• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제54권5호
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• pp.423-425
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• 2013

We present a case report to remind surgeons of this unusual complication that can occur in any surgery, even posterior cervical spine surgery under general anesthesia and discuss its causes, treatment methods, and the follow-up results in the literature. The peripheral Tapia's syndrome is a rare complication of anesthetic airway management. Main symptoms are hoarseness of voice and difficulty of tongue movement. Tapia's syndrome after endotracheal general anesthesia is believed to be due to pressure neuropathy of the vagus nerve and the hypoglossal nerve caused by the endotracheal tube. To our knowledge, no report has been published or given an explanation for Tapia's syndrome after posterior cervical spine surgery. Two patients who underwent posterior cervical surgery complained hoarseness and tongue palsy postoperatively. There is no direct anatomical relation between the operation, the vagus nerves and the hypoglossal nerves, and there is no record of displacement or malposition of the endotracheal tube. After several months, all symptoms are resolved. To avoid this problem in posterior cervical spine surgery, we suggest paying special attention to the position of the endotracheal tube to avoid excessive neck flexion before and during the positioning of the patient.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제60권5호
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• pp.485-497
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• 2017

Surgical treatment of the degenerative disc disease has evolved from traditional open spine surgery to minimally invasive spine surgery including endoscopic spine surgery. Constant improvement in the imaging modality especially with introduction of the magnetic resonance imaging, it is possible to identify culprit degenerated disc segment and again with the discography it is possible to diagnose the pain generator and pathological degenerated disc very precisely and its treatment with minimally invasive approach. With improvements in the optics, high resolution camera, light source, high speed burr, irrigation pump etc, minimally invasive spine surgeries can be performed with various endoscopic techniques for lumbar, cervical and thoracic regions. Advantages of endoscopic spine surgeries are less tissue dissection and muscle trauma, reduced blood loss, less damage to the epidural blood supply and consequent epidural fibrosis and scarring, reduced hospital stay, early functional recovery and improvement in the quality of life & better cosmesis. With precise indication, proper diagnosis and good training, the endoscopic spine surgery can give equally good result as open spine surgery. Initially, endoscopic technique was restricted to the lumbar region but now it also can be used for cervical and thoracic disc herniations. Previously endoscopy was used for disc herniations which were contained without migration but now days it is used for highly up and down migrated disc herniations as well. Use of endoscopic technique in lumbar region was restricted to disc herniations but gradually it is also used for spinal canal stenosis and endoscopic assisted fusion surgeries. Endoscopic spine surgery can play important role in the treatment of adolescent disc herniations especially for the persons who engage in the competitive sports and the athletes where less tissue trauma, cosmesis and early functional recovery is desirable. From simple chemonucleolysis to current day endoscopic procedures the history of minimally invasive spine surgery is interesting. Appropriate indications, clear imaging prior to surgery and preplanning are keys to successful outcome. In this article basic procedures of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy through transforaminal and interlaminar routes, percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy, percutaneous endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy and percutaneous endoscopic thoracic discectomy are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제63권6호
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• pp.767-776
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• 2020

Objective : The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) for adjacent segmental disease (ASD) after anterior cervical fusion (ACF). As ACF is accepted as the standard treatment for cervical spondylosis, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of various surgical techniques to overcome symptomatic ASD after the previous surgery. Herein, PCF was performed for the treatment of symptomatic ASD and the feasibility of the surgery was evaluated. Methods : Forty nine patients who underwent PCF due to symptomatic ASD from August 2008 to November 2017 were identified. For demographic and perioperative data, the sex, age, types of previous surgery, ASD levels, operation times, and bleeding amount were recorded. The clinical outcome was assessed using the visual analogue scale for the neck and arm, the modified Odom's criteria as well as neck disability index. Radiologic evaluations were performed by measuring disc softness, disc height, the cervical 2-7 sagittal vertical axis, cervical cobb angle, and facet violation. Results : Thirty-seven patients were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups based on the location of the pathology; paracentral (group P) or foramina (group F). Both groups showed significant clinical improvement (p<0.05). The proportion of calcified disc and facet violations was significantly larger in group F (p<0.05). The minimal disc height decrease with mild improvement on sagittal alignment and cervical lordosis was radiologically measured without statistical significance in both groups (p>0.05). Conclusion : PCF showed satisfactory clinical and radiologic outcomes for both paracentral and foraminal pathologies of ASD after ACF. Complications related to anterior revision were also avoided. PCF can be considered a feasible and safe surgical option for ASD after ACF.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제64권6호
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• pp.901-912
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• 2021

