Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To elucidate the etiology of postoperative spinal cord injury (PSCI) for patients undergoing laminectomy for fluorosis thoracic canal stenosis (FTCS) and summarize the methods of diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS:
From 2006 to 2009, a total of 192 FTCS cases underwent laminectomy. Among them, 16 cases with gradual postoperative neural deterioration were finally diagnosed as PSCI on MRI.One case of intraoperative spinal cord injury was excluded so that only 15 cases were included.

RESULTS:
All cases were treated immediately with incision cite puncture and dehydration.Neural function recovered after secondary operation as JOA score improved from 3.00 ± 1.14 to 7.72 ± 1.41 at 12 months follow-up.Statistical analysis demonstrated a linear correlation between the diagnosis time and the improvement of JOA score.

CONCLUSION:
Hematoma and fluid leakage are the common reasons of PSCI for FTCS patients. Meticulous hemostasis, usage of artificial dura matter and partial negative pressure drainage are valuable preventive measures.

• Related Studies :

  • An uncommon presentation of fluorosis

    A 70 years old farmer from Yemen was referred as a case of osteoarthritis of both knees for preoperative rehabilitation procedures. Six years before he developed progressive skeletal stiffness. By 70 years he became dependent for ambulation and many other self-care activities. He showed quadriparesis resulting from compression of spinal cord

  • Total knee arthroplasty in a patient with skeletal fluorosis

    Published reports on patients with skeletal fluorosis undergoing total knee arthroplasty are rare. Skeletal fluorosis is a chronic condition that occurs secondary to the ingestion of food and water that contain high levels of fluoride. Although fluorosis may be described as osteosclerotic and marble-like in appearance, features may also include

  • Skeletal fluorosis mimicking seronegative arthritis

    Fluorosis is endemic in certain parts of the world, especially the Asian subcontinent (1). We report an unusual presentation of fluorosis mimicking seronegative spondyloarthritis. Although fluorosis is known to cause irritable bowel syndrome-like disorder and joint pain, this could be wrongly diagnosed as a case of seronegative arthritis. Case report A 35-year-old

  • Occupational skeletal fluorosis

    Conclusion Four cases of skeletal fluorosis are described in individuals who had been working in an aluminum plant for periods up to 12 yens. Two patients exhibited radiological changes indicative of the first stage of the disease and two of the second stage. All patients exhibited backache, pains in arms and

  • Radiological analysis of fluorotic elbow arthritis

    This article has reported the radiological signs in 109 cases of fluorotic elbow arthritis: sclerosis, irregularity and discontinuity of the articular surfaces; coarsened bone striation below the articular surface, trabecular coarsening and rarefaction, sparseness of trabeculae or density changes along with areas of cystic radiolucency. The author first suggested osteophyte

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride & Spinal Stenosis

    Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces in the spine that results in pressure being placed on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. Although stenosis can develop without symptoms, it may produce numbness, tingling, pain and difficulty in walking, as well as a heavy/tired feeling in the legs. It is estimated that 250,000 to 500,000 Americans currently have symptoms of spinal stenosis. Skeletal fluorosis is one cause of stenosis.

  • Fluoride & Osteoarthritis

    While the osteoarthritic effects that occurred from fluoride exposure were once considered to be limited to those with skeletal fluorosis, recent research shows that fluoride can cause osteoarthritis in the absence of traditionally defined fluorosis. Conventional methods used for detecting skeletal fluorosis, therefore, will fail to detect the full range of people suffering from fluoride-induced osteoarthritis.

  • Skeletal Fluorosis: The Misdiagnosis Problem

    It is a virtual certainty that there are individuals in the general population unknowingly suffering from some form of skeletal fluorosis as a result of a doctor's failure to consider fluoride as a cause of their symptoms. Proof that this is the case can be found in the following case reports of skeletal fluorosis written by doctors in the U.S. and other western countries. As can be seen, a consistent feature of these reports is that fluorosis patients--even those with crippling skeletal fluorosis--are misdiagnosed for years by multiple teams of doctors who routinely fail to consider fluoride as a possible cause of their disease.

  • "Pre-Skeletal" Fluorosis

    As demonstrated by the studies below, skeletal fluorosis may produce adverse symptoms, including arthritic pains, clinical osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal disturbances, and bone fragility, before the classic bone change of fluorosis (i.e., osteosclerosis in the spine and pelvis) is detectable by x-ray. Relying on x-rays, therefore, to diagnosis skeletal fluorosis will invariably fail to protect those individuals who are suffering from the pre-skeletal phase of the disease. Moreover, some individuals with clinical skeletal fluorosis will not develop an increase in bone density, let alone osteosclerosis, of the spine. Thus, relying on unusual increases in spinal bone density will under-detect the rate of skeletal fluoride poisoning in a population.

  • Factors which increase the risk for skeletal fluorosis

    The risk for developing skeletal fluorosis, and the course the disease will take, is not solely dependent on the dose of fluoride ingested. Indeed, people exposed to similar doses of fluoride may experience markedly different effects. While the wide range in individual response to fluoride is not yet fully understood, the following are some of the factors that are believed to play a role.