Transoral vertebroplasty for a C2 aneurysmal bone cyst

Imaging Assessment of Nontraumatic Pathologic Conditions at the Craniovertebral Junction: A Comprehensive Review

Nontraumatic pathologic conditions of the craniovertebral junction encompass a range of conditions affecting the complex anatomy of this region without direct physical injury. These conditions include congenital syndromes that predispose individuals to ligamentous laxity, potentially leading to instability. Additionally, rare but noteworthy cases such as Grisel syndrome, a cause of pediatric torticollis, may arise without a traumatic trigger. Inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and crystal deposition, can lead to cervical instability and spinal cord compression. Infections at the upper cervical spine are dominated by tuberculosis, typically transmitted through hematologic or lymphatic routes with characteristic imaging findings. On the other hand, purulent bacterial infections in this area are rare. Furthermore, although tumors involving the structures of the craniovertebral junction are infrequent, they can lead to significant complications, albeit less frequently through cord compression and more commonly via pathologic fractures or subluxation. The craniocervical junction is a complex anatomic region comprising ligaments, bones, joints, and muscles that support the head's weight and enable its wide range of motion. Accurate recognition and understanding of the complex anatomy and the various nontraumatic pathologic conditions at the craniovertebral junction are pivotal for initiating timely and appropriate treatment strategies. ©RSNA, 2024 Test Your Knowledge questions for this article are available in the supplemental material.

Odontoid fractures above C2 to pelvis posterior instrumented fusions: a single center's 11-year experience

PURPOSE

To define the prevalence, characteristics, and treatment approach for proximal junction failure secondary to odontoid fractures in patients with prior C2-pelvis posterior instrumented fusions (PSF).

METHODS

A single institution's database was queried for multi-level fusions (6+ levels), including a cervical component. Posterior instrumentation from C2-pelvis and minimum 6-month follow-up was inclusion criteria. Patients who sustained dens fractures were identified; each fracture was subdivided based on Anderson & D'Alonzo and Grauer's classifications. Comparisons between the groups were performed using Chi-square and T tests.

RESULTS

80 patients (71.3% female; average age 68.1 ± 8.1 years; 45.0% osteoporosis) were included. Average follow-up was 59.8 ± 42.7 months. Six patients (7.5%) suffered an odontoid fracture post-operatively. Cause of fracture in all patients was a mechanical fall. Average time to fracture was 23 ± 23.1 months. Average follow-up after initiation of fracture management was 5.84 ± 4 years (minimum 1 year). Three patients sustained type IIA fractures one of which had a concomitant unilateral C2 pars fracture. Three patients sustained comminuted type III fractures with concomitant unilateral C2 pars fractures. Initial treatment included operative care in 2 patients, and an attempt at non-operative care in 4. Non-operative care failed in 75% of patients who ultimately required revision with proximal extension. All patients with a concomitant pars fracture had failure of non-operative care. Patients with an intact pars were more stable, but 50% required revision for pain.

CONCLUSIONS

In this 11-year experience at a single institution, the prevalence of odontoid fractures above a C2-pelvis PSF was 7.5%. Fracture morphology varied, but 50% were complex, comminuted C2 body fractures with concomitant pars fractures. While nonoperative management may be suitable for type II fractures with simple patterns, more complex and unstable fractures likely benefit from upfront surgical intervention to prevent fracture displacement and neural compression. As all fractures occurred secondary to a mechanical fall, inpatient and community measures aimed to minimize risk and prevent mechanical falls would be beneficial in this high-risk group.

Cervical Spine Aneurysmal Bone Cyst in a Pediatric Patient: Embolization Considerations and Potential Pitfalls

BACKGROUND

Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) comprise 1%-2% of all bone tumors. ABCs involving the upper cervical spine in pediatric patients complicate intervention because of an immature skeleton and nearby neurovascular elements. Treatment often consists of surgical intervention with preoperative embolization to mitigate blood loss. During selective arterial embolization, it is important to be aware of extracranial-intracranial anastomoses from tumor feeding vessels. We describe a C2 vertebrae ABC that had multiple tumor arteries anastomosing with bilateral vertebral arteries.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 3-year-old healthy girl presented with 1 month of progressive neck pain and palpable posterior neck mass. Imaging was most consistent with an ABC of the C2 vertebra. Preoperative embolization was planned. Angiography demonstrated tumor arterial supply anastomosing with the left and right vertebral artery stemming from the ascending and deep cervical artery branches. Tumor embolization was therefore carried out using coils and larger embolization particles to decrease ischemic stroke risk. Follow-up angiography showed successful tumor embolization with no vertebrobasilar complications. Surgical excision was uncomplicated and the patient's cervical spine has remained stable without fusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative embolization for ABC resection is common, but thorough angiography must be done to rule out dangerous extracranial-intracranial anastomoses. This case demonstrated 2 key anastomoses with the vertebral artery that if not recognized, could lead to disastrous consequences. Comprehensive angiographic evaluation is necessary because previous reports have described ischemic complications from embolization because of unrecognized vertebrobasilar anastomoses. If any angiographic evidence is seen, then larger particle size, coil embolization, or abandoning the case should be considered.

Multidisciplinary management of spinal aneurysmal bone cysts: A single-center experience

OBJECTIVE

The management of spinal aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) is complex and often requires multimodality therapy, including surgical intervention to stabilize the axial skeleton, and avoid neurologic injury or death. With en bloc resection, ABCs have a recurrence rate of 12%, which increases to >50% with subtotal resection. The use of doxycycline sclerotherapy has been reported to reduce the recurrence rate of non-spinal ABCs to 5% at >24 month follow-up. We retrospectively reviewed our institutional results for sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS)/doxycycline sclerotherapy and surgical intervention for spinal ABCs, to assess our treatment paradigm for these tumors and inform our future approach to these lesions.