Objective : In the cervical spine, many surgical procedures have been developed to achieve optimal results for various disorders, including degenerative diseases, traumatic injury, and tumor. In this study, we report our experience and follow-up results with a new surgical technique for cervical spine entitled posterior floating laminotomy (PFL) in comparison with conventional laminectomy and fusion (LF). Methods : Data for 85 patients who underwent conventional LF (n=66) or PFL (n=19) for cervical spine disorders between 2012 and 2019 were analyzed. Radiological parameters, including cervical lordosis (CL), T1 slope (T1S), segmental lordosis (SL), and C2-7 sagittal vertical axis (SVA), were measured with lateral spine X-rays. Functional outcomes, comprising the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA), neck disability index (NDI), and visual analog scale (VAS) scores, were also measured. For the patients who underwent PFL, postoperative magnetic resonance image (MRI) was performed in a month after the surgery, and the degree of decompression was evaluated at the T2-weighted axial image, and postoperative computed tomography (CT) was conducted immediately and 1 year after the operation to evaluate the gutter fusion. Results : There was no difference in CL, T1S, SL, and C2-7 SVA between the groups but there was a difference in the preoperative and postoperative SL angles. The mean difference in the preoperative SL angle compared with that at the last follow-up was -0.3° after conventional LF and 4.7° after PFL (p=0.04), respectively. mJOA, NDI, and VAS scores showed significant improvements (p<0.05) during follow-up in both groups. In the PFL group, postoperative MRI showed sufficient decompression and postoperative CT revealed gutter fusion at 1 year after the operation. Conclusion : PFL is a safe surgical method which can preserve postoperative CL and achieve good clinical outcomes.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.30-33
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• 2013

A 55-year-old woman was seen in the emergency department with posterior neck pain and a headache after a traffic accident. Physical examination revealed tenderness on palpation over the posterior skull and a midline spinous process of the cervical spine without neurologic deficit. A plain radiograph of the cervical spine demonstrated the absence of the lateral portion of the posterior arch of the atlas and very lucent shadowing of the anterior midline of the atlas, suggesting a fracture of the anterior arch. On three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine, anterior and posterior bony defects of the atlas were noted. Well-corticated defects were noted with sclerotic change and with no evidence of soft tissue swelling adjacent to the bony discontinuities, consistent with a congenital abnormality. With conservative therapy, the patient gradually showed a lessening of the midline tenderness. Careful investigation with radiography or CT is needed for these patients to avoid confusion with a fracture, because these patients seldom need surgical treatment.

• 대한두경부종양학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.218-221
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• 2011

The anterior approach to the cervical spine surgery is associated with possible complications such as dysphagia, hoarseness and granuloma formation etc. Because of orthopedic metallic plates, the increasing or focal uptake pattern may be demonstrated in $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT scan. A 67-year-old-man came to our department, complained of dysphagia during the 4 months. He underwent cervical spine surgery three years ago. The CT and MRI findings mimicked typical posterior pharyngeal wall cancer with cervical metastasis. Furthermore, the SUV in $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT was 10.3. But he was finally diagnosed as a granuloma resulting from the metallic cervical implants. The clinical correlation and medical history should be taken into account to avoid false-positive findings in PET/CT and to avoid many erroneous diagnostic pathways.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.120-124
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• 1996

