• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.379-388
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• 2000

Objective : Although transoral transpharyngeal approach is a very useful method for the lesions of craniovertebral junction, it is not frequently used because of anatomical unfamilarity, risk of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) leakage, and resultant postoperative meningitis. To evaluate the usefulness of transoral transpharyngeal approach for various lesions of craniovertebral junction, clinical characteristics and the results of this approach are investigated. Methods : Transoral transpharyngeal approaches were performed in eight cases between 1996 and 1999. Among them, there were three basilar invaginations due to congenital anomalies, two odontoid type I fractures, two atlantoaxial dislocations, and one pseudotumor. Surgical methods included five cases of anterior decompression and posterior fusion, two anterior approaches for decompression and one transoral approach for biopsy. Results : This procedure allowed immediate clinical improvement in all cases. In seven patients with preoperative motor deficit showed a progressive neurological improvement. The follow-up plain x-rays demonstrated successful bony fusion in all patients. Only one patient suffered from postoperative wound dehiscence, but she completely recovered after wound revision. There was no complication of postoperative CSF leakages. Conclusions : Transoral transpharyngeal approach for the ventral lesions of craniovertebral junction, can be used as a relatively simple and effective method.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.405-410
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• 2020

Purpose: Pedicle screw insertion has been traditionally used as a surgical treatment for degenerative lumbar spine disease. As an alternative, the cortical-bone trajectory screw allows less invasive posterior lumbar fixation and excellent mechanical stability, as reported in several biomechanical studies. This study evaluated the clinical and radiological results of a case of early failure of cortical-bone screw fixation in posterior fixation and union after posterior decompression. Materials and Methods: This study examined 311 patients who underwent surgical treatment from 2013 to 2018 using cortical orbital screws as an alternative to traditional pedicle screw fixation for degenerative spinal stenosis and anterior spine dislocation of the lumbar spine. Early fixation failure after surgery was defined as fixation failure, such as loosening, pull-out, and breakage of the screw on computed tomography (CT) and radiographs at a follow-up of six months. Results: Early fixation failure occurred in 46 out of 311 cases (14.8%), screw loosening in 46 cases (14.8%), pull-out in 12 cases (3.9%), and breakage in four cases (1.3%). An analysis of the site where the fixation failure occurred revealed the following, L1 in seven cases (15.2%), L2 in three cases (6.5%), L3 in four cases (8.7%), L4 in four cases (8.7%), L5 in four cases (8.7%), and S1 in 24 cases (52.2%). Among the distal cortical bone screws, fixation failures such as loosening, pull-out, and breakage occurred mainly in the S1 screws. Conclusion: Cortical-bone trajectory screw fixation may be an alternative with comparable clinical outcomes or fewer complications compared to conventional pedicle screw fixation. On the other hand, in case with osteoporosis and no anterior support structure particularly at L5-S1 fusion sites were observed to have result of premature fixation failures such as relaxation, pull-out, and breakage.