Search

Aims: The investigation was carried out in order to compare the accuracy of CT and MR imaging in depicting whether disk hernias were contained by the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL). This is crucial in the evaluation of patients who are possible candidates for percutaneous nucleotomy, which is considered effective only in contained hernias.Results: Of 124 pathologic disks examined in 114 patients, CT was more accurate than MR imaging in 7 patients due to misinterpretation of the integrity of the PLL by MR. These hernias were therefore erroneously classified as noncontained. There was consistency between the classification by CT and MR imaging in the other 117 disks, of which 109 were correct. Both methods overstaged a large hernia that was contained by the PLL, and failed to demonstrate that 7 others were noncontained.Conclusions: CT, which has higher sensitivity in depicting calcifications, representing further contraindications to percutaneous nucleotomy, is therefore recommended as the primary examination in these patients. Additional MR imaging should be considered if the results of CT are equivocal or at variance with the clinical presentation.

Purpose: This prospective study was performed to assess whether CT-diskography (CT-D), diskomanometry (DMM) including recording of the pain response, or the MR signal intensity of the disks are reliable predictors of the outcome of nucleotomy.Material and Methods: Ninety-one patients, 44 females and 47 males aged 18–68 years (mean 37.4) treated at 99 disk levels were included. All had plain CT, MR imaging, CT-D and DMM performed prior to automated percutaneous nucleotomy with the Nucleotome R system.Results: Sixty-nine (76%) of the patients responded well to treatment within 3 months. Due to recurrences, the success rate at 1 year was reduced to 65%. Except for better results following nucleotomy in patients with similar and identical pain as the presenting complaint provoked at diskography, no association was demonstrated between diskographic parameters, or loss of signal on MR, and the outcome. Better results were also seen in patients with a short history of disk disease, but not in patients with predominantly sciatica and focal hernias compared to those with predominantly low-back pain and diffuse posterior bulges.Conclusion: The results do not justify routine use of diskography prior to nucleotomy in patients with pathologic disks demonstrated by noninvasive methods and localizing sciatic pain.

In order to assess changes occurring in disk hernias and disk spaces following percutaneous nucleotomy a follow-up CT was carried out an average of 6 months after treatment of 69 disks in 60 patients. Forty-three of the disks were also reexamined at an average of 11 months after the first follow-up. Twenty-seven percent of the hernias were reduced in size at the first follow-up. Fourteen percent were reduced and 7% had increased between the first and second follow-ups. The medium-sized and large hernias were more frequently reduced compared to the smaller ones. Reduction of the disk space was found in 29% of the cases at first follow-up. An additional 24% were reduced between the first and second follow-ups. No association was demonstrated between change in size of the herniation or disk space and clinical outcome or amount of nucleous material removed at nucleotomy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate 2 years' experience with percutaneous automated nucleotomy. Adult patients with small to medium sized disk hernias corresponding to clinical symptoms, and without evidence of free fragments or stenosis were treated on an outpatient basis. All patients had sciatica and conservative treatment had failed for at least 3 months. Using the Nucleotome R system, access to the disk was achieved in all but 6 of 172 disks in 152 patients. Degenerative disk disease or pain was the reason for technical failures. Four other procedures were discontinued because of pain and moderate hemorrhage. Except for one case of diskitis, no serious complications occurred. Of the patients in a prospective study, 63 had a follow-up period of 4 months or more. The overall clinical success rate was 62%, and was not significantly influenced by patient sex or age, duration of symptoms, level treated, disk degeneration or amount of nucleus material removed. The results are promising; however, this study indicates a need for refined patient selection in order to decrease the number of failures.

Aims: The investigation was carried out in order to compare the accuracy of CT and MR imaging in depicting whether disk hernias were contained by the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL). This is crucial in the evaluation of patients who are possible candidates for percutaneous nucleotomy, which is considered effective only in contained hernias.Results: Of 124 pathologic disks examined in 114 patients, CT was more accurate than MR imaging in 7 patients due to misinterpretation of the integrity of the PLL by MR. These hernias were therefore erroneously classified as noncontained. There was consistency between the classification by CT and MR imaging in the other 117 disks, of which 109 were correct. Both methods overstaged a large hernia that was contained by the PLL, and failed to demonstrate that 7 others were noncontained.Conclusions: CT, which has higher sensitivity in depicting calcifications, representing further contraindications to percutaneous nucleotomy, is therefore recommended as the primary examination in these patients. Additional MR imaging should be considered if the results of CT are equivocal or at variance with the clinical presentation.

