Letter to the editor: Comment on a case report of thermal injury to spinal cord,a rare complication of percutaneous microwave spine tumour ablation

Microwave ablation of the spine is an effective treatment option for patients with symptomatic osseous metastases. It is an increasingly common procedure in clinical practice and can be performed in conjunction with other procedures such as vertebroplasty and nerve root blocks. Multiple studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the percutaneous ablation; however potential complications can arise.Thermal injury to the spinal cord is a rare but serious known complication which has severe consequences to the patient. Multiple strategies can be adopted to reduce the rate of complications. We aim to discuss the various technical considerations when performing percutaneous ablation of spinal tumours to decrease the risks of complications.     

Is it sufficient to treat adult lumbar spinal deformity using anterior lumbar interbody fusion with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation?

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has been performed for lumbar spinal restoration and stabilization without extensive paraspinal muscle damage or massive bleeding. The authors retrospectively investigated surgical results of multilevel ALIF followed by percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (PPSF) in adult lumbar spinal deformity (ALSD). This study included 28 patients with degenerative lumbar spinal deformity, who underwent selective multilevel ALIF and PPSF between January 2013 and August 2016 at our hospital. Standing X-rays were performed and coronal Cobb angle (CCA) of scoliosis, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), pelvic tilt (PT), and sacral slope (SS) were measured. Pain and functional assessment were performed using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for low back pain and leg pain, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores. CCA, SVA and LL were significantly improved immediately after surgery and relatively well maintained until the last follow-up. After surgery, PT was significantly decreased and SS was increased, respectively. However, cases with SVA > 95 mm or PT > 30° showed a loss of correction in sagittal balance parameters to a greater extent at the last follow-up compared to the group of patients with minor sagittal imbalance. VAS scores for back and radicular pain, and ODI score were significantly decreased at the final follow-up (p < 0.05). Multilevel ALIF with PPSF yielded favorable clinical and radiological outcomes in coronal and sagittal balance without severe surgical mortality or morbidity in patients with ALSD. However, correction loss in sagittal balance was observed in cases with SVA > 95 mm or PT > 30˚.     

经皮肺动脉瓣植入术在肺动脉瓣反流患者中的临床应用

经皮肺动脉瓣植入术(PPVI)在我国作为一种新兴的技术,开展相对较晚,但随着我国医疗水平的不断提高以及临床对于右心室流出道梗阻的先天性心脏病患者术后出现重度肺动脉瓣反流的不断重视,PPVI在我国得到了飞速发展。近十几年来,欧美国家已在临床成熟应用PPVI,相对于传统外科手术而言其具有微创、可重复性、术后疗效好等优点。现对PPVI在肺动脉瓣反流患者中的临床应用进行叙述。     

Percutaneous surgery of the forefoot compared with open technique — Functional results,complications and patient satisfaction

BackgroundThe use of percutaneous surgery is currently very common in foot and ankle surgery. The following prospective open-label patient-preference based study compares the traditional open technique versus the percutaneous surgery technique.MethodsThe current study describes the results of 287 patients operated due to forefoot deformities either by open surgery or percutaneously. 96 of them underwent hallux valgus corrective surgery. The rest had lesser toe deformities. They were followed for a period of up to 24 months, to assess the surgery related pain, complications, and patient satisfaction. 112 patients were operated using a conventional open technique were compared to 175 patients treated using a percutaneous technique. Technique choice was left to the patient preference, though older patients with disturbed blood flow, were advised to undergo percutaneous surgery.ResultsThere is less pain using the percutaneous techniques relative to the open technique during the first 6 post-operative weeks. The 6, and 24 months FAOS score is similar in both groups. Complications are rare in any of the groups, with a significantly higher ASEPSIS score in the open surgery group.CondclusionsPercutaneous forefoot surgery appears safe and efficacious, demonstrating equal radiographic (in a 96 strong cohort of hallux valgus patients) and clinical results at six and 24 months. Due to less post-operative pain, and less infection risk it appears that percutaneous techniques are superior to open technique in some respects of treatment and indeed the PGIC of patients was significantly higher in this group.     

Komplikationen der Tarsometatarsale I Arthrodese (modifizierte Lapidus Arthrodese)

BackgroundFirst tarsometatarsal arthrodesis, or known as modified Lapidus arthrodesis, is a powerful procedure for hallux valgus correction. Historically there have been high reported complication rates including nonunion, dorsiflexion malunion and transfer metatarsalgia, due to the high lever at the TMT I joint.MethodsThe development of new biomechanically more stable fixation methods has revolutionized the classic Lapidus arthrodesis in recent decades, so that more progressive mobilization regimens could be established.ResultsThe current clinical and radiological results of modern Lapidus arthrodesis using plate fixation confirm that nonunion rates could be drastically reduced. However, the rates of symptomatic transfer metatarsalgia remained unchanged.ConclusionOn the basis of new fixation methods, the modified Lapidus arthrodesis became a low-complication and satisfactory surgical method. The influence of first ray shortening and dorsiflexion malunion on the development of a transfer metatarsalgia has not yet been fully clarified.     

Managing invasive aspergillosis in haematological patients in the era of resistance polymerase chain reaction and increasing triazole resistance: A modelling study of different strategies

Objectives

Triazole resistance in Aspergillus spp. is emerging and complicates prophylaxis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis (IA) worldwide. New polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid allow for detection of triazole resistance at a genetic level, which has opened up new possibilities for targeted therapy. In the absence of clinical trials, a modelling study delivers estimates of the added value of resistance detection with PCR, and which empiric therapy would be optimal when local resistance rates are known.