Prognosis and adjacent segment disease after lumbar spinal fusion surgery for destructive spondyloarthropathy in long-term hemodialysis patients.

Background: Lumbar destructive spondyloarthropathy (DSA) is a serious complication in long-term hemodialysis patients. There have not been many reports regarding the surgical management for lumbar DSA. In addition, the adjacent segment pathology after lumbar fusion surgery for DSA is unclear.

Erosion in the occipital bone caused by the fixation instrument used for posterior atlantoaxial fusion -report of 4 cases.

Introduction: Conventionally, posterior C1-C2 fusion has been performed using a sublaminar wiring technique with a structural bone graft. Subsequent advent of newer fixation devices, such as the C1 lateral mass screw and C1 hook, has achieved more solid fixation with improved surgical outcome; however, in these fixation systems, the protruding end of the metal implant above the level of the atlas may result in a complication due to contact with the surrounding structures.

Case Description: Two men and two women whose ages at the time of surgery ranged from 14 to 72 years.

The impact of dynamic factors on surgical outcomes after double-door laminoplasty for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine.

Object: Laminoplasty is the preferred operation for most patients with cervical myelopathy due to multilevel ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). Recent studies have demonstrated several significant risk factors for poor clinical outcomes after laminoplasty, including older age, lower preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, postoperative change in cervical alignment, cervical kyphosis, and high occupying ratio of the OPLL (that is, the ratio of the greatest anteroposterior thickness of the OPLL to the anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal at the same level on a lateral image). However, the impact of dynamic factors on clinical outcomes is unclear.

Subarachnoid-subarachnoid bypass for spinal adhesive arachnoiditis.

The authors report a case of adhesive arachnoiditis (AA) and arachnoid cyst successfully treated by subarachnoid to subarachnoid bypass (S-S bypass). Arachnoid cysts or syringes sometimes compress the spinal cord and cause compressive myelopathy that requires surgical treatment. However, surgical treatment for AA is challenging.

Therapeutic impact of organism isolation in management of patients with pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis.

In management of patients with pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis, organism isolation by biopsy is generally considered to be of primary importance when constructing a treatment plan. In our clinical practice, however, patients can be successfully treated even without identifying the organisms. The objective of this study is to review our clinical experiences and clarify the therapeutic impact of organism isolation.

Risk factors for intraoperative lateral mass fracture of lateral mass screw fixation in the subaxial cervical spine.

Object: Although lateral mass screw fixation for the cervical spine is a safe technique, lateral mass fracture during screw fixation is occasionally encountered intraoperatively. This event is regarded as a minor complication; however, it poses difficulties in management that may affect fixation stability and clinical outcome. The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence and etiology of lateral mass fractures during cervical lateral mass screw fixation.

C-5 palsy after cervical laminoplasty with instrumented posterior fusion.

Object: Postoperative C-5 palsy is known as a common complication after cervical laminoplasty. The authors of this article have encountered postoperative C-5 palsy more often when laminoplasty was combined with instrumented posterior spinal fusion than when it was performed alone. The purpose of this clinical study was to examine the incidence of fifth cervical nerve root palsy (C-5 palsy) and surgical results in patients with cervical myelopathy who had undergone laminoplasty with or without instrumented spinal fusion.

Postoperative spinal cord herniation with pseudomeningocele in the cervical spine: a case report.

Background Context: Postoperative spinal cord herniation with pseudomeningocele is a rare disease, with only five cases reported before the present study.

Purpose: To describe the clinical features and radiologic findings of postoperative spinal cord herniation with pseudomeningocele.

Study Design: Case report.

Comparison of clinical features and outcomes of staphylococcus aureus vertebral osteomyelitis caused by methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive strains.

The causative organism of vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) was almost exclusively Staphylococcus aureus. The purpose of this study was to delineate the differences in clinical features and outcomes between patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) VO. This study retrospectively reviewed 85 consecutive patients with VO treated between 2005 and 2011.

Cervical lateral mass screw fixation without fluoroscopic control: analysis of risk factors for complications associated with screw insertion.

Objective: To examine the outcome of cervical lateral mass screw fixation focusing on analysis of the risk factors for screw-related complications.

Methods: Ninety-four patients who underwent posterior cervical fixation with a total of 457 lateral mass screws were included in the study. The lateral mass screws were placed using a modified Magerl method.