Clinical outcome and influencing factor for repeat lumbar discectomy for ipsilateral recurrent lumbar disc herniation.

Objective: Recurrent herniation following disc excision has been reported in 5-15% of patients. There have been numerous studies of recurrent disc herniation, but these have analyzed mixed patient populations. We designed this study to analyze the factors that influencing the clinical results, and efficiency of repeat discectomy for recurrent lumbar disc herniation occurring at the same level and on the same side after primary discectomy.

Effect of amniotic membrane to reduce postlaminectomy epidural adhesion on a rat model.

Objective: Epidural fibrosis and adhesion are the main reasons for post-laminectomy sustained pain and functional disability. In this study, the authors investigate the effect of irradiated freeze-dried human amniotic membrane on reducing epidural adhesion after laminectomy on a rat model.

Methods: A total of 20 rats were divided into two groups.

Spinal intradural extramedullary mature cystic teratoma in an adult.

Spinal intradural extramedullary teratoma is a rare condition that develops more commonly in children than in adults and may be associated with spinal dysraphism. We report a rare case of adult-onset intradural extramedullary teratoma in the thoracolumbar spinal cord with no evidence of spinal dysraphism and without the history of prior spinal surgery. The patient was a 38-year-old male whose chief complaint was urinary incontinence.

Predisposing factors related to shunt-dependent chronic hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Objective: Hydrocephalus is a common sequelae of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and patients who develop hydrocephalus after SAH typically have a worse prognosis than those who do not. This study was designed to identify factors predictive of shunt-dependent chronic hydrocephalus among patients with aneurysmal SAH, and patients who require permanent cerebrospinal fluid diversion.

Methods: Seven-hundred-and-thirty-four patients with aneurysmal SAH who were treated surgically between 1990 and 2006 were retrospectively studied.