Complications and Revisions After Spine Surgery in Patients With Skeletal Dysplasia: Have We Improved?

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

OBJECTIVE

To report contemporary rates of complications and subsequent surgery after spinal surgery in patients with skeletal dysplasia.

METHODS

A case series of 25 consecutive patients who underwent spinal surgery between 2007 and 2017 were identified from a single institution's skeletal dysplasia registry. Patient demographics, medical history, surgical indication, complications, and subsequent surgeries (revisions, extension to adjacent levels, or for pathology at a non-contiguous level) were collected. Charlson comorbidity indices were calculated as a composite measure of overall health.

RESULTS

Achondroplasia was the most common skeletal dysplasia (76%) followed by spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (20%); 1 patient had diastrophic dysplasia (4%). Average patient age was 53.2 ± 14.7 years and most patients were in excellent cardiovascular health (88% Charlson Comorbidity Index 0-4). Mean follow up after the index procedure was 57.4 ± 39.2 months (range). Indications for surgery were mostly for neurologic symptoms. The most commonly performed surgery was a multilevel thoracolumbar decompression without fusion (57%). Complications included durotomy (36%), neurologic complication (12%), and infection requiring irrigation and debridement (8%). Nine patients (36%) underwent a subsequent surgery. Three patients (12%) underwent a procedure at a non-contiguous anatomic zone, 3 (12%) underwent a revision of the previous surgery, and another 3 (12%) required extension of their previous decompression or fusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical complication rates remain high after spine surgery in patients with skeletal dysplasia, likely attributable to inherent characteristics of the disease. Patients should be counseled on their risk for complication and subsequent surgery.

Particulated Autologous Chondral-Platelet-Rich Plasma Matrix Implantation (PACI) for Treatment of Full-Thickness Cartilage Osteochondral Defects

Articular hyaline cartilage injuries can occur as a result of either traumatic of progressive degeneration. When the articular cartilage in a joint is damaged, it can cause joint pain and dysfunction, predisposing patients for the development of early-onset osteoarthritis. There are many restoration procedures available to treat these injuries, such as bone marrow-stimulation techniques, osteoarticular auto/allograft transplants, and autologous chondrocyte implantation. Each of these techniques has its own limitations, which led researchers to explore new regenerative and repair techniques to produce normal hyaline cartilage. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe in detail the particulated autologous chondral-platelet-rich plasma matrix implantation (PACI) technique that could be used as a single-stage cartilage restoration procedure for treatment of full-thickness cartilage and osteochondral defects.

All-Arthroscopic Meniscal Allograft Transplantation Technique with Bone Plugs and Preloaded Sutures

The meniscus is an essential structure for the knee functioning and survival. Meniscectomy is the most common surgical procedure in orthopaedic surgery. Following total or subtotal meniscectomy, meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) should be considered in symptomatic active young patients. Several MAT techniques have been described in the literature as an attempt to restore normal knee kinematics and potentially decrease the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. The purpose of this article is to describe in detail an efficient and reproducible all-arthroscopic MAT technique with bone plugs and preloaded sutures.

An institutional intervention to modify opioid prescribing practices after lumbar spine surgery

OBJECTIVE

Patients with lumbar spine pathology are at high risk for opioid misuse. Standardizing prescribing practices through an institutional intervention may reduce the overprescribing of opiates, leading to a decrease in the risk for opioid misuse and the number of pills available for diversion. Without quantitative data on the "minimum necessary quantity" of opioids appropriate for postdischarge prescriptions, the optimal method for changing existing prescribing practices is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mandatory provider education and prescribing guidelines could modify prescriber behavior and lead to a decreased amount of opioids prescribed at hospital discharge following lumbar spine surgery.

METHODS

Qualified staff were required to attend a mandatory educational conference, and a consensus method among the spine service was used to publish qualitative prescribing guidelines. Prescription data for 2479 patients who had undergone lumbar spine surgery were captured and compared based on the timing of surgery. The preintervention group consisted of 1177 patients who had undergone spine surgery in the period before prescriber education and guidelines (March 1, 2016-November 1, 2016). The postintervention group consisted of 1302 patients who had undergone spine surgery after the dissemination of the guidelines (February 1, 2017-October 1, 2017). Surgeries were classified as decompression or fusion procedures. Patients who had undergone surgeries for infection and patients on long-acting opioids were excluded.