In order to assess changes occurring in disk hernias and disk spaces following percutaneous nucleotomy a follow-up CT was carried out an average of 6 months after treatment of 69 disks in 60 patients. Forty-three of the disks were also reexamined at an average of 11 months after the first follow-up. Twenty-seven percent of the hernias were reduced in size at the first follow-up. Fourteen percent were reduced and 7 had increased between the first and second follow-ups. The medium-sized and large hernias were more frequently reduced compared to the smaller ones. Reduction of the disk space was found in 29 of the cases at first follow-up. An additional 24 were reduced between the first and second follow-ups. No association was demonstrated between change in size of the herniation or disk space and clinical outcome or amount of nucleous material removed at nucleotomy.

Summary Queckenstedt's test was carried out in 15 patients with marked rheumatoid atlanto-axial luxation. The test was done when moving the neck stepwise between flexion and extension, and with the patient in both lateral and sitting positions. The test performed in the sitting position was termed the functional Queckenstedt's test.

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous automated lumbar nucleotomy in comparison with traditional macro-procedure discectomy in the treatment of herniated discs.Sixty-eight patients undergoing surgical procedures and 90 treated with nucleotomy were consecutively included. Both cohorts were assessed pre-operatively and at regular intervals for one year or more after treatment by independent observers, using a clinical overall scoring system (COS) with 0 being the best attainable result and 1000 the poorest conceivable status of the patients.There were better clinical results after surgery with 78% successes after one year compared to 62% after nucleotomy. By including subsequent operations and re-operations after failure to respond to the primary treatment, the success rates rose to 79% and 77%, respectively.The cost of surgical treatment was calculated to USD 6.119 per patient and the cost of a nucleotomy procedure was USD 1.252. Owing to an almost five times higher price of surgery than nucleotomy, the latter turned out to be 2.7 to 3.9 times more cost-effective, depending on whether secondary treatment was included or not. Due to the minimal difference in final outcome between the groups, however, the marginal cost per extra success in patients primarily treated with surgery was as high as USD 205.850.The study concludes that nucleotomy, as a mini-invasive procedure with low complication rates and the potential of a quick recovery, is more cost-effective than traditional surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniation.

A 7-year-old girl with a right-sided congenital arteriovenous fistula in the neck was admitted with signs of cardial incompensation. Her fistula was fed from the right vertebral artery in antegrade as well as retrograde directions. A steal from the intracranial arteries was established. In addition, smaller feeding arteries from the neck were found. She was operated on with ligation of the right vertebral artery proximal to the fistula but the attempted ligation of the artery cranially to the fistula was unsuccessful.She was therefore embolized by the formation of a plug of platinum fiber coils in the upper right vertebral artery. Catheterization was performed from the left vertebral artery via the basilar artery. Persisting minor feeders to the fistula from cervical arteries were embolized in a second session. Finally, surgical extirpation of the fistula was performed together with the operative ligation of a crossover feeding artery from the left vertebral artery.Her heart size, heart rate and blood pressure were successively normalized.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate 2 years' experience with percutaneous automated nucleotomy. Adult patients with small to medium sized disk hernias corresponding to clinical symptoms, and without evidence of free fragments or stenosis were treated on an outpatient basis. All patients had sciatica and conservative treatment had failed for at least 3 months. Using the Nucleotome R system, access to the disk was achieved in all but 6 of 172 disks in 152 patients. Degenerative disk disease or pain was the reason for technical failures. Four other procedures were discontinued because of pain and moderate hemorrhage. Except for one case of diskitis, no serious complications occurred. of the patients in a prospective study, 63 had a follow-up period of 4 months or more. the overall clinical success rate was 62, and was not significantly influenced by patient sex or age, duration of symptoms, level treated, disk degeneration or amount of nucleus material removed. the results are promising; however, this study indicates a need for refined patient selection in order to decrease the number of failures.

