The Impact of the Placement of the L5 Vertebra in Relation to the Intercrest Line on the Level of Disc Herniation.

Aim: To determine whether there is a correlation between a deeply seated L5 vertebra in relation to the intercrest line (ICL) and the level of degeneration of lumbar discs.

Material And Methods: The study included 152 patients who underwent surgery for lumbar disc herniation. After analyzing the radiographs, the patients were separated into two groups.

The Effect of Early Myelotomy on Glutamate Concentrations in Spinal Cord Injury Rat Model.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of early myelotomy on glutamate concentrations in injured spinal cord tissue with a weight drop spinal cord injury rat model.

Material And Methods: The rats were assigned randomly to one of four groups, as follows: in group I, rats underwent laminectomy; group II, myelotomy was performed after laminectomy; group III, rats received contusion after laminectomy; and group IV, myelotomy was performed 1 hour after laminectomy and contusion. In order to create a spinal cord injury, a 10-g rod was dropped from a height of 50 mm onto the exposed dura at T10 level.

The Trans-Spinous Crosslink Increases the Pull-Out Strength of the Pedicle Screw Instrumentation.

Aim: To evaluate whether adding an extra anchoring point to the construct by passing the crosslink through a hole in the spinous process (trans-spinous crosslink technique), may prevent screw loosening by increasing the pull-out strength.

Material And Methods: Twenty-four fresh-frozen single lumbar sheep vertebrae were instrumented with pedicle screws bilaterally, and they are connected to each other with a crosslink. All vertebrae were assigned randomly to either the experiment (trans-spinous crosslink) group or the control group.

Lumbar Juxtafacet Cysts.

Aim: To evaluate the factors affecting the clinical and radiological findings of juxtafacet cyst patients.

Material And Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2018, eight patients diagnosed with juxtafacet cyst were reviewed, retrospectively. Patient demographics; signs and symptoms; and neurological examination, radiological, and surgical findings were noted.

Ascites and abdominal pseudocyst: two uncommon ventriculoperitoneal shunt complications in two cases.

Ascites and abdominal pseudocysts (APC) are two rare complications that can occur following placement of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. Both complications are characterized by abnormal intraperitoneal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collections. Although various factors have been implicated, the exact pathogenesis of the two conditions remains elusive.

Comparison of predictive powers of S100B and cell-free plasma DNA values in intensive care unit patients with intracranial hemorrhage.

Purpose: To investigate predictive powers of S100B and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who have with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) for prognosis.

Methods: Ninety-nine patients diagnosed with ICH were included in the study. The blood samples were drawn on the day of admittance to ICU and again on the third day.

CSF hydrothorax: neither migration of peritoneal catheter into the chest nor ascites. Case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Complications of ventriculoperitoneal (V/P) shunt surgery are generally due to infection, or mechanical or dynamic dysfunction. Thoracic complications like cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hydrothorax are rarely seen.

Patient And Methods: We present a CSF hydrothorax patient as a rare complication of V/P shunt surgery and review of the literature.

Functional disability of children with spina bifida: its impact on parents' psychological status and family functioning.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of functional disability of Turkish children with spina bifida (SB) on parents' psychological status and family functioning.

Methods: Fifty-four children with SB and parents were included. The Functional Measure for Children (WeeFIM), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Family Assessment Device (FAD) were used.

Unusual presentation of an anterior sacral meningocele: magnetic resonance imaging, multidetector computed tomography, and fistulography findings of bacterial meningitis secondary to a rectothecal fistula.

An anterior sacral meningocele, a rare congenital anomaly, manifested in a previously healthy 44-year-old woman with findings of meningitis, including headache, vomiting, unconsciousness, and fever. Nontraumatic pneumocephalus, tetraventricular hydrocephalus, fluid-fluid level at the lateral ventricles, and pial enhancement were observed on multidetector computed tomography. A ventricular drainage catheter was placed to decompress the hydrocephalus, and drainage was performed urgently.

The perforating branches of the P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery.

The perforating branches of the P1 segment of the posterior cerebral artery are vulnerable to injury. Because of their close proximity to the basilar artery, the vulnerability occurs especially during surgical interventions for vascular pathologies such as basilar apex aneurysms. Therefore, extensive knowledge of the microsurgical anatomy of this area is mandatory to prevent poor post-operative outcomes.

There are no estrogen and progesterone receptors in cerebral cavernomas: a preliminary immunohistochemical study.

Background: Literature consistently mentions that pregnancy and hormonal therapy probably increase the bleeding rate and seizure expression of cerebral cavernomas. Either increased hormonal activity or embryogenesis related abundant expression of some growth factors such as VEGF, bFGF, and placental growth factor during pregnancy were proposed to initiate angiogenic process and vascular proliferation in cavernomas, thereby increasing their bleeding rate and seizure expression.

Methods: To reveal whether estrogen and/or progesterone have direct effect on cerebral cavernomas, their receptor expressions were studied immunohistochemically in recently excised 12 cerebral cavernomas.