All 3 outcome measuring tools correlated well with pain reduction using VNS.Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is common in East Asia. Arteriovenous fistula at the craniocervical junction (CCJ-AVF), in contrast, is rare. As OPLL occurs most often in the cervical region, these 2 conditions can coexist in the cervical spinal canal of a single patient. We report a case of CCJ-AVF found after cervical laminoplasty (CLP) for OPLL. A 68-year-old man experienced progressive myelopathy due to cervical OPLL. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a high-intensity area inside the spinal cord. CLP was performed and his symptoms immediately improved. Three months after CLP, however, myelopathy recurred. MRI revealed an exacerbated and enlarged high-intensity area inside the cord from the medulla oblongata to the C4/5 level with a flow void around the cord. Left vertebral artery angiography revealed CCJ-AVF with ascending and descending draining veins. Direct surgery was performed to interrupt shunt flow into the draining veins. The patient’s symptoms improved to a limited degree. In this case, increased pressure inside the spinal canal due to OPLL might have decreased the shunt flow of the CCJ-AVF. Thus, the venous congestion induced by CCJ-AVF might have been exacerbated after the pressure was removed by CLP. Magnetic resonance angiography screening could help detect concurrent CCJ-AVF and OPLL.Pseudarthrosis in the setting of 3-column osteotomies such as vertebral column resection (VCR) is not well described, and pseudarthrosis at the VCR site itself has never been reported. This study reports pseudarthrosis with 4-rod implant failure at a multilevel VCR site. The authors report a case of pseudarthrosis in a patient treated previously for severe segmental thoracolumbar kyphosis resulting in significant pain and myelopathic signs in the setting of radiation therapy for metastatic myeloma. This patient initially underwent 2-level VCR (T11, T12) and fusion from T4-sacrum. This was complicated by pseudarthrosis and associated with same-level 4-rod fracture, resulting in prominent, painful implants, and worsening kyphosis. This patient underwent revision VCR during which time significant motion was found only at the site of the prior VCR with a loose anterior cage. A new expandable VCR cage was placed and the spine was reinstrumented, resulting in significant improvement in coronal and sagittal alignment. Pseudarthrosis at a VCR site has not been previously described. Technical considerations presented in the revision procedure include a 6-rod spanning construct, meticulous endplate repreparation, and the generous use of osteo-inductive and -conductive augments to promote solid fusion.Cervical angina is an often-overlooked etiology of noncardiac chest pain that may mimic true angina pectoris but is due to cervical spine disease. Diagnosis can be difficult, and treatment ranges from conservative therapy to surgical management. However, of patient’s refractory to conservative therapy, approximately ninety percent experience postoperative relief of angina symptoms. Here, we present a case report on cervical angina and performed a systematic review of the literature. A 34-year-old male with prior surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome presented with persistent anterior neck and chest pain as well as posterior left scapular and upper lateral arm pain. The pain was refractory to 12 months of conservative therapy. Cardiac workup was negative and cervical spine imaging revealed a C6-7 herniation with neuroforaminal stenosis. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases from database inception to April 2020. Studies reporting cervical level, average se sought. Refractory cases should be treated surgically depending on the cervical pathology.

The posterolateral extradural suboccipital approach can be used to reach the anterior epidural space and the retro-odontoid regions. Ko143 mw The extent of necessary bone removal of the atlas vertebra (C1) has not yet been defined. We studied the changes in the size of the horizontal and vertical surgical windows using stepwise bone removal of C1. A representative case is shown.

The anatomical study was performed bilaterally on five Thiel-fixed human cadavers (mean age, 83.7 years). The surgical window (horizontal × vertical) required to access the retro-odontoid region via a posterolateral approach was measured for an intact C1 posterior arch, after a semicircular inferior partial resection of the C1 arch, after resection of the unilateral hemiarch of C1, and finally after drilling approximately 3 mm from the medial aspect of the lateral mass of C1.

The intact C1 resulted in a very narrow surgical window of 6.3 mm × 9.7 mm (horizontal × vertical). The vertical window increased to a 13 mm after the semicircular inferior partial resection of the C1 arch and to 17.3 mm in the case of removal of the ipsilateral C1 posterior arch. The bone removal from the medial aspect of the C1 lateral mass resulted in a widening of the horizontal surgical window to 10.3 mm. The final size of the surgical window was 10.3 mm × 17.3 mm. The patient with severe kyphoscoliosis of the craniocervical spine was successfully operated on using odontoid and C1-2 facet osteotomies.

If only the anterior epidural space or the base of the odontoid needs to be reached, the semicircular inferior partial resection of the C1 arch allows for an adequate surgical window. The tip of the odontoid could only be reached if the ipsilateral posterior arch is resected.

If only the anterior epidural space or the base of the odontoid needs to be reached, the semicircular inferior partial resection of the C1 arch allows for an adequate surgical window. The tip of the odontoid could only be reached if the ipsilateral posterior arch is resected.

Percutaneous lumbar interbody fusion (PELIF) is a procedure that includes the use of new devices, which allow minimally invasive diskectomy under the percutaneous full-endoscopic guidance and safe percutaneous insertion of a standard-sized cage. This procedure can be applied to severe disk degeneration, spondylolisthesis, and all lumbar intervertebral levels including the L5-S1 level. We report the methods and the clinical outcomes of this procedure.

Percutaneous diskectomy was performed with an outer sheath cutter and other devices. A cage was inserted with an L-shaped retract-slider. Hybrid facet screw fixation was performed for severe disk degeneration without spondylolisthesis. Conventional percutaneous pedicle screw fixation was performed for spondylolisthesis. The subjects consisted of 21 patients, who underwent PELIF and were followed up for 1 year or longer.

No complications related to cage insertion were detected. The mean visual analogue scale scores were improved from 6.1 to 1.9 for lower back pain in severe disc degeneration cases without spondylolisthesis, and from 7.