Outcomes of Anterior Exposure for Spinal Surgery at an Independent Academic Medical Center.

Introduction: Anterior exposure for spinal surgery has expanded and is used for common spinal procedures, including anterior lumbar interbody fusion, disc replacement, and vertebral corpectomy. With this approach, vascular injuries have been reported ranging from 1% to 25%. The impact of resident participation on intraoperative and postoperative outcomes within an independent academic medical center has not been widely reported.

Video. Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy for splenic artery aneurysm.

Background: Large splenic artery aneurysms are rare but comprise 60% of all visceral artery aneurysms. Most are found incidentally and rupture in the nonpregnant patient has an approximate 25 to 36% mortality rate. Historically these have been managed with an open surgical approach for resection.

Traumatic fracture of polytetrafluoroethylene axillofemoral bypass graft.

We report traumatic disruption of a ringed polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) axillofemoral bypass (AFB) graft due to a fall. We also review the literature of previously reported blunt traumatic PTFE graft disruptions. A 75-year-old man with previous bilateral AFB grafting presented with a painful left chest wall mass after a fall from standing height.

Seconds from disaster: lessons learned from laparoscopic release of the median arcuate ligament.

Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare entity that manifests as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The median arcuate ligament is a fibrous band that connects the crura of the diaphragm. In some people, the ligament is positioned in a way that compresses the celiac axis, which in a subset of individuals causes the symptoms associated with MALS.

Delayed neurologic deficit after infrarenal endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Spinal cord ischemia is a rare and devastating complication after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. It has recently been reported to occur after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. We report the first case of delayed neurologic deficit after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair using the Zenith (Cook) device.