Lumbar Spinal ‘Juxtaarticular’ Cyst in a Gordon Setter

An 11‐year‐old Gordon setter bitch was presented with a history of progressive weakness in the right hind limb associated with pain in the lumbar spine. Neurological deficits consisted of ataxia, monoparesis, muscle atrophy and spontaneous over‐knuckling of the affected limb. A large ‘juxtaarticular’ cyst located in a right dorsolateral position of the intervertebral foramen at L3–L4 was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. The cyst was removed through a modified laminectomy. The dog recovered quickly and returned to the owners 4 days after surgery with slight neurological symptoms. During the follow‐up examination 2 and 6 months later, the Setter showed normal gait and neurological examination.     

Intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential monitoring during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in nonmyelopathic patients--a review of 1,039 cases.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring has been shown to reduce the incidence of new postoperative neurological deficits in scoliosis surgery. However, its usefulness during cervical spine surgery remains a subject of debate. PURPOSE: To determine the utility of intraoperative SSEP monitoring in a specific patient population (those with cervical radiculopathy in the absence of myelopathy) who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 1,039 nonmyelopathic patients who underwent single or multilevel ACDF surgery. The control group (462 patients) did not have intraoperative SSEP monitoring, whereas the monitored group (577 patients) had continuous intraoperative SSEP monitoring performed. OUTCOME MEASURE: A new postoperative neurological deficit. METHODS: SSEP tracings were reviewed for all 577 patients in the monitored group and all significant signal changes were noted. Medical records were reviewed for all 1,039 patients to determine if any new neurological deficits developed in the immediate postoperative period. RESULTS: None of the patients in the control group had any new postoperative neurological deficits. In the monitored group there were six instances of transient SSEP changes (1 due to suspected carotid artery compression; 5 thought to be due to transient hypotension) which resolved with the appropriate intraoperative intervention (repositioning of retractors; raising the arterial blood pressure). Upon waking up from anesthesia, one patient in the monitored group had a new neurological deficit (partial central cord syndrome) despite normal intraoperative SSEP signals. CONCLUSIONS: ACDF appears to be a safe surgical procedure with a low incidence of iatrogenic neurological injury. Transient SSEP signal changes, which improved with intraoperative interventions, were not associated with new postoperative neurological deficits. An intraoperative neurological deficit is possible despite normal SSEP signals.     

Intravenous Iloprost: A New Therapeutic Option for Patients with Post-Transplant Distal Limb Syndrome (PTDLS)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of intravenous iloprost as a novel therapy for the treatment of post-transplant distal limb syndrome (PTDLS). PTDLS is a benign but disabling complication in the first year after renal transplantation. It is characterized by bilateral, often incapacitating pain in the feet and or knees on motion and a significant rise in alkaline phosphatase levels on laboratory evaluation. On MRI, bone marrow edema of the affected bone regions can be demonstrated. PTDLS differs from steroid induced osteonecrosis of the hip in terms of localization, an average cumulative steroid dosage within expected limits, and a benign outcome, as PTDLS does not progress to overt cell necrosis. From August 2003 to April 2005 we treated 10 patients with MRI-proven diagnosis of PTDLS following a standardized regimen of intravenous iloprost over 5 days. Iloprost led to prompt pain relief measured on a visual analogous scale (VAS) ranging from 1 to 10 (5.6 +/- 1.5 before vs. 2.1 +/- 1.3 after treatment, p = 0.0004). PTDLS represents a benign but disabling complication following renal transplantation. Intravenous iloprost might be a promising therapeutic concept leading to a quick relief of symptoms without relevant side effects.     

Renal Transplantation in Patients With Pre-Transplant Donor-Specific Antibodies and Negative Flow Cytometry Crossmatches

The clinical significance of pre-transplant donor-specific antibodies (DSA), despite negative cytotoxicity and flow cytometry crossmatches (FCXMs), is unknown. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 60 living donor renal transplant recipients, all with pre-transplant cytotoxicity and T-cell and B-cell FCXMs that were negative. Twenty recipients had pre-transplant DSA detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and/or microbead methods. Forty contemporaneous DSA-negative controls were selected. In the DSA-positive group, after a median follow-up of 8.2 months (25-75% range, 5.4-22.8 months), patient survival was 100% and allograft survival was 95.0%. Acute humoral rejection (AHR) developed in four patients (20.0%). Three of the AHR episodes occurred within the first month post-transplant. Median serum creatinine at last follow-up was 1.3 mg/dL (25-75% range, 1.0-1.6 mg/dL), versus 1.1 mg/dL (25-75% range, 0.9-1.4 mg/dL) in the DSA-negative controls (p = 0.29). Only one of the 40 controls developed AHR (2.5%). Pre-transplant DSA was associated with a significantly increased incidence of AHR (p = 0.02 by log-rank test). In conclusion, despite negative pre-transplant cytotoxicity and FCXMs, renal transplant recipients with pre-transplant DSA detected by solid-phase methods may have an increased incidence of AHR and require close monitoring post-transplant.