Long-Term Outcomes of a New Minimally Invasive Approach in Chiari Type 1 and 1.5 Malformations: Technical Note and Preliminary Results.

Background: The treatment options for patients with Chiari malformation type 1 (CM1) and Chiari malformation type 1.5 (CM1.5) have not yet been standardized.

Closed Drainage versus Non-Drainage for Single-Level Lumbar Disc Surgery: Relationship between Epidural Hematoma and Fibrosis.

Study Design: A prospective clinical series with prospectively collected data.

Purpose: The efficacy of using closed suction drains (CSD) after single-level lumbar disc surgery was evaluated. Postoperative CSD are regularly fitted to prevent postoperative epidural hematomas (EH) after multilevel lumbar decompression, although it remains unclear whether CSD also reduces postoperative EH following single-level lumbar disc surgery.

Replacement of Vertebral Lamina (Laminoplasty) in Surgery for Lumbar Isthmic Spondylolisthesis: 5-Year Follow-Up Results.

Study Design: A review of clinical and radiological outcomes of lumbar laminoplasty (LL) for the treatment of isthmic spondylolisthesis (ISL).

Purpose: The single session performance of posterior lumbar interbody fusion with allograft in the anterior column and providing the realignment of the vertebrae was presented as a preliminary report earlier.

Overview Of Literature: Long-term surgical outcome of cervical laminoplasty in patients has been reported.

Reduction and arthrodesis with sublaminar spiral silk in atlantoaxial joint instability.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiologic results of the use of thick spiral silk knotting instead of sublaminar wiring for C1-C2 arthrodesis in patients with atlantoaxial instability.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 16 patients (10 females, 6 males; mean age: 43.4 years; mean follow-up: 34 months) with atlantoaxial instability who underwent C1-C2 fusion by reduction and sublaminar spiral silk knotting.

C1-2 posterior arthrodesis technique with a left segmental and right transarticular fixation. A hybrid novel (Kotil) technique.

Introduction: The most commonly used techniques for C1-C2 posterior arthrodesis are Goel and Magerl fixation techniques. Due to the anatomical variations of the region, the prior determination of the surgical technique might be hard. Right side Magerl, left side Goel's C1-C2 posterior arthrodesis case is presented as a new surgical combination technique used due to anatomical difficulties.

An extremely giant lumbar schwannoma: new classification (kotil) and mini-open microsurgical resection.

Purely extradural giant lumbar schwannomas are rare lesions. Classification of these tumors is performed according to the sizes and spills and is named the modified Sridhar's classification. The management of these tumors has traditionally been performed by combined antero-posterior large or two-stage exposures.

Long term results of lumbar sequestrectomy versus aggressive microdiscectomy.

It remains unknown whether aggressive microdiscectomy (AD) provides a better outcome than simple sequestrectomy (S) with little disc disruption for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy. We compared the long term results for patients with lumbar disc herniation who underwent either AD or S. The patients were split into two groups: 85 patients who underwent AD in Group A and 40 patients who underwent S in Group B.

Sizes of the transverse foramina correlate with blood flow and dominance of vertebral arteries.

Background Context: Knowing the side of the dominant vertebral artery (VA) may be of utmost importance if the VAs are at risk during spine surgery. Determination of the size of VAs is obtained by using Doppler ultrasonography or angiography. Because VA is the main anatomic structure occupying the transverse foramina (TF), it may be assumed that size of TF and blood flow of VAs should be proportional.

An unexpected complication of occipitocervical stabilization surgery: retropharyngeal hematoma.

Background Context: To report a unique case of an unexpected complication of occipitocervical stabilization surgery that is retropharyngeal hematoma (RH).

Purpose: Postoperative RH is a very rare complication and has never been reported after posterior occipitocervical surgery.

Study Design: Case report.

The long time follow-up of craniovertebral junction fixation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can have very destructive effects, especially in the cervical spine. Bone quality is poor in these patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of fusion and accuracy of fluoroscopy in cervical transpedicular fixation (CPF) in a standardized clinical protocol for RA patients.

Neurovascular complications of cervical pedicle screw fixation.

We rarely use the cervical transpedicular fixation (CPF) technique in the neurosurgery departments of the authors' institutions because the pedicle is thin and there is a risk of neurovascular damage. In this study we investigated postoperative neurovascular injury caused by the transpedicular screws of 210 pedicles in 45 patients on whom we performed CPF for various cervical pathologies. Fixation was performed between C3 and C7, and the iliac crest and lamina were used as autografts for fusion.

Clinical and radiologic outcomes of TLIF applications with or without pedicle screw: a double center prospective pilot comparative study.

Study Design: Prospective cohort data by merging data from comparative studies.

Objective: This study aimed to compare clinical and radiologic outcomes of the transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure with or without pedicle screw support in stable patients with a degenerative disease.

Summary Of Background Data: The unilateral lumbar interbody fusion technique has gained popularity in the management of many lumbar degenerative conditions requiring fusion.

Cerebral contusion as a rare cause of foot drop: case report.

