[Cerebrospinal fluid changes in tumors of the cauda equina].
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Automated percutaneous lumbar discectomy has been shown to be a low morbidity procedure in the treatment of contained herniated lumbar discs. Described in this paper is a complication, i.e., a cauda equina syndrome secondary to a Nucleotome probe improperly placed in the thecal sac. The authors reemphasize the landmarks for the thecal sac, i.e., the medial border of the pedicles, and discuss the preventable nature of this type of complication.
Neuropathological changes of the neuronal pools and spinal cord circuitry in the lumbosacral segments were studied in a canine model of multiple protracted cauda equina constrictions. Anterograde degeneration of all sacrococcygeal and L7 dorsal root fibers was detected in S1-S3 and lower lumbar segments. A narrow degenerated gracile fascicle was found in all thoracic and cervical segments terminating in the gracile nucleus. Transneuronal degeneration of middle-sized and large neurons, located in S1-S3 and sporadically in L7 segments, was noted. Identical transneuronal degeneration was seen in a group of small neurons located in the ventralmost part of lamina VII in S1-S3 segments. Simultaneously, a terminal degeneration was detected in the lateral cervical nucleus and in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus of the ventrobasal thalamic complex. Concomitantly, a fully developed retrograde degeneration affecting motoneurons in the ventrolateral portion of the anterior horn in S1-S3 segments appeared.
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an autosomal recessive disease with well-documented intracranial findings on neuroimaging both by computed tomography (CT) and MRI. We describe the first case of late infantile MLD with spinal involvement revealed by MRI as marked contrast enhancement of nerve roots at the level of the cauda equina.
A case report of a patient who developed cauda equina syndrome following pelvic traction for acute sciatica is presented. A good outcome was obtained with prompt surgical decompression. This case illustrates the potential dangers of traction, which is frequently employed in the management of acute back pain.
The association between the occurrence of a lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LTV) and the cauda equina syndrome (CES) in dogs was investigated. In 4000 control dogs without signs of CES, 3.5% had an LTV, while in 92 dogs with CES, 16.3% had an LTV. The lesion causing CES always occurred between the last true lumbar vertebra and the LTV. Dogs with an LTV were eight times more likely to develop CES than dogs without an LTV. German Shepherd dogs were eight times more likely to develop CES compared with other breeds. Male dogs were twice as likely to develop CES than females. Dogs with an LTV develop CES 1-2 years earlier than dogs without an LTV.
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Fractures of the sacrum are rare and generally associated with fracture of the pelvis. Transverse fractures of the sacrum are even less frequent and neurological deficit may accompany these fractures. A case of transverse fracture sacrum with cauda equina injury treated by sacral laminectomy and root decompression, is reported.
Compression injuries of spinal nerve roots are very common. However, the basic pathophysiology of these conditions is not fully understood. In this study a model is presented for experimental graded compression of the nerve roots of the pig cauda equina, including a technique for vital microscopic studies on the microcirculation flow of the intrinsic vessels of the nerve roots during compression. With this model critical pressure levels for compression-induced occlusion of the arterioles, capillaries, and venules of the intrinsic vasculature of the nerve roots were determined. The study showed that the average minimum pressure in the inflated balloon required to stop the flow in the arterioles was 127 mm Hg (SD = 18, n = 11), in the capillaries 40 mm Hg (SD = 6, n = 12), and in the venules 30 mm Hg (SD = 10, n = 12). The average mean arterial pressure (MAP) was 150 mm Hg (SD = 14, n = 12). There was a statistically significant correlation (p greater than 0.001) between the MAP and the pressure required to stop the flow in the arterioles (r = 0.83, n = 14), but no correlation between MAP and capillary (r = 0.09 NS, n = 20) or venular (r = -0.28 NS, n = 34) occlusion pressure. After the nerve roots had been compressed at 50 or 200 mm Hg for 10 min or 2 h, the recirculation started immediately. There was a hyperemia during the first 10 min, with a dilatation of the vessels, particularly the venules. In nerve roots exposed to compression for 2 h at either 50 or 200 mm Hg, an intraneural edema developed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Five patients known to be HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)-positive--that is, susceptible to AIDS--presented with symptoms initially thought to be indicative of lumbar disc lesions. Signs of nerve root or cauda equina compression were found in all five patients. Lumbar radiculography and, in one patient, computerised tomography produced no evidence of compressive pathology. We recommend that orthopaedic surgeons exercise caution in diagnosing nerve root compression in patients who may be HIV-positive.