Summary The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether wide surgical exposures result in poorer outcome of lumbar disc surgery compared to smaller traditional exposures. The aim was also to assess if a dural tear has any impact on the postoperative clinical outcome. One hundred and twenty-two patients (56 women and 66 men, mean age 40.8 years) with herniated intervertebral lumbar disc and no previous back surgery, were included. Postoperatively they were grouped according to surgery as follows: surgery on one vs. two herniated discs (106 vs. 16 patients), partial vs. full laminectomy (93 vs. 29 patients), and the occurrence or not of a dural rent (8 vs. 114 patients). The outcome of surgery was evaluated one year postoperatively mainly by a composite clinical overall score (COS) and by its separate elements, which were: pain intensity in the lower-back or leg (VAS), neurological and clinical examination, functional capacity (Oswestry), and the need for analgesics. The results of the statistical regression analyses did not reveal significant differences in the postoperative outcome scores in the various groups of patients. The groups were comparable; no significant differences were seen in the pre-operative clinical overall scores.

In a study of 60 patients with communicating hydrocephalus, sources of error included lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, epidural infusion, and cerebrovascular reactions during the CSF infusion test; a high frequency of failing shunts; and initially undetected tumors in the group whose hydrocephalus was idiopathic. Though no sharp distinction could be made between positive and negative diagnostic tests, each variable indicated a certain probability of benefit, ranging from high to low, from shunting. CSF opening pressure in the lateral and sitting positions, the CSF infusion test, and cisternography were helpful in selecting patients for shunting. If clinical improvement was to take place, it did so within 3 months of shunting. Only patients with an opening pressure at or within the upper half of supposedly normal CSF pressure improved from a medium-pressure shunt. Improvement occurred in all patients having pressures of 580 mm H2O or more during an infusion test at a rate of 1.5 ml per minute. Neither preoperative signs and symptoms nor a single electroencephalogram had predictive value.

Purpose: This prospective study was performed to assess whether CT-diskography (CT-D), diskomanometry (DMM) including recording of the pain response, or the MR signal intensity of the disks are reliable predictors of the outcome of nucleotomy.Material and Methods: Ninety-one patients, 44 females and 47 males aged 18–68 years (mean 37.4) treated at 99 disk levels were included. All had plain CT, MR imaging, CT-D and DMM performed prior to automated percutaneous nucleotomy with the Nucleotome R system.Results: Sixty-nine (76) of the patients responded well to treatment within 3 months. Due to recurrences, the success rate at 1 year was reduced to 65. Except for better results following nucleotomy in patients with similar and identical pain as the presenting complaint provoked at diskography, no association was demonstrated between diskographic parameters, or loss of signal on MR, and the outcome. Better results were also seen in patients with a short history of disk disease, but not in patients with predominantly sciatica and focal hernias compared to those with predominantly low-back pain and diffuse posterior bulges.Conclusion: The results do not justify routine use of diskography prior to nucleotomy in patients with pathologic disks demonstrated by noninvasive methods and localizing sciatic pain.

Acute, painful torticollis in a child is not uncommon. When no local changes can explain the disease, atlanto-axial rotary fixation should be considered. The position of the head is typical but the roentgenological diagnosis is difficult, and as early treatment is mandatory, it should be initiated even if the roentgenogram is “normal”. We present a review of nine patients.

Summary A pressure transducer with a disposable, presterilized fluid chamber was developed to increase the safety margin when recording cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. With this system the fluid compartment is completely separated from the transducer proper, reducing electrical hazard and the risk of infection. The operational range is form — 20 mm Hg to 300 mm Hg with good static accuracy. The transducer with stopcocks has a flat frequency response of up to 75 Hz, showing that the two-part principle is compatible with good dynamic performance.

Summary Intracranial epidural pressure (EDP) was continuously recorded in two patients with traumatic pneumocephalus. In an experimental study EDP and nasal air pressure (NAP) were recorded in other neurosurgical patients during coughing, sneezing, straining, and blowing the nose.

Summary Relief of spinal cord compression following mannitol infusion is reported in a patient with a thoracic compression fracture.