Clinical predictors of surgical selection for individuals with neck pain.

Background: Neck pain is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. However, the nature of cervical spine surgery is multi-factorial and often based upon clinical opinions, leaving clinical indications still to be clearly defined.

Objective: To predict which clinical variables most influenced trends toward surgical or conservative management for individuals with neck pain.

Cadaveric study for placement of occipital condyle screws: technique and effects on surrounding anatomic structures.

Object: The occipital condyle has never been studied as a viable structure that could permit bone purchase by fixation devices for occipitocervical fusion. The authors propose occipital condyle screw placement as a possible alternative to conventional occipitocervical fixation techniques.

Methods: Six adult cadaver heads (12 total occipital condyles) were studied, and the StealthStation image-guidance system was used for preoperative planning of occipital condyle screw placement.

Postoperative acute sialadenitis after skull base surgery.

During retrosigmoid and far-lateral skull base surgical approaches, the head may be positioned at the extreme limits of rotation and flexion. In rare instances, patients may develop acute sialadenitis after surgery as a result of this positioning technique. Over a 4-year period, five patients developed postoperative sialadenitis after undergoing either a retrosigmoid craniotomy in the supine position (n = 4) or a far-lateral craniotomy in the park-bench position.