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Background: Transdural disc herniation (TDH) is a rare event accounting for 0.3-1.5% of all disc herniation cases. Considering the risk of leakage of the cerebrospinal fluid from the dural defect after removal of TDH or incomplete removal, it is very important to recognize TDH before surgery. This study is a retrospective case analysis to analyze the imaging findings of seven cases and to construct a preoperative prediction model for TDH., Methods: Retrospective radiographic examination was performed among patients operated for TDH in two institutions from 2008 to 2018. The radiographic images were analyzed according to the following eight signs: including absence of dural tent, complete block of spinal canal, hawk-beak sign, double-layered lesion, increased distance between the dura and cauda equina, rim enhancement, dural tent enhancement, and epidural gas. To clarify the predictive ability of these radiographic signs, consecutive 131 surgically confirmed epidural disc herniation (EDH) patients for the last 2 years were set as a control group for TDH. The sum of radiographic findings was compared between TDH and EDH patients to determine the cutoff value., Results: There were 1 thoracic and 6 lumbar TDHs among 75 thoracic and 6674 lumbar disc herniation cases with an incidence of 1.33% and 0.09%, respectively. Dural tent (p = 0.000, odds ratio = 106.67), double-layered lesion (p = 0.000, odds ratio = 22.69), and distance between the dura and cauda equina (p = 0.007, odds ratio = 52.00) were statistically significantly different between TDH and EDH. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve, the cutoff value of 1.5 had 85.7% sensitivity and 90.8% specificity., Conclusion: Preoperative imaging can be useful for TDH diagnosis. It is safe to consider the possibility of TDH in patients with more than two findings in the preoperative images.

Purpose: To determine the biologic behavior and prognostic factors of spinal cord astrocytoma, we reviewed surgical and clinical outcomes. Due to the rarity of spinal cord astrocytoma, there is a lack of research regarding this type of tumor and malignant transformation.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data from all patients on whom we performed spinal cord tumor removal between 1983 and 2014. Twenty-six patients were pathologically confirmed to have spinal cord astrocytoma or glioblastoma. Surgical extent and disease progression were confirmed by the surgeon based on operative findings, postoperative MRI, and outpatient department (OPD) follow-up.Results: Pain or neurological deficit was the chief complaint for all patients. With MRI studies, there is a tendency for high-grade astrocytomas to show as enhanced and heterogeneous images. Two of the low-grade astrocytomas showed malignant transformation over the course of 4 and 11 months, respectively. The overall survival (OS) for low-grade astrocytoma was 28-480 months (mean 156.38 months); the OS for high-grade astrocytoma was 1-36 months (mean 12.00 months).Conclusions: Two of 12 low-grade cases showed malignant transformations at 4 and 11 months, respectively, based on pathological confirmation. With spinal cord astrocytomas, enhanced MRI results appeared similar to those of a malignant lesion. We suggest close observation and image correlation of low-grade astrocytomas, even when pathologically confirmed as low-grade. In this review, we found that histologic grade is the most important prognostic factor, although it is not always concordant with biologic behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 61-year-old man was admitted complaining of myelopathy and back pain for 3 months. A 15-mm hemangioma with calcification was noted on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Intraoperatively, the mass was hard with ill-defined demarcation. The cranial portion of the mass was brown and dark gray on the dorsal cord. During surgery, motor evoked potentials transiently decreased, but they fully recovered at the end of surgery. After surgery, the patient's symptoms recovered without severe neurologic deficit. Hemangioma calcificans, a variant of cavernous hemangioma with full calcification and ossification, is an extremely rare disease in the spine and brain. Here we report a rare case of intramedullary cavernous hemangioma with calcification of the spinal cord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Context: Because of the scarcity of atypical spinal meningioma, there is a lack of research on this type of tumor or its associated metastases.Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the biological behavior of atypical spinal meningioma and identify its prognostic factors by reviewing surgical and clinical outcomes of patients with these tumors.Study Design: A retrospective chart review was performed.Patient Sample: We retrospectively reviewed the data from all patients who underwent spinal cord tumor excision between 1994 and 2017. Seventeen patients were pathologically proven to have atypical spinal meningioma.Outcome Measures: We examined patients' neurologic status by determining their Nurick scores before and after surgery. Moreover, imaging studies, laboratory data, and the employed surgical method were analyzed retrospectively, as was the Ki-67 index and prognosis following postoperative radiation therapy.Methods: The ranges, locations, and pathologic diagnoses of the tumors were extracted from the radiological and pathological records of each patient. The extent of surgery and progression of disease were confirmed using postoperative enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were divided into two atypical spinal meningioma groups: primary and metastatic. The demographics, age, sex, presenting symptom duration, tumor location, Simpson resection grade, Ki-67, radiotherapy, recurrence, overall survival, and progression-free survival of patients in both groups were compared.Results: Seventeen patients were included in the analysis, of whom 12 (70%), 4 (24%), and 1 (6%) had tumors in the thoracic, cervical, and sacral regions, respectively. Complete and subtotal resections were achieved in 15 (88%) and 2 (12%) patients, respectively. Overall and progression-free survival rates in patients who underwent complete resection were longer than those in patients who underwent subtotal resection (p<.001). Four patients (24%) had metastatic meningiomas in the brain, among whom three were administered adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery. Two patients with intramedullary atypical spinal meningioma had metastatic tumors and experienced poorer prognoses. The 5-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 84.4% and 85.2%, respectively. The Simpson resection grade, Ki-67 index, and preoperative neurologic status were found to be important prognostic factors on univariate Cox regression analysis (p<.05).Conclusions: Complete resection should be considered as a primary treatment modality for individuals with atypical spinal meningioma. If subtotal resection is performed, adjuvant therapy can be administered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Context: Adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) is one of the major complications after lumbar fusion. Several studies have evaluated the risk factors of ASD. Although the paraspinal muscles play an important role in spine stability, no study has assessed the relationship between paraspinal muscle atrophy and the incidence of ASD after lumbar fusion.Purpose: In the present study, we aimed to verify the known risk factors of ASD, such as body mass index (BMI), preoperative adjacent facet joint degeneration, and disc degeneration, and to assess the relationship between paraspinal muscle atrophy and ASD.Study Design: This is a retrospective 1:1 pair analysis matched by age, sex, fusion level, and follow-up period.Patient Sample: To calculate the appropriate sample size for the study, we performed a pre-study analysis of the paraspinal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), and estimated that at least 35 cases would be needed for each group. Among the 510 patients who underwent posterior lumbar fusion for degenerative lumbar disease between January 2009 and October 2009, a total of 50 patients with ASD after surgery were selected. Another group of 50 matched patients with degenerative lumbar disease without ASD after spinal fusion were selected as the control group. Each patient in the ASD group was matched with a control patient according to age, sex, fusion level, and follow-up period.Outcome Measures: Radiographic measurements and demographic data were reviewed.Methods: The risk factors considered were higher BMI, preoperative adjacent segment disc and facet degeneration, and preoperative paraspinal muscle atrophy and fatty degeneration. The radiographic data were compared between the ASD and control groups to determine the predictive factors of ASD after posterior lumbar fusion by using logistic regression analysis. The study was not externally funded. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher BMI (odds ratio [OR]: 1.353, p=.008), preoperative facet degeneration on computed tomography examination (OR: 3.075, p=.011), disc degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (OR: 2.783, p=.003), fatty degeneration (OR: 1.080, p=.044), and a smaller relative CSA of the paraspinal muscle preoperatively (OR: 0.083, p=.003) were significant factors for predicting the development of ASD.Conclusions: The occurrence of radiological ASD is most likely multifactorial, and is associated with a higher BMI, preexisting facet and disc degeneration on preoperative examination, and a smaller preoperative relative CSA of the paraspinal muscle on MRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]