Cardiac angiography is accepted as an invasive yet safe procedure with well-characterized complications. We present a complication heretofore not described to our knowledge, in which a patient experienced the cauda equina syndrome following bilateral aortoiliac dissection during cardiac angiography. Similarities are noted between this complication and those documented in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair surgery.
A 33-year-old obese woman with chronic pain in her lower back presented with weakness of her right quadriceps and diminution of her patellar reflex. Her myelogram revealed an intradural oval mass at level of the interspace between her 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae. Operation disclosed an encapsulated mass attached to her filum terminale. Histopathological examination showed a paraganglioma with typical dense core granules, confirmed by electron microscopic examination. We report our patient to call attention to intrathecal paragangliomas as a rare and treatable cause of the cauda equina syndrome.
Surgical excision followed by radiotherapy has been reported to be successful in the treatment of spinal cord compressions due to extramedullary hematopoiesis in patients affected by thalassemia. The authors report a case of cauda equina compression in such a patient successfully treated with repeated blood transfusions.
It is generally considered that the genesis of radiculopathy associated with pathologic conditions of the spine, such as lumbar disc herniaton and lumbarl canal stenosis, may result from both mechanical compression and vascular problems. In this article, we have reviewed about the blood circulation of cauda equina and nerve root under normal and pathologic conditions.
An electrophysiologic technique to evaluate the anatomic integrity of the peripheral pathways to the bladder and sphincters is described. Evoked electromyographic responses of the anal sphincter are produced by stimulating the bladder wall and urethra. Impulses travel via the pelvic nerves and cauda equina to the conus medullaris, activating the pudendal nerve nucleus and resulting in contraction of the external anal sphincter. Lesions along this pathway produce either prolonged latencies and depressed responses or complete loss of response. Correlation of the results of this technique in 110 patients with clinical myelographic and operative findings indicates that the technique is a useful clinical tool.
The results are presented of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine in two cases of childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome. After injection of gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, MRI showed enhancement of the cauda equina in these patients. These MRI observations may help confirm the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The nerve root enhancement resolved as the clinical symptoms improved. Serial imaging may be useful in monitoring the response to therapy and assessing new treatment regimens. It may also yield a better understanding of the disease process.
The authors report the case of a patient suffering from paraparesis where a venous pathology seemed to be responsible, and the literature is reviewed. A cauda-equina compression by L4/L5 arthrosic pseudo-spondylolisthesis caused troubles of the spinal cord venous drainage, seen at the myelography. There was a neurological deficit above the L4/L5 compression with a psoas and quadriceps deficit. After a L4/L5 laminectomy the neurological signs improved rapidly.
A 79-year-old Afro-Caribbean woman presented with a 5-month history of low back pain and a 2-month history of weakness of the lower limbs associated with cauda equina syndrome. A plain X-ray of the lumbar spine showed a collapse of the L4 body consistent with osteomyelitis. An MRI scan of the lumbar spine showed narrowing of the L3/4 disc space, destruction of the adjacent vertebral bodies and an epidural abscess. She was admitted to hospital and treated with a high dose of i.v. antibiotics followed by radical surgical excision of the lesion through a combined anterior and posterior approach with instrumentation. Tissue culture grew Streptococcus milleri. One week after surgery the patient developed septicaemia. A blood culture grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which was successfully treated with antibiotics. She eventually recovered bowel and bladder control and regained muscle power in the lower limbs. Streptococcus milleri is a rare causative organism in osteomyelitis, this being only the eighth reported case in the literature. Aggressive surgical treatment combined with a prolonged antibiotic regime is recommended to achieve a satisfactory result.