METHODS

Three cervical, two thoracic and two lumbar spine ABCs were treated in seven patients with spine-exclusive disease at our institution from 2011 to the present. The most common presenting complaint was pain. Each patient was retrospectively reviewed for clinical symptomology, number of treatments, technique and clinical follow-up. Qualitative assessment of improvement was based on the most recent clinical evaluation.

RESULTS

The cohort underwent a mean of three treatment sessions (range 2-15). All were treated with STS and/or doxycycline. Five patients underwent surgical intervention at some point, either before or following sclerotherapy. After the last sclerotherapy session, four patients reported stable or improved pain symptoms, while two reported progressive pain that required surgical intervention for that indication. One patient, who underwent both multiple rounds of sclerotherapy and surgical resection, died due to acute on chronic cervical spine collapse with cord compression and inability to control disease.

CONCLUSION

We report our experience in the treatment of spinal column ABCs. Stabilization or improvement in pain was seen in four patients, while the remainder had progressive disease. Our multidisciplinary approach allows patients to receive the most appropriate treatment at presentation and thereafter, for symptom amelioration or spinal stability. Important future goals are to quantitatively assess changes in symptoms over time and to incorporate a reproducible radiographic endpoint for the assessment of treatment efficacy.

[Anterior stabilization of the CI-CIII vertebrae after transoral removal of an aggressive aneurysmal bone cyst of the CII vertebra (a case report and literature review)]

Treatment of patients with atlantoaxial instability caused by various diseases of the skull base and craniovertebral junction combined with ventral compression of the brainstem is a complex issue that is ambiguously resolved in different ways. We present a case of stepped treatment, the most important component of which was successful transoral removal of an aggressive aneurysmal bone cyst of the CII vertebra with anterior CI-CIII segment stabilization using an individual system, which was performed through the same approach.

CLINICAL CASE

A 31-year-old male patient presented with destruction of the CII body and odontoid process affected by an aggressive aneurysmal bone cyst causing disintegration of the CII posterior wall and odontoid process, which clinically manifested by constricted motion and pain in the cervical spine.

RESULTS

Three-step surgical treatment was performed. First, we performed a puncture biopsy of the CII body through the submandibular approach as well as posterior occipitospondylodesis with metal instrumentation from the occipital bone level to the CIV vertebra. Two months later, the patient underwent transoral removal of the CII body and odontoid process lesion and anterior CI-CIII segment stabilization using an individual cover metal system through the same approach. Two weeks after the second intervention, the occipitospondylodesis was transformed to a posterior CI-CIII stabilization system. Control CT 8 months after surgery showed the correct position of both stabilization systems.

CONCLUSION

The use of individual instrumentation for anterior stabilization of the CI-CIII vertebrae in various diseases of the craniovertebral junction area is an effective and promising technique.

Cervical vertebroplasty for osteolytic metastases as a minimally invasive therapeutic option in oncological surgery: outcome in 14 cases

OBJECTIVE The treatment of cervical spinal metastases represents a controversial issue regarding the type, extent, and invasiveness of interventions. In the lumbar and thoracic spine, kypho- and vertebroplasties have been established as minimally invasive procedures for patients with metastases to the vertebral bodies and without neurological deficit. These procedures show good results with respect to pain reduction and low complication rates. However, limited data are available for kypho- and vertebroplasties for cervical spinal metastases. In an effort to add to existing data, the authors here present a case series of 14 patients who were treated for osteolytic metastases of the cervical spine using vertebroplasty alone or in addition to another surgical procedure involving the cervical spine in a palliative setting to reduce pain and restore stability. METHODS Fourteen patients consisting of 8 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 64.7 years (range 44-85 years), were treated with vertebroplasty at the authors' clinic between January 2015 and November 2016. In total, 25 vertebrae were treated with vertebroplasty: 10 C-2, 5 C-3, 2 C-4, 2 C-5, 3 C-6, and 3 C-7. Two patients had an additional posterior stabilization and 5 patients an additional anterior stabilization. In 13 cases, the surgical approach was a modified Smith-Robinson approach; in 1 case, the cement was injected into the corpus axis from posteriorly. Patients with osteolytic defects of the posterior wall of the vertebral body did not undergo surgery, nor did patients with neurological deficits. Preoperatively, on the 2nd day after surgery, and at the follow-up, neck pain was rated using the visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS Twelve patients were examined at follow-up (mean 9 months). Neck pain was rated as a mean of 6.0 (range 3-8) preoperatively, 2.9 on Day 2 after surgery (range 0-5), and 0.5 at the follow-up (range 0-4), according to the VAS. The mean Neck Disability Index at follow-up was 3.6% (range 0%-18%). CONCLUSIONS Anterior vertebroplasty of the cervical spine via an anterolateral approach represents a safe and minimally invasive procedure with a low complication rate and appears suitable for reducing pain and restoring stability in cases of cervical spinal metastases. Vertebroplasties can be combined with other anterior and posterior operations of the cervical spine and, in the axis vertebra, can be performed transpedicularly from posteriorly. Thus, in cases in which the posterior wall of the vertebral body is intact, vertebroplasty represents a less invasive alternative to vertebral replacement in oncological surgery. Prospective randomized trials with a longer follow-up period and a larger patient cohort are needed to confirm the encouraging results of this case series.