Unilateral Minimally Invasive Across-Midline Vertebral Column Resection Partially Corrects Thoracolumbar Kyphosis - A Case Series.

Objective: The goal of this study was to describe the indirect and partial correction of spine kyphotic deformities (secondary to various pathologies) achieved by minimally invasive posterolateral extracavitary approach (MIS PLECA) for corpectomy.

Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed a consecutive case series of 12 patients undergoing MIS PLECA in a single institution. Perioperative data were collected and follow-up computed tomographies and radiographs were reviewed to assess for interbody arthrodesis.

Candida parapsilosis Infection of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in Adult: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Candida parapsilosis is an incredibly rare cause of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt infections, with only 1 adult case reported in the literature to date.

Case Description: We describe the case of a 45-year-old man admitted for a traumatic fall and subsequently treated with VP shunt placement for obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to a cerebellar contusion and intraventricular hemorrhage. Eight months following VP shunt placement, the patient presented with a 2-month history of clear fluid leakage through a dehiscent surgical abdominal wound overlying the distal VP shunt.

Neurological Outcome Following Surgical Treatment of Spinal Metastases.

Background: Spinal metastases lead to bony instability and spinal cord compression resulting in intractable pain and neurological deficits which affect ambulatory function and quality of life. The most appropriate treatment for spinal metastasis is still debated.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcome, quality of life, complications, and survival after surgical treatment of spinal metastases.

Surgical decompression for recurrent cord compression in cancer: a case series and review of the literature.

Spine metastases affect a significant number of cancer patients each year, with the spine being the third most common location for cancer spread. As patients live longer with improved treatments, the opportunity for recurrence at previously treated sites increases. Here, we describe seven patients with recurrent, compressive, metastatic spine tumors at previously surgically treated sites that required additional surgical intervention with manipulation of at least one rod.

Predictors of delayed failure of structural kyphoplasty for pathological compression fractures in cancer patients.

OBJECT Pathological compression fractures in cancer patients cause significant pain and disability. Spinal metastases affect quality of life near the end of life and may require multiple procedures, including medical palliative care and open surgical decompression and fixation. An increasingly popular minimally invasive technique to treat metastatic instabilities is kyphoplasty.

Safety of instrumentation in patients with spinal infection.

Object: Treatment of spine infection remains a challenge for spine surgeons, with the most effective method still being a matter of debate. Most surgeons agree that in early stages of infection, antibiotic treatment should be pursued; under certain circumstances, however, surgery is recommended. The goals of surgery include radical debridement of the infective focus.

Comparison of three methods of targeting the subthalamic nucleus for chronic stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: The success of subthalamic nucleus (STN) surgery for Parkinson's disease depends on accuracy in target determination. The objective of this study was to determine which of the following techniques was most accurate and precise in identifying the location for stimulation in STN deep brain stimulation surgery that is most clinically effective: direct targeting, indirect targeting using the positions of the anterior and posterior commissures, or a technique using the red nucleus (RN) as an internal fiducial marker.

Methods: We reviewed 14 patients with Parkinson's disease treated with bilateral STN deep brain stimulation (28 STN targets).

Minimally invasive anterior vertebroplasty for C-2 metastatic lesions.

The authors describe a technique for minimally invasive anterior vertebroplasty for treating metastatic disease of the C-2 vertebra and discuss its application in 2 cases. After a 2-cm lateral neck incision is made, blunt dissection is performed toward the anterior inferior endplate of the C-2 vertebra. An 11-gauge needle is introduced through a tubular sheath and tapped into the inferior endplate of C-2, with biplanar fluoroscopy being performed to confirm position.

CASMIL: a comprehensive software/toolkit for image-guided neurosurgeries.

Background: CASMIL aims to develop a cost-effective and efficient approach to monitor and predict deformation during surgery, allowing accurate, and real-time intra-operative information to be provided reliably to the surgeon.

Method: CASMIL is a comprehensive Image-guided Neurosurgery System with extensive novel features. It is an integration of various modules including rigid and non-rigid body co-registration (image-image, image-atlas, and image-patient), automated 3D segmentation, brain shift predictor, knowledge based query tools, intelligent planning, and augmented reality.

How does DBS work?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) produces striking effects in patients with various disorders including Parkinson's disease and dystonia, yet its precise mechanism of action is not clear. Because the clinical benefits of lesioning target structures such as the thalamus, globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus appear to be similar to those achieved by chronic application of stimulation at these structures, it has been surmized that deep brain stimulation produces a functional inactivation or block of the target. This simplistic proposal has supporting and detracting evidence.

Comparison of three methods of targeting the subthalamic nucleus for chronic stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: The success of subthalamic nucleus (STN) surgery for Parkinson's disease depends on accuracy in target determination. The objective of this study was to determine which of the following techniques was most accurate and precise in identifying the location for stimulation in STN deep brain stimulation surgery that is most clinically effective: direct targeting, indirect targeting using the positions of the anterior and posterior commissures, or a technique using the red nucleus (RN) as an internal fiducial marker.

Methods: We reviewed 14 patients with Parkinson's disease treated with bilateral STN deep brain stimulation (28 STN targets).

Bilateral globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation in tardive dyskinesia: a case report.

The clinical response of a 53-year-old woman with tardive dyskinesia treated with bilateral globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation is described. At 18 months follow-up, her Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale score fell from 52 (preoperative) to 21 (60% improvement).

Primary dystonia is more responsive than secondary dystonia to pallidal interventions: outcome after pallidotomy or pallidal deep brain stimulation.

Objective: The response of patients with dystonia to pallidal procedures is not well understood. In this study, we assessed the postoperative outcome of patients with primary and secondary dystonia undergoing pallidotomy or pallidal deep brain stimulation.

Methods: Fifteen patients with dystonia had pallidal surgery (lesions or deep brain stimulation).