Gabriel Lee

Functioning paraganglioma of the thoracic spine: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCEParagangliomas of the thoracic spine are rare. Previously described cases involved nonfunctioning tumors. This report documents the diagnosis and surgical treatment for a patient who presented with a functioning thoracic paraganglioma. CLINICAL PRESENTATIONA 53-year-old woman presented with a 10-month history of headaches, facial flushing, and palpitations associated with hypertension. Urinary catecholamine levels were markedly elevated. Magnetic resonance imaging and m-[123I]iodobenzylguanidine scans demonstrated an extradural tumor located within the T12 vertebra, with a significant paraspinal component. The neurological examination revealed mild hypesthesia in the right T12 dermatome. INTERVENTIONThe patient underwent resection of the tumor after &agr;-adrenergic receptor blockade. Grossly complete excision was achieved without neurological complications. Postoperatively, the patient was normotensive and exhibited catecholamine levels within the normal range. CONCLUSIONFunctioning paragangliomas of the thoracic spine are rare lesions that are difficult to treat. Successful treatment requires careful surgical planning and expert pharmacological manipulation.

Quantitative sensory testing somatosensory profiles in patients with cervical radiculopathy are distinct from those in patients with nonspecific neck-arm pain

Summary Patients with cervical radiculopathy and patients with nonspecific neck–arm pain demonstrated distinctive somatosensory profiles, potentially reflecting differences in underlying pathophysiology and pain mechanisms. ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to establish the somatosensory profiles of patients with cervical radiculopathy and patients with nonspecific neck–arm pain associated with heightened nerve mechanosensitivity (NSNAP). Sensory profiles were compared to healthy control (HC) subjects and a positive control group comprising patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) of thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds, pain sensitivity and responsiveness to repetitive noxious mechanical stimulation was performed in the maximal pain area, the corresponding dermatome and foot of 23 patients with painful C6 or C7 cervical radiculopathy, 8 patients with NSNAP in a C6/7 dermatomal pain distribution, 31 HC and 22 patients with FM. For both neck–arm pain groups, all QST parameters were within the 95% confidence interval of HC data. Patients with cervical radiculopathy were characterised by localised loss of function (thermal, mechanical, vibration detection P < .009) in the maximal pain area and dermatome (thermal detection, vibration detection, pressure pain sensitivity P < .04), consistent with peripheral neuronal damage. Both neck–arm pain groups demonstrated increased cold sensitivity in their maximal pain area (P < .03) and the foot (P < .009), and this was also the dominant sensory characteristic in patients with NSNAP. Both neck–arm pain groups differed from patients with FM, the latter characterised by a widespread gain of function in most nociceptive parameters (thermal, pressure, mechanical pain sensitivity P < .027). Despite commonalities in pain characteristics between the 2 neck–arm pain groups, distinct sensory profiles were demonstrated for each group.

Prolonged and severe dysphagia following anterior cervical surgery.

While mild swallowing difficulties are commonly reported transiently following anterior cervical surgery, marked dysphagia is unusual. The authors report a patient who experienced severe and prolonged dysphagia following elective cervical corpectomies with iliac grafting and anterior plate fusion for multilevel cervical canal stenosis. The literature is reviewed and discussed.

Longitudinal clivus fracture associated with trapped basilar artery: unusual survival with good neurological recovery.

A 46-year-old motorcyclist sustained severe cranio-facial fractures from a fall at 60 km/h. He gradually developed a left hemiparesis and diplopia but retained a GCS of 15. CT head scan revealed a longitudinal clivus fracture. MRA of intracranial vessels identified a trapped basilar artery. The patient made an excellent recovery with residual left abducens palsy on follow-up at 10 weeks. Such recovery with minimal residual deficit in the context of this injury has not previously been reported. Reported cases to date are reviewed and causative mechanisms discussed.

Spinal chondromyxoid fibroma of C2.

Chondromyxoid fibroma of bone (CMF) is a rare benign primary bone neoplasm accounting for less than 0.5% of all primary bone neoplasms. The spine is an uncommon site for this tumour, with forty-two cases reported in the modern English literature. They have clinical features similar to CMF arising at other sites. Local recurrence is well documented. We report an incidentally discovered lytic lesion of the C2 vertebra. The patient underwent stereotactic CT guided trans-oral curettage of the lesion with iliac bone graft and anterior fusion of C2 and C3. Microscopic examination of the surgical specimen demonstrated CMF. This is the second reported case of this rare tumour in this location. We review the literature and the unique radiological and pathological features and management of spinal CMF. Local recurrence of spinal CMF and its management is also discussed in light of the five previously reported cases of local spinal recurrence.

A rare anatomical variation of the C7 pedicle and intraspinal course of the C7 nerve root.

