Multicolumn spinal cord stimulation for significant low back pain in failed back surgery syndrome: design of a national, multicentre, randomized, controlled health economics trial (ESTIMET Study).

Background: Many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic neuropathic radicular pain over recent decades, but despite global favourable outcomes in failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) with leg pain, the back pain component remains poorly controlled by neurostimulation. Technological and scientific progress has led to the development of new SCS leads, comprising a multicolumn design and a greater number of contacts. The efficacy of multicolumn SCS lead configurations for the treatment of the back pain component of FBSS has recently been suggested by pilot studies.

[Surgical treatment of cortical and subcortical cavernomas. General principles and personal series of 20 cases treated between 2000 and 2006].

The surgical treatment of cortical or subcortical hemispheric cavernomas is founded on a series of questions: Is the cavernoma located in an eloquent or non-eloquent area? Is the cavernoma tangent to the cortex and visible immediately after the dura opening or deep seated in the hemisphere? Does the cavernoma lie in the depth of a sulcus and identifiable on the pretrans-sulcal approach MRI? Will perilesional tissue have to be removed to cure the epilepsy? What is the appropriate technology for each particular case: preoperative functional MRI, angiography, preoperative stereotactic guidance, peroperative ultrasonography, neuronavigation, peroperative neurophysiology and cortical stimulation, preoperative MRI? Based on a personal series of 20 cases operated on between 2000 and 2006, we describe our personal experience.

[Non-discal sciatica secondary to a cystic lesion of the posterior longitudinal ligament. 10 cases].

Cyst of the longitudinal posterior ligament of the spine is a new entity described here on the basis of 10 cases. This is a lesion, perhaps of traumatic origin, which occurs in young, athletic subjects suffering from classical lumbosciatica. Computerized tomography showed an image resembling nucleus pulposus herniation.