A retrospective study was conducted on 67 patients undergoing posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF) for unilateral intraforaminal soft and hard disc disease. Neurologic impairment, employment, and severity of associated signs were assessed preoperatively and at a 3.1-year average follow-up (range, 1.5-7 years). Diminution or complete disappearance of radicular symptoms was observed in 62 cases (93%), 3 months to 3 years after surgery. Minimal neurologic deficits persisted in 5 cases (7%). Neck pain improved in 62 cases, remained unchanged in three, and progressed in two cases with severe preoperative deficits. Fifty-three patients (79%) returned to their previous occupation; only seven (10%) retired prematurely on the basis of disc disease alone. Based on Prolo's functional economic outcome rating scale, 60 patients (90%) showed excellent economic outcome. Posterior cervical foraminotomy is an efficient means of decompressing lateral spinal roots compromised by soft disk herniations or osteophytic spurs, without the risk of an anterior approach with or without fusion. Careful patient selection and microsurgical technique are essential in obtaining consistent, excellent results. Additionally, the recent trend toward minimally invasive techniques and key-hole operations in neurosurgery and other specialisations favours the posterior approach.

True intramedullary teratoma is an extremely rare tumor, with only seven cases reported in the literature. The authors present two personal cases of spinal intramedullary cystic teratoma of the conus medullaris with exophytic growth and some unusual aspects. Their cases are unusual not only because they were diagnosed by MRI but also because the monitored microsurgical removal of the tumor was apparently total, with excellent results, in clinical and neuroradiologic terms. We recommend early radical surgery whenever possible, when the patient's neurological status is still good. To prevent traumatizing adjacent spinal cord for cases in which the teratoma tightly adheres to the functional neurological tissue of the spinal cord with no cleavage plane, we do not recommend an aggressive surgical attempt. Because of the mostly benign nature of this disease, the symptomatic recurrence of such incompletely resected mature teratomas is slow and may eventually require a second surgical procedure. The relevant literature is also reviewed.

the unilateral decompressive craniectomy has an advantage over non-surgical treatment of children with severe brain injury and should be considered in their management.

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✓ The authors performed a microsurgical combined transarticular lateral and medial procedure with partial facetectomy in 24 patients (16 men and nine women) with lumbar intervertebral foraminal stenosis to decompress the affected nerve root. The goal of this surgery was to maintain the integrity of the facet joint, to guarantee satisfactory exploration, and to obtain a sufficient decompression of the intervertebral foramen. Because only minimal bone resection is required, the risk of secondary instability induced by complete facetectomy is avoided. The clinical results of this procedure were excellent in the majority of cases. The mean follow-up period was 21.8 months.