• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1237-1240
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• 2001

Spontaneous herniation of the spinal cord is a very rare. It's clinical symptom presents with progressive myelopathy. A 42-year old male patient who presented the progressive left leg weakness and Brown-Seqaurd syndrome is presented. MRI showed a typical finding of dural defect and herniation of the cord on the level of T3-4. Repair of dural defect using an artificial dura and reposition of cord herniation were undertaken after three level laminectomies with SSEP monitoring. Postoperatively, symptoms were improved rapidly. In our knowledgement, this is first case being reported in Korea. This entity, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of myelopathy in the absence of a mass lesion.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.355-358
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• 2013

Spinal extradural arachnoid cyst (SEAC) is a rare disease and uncommon cause of compressive myelopathy. The etiology remains still unclear. We experienced 2 cases of SEACs and reviewed the cases and previous literatures. A 59-year-old man complained of both leg radiating pain and paresthesia for 4 years. His MRI showed an extradural cyst from T12 to L3 and we performed cyst fenestration and repaired the dural defect with tailored laminectomy. Another 51-year-old female patient visited our clinical with left buttock pain and paresthesia for 3 years. A large extradural cyst was found at T1-L2 level on MRI and a communication between the cyst and subarachnoid space was illustrated by CT-myelography. We performed cyst fenestration with primary repair of dural defect. Both patients' symptoms gradually subsided and follow up images taken 1-2 months postoperatively showed nearly disappeared cysts. There has been no documented recurrence in these two cases so far. Tailored laminotomy with cyst fenestration can be a safe and effective alternative choice in treating SEACs compared to traditional complete resection of cyst wall with multi-level laminectomy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.249-252
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• 2006

Postlaminectomy syndrome is characterized by persistent low back pain and radiculopathy of the legs after surgery of the spine. Pseudomeningocele is an uncommon cause of postlaminectomy syndrome; it is characterized by an extradural collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) without dural covering, resulting from unrecognized dural tears at the time of lumbar surgery. In most cases, surgery to repair a pseudomeningocele is recommended. However if surgical treatment does not yield symptomatic relief, then conservative treatment should be considered. We treated a patient with a pseudomeningocele after spine surgery in which selective transforaminal epidural block produced long-term relief of symptoms. Here we describe the management of this patient.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.841-845
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• 2022

Objective : Chiari III malformations are extremely rare hindbrain malformations that are associated with a high early mortality rate, or severe neurologic deficits in the survivors. The treatment is early operative closure and cerebrospinal fluid diversion (CSF) shunting. Methods : We operated on 15 patients by repair and excision between July 2014 till June 2020 and retrospective data collection was done. Only one patient doesn't need ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt and the other 14 patients need a VP shunt. We described stepwise dissection and untethering of the cerebellum from the bony edge to regrowth and herniation of cerebellum again into this potential space and simple dural closure or repair with graft was done. Results : We started with VP in eight patients (53%) and the other seven patients (46.7%) started with excision and then six patients need VP shunt later on because four patients developed CSF leak and two patients developed increased high intracranial tension. Only four patients (26.7%) needed a blood transfusion. Conclusion : There are variations in the outcome and not all cases of Chiari malformation III will die and severe developmental delay is not a must. Proper management and repair carry a good prognosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.668-674
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• 2000

Objective : The classic and accepted surgical method of compound comminuted depressed skull fractures (FCCD) involves total resection of all the contaminated bone and fragments at the fracture site. A second operation for cranioplasty is then performed at a later date. However, we have believed that primary repair of these bony defects can be achieved by the replacement of bone fragments at the time of the initial debridement, and this can be accomplished without danger to patient. The authors retrospectively reviewed the surgical results to assess the advantages and disadvantages, and also propose the selection criteria of replacement of fractured bone fragments as a primary procedure in FCCD. Materials and Methods : The authors analyzed the data extracted from medical records, and radiological findings in 22 of 71 patients with FCCD, who underwent immediate replacement of fractured bone fragments between April 1993 and October 1998. The mean follow-up period was 13.7 months. The selection criteria for the operation included the patients with mild to moderate severity, regardless of the degree of contamination or dural violation, which presented in hospital within 24 hours of injury. Results : The ages of the patients varied from 4 to 63 years, and there were 20 males and 2 females. Seventeen of 22 patients were fully conscious on admission and the others also had relatively good Glasgow coma scales. Sixteen fractures were located in the frontal area, 9 with involvement of the frontal sinuses, and 6 in the parietal and temporoparietal areas. Of the 22 patients, 8(36.3%) had dural lacerations with 3 of these requiring patching with pericranium, and 12(54.5%) had intracranial hematoma requiring wide craniotomy. The degree of wound contamination was also variable. Fifteen patients had relatively clean wounds, while seven(31.8%) had seriously contaminated wounds with soil, sand, hair, and wood. Only one patient(4.5%) developed infection, and the bone fragments were removed. All wounds healed primarily without pulsatile defect, the skull has remained solid, and no complications have occurred, except the infected case. Conclusion : It is proposed that bone fragments removal for FCCD, regardless of the degree of contamination or dural violation, is not necessary and that primary bone fragments replacement avoids a second operation for cranioplasty.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.555-557
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• 2012

