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Cancers May 2024Intramedullary melanocytomas are exceedingly rare, with only twenty-four cases reported up to now. They present as local invasive tumors despite their benign biological... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Intramedullary melanocytomas are exceedingly rare, with only twenty-four cases reported up to now. They present as local invasive tumors despite their benign biological behavior. Attempting a complete safe resection often results in severe post-operative neurological deficits, as in our case presented here.
METHODS
A systematic review was conducted across the PubMed and Scopus databases including studies published till February 2024.
RESULTS
A total of 19 studies were included, encompassing 24 cases. A similar distribution between sexes was noted (M:F 13:11), with ages ranging from 19 to 79 years. The thoracic segment was most affected, and intermediate-grade melanocytoma (19 cases) was the most common histotype. Radiographically, intramedullary melanocytomas usually appear as hyperintense hemorrhagic lesions peripheral to the central canal with focal nodular enhancement. Intraoperatively, they are black-reddish to tan and are tenaciously adherent lesions. In the sampled studies, IONM employment was uncommon, and post-operative new-onset neurological deficits were described in 16 cases. Adjuvant RT was used in four cases and its value is debatable. Recurrence is common (10 cases), and adjuvant therapies (RT or repeated surgery) seem to play a palliative role.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 68-year-old woman presented with a three-year history of worsening spastic paraparesis and loss of independence in daily activities (McCormick grade 4). An MRI revealed an intramedullary tumor from Th5 to Th7, characterized by T1-weighted hyperintensity and signs of recent intralesional hemorrhage. Multimodal neuromonitoring, comprising the D-Wave, guided the resection of a black-tan-colored tumor with hyper-vascularization and strong adherence to the white matter. During final dissection of the lesion to obtain gross total resection (GTR), a steep decline in MEPs and D-Wave signals was recorded. Post-operatively, the patient had severe hypoesthesia with Th9 level and segmental motor deficits, with some improvement during neurorehabilitation. Histopathology revealed an intermediate-grade melanocytoma (CNS WHO 2021 classification). A four-month follow-up documented the absence of relapse.
CONCLUSIONS
This literature review highlights that intramedullary T1 hyperintense hemorrhagic thoracic lesions in an adult patient should raise the suspicion of intramedullary melanocytoma. They present as locally aggressive tumors, due to local invasiveness, which often lead to post-operative neurological deficits, and frequent relapses, which overwhelm therapeutic strategies leading to palliative care after several years.
PubMed: 38791946
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16101867 -
Global Spine Journal Mar 2024Systematic review and meta-analysis. (Review)
Review
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the radiographic risk factors for adjacent segment disease (ASD) following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for degenerative cervical spine pathologies.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases were searched up to December 2023. The primary inclusion criteria were degenerative spinal conditions treated with ACDF, comparing radiological parameters in patients with and without postoperative ASD. The radiographic parameters included intervertebral disc height, cervical sagittal alignment, sagittal segmental alignment, range of motion, segmental height, T1 slope, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), thoracic inlet angle (TIA), and plate to disc distance (PPD). Risk of bias was assessed for all studies. The Cochrane Review Manager was utilized to perform the meta-analysis.
RESULTS
From 7044 articles, 13 retrospective studies were included in the final analysis. Three studies had "not serious" bias and the other 10 studies had serious or very serious bias. The total number of patients in the included studies was 1799 patients. Five studies included single-level ACDF, 2 studies included multi-level ACDF, and 6 studies included single or multi-level ACDF. On meta-analysis, the significant risk factors associated with ASD development were reduced postoperative cervical lordosis (mean difference [MD] = 3.35°, = .002), reduced last-follow-up cervical lordosis (MD = -3.02°, = .0003), increased preoperative to postoperative cervical sagittal alignment change (MD = -3.68°, = .03), and the presence of developmental cervical canal stenosis (Odds ratio [OR] = 4.17, < .001).
CONCLUSIONS
Decreased postoperative cervical lordosis, greater change in cervical sagittal alignment and developmental cervical canal stenosis were associated with an increased risk of ASD following ACDF.
