Interlaminar spacer: a review of its mechanism, application, and efficacy.

Background: The management of neurogenic intermittent claudication encompasses myriad modalities, with the use of Interlaminar spacer being among the newer ones.

Methods And Results: A review of work-to-date on Interlaminar spacer is presented, which was first introduced in November 2005. A multitude of both clinical and radiographic studies among both orthopedists and neurosurgeons embracing its ease of insertion, decreased operative duration and morbidity, and often same-day hospital discharge while obtaining therapeutic benefits seemingly comparable to more traditional decompressive techniques is discussed.

Systemic hypothermia improves histological and functional outcome after cervical spinal cord contusion in rats.

Hypothermia has been employed during the past 30 years as a therapeutic modality for spinal cord injury (SCI) in animal models and in humans. With our newly developed rat cervical model of contusive SCI, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of transient systemic hypothermia (beginning 5 minutes post-injury for 4 hours, 33 degrees C) with gradual rewarming (1 degrees C per hour) for the preservation of tissue and the prevention of injury-induced functional loss. A moderate cervical displacement SCI was performed in female Fischer rats, and behavior was assessed for 8 weeks.

Role of nitric oxide in skin flap delay.

Surgical delay of skin flaps before transfer is known to improve flap viability. This study attempts to elucidate the mechanism of vasodilation by exploring the effects of nitric oxide on the microcirculation of delayed skin flaps. Using a skin flap model in 22 CD-1 white mice, the diameter of two nonterminal choke arteries was measured using in vivo videomicroscopy.

Velopharyngoplasty and tonsillectomy: whether to perform them simultaneously.

Velopharyngoplasty (VPP) and tonsillectomy (TE) have been used for the surgical correction of velopharyngeal incompetence (VI) and its associated speech impairments, which include rhinolalia, rhinophonia, and nasal snorting. Performing the procedures together during the same operative session has been shown, on a limited basis, to offer some benefits to the primarily juvenile patient population. The authors report the findings noted from the performance of this operation during the past 14 years.