Isolated Pediatric Intramedullary Schwannoma: Case Report and Review of Literature

Background: Intramedullary (IM) schwannomas are rare entities representing 0.3%−1% of intramedullary tumors and 1.1% of spinal schwannomas. Beside many theories proposed, their rare occurrence might be related to the absence of Schwann cells in the spinal cord. Pediatric IM schwannomas are uncommon, and in the absence of neurofibromatosis they are extremely rare. To date, few cases have been reported in the literature. Case Description: We describe the case of an 8-year-old female affected by a progressive paraparesis. Neuroradiologic investigations showed an oval-shaped mass at the level of T10-T11. The patient underwent surgery, performed under neurophysiologic monitoring. The patient was…

Spontaneous spinal discitis and spondylodiscitis: Clinicotherapeutic remarks

Spinal infections are rare (their incidence is estimated in about the 5% of all osteomyelitis) and severe pathologies. They are usually identified with different names, as disk space infection, spondylodiscitis, and vertebral osteomyelitis. Spondylodiscitis is the most frequent among spinal infections. The etiology might be due to bacteria, fungi, and parasites and might affect many anatomical structures. The reported incidence is increased in the last years.[1,2] The disease can be classified according to the involved anatomical structure: Vertebral osteomyelitis Discitis and spondylodiscitis Spinal canal infections Adjacent soft tissue infections. In adult patients, the terms osteomyeliti…

Recurrent lumbar disc herniation: Is there a correlation with the surgical technique? A multivariate analysis

Purpose: The recurrence of a lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common cause of poor outcome following lumbar discectomy. The aim of this study was to assess a potential relationship between the incidence of recurrent LDH and the surgical technique used. Furthermore, we tried to define the best surgical technique for the treatment of recurrent LDH to limit subsequent recurrences. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 979 consecutive patients treated for LDH. A multivariate analysis tried to identify a possible correlation between (1) the surgical technique used to treat the primary LDH and its recurrence; (2) technique used to treat the recurrence of LDH and the secon…

Comment on “Controversies about Interspinous Process Devices in the Treatment of Degenerative Lumbar Spine Diseases: Past, Present, and Future”

Diagnostic potential of the diffusion tensor tractography with fractional anisotropy in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical spondylotic and posttraumatic myelopathy

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based methodology widely used for the evaluation of microstructural integrity of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly of brain white matter fibers and bundles. Methods: The most common parameters evaluated in a DTI study are the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Combining FA and MD analyses is commonly used in the evaluation of various types of brain pathologies, such as brain tumors, where a combined analysis allows an accurate tumor characterization. Results: Recent studies have shown that FA and MD could be of value in non-oncologic spinal pathology. In this regard, it has been …