Multiple epidural lumbar chordomas without bone involvement in a 17-year-old female: a case report.

Background Context: Chordomas are rare slow-growing neoplasms or malignant tumors that arise from embryonic rudiments of the primitive notochord. They account for 1% to 4% of all primary malignant bone tumors. Surgery in addition to radiotherapy is often used as the optimum treatment but with marginal effectiveness as these tumors are relatively radioresistant.

Biomechanical analysis of multilevel cervical corpectomy and plate constructs.

Object: The authors compared the biomechanical stability of two multilevel cervical constructs involving the placement of equal size anterior cervical plates (ACPs) after decompressive surgery: the first is placed after three-level corpectomy with strut graft and the second after two-level corpectomy and aggressive discectomy with strut graft. In addition, both constructs were evaluated with and without the application of a screw attaching the ACP to the strut graft to determine whether the additional screw enhanced stability in any mode of loading.

Methods: Nondestructive repeated-measures in vitro flexibility tests were performed in human cadaveric cervical spines.

Traumatic central cord syndrome: results of surgical management.

Object: The authors compare clinical outcomes demonstrated in patients with traumatic central cord syndrome (CCS) who underwent early (< or = 24 hours after injury) or late (> 24 hours after injury) surgery.

Methods: The clinical characteristics, radiographic findings, surgery-related results, length of hospital stay (LOS), and clinical outcomes obtained in 50 patients with surgically treated traumatic CCS were reviewed retrospectively. Shorter intensive care unit (ICU) stay and LOS were observed in all patients who underwent early surgery compared with those who underwent late surgery.