The case of a 30-year-old man with a spinal extradural meningeal cyst in the thoracolumbar region is reported. Operative findings revealed a dural defect that allowed communication between the extradural cyst cavity and the subarachnoid space. Application of the Valsalva maneuver made the cerebrospinal fluid flow into the cyst cavity; however, reverse flow did not occur. These findings indicate that a valvelike mechanism developed in the enlarging cyst. Surgical resection of the cyst wall and closure of the dural defect provided a favorable result.
✓ Although the craniovertebral junction is one of the most common sites at which anomalies develop, spina bifida occulta of the axis (C-2) associated with cervical myelopathy is extremely rare. The authors present the case of a 46-year-old man who developed progressive tetraparesis caused by a cervical canal stenosis at the level of the axis. The spinal cord was compressed by an invaginated bifid lamina of the axis. The patient made a remarkable recovery after undergoing decompressive laminectomy of C-3 and removal of the bifid posterior arch of the axis.
The use of intraoperative angiography to monitor graft patency was retrospectively reviewed in extracranial-intracranial bypass procedures. Forty-two patients underwent 43 extracranial-intracranial bypass procedures with the use of intraoperative angiography. Superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass was performed in 41 patients (42 procedures) with ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, and vertebral artery-MCA bypass using radial artery graft for intentional ligation of the common carotid artery in one patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Intraoperative angiography provided high-quality subtraction images in every case. There were no complications due to angiography. Graft occlusion was observed intraoperatively in three cases, but an additional procedure reopened the occluded graft in all three cases. Graft patency rate was 100% after surgery. Outcome was excellent in 40 patients and good in one patient who underwent STA-MCA bypass. Intraoperative angiography provides useful information regarding graft patency during bypass surgery. Intraoperative assessment prior to wound closure allows for the recognition and correction of technical failure and decreases the risk of postoperative complications.
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