A 74-year-old woman, taking anticoagulant therapy for chronic heart failure, presented to our emergency room with left dorsiflexion weakness 8 hours from after multitrauma. A detailed neurological examination revealed only 0/5 strength in the left foot dorsiflexion without any upper motor neuron signs. While there was no spinal cord pathology detected, cranial computed tomography demonstrated a lesion in the right parasagittal localization consistent with hemorrhagic contusion.

Two level cervical corpectomy with iliac crest fusion and rigid plate fixation: a retrospective study with a three-year follow-up.

Aim: There is no clear knowlegde in the literature about two-level vertebral corpectomy using the iliac bone crest for fusion and rigid plate fixation. We present our experience with two-vertebral level cervical corpectomy and reconstruction.

Material And Methods: Each patient was graded according to the Nuricks Grade (1972) and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) Scale (1991), and the recovery rates were calculated.

Cervical transpedicular fixation aided by biplanar flouroscopy.

Unlabelled: PURPOSE; To evaluate the accuracy of fluoroscopyassisted cervical transpedicular fixation in different pathologies.

Methods: 28 men and 17 women aged 34 to 65 (mean, 41) years underwent 210 one-stage cervical transpedicular fixations. The indications were trauma (n=35), degenerative disease leading to cervical spondylotic myelopathy (n=4), tumours (n=4), and Pott's disease (n=2).

Posterior transodontoid fixation: A new fixation (Kotil) technique.

Anterior odontoid screw fixation or posterior C1-2 fusion techniques are routinely used in the treatment of Type II odontoid fractures, but these techniques may be inadequate in some types of odontoid fractures. In this new technique (Kotil technique), through a posterior bilateral approach, transarticular screw fixation was performed at the non-dominant vertebral artery (VA) side and posterior transodontoid fixation technique was performed at the dominant VA side. C1-2 complex fusion was aimed with unilateral transarticular fixation and odontoid fixation with posterior transodontoid screw fixation.

Multilevel decompressive laminectomy and transpedicular instrumented fusion for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and myelopathy: A minimum follow-up of 3 years.

Objective: Cervical laminectomies with transpedicular insertion technique is known to be a biomechanically stronger method in cervical pathologies. However, its frequency of use is low in the routine practice, as the pedicle is thin and risk of neurovascular damage is high. In this study, we emphasize the results of cervical laminectomies with transpedicular fixation using fluoroscopy in degenerative cervical spine disorder.

Fibrous dysplasia in axis treated with vertebroplasty.

Vertebroplasty of the axis is a challenging procedure, and little is known about its therapeutic outcome. Cervical fibrous dysplasia with a distinct cyst is a rare entity and few cases have been reported in the literature. A 55-year-old man with fibrous dysplasia of axis presented with severe neck pain and left arm since six months.

The management in the C2-C3 disc herniations: a clinical study.

Aim: Cervical disc herniation at C2-C3 level is an uncommon condition. In this paper, the management C2-C3 disc herniation and long-term follow-up data of 5 cases is reported.

Material And Methods: 1100 patients who have been operated in our department for cervical disc herniation between 2000 and 2009 were studied retrospectively.

Posterior epidural migration of herniated lumbar disc fragment.

Object: Posterior epidural migration of a free disc fragment in the lumbar region is a very rare condition that has only been reported in isolated cases to date. Patients with this condition present with radiculopathy or major neurological deficits. Difficulties in diagnosis and the choice and timing of surgical treatment are important in these cases.

Dose-dependent ultrastructural and morphometric alterations after erythropoietin treatment in rat femoral artery vasospasm model.

Purpose: Cerebral vasospasm is the common cause of poor outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Although many agents are experimentally and clinicaly used to protect or recover from vasospasm, an effective neurotherapeutic drug is still missing. Erythropoietin (EPO) is recently a promising candidate.

Medical treatment of primary extradural solitary lumbar hydatid disease.

Hydatid disease of the spine is rare and has a poor prognosis, presenting both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Paraplegia is the most serious complication of the disease and is caused by compression of the spinal cord by the cysts. We report a 30-year-old woman with an isolated primary hydatid cyst that responded to treatment with albendazole.

Delamination technique together with longitudinal incisions for treatment of Chiari I/syringomyelia complex: a prospective clinical study.

Background: Treatment modalities in Chiari malformation type 1(CMI) accompanied by syringomyelia have not yet been standardized. Pathologies such as a small posterior fossa and thickened dura mater have been discussed previously. Various techniques have been explored to enlarge the foramen magnum and to expand the dura.

Replacement of vertebral lamina (laminoplasty) in surgery for lumbar isthmic spondylolisthesis. A prospective clinical study.

Background: The use of lamina as a graft for fusion in isthmic lumbar spondylolisthesis (LIS) is not known. In the present prospective clinical study, we used the laminoplasty technique and reported on its outcomes.

Material And Method: Twenty cases that have been operated in our clinic due to G1 and G2 ISL between February 2003 and December 2006 were clinically and radiologically examined.