The Relative Merits of Posterior Surgical Treatments for Multi-Level Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Remain Uncertain: Findings from a Systematic Review.

Objectives: To assess the reporting of study design and characteristics in multi-level degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) treated by posterior surgical approaches, and perform a comparison of clinical and radiographic outcomes between different approaches.

Methods: A literature search was performed in Embase and MEDLINE between 1995-2019 using a sensitive search string combination. Studies were selected by predefined selection criteria: Full text articles in English, with >10 patients (prospective) or >50 patients (retrospective), reporting outcomes of multi-level DCM treated by posterior surgical approach.

Managing the cervical spine in multiple myeloma patients.

Discuss the relevant literature on surgical and nonsurgical treatments for multiple myeloma (MM) and their complementary effects on overall treatment. Existing surgical algorithms designed for neoplasia of the spine may not suit the management of spinal myeloma. Less than a fifth of metastatic, including myelomatous lesions, occur in the cervical spine but have a poorer prognosis and surgery in this area carries a higher morbidity.

Is a persistent central canal a risk factor for neurological injury in patients undergoing surgical correction of scoliosis?

Background: Scoliosis patients with associated syringomyelia are at an increased risk of neurological injury during surgical deformity correction. The syrinx is therefore often addressed surgically prior to scoliosis correction to minimize this risk. It remains unclear if the presence of a persistent central canal (PCC) within the spinal cord also poses a similar risk.

Cervical dural calcification and cervical myelopathy in X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets: a case report and review of the literature.

X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets (XLHR) is a genetic disorder resulting from a genetic mutation in the PHEX gene. This may cause ossification of soft tissue structures risking spinal cord compression. We present the first known case of cervical dural calcification secondary to XLHR to cause myelopathic symptoms due to cord compression.

Assessment of corrosion in retrieved spine implants.

Recently the use of dissimilar metals in spine instrumentation has increased, especially in the case of adult deformities, where rods made from Cobalt Chrome alloys (CoCr) are used with Titanium (Ti) screws. The use of dissimilar metals increases the risk of galvanic corrosion and patients have required revision spine surgery due to severe metallosis that may have been caused by corrosion. We aimed to assess the presence of corrosion in spine implant retrievals from constructs with two types of material combinations: similar (Ti/Ti) and dissimilar (CoCr/Ti).