We report a 58 year old man who presented with severe C7 radiculopathy which failed to respond to conservative measures. Subsequent CT and MR imaging of his cervical spine demonstrated C6/7 foraminal stenosis as well as unusual low take-off of the C7 nerve root in relation to a congenital low-set C7 pedicle, findings which were subsequently confirmed intra-operatively. The relevance of the bony and neural anatomy is described and its implications for surgical management are discussed. To our knowledge, this anatomical anomaly has not been previously highlighted in the published English literature.

Spinal cord ganglioglioma presenting as acute paraparesis

A 17-year-old male presented with acute onset paraparesis in the lower limbs. Urinary retention was present and the patient required catheterisation. Clinical examination confirmed severe bilateral lower limb weakness and a sensory level at T8. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a haemorrhagic intramedullary tumour extending from T8 to the conus. Microsurgical excision of the tumour was performed and the patient made a good functional recovery. The histology of the tumour demonstrated a ganglioglioma of the spinal cord. Acute paraparesis has not previously been reported with a spinal cord ganglioglioma. We discuss the clinical, diagnostic and pathological features of spinal cord gangliogliomas.

Marked functional improvement after combined chemoradiotherapy for cervical spine glioblastoma causing quadriparesis in an adolescent.

Primary spinal glioblastoma (GBM) is a rare spinal tumour and is considered to have poor prognosis. We describe a case of a 17-year-old adolescent boy with a cervical spine GBM presenting with neck pain and right upper limb weakness. Initial spinal MRI demonstrated a 4.5u2005cm lesion extending from C2 to C5 suspicious for demyelination. Despite high-dose corticosteroids, his weakness progressed resulting in quadriparesis. Subsequent laminectomy and biopsy confirmed spinal GBM. Shortly after surgery the patient continued to deteriorate and was essentially bedbound. Standard chemoradiotherapy as per the Stupp protocol, together with multimodal rehabilitation, resulted in substantial functional improvement within 6u2005weeks of initiation. Continued functional improvement was observed for a period of 11u2005months. Although an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score of 4 would normally preclude chemoradiotherapy, a prolonged response to treatment and return to independent function were observed.

Preoperative sclerotherapy using sodium tetradecyl sulphate (fibro-vein™) can assist in the management of vertebral hemangiomas.

Vertebral hemangiomas are benign lesions accounting for 2 to 3% of all spinal tumors. They are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally on imaging. Uncommonly, vertebral hemangiomas with significant epidural extension can result in radiculopathy or spinal cord compression. Decompressive surgery with or without stabilization is often required when neurological deficits are present. However, surgery can be associated with massive hemorrhage as these tumors are hypervascular. Preoperative embolization and sclerotherapy are well-known management strategies used to minimize intraoperative bleeding and improve symptoms. Recently, the use of sclerosants such as ethanol has decreased, due to reported complications such as Brown–Sequard syndrome. We describe the use of sodium tetradecyl sulfate (Fibro-Vein™, STD Pharmaceutical, Hereford, UK) as an effective alternative to ethanol in the preoperative management of vertebral hemangiomas. To our knowledge, this has not been previously reported. In three patients, we demonstrated minimal intraoperative blood loss using a combination of preoperative embolization of arterial feeders and sclerotherapy with sodium tetradecyl sulfate to control and secure venous drainage. No patients developed complications related to the procedure. In addition to minimal blood loss, a clear dissection plane was also noted intraoperatively.

Inter-therapist agreement in classifying patients with cervical radiculopathy and patients with non-specific neck–arm pain

Identification of differences in clinical presentation and underlying pain mechanisms may assist the classification of patients with neck-arm pain which is important for the provision of targeted best evidence based management. The aim of this study was to: (i) assess the inter-examiner agreement in using specific systems to classify patients with cervical radiculopathy and patients with non-specific neck-arm pain associated with heightened nerve mechanosensitivity (NSNAP); (ii) assess the agreement between two clinical examiners and two clinical experts in classifying these patients, and (iii) assess the diagnostic accuracy of the two clinical examiners. Forty patients with unilateral neck-arm pain were examined by two clinicians and classified into (i) cervical radiculopathy, (ii) NSNAP, (iii) other. The classifications were compared to those made independently by two experts, based on a review of patients clinical assessment notes. The experts opinion was used as the reference criterion to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the clinical examiners in classifying each patient group. There was an 80% agreement between clinical examiners, and between experts and 70%-80% between clinical examiners and experts in classifying patients with cervical radiculopathy (kappa between 0.41 and 0.61). Agreement was 72.5%-80% in classifying patients with NSNAP (kappa between 0.43 and 0.52). Clinical examiners diagnostic accuracy was high (radiculopathy: sensitivity 79%-84%; specificity 76%-81%; NSNAP: sensitivity 78%-100%; specificity 71%-81%). Compared to expert opinion, clinicians were able to identify patients with cervical radiculopathy and patients with NSNAP in 80% of cases, our data supporting the reliability of these classification systems.