Traumatic spondylolisthesis and spondyloptosis of the subaxial cervical spine without neurological deficits: closed re-alignment, surgical options and literature review.

Introduction: Cervical subaxial malalignment due to complete or partial post-traumatic dislocation is generally associated to neurological impairment of ranging severity. Literature lacks reporting this entity in patients with no neurological issues. Cervical traction is not widely accepted in treating this kind of injury, due to its potential for neurological damage, although surgery seems to represent the gold standard.

Acute traumatic instability of the coccyx: results in 28 consecutive coccygectomies.

Introduction: Coccygeal instability includes hypermobility, subluxation and fracture-dislocation. Surgical resection is still controversial, with intractable post-traumatic coccygodynia being an indication to surgery.

Materials And Methods: From 2001 to 2010, we enrolled 31 patients with post-traumatic coccygodynia (19 females, 12 males; mean age 31 years, range 21-47).

Neurological L5 burst fracture: posterior decompression and lordotic fixation as treatment of choice.

Purpose: We report our experience and literature review concerning surgical treatment of neurological burst fractures of the fifth lumbar vertebra.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen patients with L5 neurological burst fractures were consecutively enrolled; 6 patients had complete motor deficits, and 12 had sphincter dysfunction. We performed 18 posterior and one combined approaches.

Spine surgery in neurological lesions of the cervicothoracic junction: multicentric experience on 33 consecutive cases.

Surgical treatment of the cervico-thoracic junction (CTJ) in the spine require special evaluation due to the anatomical and biomechanical characteristics of this spinal section. The transitional zone between the mobile cervical and the relatively rigid thoracic spine can be the site of serious unstable traumas or neoplastic lesions. Frequently, injury is associated with neurological impairment due to the small caliber of the spinal canal and/or spinal cord vascular insufficiency.

Minimally invasive carpal tunnel release.

We prospectively compared the safety and effectiveness of mini-incision (group A) and a limited open technique (group B) for carpal tunnel release (CTR) in 185 consecutive patients operated between November 1999 and May 2001, with a 5-year minimum follow-up. Patients in Group A had a minimally invasive approach (<2 cm incision), performed using the KnifeLight (Stryker, Kalamazoo, Michigan) instrument. Patients in Group B had a limited longitudinal incision (3-4 cm).

Effectiveness of posterior tension band fixation in the thoracolumbar seat-belt type injuries of the young population.

We report results in the surgical treatment of thoracolumbar flexion-distraction fractures, both associated or not with neurological impairment. Items in the present study include function, pain (back pain rating scale) and neurological recovery (Asia Score). A prospective series of 19 consecutive flexion-extension thoracolumbar injuries (T11-L2), occurred in young patients (20-33 years) due to motor vehicle crashes wearing the 3-point safety belts, includes 2 Chance and 17 seat-belt fractures, with different amount of vertebral dislocation and neurological impairment.

Mini-open blind procedure versus limited open technique for carpal tunnel release: a 30-month follow-up study.

Purpose: To evaluate prospectively the safety and effectiveness of a mini-open blind technique for carpal tunnel release (group A) when compared with a limited open technique (group B).

Methods: From November 1999 to May 2001 (mean follow-up period, 30 mo) we performed 222 carpal tunnel release procedures on 185 consecutive patients. All patients were affected by mild to moderate median nerve compression.

De Quervain disease in volleyball players.

Background: Chronic inflammatory tendon diseases in athletes are frequent, and they often result from modifications in normal kinematics of a tendon associated with a patient's anatomical determinants. De Quervain stenosing tenosynovitis is an inflammatory disease of tendons of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist. There is no literature about this disease concerning professional volleyball players.