and injuries. Although it is a common condition, its overall incidence has not been reported to date. Foot drop markedly restricts the everyday activities of persons suffering from it.

High-resolution in vivo imaging of peripheral nerves using optical coherence tomography: a feasibility study.

Objective: Because of their complex topography, long courses, and small diameters, peripheral nerves are challenging structures for radiological diagnostics. However, imaging techniques in the area of peripheral nerve diseases have undergone unexpected development in recent decades. They include MRI and high-resolution sonography (HRS).

Experimental investigations of a manually versus an electrically driven skull drill for bedside usage.

Background: Manual skull drilling is an old but in modern neurosurgery still established procedure which can be applied quickly and universally in emergency situations. Electrical drilling requires more complex equipment and is usually reserved to the Operating Room (OR). It also seems desirable to apply an electrical drill for bedside usage but a suitable product does not exist so far.

Rare finding in peripheral nerve surgery: an unicentric Castleman disease presenting as median nerve tumour.

A 51 year old man presented with progressive swelling in the upper arm. MRI revealed a solitary mass extending from the median nerve. Intraoperative finding was a tumour extending within the nerve in its proximal fibres.

Complications associated with cervical vertebral body replacement with expandable titanium cages.

Our aim was to analyze complications and risk factors for cervical vertebral body replacement (VBR) with expandable titanium cages (ETC). Fifty patients; 22 women and 28 men, mean age 61years, undergoing cervical VBR from 2010 to 2015 were analyzed. Complications were stratified by hardware-association (HA).

Radiological and clinical results of patients after ACDF with and without preoperative software-assisted cage selection.

Objective: Comparison of software facilitated preoperatively-selected cages versus standard intraoperatively-selected cages, assessing radiological and clinical outcomes of patients after single level cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

Methods: Cages of study group patients were preoperatively chosen via software-aided dimensioning. Controls obtained cages determined by intraoperative trail implants.

Sonographic examination of the median nerve in dialysis patients and after renal transplantation.

Objective: Patients with renal insufficiency are predisposed to develop CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome). In particular, long-term dialysis seems to contribute to changes in median nerve texture which lead to an increased risk for CTS. The current study was designed to evaluate if these structural changes can be detected by HRS (high-resolution sonography).

Clinical relevance of neuroforaminal patency after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Background: We sought to investigate the clinical relevance of neuroforaminal patency and facet degeneration one year after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Previous studies were characterized by imprecise techniques and fragmentary measurements, and most lacked reliable clinical data and correlation analyses.

Methods: Patients with cervical mono- or bi-level degenerative pathology were prospectively included.

Objective assessment of aesthetic outcome after breast conserving therapy: subjective third party panel rating and objective BCCT.core software evaluation.

We analysed intra- and inter-rater agreement of subjective third party assessment and agreement with a semi-automated objective software evaluation tool (BCCT.core). We presented standardized photographs of 50 patients, taken shortly and one year after surgery to a panel of five breast surgeons, six breast nurses, seven members of a breast cancer support group, five medical and seven non-medical students.