PubMed: 38469858
DOI: 10.1177/21925682241237500 -
Journal of Medical Case Reports Mar 2024Spinal cord tumors present a challenge in diagnosis and treatment due to their varied histopathological characteristics. While Ewing sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor...
BACKGROUND
Spinal cord tumors present a challenge in diagnosis and treatment due to their varied histopathological characteristics. While Ewing sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor typically originating from skeletal bone, cases of primary intradural extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma are exceptionally rare. The similarity of its presentation to other spinal tumors further complicates its identification and management.
CASE PRESENTATION
We report a case of a 58-year-old Palestinian male with intradural extraskeletal lumbar Ewing sarcoma. The patient initially presented with lower back pain and bilateral S1 radiculopathy, with more severe symptoms on the left side. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 7 cm oval-shaped mass with homogeneous contrast enhancement, obstructing the spinal canal from L3/L4 to L5/S1 levels. Initially, a myxopapillary ependymoma was suspected, but the patient's sensory and motor functions suddenly deteriorated during hospitalization. Repeat magnetic resonance imaging indicated heterogeneous contrast enhancement, indicating acute intratumoral hemorrhage. Consequently, the patient underwent emergent L3-L5 laminotomy, with successful gross total resection of the tumor. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the diagnosis of intradural extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma. Adjuvant therapy was administered to minimize the risk of local recurrence or distant metastasis. A systematic review of relevant literature, along with retrospective analysis of medical records, operative reports, radiological studies, and histopathological findings of similar cases, was also conducted.
CONCLUSIONS
Intradural extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma is an infrequently encountered condition in adult patients, emphasizing the importance of considering it in the differential diagnosis of spinal tumors. Surgeons must possess a comprehensive understanding of this rare entity to ensure accurate staging and optimal management, particularly in the early stages when prompt intervention may improve prognosis.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Sarcoma, Ewing; Spinal Cord Neoplasms; Spinal Neoplasms
PubMed: 38459600
DOI: 10.1186/s13256-024-04384-8 -
Neurospine Mar 2024Primary atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs) in the spinal canal are rare central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms that are challenging to diagnose and treat. To...
Primary atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs) in the spinal canal are rare central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms that are challenging to diagnose and treat. To date, there has been no standard treatment regimen for these challenging malignant tumors. Thus, we conducted this research to explore potential prognostic factors and feasible treatment modalities for improving the prognosis of these tumors. Articles were retrieved from the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase databases, using the keywords "atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor," "rhabdoid tumor," "spine," "spinal," "spinal neoplasm", and "spinal cord neoplasm." All eligible cases demonstrated SMARCB1-deficient expression validated by pathological examination. We collected and analyzed data related to clinical presentation, radiological features, pathological characteristics, treatment modalities and prognosis via Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Thirty-six articles comprising 58 spinal AT/RT patients were included in the study. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 18 and 22 months, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated significant survival improvements for OS in the nonmetastasis, male, radiotherapy and intrathecal chemotherapy groups as well as for PFS in the chemotherapy and radiotherapy groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that chemotherapy and radiotherapy were prognostic factors for improved PFS, and that intrathecal chemotherapy reduced the risk of mortality. Spinal AT/RTs are uncommon malignant entities with a dismal survival rate. Although our review is limited by variability between cases, there is some evidence revealing potential risk factors and the importance of systematic chemotherapy, intrathecal chemotherapy and radiotherapy in spinal AT/RT treatment modalities.
PubMed: 38317556
DOI: 10.14245/ns.2347096.548 -
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Nov 2023Unilateral laminotomy with bilateral spinal canal decompression has gained popularity recently.
BACKGROUND
Unilateral laminotomy with bilateral spinal canal decompression has gained popularity recently.
AIM
To systematically review the literature of unilateral laminotomy with bilateral spinal canal decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) aiming to assess outcomes and complications of the different techniques described in literature.
METHODS
On August 7, 2022, Pubmed and EMBASE were searched by 2 reviewers independently, and all the relevant studies published up to date were considered based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The subject headings "unilateral laminotomy", "bilateral decompression" and their related key terms were used. The Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement was used to screen the articles.
