Factors Associated with Successful Response to Balloon Decompressive Adhesiolysis Neuroplasty in Patients with Chronic Lumbar Foraminal Stenosis.

Epidural neuroplasty, often called percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis, is often performed in refractory patients with chronic lumbar radiculopathy or neurogenic claudication. Recent studies have showed that decompressive adhesiolysis with an inflatable balloon catheter (balloon neuroplasty) is efficient in patients who experience refractory pain from epidural steroid injection or even epidural neuroplasty with a balloon-less catheter. However, exact indications or predictive factors for epidural balloon neuroplasty have not been fully evaluated.

Contrast Dispersion on Epidurography May Be Associated with Clinical Outcomes After Percutaneous Epidural Neuroplasty Using an Inflatable Balloon Catheter.

Background: Contrast dispersion pattern on epidurography may be associated with clinical improvement after epidural neuroplasty. However, insufficient evidence supports this theory. The current study aims to evaluate the relevance of contrast dispersion and clinical improvement after percutaneous epidural neuroplasty using an inflatable balloon catheter.

Relationship of Success Rate for Balloon Adhesiolysis with Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Intractable Lumbar Radicular Pain: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Combined balloon decompression and epidural adhesiolysis has been reported to be effective in refractory lumbar spinal stenosis. Many cases of intractable stenosis have symptom-related multiple target sites for interventional treatment. In this situation it may not be possible to perform balloon adhesiolysis, or even only epidural adhesiolysis, for all target sites.

Clinical Significance of Epidurography Contrast Patterns after Adhesiolysis during Lumbar Percutaneous Epidural Neuroplasty.

Background: The correlation between epidurography contrast patterns and the clinical outcomes of percutaneous epidural neuroplasty (PEN) remains unclear.

Objective: To analyze the correlation between postadhesiolysis epidurography contrast patterns and the clinical outcomes of patients who undergo lumbar PEN.

Design: This study is a retrospective analysis of 78 consecutive patients who underwent lumbar PEN between April 2012 and March 2013.

Cold Allodynia after C2 Root Resection in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain-related behaviors after bilateral C2 root resection and change in pain patterns in the suboccipital region in rats.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups (n=25/group); näive, sham, and C2 resection. Three, 7, 10, and 14 days after surgery, cold allodynia was assessed using 20 μL of 99.

A Prospective Study with Cage-Only or Cage-with-Plate Fixation in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Interbody Fusion of One and Two Levels.

Objective: The authors prospectively analyzed the effect of one-level or two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), comparing stand-alone cages and cage-with-plate fixation constructs with respect to clinical outcomes and radiologic changes.

Methods: A total of 84 patients who underwent one-level (n=52) or two-level ACDF (n=32) for cervical disc disease and who completed 2 years of follow-up were included in this study. The patients were divided by cervical level and grouped into ACDF-Cage-only and ACDF-Cage-with-plate groups.

Clinical Course of Cervical Percutaneous Epidural Neuroplasty in Single-Level Cervical Disc Disease with 12-Month Follow-up.

Background: Cervical disc disease is a common and occasionally disabling condition, occurring as a natural consequence of aging in the vast majority of the adult population. Percutaneous epidural neuroplasty (PEN) has been used to deliver highly concentrated drugs for chronic neck pain and to prevent scarring in cases refractory to conventional epidural blocks. However, the clinical course after PEN in cervical disc disease is not well-documented.

Inter- and Intra-Observer Variability of the Volume of Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Using Medical Image Processing Software.

Objective: Computed tomography (CT)-based method of three dimensional (3D) analysis (MIMICS, Materialise, Leuven, Belgium) is reported as very useful software for evaluation of OPLL, but its reliability and reproducibility are obscure. This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of MIMICS system, and inter- and intra-observer reliability in the measurement of OPLL.

Methods: Three neurosurgeons independently analyzed the randomly selected 10 OPLL cases with medical image processing software (MIMICS) which create 3D model with Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) data from CT images after brief explanation was given to examiners before the image construction steps.

Artificial Disk Replacement Combined With Fusion Versus 2-Level Fusion in Cervical 2-Level Disk Disease With a 5-Year Follow-up.

Study Design: Prospective study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term clinical and radiologic outcomes of hybrid surgery (HS) and 2-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (2-ACDF) in patients with 2-level cervical disk disease.

Summary Of Background Data: In a previous study with a 2-year follow-up, HS was shown to be superior to 2-ACDF, with a better Neck Disability Index (NDI) score, less postoperative neck pain, faster C2-C7 range of motion (ROM) recovery, and less adjacent ROM increase.

Sacral Reconstruction with a 3D-Printed Implant after Hemisacrectomy in a Patient with Sacral Osteosarcoma: 1-Year Follow-Up Result.

Pelvic reconstruction after sacral resection is challenging in terms of anatomical complexity, excessive loadbearing, and wide defects. Nevertheless, the technological development of 3D-printed implants enables us to overcome these difficulties. Here, we present a case of sacral osteosarcoma surgically treated with hemisacrectomy and sacral reconstruction using a 3D-printed implant.

A Faster and Wider Skin Incision Technique for Decompressive Craniectomy: n-Shaped Incision for Decompressive Craniectomy.

Objective: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a useful surgical method to achieve adequate decompression in hypertensive intracranial patients. This study suggested a new skin incision for DC, and analyzed its efficacy and safety.

Methods: In the retrograde reviews, 15 patients underwent a newly suggested surgical approach using n-shape skin incision technique (Group A) and 23 patients were treated with conventional question mark skin incision technique (Group B).

Brain Activation Evoked by Sensory Stimulation in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury : Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlations with Clinical Features.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the changes of contralateral sensorimotor cortical activation on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can predict the neurological outcome among spinal cord injury (SCI) patients when the great toes are stimulated without notice.

Methods: This study enrolled a total of 49 patients with SCI and investigated each patient's preoperative fMRI, postoperative fMRI, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score, and neuropathic pain occurrence. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to the change of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response on perioperative fMRI during proprioceptive stimulation with repetitive passive toe movements : 1) patients with a response of contralateral sensorimotor cortical activation in fMRI were categorized; 2) patients with a response in other regions; and 3) patients with no response.

Grisel's Syndrome Induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Grisel's syndrome is a non-traumatic subluxation of the atlantoaxial joints, which is caused by an inflammatory process in the upper neck. It is rare to find literary reports of Grisel's syndrome with an evident pathogen in a lesion. For the first time in Korea, we report a 36-year-old female with Grisel's syndrome having an atlantoaxial subluxation, which was caused by a retropharyngeal abscess secondary to pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Feasibility of translaminar screw placement in Korean population: morphometric analysis of cervical spine.

Purpose: To analyze the feasibility of unilateral and bilateral translaminar screw placement in Koran population, and compare the acceptance rate using previously reported data in American population.

Materials And Methods: The translaminar lengths, thickness, heights, and sagittal-diagonal measurements were performed. The feasibility analysis was performed using unilateral and bilateral 3.