An Unusual Case of Neurenteric Cyst in a Patient with Split Cord Malformation.

Neurenteric cyst in a split cord malformation is a rare finding. We report an adult female becoming acutely symptomatic secondary to an expanding neurenteric cyst, though previous imaging had demonstrated stability. We discuss our workup and management with surgical resection and possible etiologies of her acute decline.

Treatment of Thoracolumbar Type A3 Fractures Using a Percutaneous Intravertebral Expandable Titanium Implant: Long-term Follow-up Results of a Pilot Single Center Study.

Background: There are controversies about the optimal management of AO subtype A3 burst fractures. The most common surgical treatment consists of posterior fixation with pedicle screw and rod augmentation. Nevertheless, a loss of correction in height restoration and kyphotic reduction has been observed.

Fixed Dose IV rt-PA and Clinical Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients With Body Weight >100 kg: Pooled Data From 3 Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background And Purpose: The ASA/AHA guidelines recommend a fixed dose of 90 mg of intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for acute stroke patients weighing more than 100 kg. We aimed to determine if body weight >100 kg (and receiving <0.9 mg/kg dose) independently influence patient clinical outcomes following IV rt-PA treatment.

Analysis of Reporting Bias in Vertebral Augmentation.

Unlabelled: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide, with estimates of 750,000 to 1.5 million occurring annually. As the elderly population continues to increase, the incidence of OVCFs will continue to rise, as will the morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.

Economic Analysis of Kiva VCF Treatment System Compared to Balloon Kyphoplasty Using Randomized Kiva Safety and Effectiveness Trial (KAST) Data.

Background: Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are the most common osteoporotic fractures and cause persistent pain, kyphotic deformity, weight loss, depression, reduced quality of life, and even death. Current surgical approaches for the treatment of VCF include vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty (BK). The Kiva® VCF Treatment System (Kiva System) is a next-generation alternative surgical intervention in which a percutaneously introduced nitinol Osteo Coil guidewire is advanced through a deployment cannula and subsequently a PEEK Implant is implanted incrementally and fully coiled in the vertebral body.

Novel technique for preoperative pedicle localization in spinal surgery with challenging anatomy.

Accurately localizing a spine level in the thoracic spine is often not easily achieved with the existing imaging modalities available in the operating room. The coordination of the preoperative imaging pathology with intraoperative imaging is even more difficult in patients with challenging anatomy. Using standard percutaneous techniques, the authors placed a radiopaque embolization coil into the pedicle of interest under biplanar fluoroscopy in 1 patient.

Spinal cord stimulation: a basic approach.

Chronic back pain and other refractory pain syndromes are a documented burden on our society. They also are a huge cost in quality of life and dollars spent on health care. Neuromodulation and specifically dorsal column stimulation of the spinal cord has been shown to decrease pain with minimal risk to the patient.

Vertebroplasty and vertebral augmentation techniques.

Vertebroplasty, the percutaneous administration of acrylic bone cement into a vertebral body, was developed in France in 1984, initially as a treatment for a painful vertebral hemangioma. Subsequent adaptations of the technique, development of materials and devices, and expansion of indications have led to many vertebral augmentation variants that have proven highly successful in treating pain related to osteoporotic compression fractures and vertebral body pathology, such as metastasis and myeloma. Vertebroplasty involves the image-guided percutaneous placement of a bone access needle into the affected vertebral body, followed by injection of the bone cement under intermittent imaging to assure appropriate placement of the cement.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic compression fractures: quantitative prospective evaluation of long-term outcomes.

Purpose: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures may cause debilitating pain that lasts for weeks or months, and which is often neither quickly nor completely relieved by conventional conservative therapy. Previous retrospective studies have suggested significant and nearly immediate pain relief, as well as rapid and sustained functional recovery, after percutaneous polymethylmethacrylate vertebroplasty (PPV). This prospective, quantitative study with long-term follow-up was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PPV as a new treatment for patients with osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures of the lumbar and thoracic spine.