We report three cases of posterior mediastinal tumor in Von Recklinghausen's disease on 12-yearsy old boy, 8-years-old girl and 6-years-old boy. Especially the last case was combinded with "Dumbbell" neurilemmoma of cervical spine. In the first case, preoperative CT scan showed a homogeneous large mass In the posterior mediastinum. But the mass did not show intraspinal invasion on the chest MRI scan. In the last case, cervical spine CT with thecal enhancement shows dumbbell shaped neurofibroma, compressed spinal cord and thecal sac In three cases we removed all the masses successfully and the patients were discharged safely without significant problem.t problem.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제44권5호
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• pp.303-307
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• 2008

Objective: The authors reviewed clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with three column injury of the cervical spine who had undergone posterior cervical fixation using Nitinol shape memory alloy loop in the anterior-posterior combined approach. Materials: Nine patients were surgically treated with anterior cervical fusion using an iliac bone graft and dynamic plate-screw system, and the posterior cervical fixation using Nitinol shape memory loop ($Davydov^{TM}$) at the same time. A retrospective review was performed. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Frankel grading method. We reviewed the radiological parameters such as bony fusion rate, height of iliac bone graft strut, graft subsidence, cervical lordotic angle, and instrument related complication. Results: Single-level fusion was performed in five patients, and two-level fusion in four. Solid bone fusion was presented in all cases after surgery. The mean height of graft strut was significantly decreased from $20.46{\pm}9.97mm$ at immediate postoperative state to $18.87{\pm}8.60mm$ at the final follow-up period (p<0.05). The mean cervical lordotic angle decreased from $13.83{\pm}11.84^{\circ}$ to $11.37{\pm}6.03^{\circ}$ at the immediate postoperative state but then, increased to $24.39{\pm}9.83^{\circ}$ at the final follow-up period (p<0.05). There were no instrument related complications. Conclusion: We suggest that the posterior cervical fixation using Nitinol shape memory alloy loop may be a simple and useful method, and be one of treatment options in anterior-posterior combined approach for the patients with the three column injury of the cervical spine.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제63권4호
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• pp.487-494
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• 2020

Objective : To analyze the incidence and characteristics of delayed postoperative fever in posterior cervical fusion using cervical pedicle screws (CPS). Methods : This study analyzed 119 patients who underwent posterior cervical fusion surgery using CPS. Delayed fever was defined as no fever for the first 3 postoperative days, followed by an ear temperature ≥38℃ on postoperative day 4 and subsequent days. Patient age, sex, diagnosis, laminectomy, surgical level, revision status, body mass index, underlying medical disease, surgical duration, and transfusion status were retrospectively reviewed. Results : Of 119 patients, seven were excluded due to surgical site infection, spondylitis, pneumonia, or surgical level that included the thoracic spine. Of the 112 included patients, 28 (25%) were febrile and 84 (75%) were afebrile. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that laminectomy was a statistically significant risk factor for postoperative non-pathological fever (odds ratio, 10.251; p=0.000). In contrast, trauma or tumor surgery and underlying medical disease were not significant risk factors for fever. Conclusion : Patients who develop delayed fever 4 days after posterior cervical fusion surgery using CPS are more likely to have non-pathologic fever than surgical site infection. Laminectomy is a significant risk factor for non-pathologic fever.

• 대한골관절종양학회지
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.37-43
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• 1998

Between 1992 and 1996, 5 patients with the giant-cell tumor of the spine were treated. Four were female and one was male. The mean age was 34 years old, and the mean follow-up time was 36 months. The locations of the lesions were the cervical spine in 1, the thoracic spine in 3, and the lumbar spine in 1. Pain was the predominant presenting symptom in all cases and four had a neurological deficit. A combined anterior and posterior surgical approach wds as performed in all cases, which were also treated with AIF(anterior interbody fusion) and anterior and/or posterior instrumentation. Adjuvant radiation therapy was performed in 1 case of cervical spine. At the final follow-up, the pain and neurologic symptoms were improved. Radiologic examination showed no evidence of local recurrence and no failure of instrumentation of the spine.