Septic arthritis of the lumbar facet joint. Case and literature review.

Septic Arthritis of the facet joint (SAFJ) is an uncommon but severe condition of the spine with only 61 cases published to date. Diagnosis is notoriously difficult and can take several months which can lead to significant delays in treatment. We report a case of a 52-year-old female with 2-month history of back pain diagnosed with septic arthritis of the left lumbar L4/5 facet joint and associated epidural abscess.

Non missile penetrating spinal injury.

Non-missile penetrating spinal injury (NMPSI) is a rare form of traumatic spinal injury. Cases with neurological deficit on presentation are treated surgically. In the extremely rare circumstance of NMPSI presenting with no neurological deficit the management is contentious.

Migration of Self-Introduced Acupuncture Needle into the Brainstem.

Acupuncture-related injuries to the central nervous system are a rare but well-documented occurrence. This report describes the case of a self-introduced acupuncture needle migrating into the brainstem following an initial failed attempt at surgical extraction. The patient displayed no neurological deficits, and the needle was eventually successfully removed under direct vision intraoperatively.

Complications from minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion: experience from 100 patients.

Minimally invasive lumbar fusion is well described and is reported to offer significant advantages to patients in terms of blood loss, a reduction in post-operative pain and a quicker recovery. However, this technique may expose patients to a greater risk of complications when compared to open lumbar instrumented fusion that may negate these advantages. Between January 2007 and March 2001, we conducted a prospective observational study of 100 consecutive patients (48 males and 52 females, mean age of 54 years) to investigate complications occurring from minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion surgery using an image-guided technique.

Minimally invasive lumbar decompression: long-term outcome, morbidity, and the learning curve from the first 50 cases.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

Objective: To describe our experience with the first 50 cases of minimally invasive lumbar canal decompression in terms of patient outcome up to 2 years, the learning curve incurred, and complications when compared with our most recent 50 cases.

Summary Of Background Data: Lumbar canal stenosis is a common condition in the elderly population, the symptoms of which respond well to surgical decompression.

Safety and efficacy of intradural extramedullary spinal tumor removal using a minimally invasive approach.

Background: Although minimally invasive surgery for intradural tumors offers the potential benefits of less postoperative pain, a quicker recovery, and the avoidance of long-term instability from multilevel laminectomy, there are concerns over whether one can safely and effectively remove intradural extramedullary tumors in a fashion comparable to open techniques and whether the advantages of minimally invasive surgery are clinically significant.

Objective: To review our early experience with minimally invasive techniques for intradural extramedullary tumors of the spine.

Methods: Thirteen intradural tumors (1 cervical, 6 thoracic, 6 lumbar) in 11 patients were operated on using a muscle-splitting, tube-assisted paramedian oblique approach with hemilaminectomy to access the spinal canal while preserving the spinous process and ligaments.