We report an uncommon case of a 45-year-old woman who presented with spontaneous rhinorrhea. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the head revealed an abnormally large sphenoid sinus associated with a parasellar bony defect (Sternberg's canal) through which magnetic resonance imaging could detect an encephalocele of the right temporal lobe. An endoscope-assisted trans-sphenoidal approach was performed and, with the aid of image guided surgery, reduction of the encephalocele was obtained and followed by surgical repair of the dural and bony defects. The postoperative course was uneventful and the cerebrospinal fluid fistula was closed as confirmed by the postoperative CT scan and by the absence of rhinorrhea. After three years of monitoring the patient remained asymptomatic.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.169-173
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• 1997

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea usually occurs as a result of trauma including operation. Unheated CSF rhinorrhea may induce major morbidity such as meningitis and brain abscess, etc. This paper presents a review of four cases of traumatic CSF rhinorrhea Sites of CSF leakage were easily found out by intrathecal fluorescent dye injection. Surgery was performed by external ethmoidectomy approach and dural tear and bone defect was repaired with abdominal fat and free mucosal graft taken from amputated middle turbinates. We conclude that repair using free fat and mucosal graft via external ethmoidectomy approach could be accepted as the intial method of CSF rhinorrhea management.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2007

Objective : The authors tried to reveal some unique features of lipomeningomyelocele (LMMC), including clinical presentation, factors precipitating onset of symptoms, pathologic entities of LMMC associated with tethered cord syndrome, and surgical outcome in LMMC patients. Methods : Seventy-five patients with LMMC were enrolled in this study. Neuro-imaging and intraoperative findings allowed classification of LMMC into three Types. The patients were divided into two groups by age : A (51 patients), from birth to 3 years, and B (24 patients), from 3 to 24 years. For prevention of retethering of the cord, a mega-dural sac rebuilding procedure was performed in 15 patients. Results : During a mean postoperative follow-up period of 4 years, the surgical outcome was satisfactory in terms of improved pain and motor weakness, but disappointing with reference to the resolution of bowel and bladder dysfunction. Among these 75 patients with LMMC, preoperative deficits were improved after surgery in 29 (39%), remained stable in 28 (37%), changed slightly in 13 (17%), and worsened in 5 (7%). Patients in group A achieved better outcomes than those in group B. Depending on the type of lesion, patients with types I and II LMMC have better outcomes than those with type III LMMC. Finally, retethering of the cord with neurological deterioration occurred in 4 (5.3%) of the 75 patients, but no retethering was found in the 15 patients who were recently treated with a mega-dural sac rebuilding procedure. Conclusion : Our data continue to support the opinion that early diagnosis and optimal surgery are still essential for the treatment of patients with LMMC, since there is a high likelihood of residual neurological functions that can be preserved. Based on our surgical experience of untethering and decompression of lipomas, a mega-dural sac repair is useful to prevent retethering of the cord.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.799-807
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• 2021

Objective : Cerebrospinal fluid leakage related complications (CLC) occasionally occur after intradural spinal surgery. We sought to investigate the effectiveness of early ambulation after intradural spinal surgery and analyze the risk factors for CLC. Methods : For this retrospective cohort study, we enrolled 314 patients who underwent intradural spinal surgery at a single institution. The early group contained 79 patients who started ambulation after 1 day of bedrest without position restrictions, while the late group consisted of 235 patients who started ambulation after at least 3 days of bed rest and were limited to the prone position after surgery. In the early group, Prolene 6-0 was used as the dura suture material, while black silk 5-0 was used as the dura suture material in the late group. Results : The overall incidence rate of CLC was 10.8%. Significant differences between the early and late groups were identified in the rate of CLC (2.5% vs. 13.6%), surgical repair required (1.3% vs. 7.7%), and length of hospital stay (2.99 vs. 9.29 days) (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that CLC was associated with practices specific to the late group (p=0.011) and the revision surgery (p=0.022). Conclusion : Using Prolene 6-0 as a dura suture material for intradural spinal surgery resulted in lower CLC rates compared to black silk 5-0 sutures despite a shorter bed rest period. Our findings revealed that suture - needle ratio related to dura defect was the most critical factor for CLC. One-day ambulation after primary dura closure using Prolene 6-0 sutures appears to be a costeffective and safe strategy for intradural spinal surgery.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.403-407
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• 2007

The authors encountered a case of simultaneous radiation-induced multiple meningiomas and ventriculoperitoneal [VP] shunt-related pneumocephalus. A 35-year-old man, who had undergone surgery for medulloblastoma 21 years previously and subsequently received high dose craniospinal irradiation with adjuvant chemotherapy and later underwent a VP shunt because of hydrocephalus, presented with a severe headache and weakness of both lower extremities. Computed tomography showed an air pocket lesion in the left temporal lobe and a large amount of pneumocephalus with a bony defect of the left tegmen tympani. In addition, a 3 cm sized well enhancing mass was noted in the in the right middle cranial fossa and additional small enhancing nodule in the left frontal pole. He was treated by left temporal craniotomy and repair of the bony and dural defects of the left tegmentum tympanum through extradural and intradural approaches, respectively. Afterwards, he underwent right temporal craniotomy and gross total removal of a rapidly growing right middle fossa mass and a left frontal mass. The histological examination was consistent with atypical meningioma, WHO grade II. In conclusion, physicians have to consider the serious long term complications of high dose radiation therapy and VP shunt placement and need to perform the neuroradiologic follow-up after such treatments for several decades.