RESULTS
A total of seven studies including 371 patients were included. The mean age of the patients was 69.0 years (range: 55-83 years). The follow up duration ranged from 1 to 3 years. Rate of postoperative pain and functional improvement was favorable based on VAS, JOA, JOABPEQ, RMDW, ODI and SF-36, for example improved from a range of 4.2-7.5 preoperatively on the VAS score to a range of 1.4-3.0 postoperatively at the final follow up. Insufficient decompression was noted in 3% of the reported cases. The overall complication rate was reported at 18-20%, with dural tear at 3.6-9% and hematoma at 0-4%.
CONCLUSION
Unilateral laminotomy with bilateral decompression has favorable short- and mid-term pain and functional outcomes with low recurrence and complication rates. This, however, needs to be further confirmed in larger, long-term follow-up, prospective, comparative studies between open, and minimally invasive techniques.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Humans; Middle Aged; Decompression, Surgical; Laminectomy; Lumbar Vertebrae; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Spinal Canal; Spinal Stenosis; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 37990183
DOI: 10.1186/s12891-023-07033-1 -
Neurospine Sep 2023Cervical myelopathy (CM) describes the compressive cervical spinal cord state, often accompanied by serious clinical condition, by herniated disc or hypertrophied spurs...
Clinical Effectiveness of Artificial Disc Replacement in Comparison With Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion in the Patients With Cervical Myelopathy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Cervical myelopathy (CM) describes the compressive cervical spinal cord state, often accompanied by serious clinical condition, by herniated disc or hypertrophied spurs or ligament. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been frequently employed as conventional surgical solution for this CM despite its inherent biomechanical handicap. Alternatively, an artificial disc replacement (ADR) preserves cervical motion while still decompressing the spinal canal and neural foramen. This analysis elaborated to clarify the potential benefits of ADR application to CM over ACDF from the conglomerated results of the past references.
METHODS
A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane review, and KMbase databases from the studies published until March 2023. Six studies (3 randomized controlled study [RCTs] and 3 non-RCTs) were included in a qualitative and quantitative synthesis. Data were extracted and analyzed using a random effects model to obtain effect size and its statistical significance. Quality assessment and evidence level were established in accordance with the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology.
RESULTS
Among 6 studies, 2 studies showed that ADR group achieved significantly better clinical improvement than the ACDF group, while the rest 4 studies revealed no significant difference. A meta-analysis showed better clinical outcomes with or without statistical significance. The level of evidence was low because of inconsistency and imprecision.
CONCLUSION
ADR was superior or at least, not inferior to ACDF in terms of functional recovery. However, its application to the CM patients is merely empowered with weak strength due to low level of evidence.
PubMed: 37798997
DOI: 10.14245/ns.2346498.249 -
World Neurosurgery Nov 2023Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is 1 of the common complications of spine surgery and is largely caused by intraoperative or postoperative dural tears. Associations of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is 1 of the common complications of spine surgery and is largely caused by intraoperative or postoperative dural tears. Associations of different factors with postoperative CSF leakage have not been consistent. In this study we aimed to identify demographic, disease-related, and surgical risk factors for CSF leakage after extradural spine surgery in a systematic review and meta-anlysis.
METHODS
The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Wanfang data, Chinese Weipu Database, and SinoMed databases were searched from inception until October 24, 2022. Fixed-effects or random-effects models were used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The quality of observational studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale instrument.
RESULTS
A total of 15 observational studies with 1,719,923 participants were included in this systematic review. All studies had a Newcastle-Ottawa scale score greater than or equal to 6. Age older than 70 years, smoking, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, adhesion of spinal dura, spinal canal stenosis, cervical fracture, spondylolisthesis, revision surgery, and multiple surgical segments were all related to CSF leakage in the pooled analysis. Obesity and disease duration>1 year were not associated with the leakage of CSF.
CONCLUSIONS
This study will provide a reference for the identification of patients at high risk of developing CSF leakage, which suggests clinicians to strengthen the observation of drainage fluid in high-risk groups.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak; Spine; Risk Factors; Drainage; Reoperation; Dura Mater; Postoperative Complications; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 37625633
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2023.08.075