RESULTS

For all lumbar spine surgeries (decompression and fusion), the mean amount of opioids prescribed at discharge was lower after the educational program and distribution of prescribing guidelines (629 ± 294 oral morphine equivalent [OME] preintervention vs 490 ± 245 OME postintervention, p < 0.001). The mean number of prescribed pills also decreased (81 ± 26 vs 66 ± 22, p < 0.001). Prescriptions for 81 or more tablets dropped from 65.5% to 25.5%. Tramadol was prescribed more frequently after prescriber education (9.9% vs 18.6%, p < 0.001). Refill rates within 6 weeks were higher after the institutional intervention (7.6% vs 12.4%, p < 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Qualitative guidelines and prescriber education are effective in reducing the amount of opioids prescribed at discharge and encouraging the use of weaker opioids. Coupling provider education with prescribing guidelines is likely synergistic in achieving larger reductions. The sustainability of these changes is yet to be determined.

Primary Neoplasm in Vesical Diverticulum: Comparison of Four Imaging Methods

In presenting the case of a 61-year-old man with a primary squamous carcinoma in a bladder diverticulum, the authors stress the usefulness of applying all the available modalities of imaging, since it has been found that a bladder diverticulum may harbor a neoplasm more often than a normal bladder.

New Poly(4-Dichloro)Maleimides: III. Synthesis and Characterization of Poly[Ether-Ester-Azomethine-(4-Chloro) Maleimides] and Poly(Azomethin Ester-Aspartimides)

New poly[(N-ester-azo)-3-ether-4-chloro)maleimides] and poly(azomethin-ester-aspartimides) were synthesized by the reaction of N-[4-(formylphenoxy carboxylphenyl)]-3-(4-formylphenoxy)-4-chloromaleimide (3 a) or N-[4-formylphenoxycarbonylphenyl)maleimide (3 b) with various diamines. IR and elemental analyses confirmed the structures of the resulting polymers. A series of model compounds were synthesized to facilitate confirmation of the polymer structures. The polymers possess inherent viscosities in the range 0.17–0.42 dl g−1, solubility in aprotic dipolar solvents and 5% weight loss at temperatures above 300 °C.

Polyimides Containing 1, 4-Dithiine Units and their Corresponding Thiophene 2, 3, 4, 5 Tetracarboxylimide Units

Polyimides containing 1, 4-dithiine units and corresponding thiophene units were synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution reaction of bis(dichloro-maleimide) arylene derivatives with sodium sulfide. Their structures were confirmed by IR and UV spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The polymers were characterized by viscosimetric measurements, softening points and thermogravimetric data.

Eye tracking detects disconjugate eye movements associated with structural traumatic brain injury and concussion

Disconjugate eye movements have been associated with traumatic brain injury since ancient times. Ocular motility dysfunction may be present in up to 90% of patients with concussion or blast injury. We developed an algorithm for eye tracking in which the Cartesian coordinates of the right and left pupils are tracked over 200 sec and compared to each other as a subject watches a short film clip moving inside an aperture on a computer screen. We prospectively eye tracked 64 normal healthy noninjured control subjects and compared findings to 75 trauma subjects with either a positive head computed tomography (CT) scan (n=13), negative head CT (n=39), or nonhead injury (n=23) to determine whether eye tracking would reveal the disconjugate gaze associated with both structural brain injury and concussion. Tracking metrics were then correlated to the clinical concussion measure Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) in trauma patients. Five out of five measures of horizontal disconjugacy were increased in positive and negative head CT patients relative to noninjured control subjects. Only one of five vertical disconjugacy measures was significantly increased in brain-injured patients relative to controls. Linear regression analysis of all 75 trauma patients demonstrated that three metrics for horizontal disconjugacy negatively correlated with SCAT3 symptom severity score and positively correlated with total Standardized Assessment of Concussion score. Abnormal eye-tracking metrics improved over time toward baseline in brain-injured subjects observed in follow-up. Eye tracking may help quantify the severity of ocular motility disruption associated with concussion and structural brain injury.

[The transpleurodiaphragmatic laparoscopic approach of rear dome liver cysts]

The localizations of liver cysts in the posterior hepatic dome (segment VII) and the hydatid cysts in particular, difficult to approach in "conventional" open or laparoscopic surgery, with significant parietal sacrifices and "demolition", requires a secure atypical laparoscopic approaching way, with positive results for both patient and surgeon, with minimal impact, with social and professional reintegration and faster healing. Transpleurodiaphragmatic laparoscopic approach using "Device for aspiration of liver hydatid cyst or ovarian cyst (OSIM 120809/30.04.2008 Patent - Dan Sabau) asociated with the remarcable performances of the fragmentation device for hydatid cyst content (OSIM Patent no. 120810/30.04.2008 - Dan Sabau) is the best way to approach these problems, accessible for surgeons with minimum experience in laparoscopic and thoracic surgery. The relatively low number of cases allows only formulation of preliminary positive conclusions on the method, they will be validated by subsequent results.

