Comparing Management Strategies for Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score of 4 (TLICS = 4) in the Pediatric Population: A Single-Institutional Experience.

Background: Thoracolumbar (TL) fractures are uncommon injuries in the pediatric population. Surgery is recommended for TL fractures with significant deformity, posterior ligamentous complex disruption, or neurological compromise. The Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Scale (TLICS) has been validated in pediatric populations and serves as a valuable tool for guiding treatment decisions.

Minimally Invasive Techniques in the Surgical Management of Traumatic Pediatric Thoracolumbar Fractures.

Background: Thoracolumbar (TL) fractures are uncommon in children. While surgical treatment is recommended for unstable TL fractures, there is no consensus on appropriate surgical treatment. We present a case series of pediatric patients with traumatic TL fractures treated with minimally invasive techniques.

Intraoperative Ultrasound: Real-Time Surgical Adjunct for Complete Resection of Spinal Arachnoid Webs.

Spinal arachnoid webs are abnormal formations of arachnoid membranes that reside in the arachnoid space. Clinically, they may present as an incidental finding or in patients with progressively worsening myelopathy. Early detection and surgical intervention are recommended in patients with progressive symptoms.

Laminoplasty versus laminectomy with fusion for treating multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Background: Laminectomy with fusion (LF) and laminoplasty (LP) are common posterior decompression procedures used to treat multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). There is debate on their relative efficacy and safety for treatment of DCM. The goal of this study is to examine outcomes and costs of LF and LP procedures for DCM.

Autoimmune diseases of the spine and spinal cord.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinicopathological tools have led to the identification of a wide spectrum of autoimmune entities that involve the spine. A clearer understanding of the unique imaging features of these disorders, along with their clinical presentations, will prove invaluable to clinicians and potentially limit the need for more invasive procedures such as tissue biopsies. Here, we review various autoimmune diseases affecting the spine and highlight salient imaging features that distinguish them radiologically from other disease entities.

Potential Role for Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy as a Treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease and Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review.

Back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite the prevalence and morbidity of lower back pain, we still lack a gold-standard treatment that restores the physiological function of degenerated intervertebral discs. Recently, stem cells have emerged as a promising strategy for regenerative therapy for degenerative disc disease.

Exercise therapy guides cortical reorganization after midthoracic spinal contusion to enhance control of lower thoracic muscles, supporting functional recovery.

Postural control is critical for locomotion, allowing for gait changes, obstacle avoidance and navigation of rough terrain. A major problem after spinal cord injury (SCI) is regaining the control of balance to prevent falls and further injury. While the circuits for locomotor pattern generation reside in the spinal cord, postural control consists of multiple, complex networks that interact at the spinal, brainstem and cortical levels.

The Unique Properties of Placental Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: A Novel Source of Therapy for Congenital and Acquired Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devasting condition with no reliable treatment. Spina bifida is the most common cause of congenital SCI. Cell-based therapies using mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCS) have been largely utilized in SCI.

Patient Characteristics, Injury Types, and Costs Associated with Secondary Over-Triage of Isolated Cervical Spine Fractures.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: To aim of this study was to identify patient variables, injury characteristics, and costs associated with operative and non-operative treatment following inter-facility transfer of patients with isolated cervical spine fractures.

Summary Of Background Data: Patients with isolated cervical spine fractures are subject to inter-facility transfer for surgical assessment, yet are often treated nonoperatively.

Neuroimaging findings and pathophysiology of dorsal spinal arachnoid webs: illustrative case.

Background: Spinal arachnoid webs are uncommon and difficult to diagnose, especially because causative intradural transverse bands of arachnoid tissue are radiographically occult. Left untreated, arachnoid webs may cause progressive, debilitating, and permanent neurological dysfunction. Conversely, more than 90% of patients may experience rapid neurological recovery after resection, even with a prolonged duration of presenting symptoms.

Headache Relief Is Maintained 7 Years After Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: Post Hoc Analysis From a Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial and Cervicogenic Headache Hypothesis.

Objective: To evaluate whether anterior cervical spine surgery offers sustained (7 years) relief in patients with cervicogenic headaches (CGHs), and evaluate the difference between cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for 1 and 2-level surgeries from a multicenter randomized clinical trial.

Methods: A post hoc analysis was performed of 575 patients who underwent one or 2-level CDA or ACDF for symptomatic cervical spondylosis as part of a prospective randomized clinical trial. Assessment of pain and functional outcome was done with the Neck Disability Index (NDI) in the trial.

Serum lactate as a potential biomarker of non-glial brain tumors.

We assess whether serum lactate is a potential biomarker for non-glial cell brain tumors. Rapidly growing tumor cells typically have glycolytic rates up to 200 times higher than those of their normal tissues of origin and produce lactate even in the presence of oxygen. This phenomenon is called the Warburg effect.

Stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of melanoma and renal cell carcinoma brain metastases.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and melanoma brain metastases have traditionally been considered radioresistant lesions when treated with conventional radiotherapeutic modalities. Radiosurgery provides high-dose radiation to a defined target volume with steep fall off in dose at lesion margins. Recent evidence suggests that stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is effective in improving local control and overall survival for a number of tumor subtypes including RCC and melanoma brain metastases.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for the treatment of cystic cerebral metastases.

Purpose: To assess the role of Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in the treatment of nonsurgical cystic brain metastasis, and to determine predictors of response to GKRS.

Methods: We reviewed a prospectively maintained database of brain metastases patients treated at our institution between 2006 and 2010. All lesions with a cystic component were identified, and volumetric analysis was done to measure percentage of cystic volume on day of treatment and consecutive follow-up MRI scans.

Current standards in the management of cerebral metastases.

The last 30 years have seen major changes in attitude toward patients with cerebral metastases. This paper aims to outline the major landmarks in this transition and the therapeutic strategies currently used. The controversies surrounding control of brain disease are discussed, and two emerging management trends are reviewed: tumor bed radiosurgery and salvage radiation.

Sellar glomangioma.

Glomus tumors of the sellar region are exceedingly rare with only two reported cases in the literature. A case of a sellar glomangioma in a 72-year-old man is described. The tumor had the radiographic and gross appearance of a pituitary adenoma.

A RIP tide in neuronal signal transduction.

The generation of nuclear signaling proteins by regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) is a new paradigm of signal transduction. Mammalian proteins that are processed by RIP include SREBP-1, Notch-1, amyloid precursor protein (APP), and ErbB-4. Intramembranous gamma-secretase cleavage of APP plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease by generating the amyloid beta protein.