Posterior endoscopic discectomy for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

The procedure of posterior endoscopic discectomy (PED) is an attempt to allow for a standard familiar microsurgical discectomy to be performed using standard microsurgical techniques via a minimally invasive approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate our results with PED for lumbar disc herniation and to assess the advantages, disadvantages and clinical outcomes of the technique. Between February 2002 and August 2004, 71 patients with a mean age of 44 years (range : 24 to 73) underwent PED.

An uncommon cause of paraplegia: Salmonella spondylodiskitis.

Background/objective: Salmonella spondylodiskitis is an uncommon type of vertebral infection. The aim of this study was to present a case of progressive paraplegia caused by Salmonella spondylodiskitis and epidural abscess after endoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methods: The patient underwent posterior instrumentation and posterior fusion between T6 and T12, hemilaminotomies at levels T8-T9-T10, and drainage of the abscess.

Cervical brucellosis mimicking cervical disc herniation.

Brucellar spondylitis may be difficult to diagnose. Initial plain radiographs of the spine may show mild degenerative lesions. Although, magnetic resonance imaging of spine is mostly helpful to establish the disease, in some cases, it may lead to misdiagnosis.

Noncontiguous dual segment thoracic brucellosis with neurological deficit.

Background Context: Brucellosis can affect the musculoskeletal system, and bony involvement ranges from 2% to 70% in the literature. Spinal brucellosis is generally localized to the sacroiliac region; thoracic brucellosis is rarely seen.

Purpose: To present a case with noncontiguous multilevel thoracic brucellosis with spinal cord compression.

Surgical outcome of thoracolumbar burst fractures with flexion-distraction injury of the posterior elements.

Between 1991 and 2002 we treated 48 patients surgically for thoracolumbar burst fractures associated with flexion-distraction injury of the posterior elements. The degree of kyphotic deformity and the degree of vertebral wedging deformity were measured on plain lateral radiographs. The spinal canal compromise was measured on computer tomography.

Assessment of curve flexibility in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Study Design: A prospective comparative evaluation of the commonly accepted or described radiologic techniques to determine curve flexibility in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), comparison of the results to those obtained by supine traction radiographs taken with the patient under general anesthesia (UGA) just before surgery and correlation of all findings to surgical correction.

Objective: To determine if supine traction radiographs taken with the patient UGA help provide better assessment of curve flexibility and better predicting surgical correction.

Summary Of Background Data: Supine lateral bending radiographs are the standard methods of evaluating curve flexibility before surgery in idiopathic scoliosis.

Conservative treatment of fractures of the thoracolumbar spine.

We reviewed 48 patients with thoracolumbar fractures treated conservatively between 1988 and 1999. The average follow-up was 77.5 (31-137) months and average patient age (23 women, 25 men) was 46 (18-76) years.