No abstract

Cysts associated with spinal joints are not a common cause of neurological symptoms. The authors report a series of five patients with cysts of the atlantodental articulation and review five additional cases from the literature. The patients ranged from 60 to 85 years of age and included three men and seven women. No patient had evidence of rheumatoid arthritis or previous trauma. The cysts caused ventral cervicomedullary compression, did not enhance on magnetic resonance imaging, and were not associated with widening of the anterior atlantodental interval or osseous degeneration of the dens. All patients improved postsurgery. Fusion was required if a transoral procedure was performed. Patients undergoing posterior decompressions were clinically and radiographically stable after operation.

The correction of cervical kyphotic sagittal plane deformity can be accomplished safely and effectively using a 360-degree approach. The incidence of major complications in this study was low. All patients could be corrected to a neutral or lordotic alignment. No loss of deformity correction was seen in any patient, and a 97.5% fusion rate was obtained.

The C6 glioma model can be easily modified to study aspects of interstitial delivery via ICC and the application of ICC to the screening of potential antitumor agents for safety and efficacy.