We present two patients with complaints of shoulder pain after an epileptic seizure. Both patients had a posterior dislocation fracture of the shoulder. After reviewing the literature the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) A posterior shoulder dislocation fracture is rare. (2) One should not underestimate the muscular forces in seizure disorders and be alert for dislocation fractures of the shoulder and/or other joints. (3) The diagnosis is frequently missed, but an axillary radiograph or a CT scan always reveals the fracture.

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In an experimental study with standardized conditions nuclear material of 40 human lumbar discs was excised. In 20 the non-automated discectomy method was used (NAPLD-method). In the other 20 the automated discectomy method (APLD-method). The excised material was weighted. After the removal, the material of the NAPLD-method was wet with isotonic saline over 45 minutes and again weighted. Afterwards the wet material of both methods was freeze dried and again weighted. The weight of the wet material of the NAPLD-method in relation to that of the freeze dried material was a factor 11 (average value: 7.7 g in relation to 0.7 g) and in the APLD-method a factor 15 (average value: 4.5 g in relation to 0.3 g). This means, that the uptake and distribution of the saline is different in both methods and for this reason it is not allowed to compare the wet weight of the two methods. This has to be considered in clinical comparative studies. Because the biomechanical changes after a discectomy are dependent of the amount of the excised nuclear material, the NAPLD- and APLD-method can only be compared when the amount of the excised material is changed in a freeze dried weight.

A total of 40 human lumbar motion segments were prepared and tested in an electromechanical materials testing machine to investigate the biomechanical changes, i.e., intradiscal pressure, radial extension, and height of the intervertebral disc, after percutaneous discectomy. In 20 discs (group A) the nuclear material was excised using the nonautomated percutaneous lumbar discectomy technique (NAPLD). In the other 20 (group B) the material was removed with the automated percutaneous lumbar discectomy method (APLD). The results of the two groups were analyzed statistically and compared to each other. In the NAPLD group the removal of 0.1 g freeze-dried nucleus pulposus material reduced the height of the disc an average of 0.32 mm, versus 0.47mm in the APLD group. The radial bulge increased in both groups after the removal of 0.1 g freeze-dried nucleus pulposus material, on average 0.10 mm versus 0.15 mm. The intradiscal pressure also decreased in both groups after the removal of 0.1 g freeze-dried nucleus pulposus material, on average 0.94 bar versus 1.88 bar. The differences between the biomechanical data of the two groups were statistically significant for all three parameters (P < 0.05). Our results show that the mechanism for improving radicular pain in patients with herniated disc after treatment with percutaneous discectomy is still in question. We postulate that loss of height of the disc and, as a consequence, reduction of tension in the affected nerve root, plays a major role with regard to this improvement.