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Abstract Background Herein, we analyzed the efficacy of main antibiotic therapy regimens in the treatment of healthcare-associated meningitis (HCAM). Materials/methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted in 18 tertiary-care academic hospitals Turkey, India, Egypt and Romania. We extracted data and outcomes of all patients with post-neurosurgical meningitis cases fulfilling the study inclusion criteria and treated with empirical therapy between December 2006-September 2018. Results Twenty patients in the cefepime + vancomycin-(CV) group, 31 patients in the ceftazidime + vancomycin-(CFV) group, and 119 patients in the meropenem + vancomycin-(MV) group met the inclusion criteria. The MV subgroup had a significantly higher mean Glasgow Coma Score, a higher rate of admission to the intensive care unit within the previous month, and a higher rate of antibiot herapy within the previous month before the meningitis episode (p 0.05) among the three cohorts. No regimen was effective against carbapenem-resistant bacteria, and vancomycin resulted in an EOT clinical success rate of 60.6% in the methicillin-resistant staphylococci or ampicillin-resistant enterococci subgroup (n = 34). Conclusions Our study showed no significant difference in terms of clinical success and mortality among the three treatment options. All regimens were ineffective against carbapenem-resistant bacteria. Vancomycin was unsuccessful in approximately 40% of cases involving methicillin-resistant staphylococci or ampicillin-resistant enterococci.

Objective: Cervical fixation is the most common treatment of vertebral fractures, osteosarcoma, osteomyelitis, arthritis, and congenital disorders. Mortal complications, such as internal carotid artery, vertebral artery (VA), and spinal cord damages, may occur during the application. The aim of this study was to create the application of the actual three-dimensional (3D) personalized model which was exercised for screwing insertion in C2 damage patients. Methods: Two patients with Type II of C2 fractures were treated with personalized spine models. These models were investigated to achieve particular information of non- and bony elements such as the highness, thickness, and the field of pedicles and vascular diameters for an intraoperative reference. The model was to determine the probable variations and to observe the success of screw rate in the treatment of C2 fractures. The operation duration, instrumentation time, blood loss volume, and clinical and radiological assessment were done. The 3D model's perception was evaluated. Results: Cervical models were defined to secure intervention areas of the VA pedicles and screws. Neither vascular nor neurologic damages were happened in all cases. Besides, the cases did not include broken nails, screw pullout, fracture of bone structure, or infection. Cervical models demonstrated (1) examination of the VA pattern, (2) valuation of virtual screw trajectory line before screw fixation, (3) the application of prebent rods during procedure to contribute to the safety of the posterior instrumentation, (4) postsurgical confirmation, and (5) examined movements of the neck postoperatively. The perception of 3D model for treating C2 fracture was thereby diminishing surgical time, bleeding amount and operative complications. Survey perception of model was calculated in statistical significance (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Personalized model is active and confident in achieving an accurate and safe screw fixation during surgery, especially in anatomically abnormal cases. Cervical model provides an accurate representation of the fracture location, pedicle size, and VA shapes. It is therefore useful in surgical planning as it maximizes the possibility of ideal screw position, as well as providing individualized information concerning cervical spinal anatomy.

Purpose. We aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical features of patients with cervical spinal injuries secondary to shallow-water diving and share our therapeutic outcomes. Methods. A retrospective study was carried out using data extracted from the medical files of 39 patients (3 females and 36 males) who were treated surgically (n = 29) or conservatively (n = 10). Demographics, clinical features, operative data, American Spine Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scales, and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) results were noted. Results. The average age of our series (n = 39) was 31.59 ± 14.80 (range, 14 to 92) years. The vast majority of patients (n = 34, 87.2%) presented with isolated cervical trauma. At initial admission, neurological deficits were diagnosed in 22 (56.4%) patients. A single-level cervical involvement was noted in 18 (46.2%) patients, while 21 cases (53.8%) displayed injury involving multiple levels. The levels of cervical injury were C5 (n = 16, 41%), C6 (n = 11, 28.2%), C7 (n = 6, 15.4%), C1 (n = 5, 12.8%), and C4 (n = 1, 2.6%). A total of 22 patients had neurological deficits at admission. Surgery was performed using anterior (n = 21, 72.4%), posterior (n = 7, 24.1%), and combined anterior and posterior (n = 1, 3.4%) routes. Nine patients (23.1%) exhibited improvement in their neurological deficits. There were significant improvements in both the ASIA impairment scale and KPS results after treatment. Conclusion. Our data indicated that dive- or fall-related cervical spinal injuries are associated with profound morbidity. Reinforcement of primary prevention, identification of target population, and increased awareness on this topic are the key steps to minimize the frequency and severity of complications and to optimize therapeutic outcomes.

Schwannomas are typically solitary, well-encapsulated, benign tumors running along or attached to a nerve. An intradural-extramedullary cervical spinal schwannoma, which first manifests as a swelling in the anterior neck, has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. We present the case of a 69-year-old patient complaining of a gradually worsening painful left cervical swelling for over 8 years. First, a posterior spinal midline approach was performed for the resection of the tumor and the tumor portion in the vertebral canal was totally removed. The second operation, the anterolateral approach, was planned to be executed in a second surgical session. The patient was discharged from the hospital without neurological deficits. Histopathological diagnosis was a schwannoma. The first aim of surgery is to treat neurological deficits in patients with cervical intraspinal schwannomas with/without extension into the extra-vertebral paravertebral neck regions. The surgical strategy combines the posterior midline and the anterolateral cervical approaches in the same session or at different times.

Schwannomas are typically solitary, well-encapsulated, benign tumors running along or attached to a nerve. An intradural-extramedullary cervical spinal schwannoma, which first manifests as a swelling in the anterior neck, has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. We present the case of a 69-year-old patient complaining of a gradually worsening painful left cervical swelling for over 8 years. First, a posterior spinal midline approach was performed for the resection of the tumor and the tumor portion in the vertebral canal was totally removed. The second operation, the anterolateral approach, was planned to be executed in a second surgical session. The patient was discharged from the hospital without neurological deficits. Histopathological diagnosis was a schwannoma. The first aim of surgery is to treat neurological deficits in patients with cervical intraspinal schwannomas with/without extension into the extra-vertebral paravertebral neck regions. The surgical strategy combines the posterior midline and the anterolateral cervical approaches in the same session or at different times.