White Cord Syndrome Following Cervical Surgery in a Patient With Klippel-Feil Syndrome: A Case Report

White cord syndrome is a rare entity, as there are very few cases described in the current literature. Postoperative MRI examination reveals cord intrinsic changes, including edema and ischemia. It is also described as a reperfusion injury of the spinal cord. This report depicts a rare case of "white cord syndrome" with tetraplegia after posterior laminectomy and fusion of the cervical spine in a patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome. A 33-year-old male patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome presented to our department with cervical myelopathy, claudication, deteriorating neurological status, imbalance, and lower limb spasticity. Due to kyphotic malformation of the cervical spine, a two-stage surgical intervention was scheduled. The patient first underwent anterior spinal fusion of C4-C6 with corpectomy of C5, where many anatomical and visceral differentiations were signed, so the surgical team was enhanced by a vascular surgeon. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was discharged after a week of hospitalization without any neurological deterioration. A second surgical intervention was scheduled after two months where laminectomy of C5-C7 and posterior fusion of C5-T1 were carried out. However, due to intraoperative spinal instability and various anatomical spinal variations, a third surgery, which would be occipitocervical fusion, was decided as the final surgical solution. During the third surgical operation, after the laminectomy of C1 to C5 and the placement of the occipital plate, the screws, and the two rods in situ, complete nullification of the intraoperative neurophysiologic control was signed. The internal fixation was removed immediately, the wake-up test revealed tetraplegia below C5, and the patient was transferred to the ICU. Immediate MRI revealed no spinal cord hematoma; however, spinal cord edema was present. The patient underwent a tracheostomy and remained quadriplegic with a sensory level of T8 and motor level of C5 and was discharged to a rehabilitation center. The possibility of white cord syndrome should be explained by surgeons before any cervical decompression surgery, as well as a thorough neurological examination should be performed postoperatively. The early recognition and prompt management of white cord syndrome is recommended.

Telomere length as a predictive biomarker in osteoporosis (Review)

Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes that protect them from DNA damage. There is evidence to suggest that telomere shortening appears with advanced age. Since aging is a significant risk factor for developing age-related complications, it is plausible that telomere shortening may be involved in the development of osteoporosis. The present review summarizes the potential of telomere shortening as a biomarker for detecting the onset of osteoporosis. For the purposes of the present review, the following scientific databases were searched for relevant articles: PubMed/NCBI, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, Embase and Google Scholar. The present review includes randomized and non-randomized controlled studies and case series involving humans, irrespective of the time of their publication. In six out of the 11 included studies providing data on humans, there was at least a weak association between telomere length and osteoporosis, with the remaining studies exhibiting no such association. As a result, telomere shortening may be used as a biomarker or as part of a panel of biomarkers for tracking the onset and progression of osteoporosis.

Role of telomere length in human carcinogenesis (Review)

Cancer is considered the most important clinical, social and economic issue regarding cause‑specific disability‑adjusted life years among all human pathologies. Exogenous, endogenous and individual factors, including genetic predisposition, participate in cancer triggering. Telomeres are specific DNA structures positioned at the end of chromosomes and consist of repetitive nucleotide sequences, which, together with shelterin proteins, facilitate the maintenance of chromosome stability, while protecting them from genomic erosion. Even though the connection between telomere status and carcinogenesis has been identified, the absence of a universal or even a cancer‑specific trend renders consent even more complex. It is indicative that both short and long telomere lengths have been associated with a high risk of cancer incidence. When evaluating risk associations between cancer and telomere length, a disparity appears to emerge. Even though shorter telomeres have been adopted as a marker of poorer health status and an older biological age, longer telomeres due to increased cell growth potential are associated with the acquirement of cancer‑initiating somatic mutations. Therefore, the present review aimed to comprehensively present the multifaceted pattern of telomere length and cancer incidence association.

The Effect of PRP Augmentation of Arthroscopic Repairs of Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tears on Postoperative Clinical Scores and Retear Rates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim of this review and meta-analysis is to assess recent clinical trials concerning the combination of operative treatment of rotator cuff tears and the administration of PRP and its effect on clinical scores and postoperative retear rates. The trials were used to compare the combination of PRP treatment and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair to arthroscopy alone. Twenty-five clinical trials were reviewed. A risk-of-bias assessment was made for all randomized clinical trials included, using the Cochrane collaboration’s tool as well as a quality assessment for all non-randomized studies utilizing the Newcastle−Ottawa scale. The PRP-treated patients showed statistically significant improvement postoperatively compared to control groups concerning the Constant−Murley (mean difference 2.46, 95% CI 1.4−3.52, p < 0.00001), SST (mean difference 0.32, 95% CI 0.02−0.63, p = 0.04), and UCLA (mean difference 0.82, 95% CI 0.23−1.43, p = 0.07) scores. A statistically significant decrease of retear rates in the PRP-treated patients, with a risk ratio of 0.78 (95% CI 0.65−0.94, p = 0.01), was found. We believe that the results presented have positive aspects, especially concerning the retear risk, but are yet inconclusive concerning clinical results such as shoulder pain and function.

Proximal Tibiofibular Joint Arthritis Co-existing With a Medial Meniscal Tear: A Case Report

Proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) arthritis is rare and, thus, not regularly considered as a source of knee pain. In this report, we present the case of a patient with posterior knee pain attributed to a medial meniscal tear rather than to a co-existing PTFJ arthritis, which was not appreciated. Based on the initial diagnosis, the patient underwent knee arthroscopy that did not alleviate his symptoms. The presence of established tibiofibular joint arthritis was diagnosed on subsequent clinical and MRI reassessment. An intra-articular corticosteroid injection settled the patient’s symptoms. The aim of this report is to raise awareness about tibiofibular joint arthritis as a possible cause of posterior or lateral knee pain.

Acute‑on‑chronic slipped femoral epiphysis following posterior spinal fusion due to idiopathic scoliosis: Case report

The aim of this case report is to present a rare case of acute slipped femoral capital on a chronic slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) after spinal fusion due to idiopathic scoliosis. A 14 year old male patient underwent posterior spinal fusion due to idiopathic thoracic scoliosis. Post-operatively, the patient presented with acute pain in the left hip and a reduced range of motion, which revealed acute SCFE. The patient was then referred to the Second Orthopaedic Department of Agia Sofia Children Hospital in Athens, and underwent percutaneous pinning of the left femur, after which he was discharged uneventfully. The follow up was excellent with no impact on the patient's daily life. The case described is extremely rare in the current literature. The significance of the pre-operative planning is underlined by this case, as well as the need for the spinal surgeon to be aware of the possibility of acute pain in the hip in young adolescents, as SCFE is more common amongst this demographic.