[Particular aspects of endoprosthesis in malignant advanced pharingeal-esophageal stenosis]

INTRODUCTION

The esophageal neoplasm is currently the seventh cause of death through cancer worlwide. In the developing countries it is situated on the fifth place and has one of the worst prognostics for a neoplasm. Due to the specifical intratoracical topography, clinically inaccesible and without symptoms, the disease is rather incurable when the disphagia appears.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The esophageal prosthesis procedure through laparogastroscopical approach, used by us, is an original one, noninvasive, acknowledged both nationally and internationally. The endoprosthesis esophageal cases belong to three Clinics of Surgery (Clinic Surgery 2 from Sibiu, Clinic Surgery 1 from Braila, Clinic of Surgery 4, Bucharest) on a period of 14 years (1996-2009), identically coordinated.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Out of the 68 patients, 18 cases have been cancers situated in the medial and inferior third and 28 have been eso-cardial-tuberositary neoplasms. In the cases of the high malignant pharingeal-esophageal stenosis, the placement of the prosthesis (different prosthesis adapted to this particular situation) in areas of aerial-digestive junction implies significant technical difficulties especially in the option with the conservation of the larinx as a fonatory and respiratory solution.

CONCLUSIONS

Our original procedure, simple and efficient presents numerous advantages which allow the widening of the indications of stent gastroenterology: firm traction, the possibility of catheterism through narrow lumens of 1-2 mm, sometimes anfractuous, the distal visibility, the visual placement or expanding of the prosthesis, the evaluation of the intraoperatory visceral or parietal methastasis and eventually the avoidance of the gastrostomic invalidation.

[Esophageal endoprosthesis by laparo-gastroscopy with transtumoral approach in advanced esophageal and esophagogastric cancer]

INTRODUCTION

Romania is part of the countries with low incidence of esophagus cancer (the mortality rate M/W at 100,000 peoples being 1.6/0.3), but the diagnosis of the disease, is most frequently incidental in stages that make any intention of radical treatment a desideratum frequently unattainable.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

In the impossibillity of curative treatment we realised laparoscopic procedure of esophageal prosthesis (through traction not through pushing as in endoscopic procedures) at 60 patients with esophageal and esogastric cancer in advanced stages (distance metastasis, almost non-existing lumen, emaciation, severe decline of general state). The originality of the laparogastroscopic method has been international recognized.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This minimally invasive prosthetic original method presumes minimal agression, gastroscopic approach, the insertion of the prosthesis is made through traction not through pushing (transtumoral drilling, compresive and styptic insertion, etc.). The patient can eat at 8-12 hours after operation and the contact with the hospital is shorter, the hospitalization period was between 3 and 7 days. We had survivals between 5 months and 4 years.

CONCLUSION

The method that we propose is simple and efficient is a solution for repairing the endoscopic failure, is an alternative for the crippling gastrostomy, or, for the cases when the preoperative most optimistic estimations might comply a sick person and unbalanced immunological, nutritional and psychological, to an intervention to vast in scope (anaesthetic and surgical), compared to the final solution, palliative, in fact.

Some seroepidemiological data on HIV-antibody and HBs-antigen prevalence in children and infants of Craiova (Romania)

By testing 2362 children and infants from Craiova (Romania), for both HIV-antibody and HBs-antigen presence in the blood, a high rate of positivity was noticed in orphanages and in dystrophia units. A rate of "signal" (i.e. about 4% for HIV-antibodies, and 2.5% for HIV-antibody/HBs antigen), in hospitalized patients (pediatric service), was found as well. Four reasons support the horizontal way of virus transmission as the main route: most of seropositive subjects belong to 1-to-3-year age range, suggesting a virtual contamination before introduction of disposable syringes in Romania care units and hospitals; many HIV-seropositive cases have received frequent parenteral treatments, during repeated hospitalizations for acute respiratory disease; only few of the mothers of seropositive infants exhibited HIV-antibody presence; a relatively high rate of "double" seropositivity, i.e. HIV-antibody/HBs antigen, within tested serum samples was noticed.

Immunoscintigraphy in the follow-up of patients operated on for carcinoma of the sigmoid and rectum. Preliminary report with a new monoclonal antibody: B72.3

Thirty patients who had curative surgery for sigmoid and rectal carcinoma were studied by immunoscintigraphy using a new monoclonal antibody: B72.3 radiolabeled with Iodine-131 (I-131) or Indium-111 (In-111). Results were compared with other conventional diagnostic procedures such as computed tomography, ultrasound, endoscopy, and tumor markers. Seven patients had local recurrences and/or distant metastases. Immunoscintigraphy identified all local recurrences (five cases) that were confirmed by CT and was able to localize three of five liver metastases (two false-negatives). Furthermore, immunoscintigraphy also recorded a false-positive. Preliminary use of B72.3 shows good potential for the evaluation and detection of neoplastic sites.