BACKGROUND Nasal swab tests are one of the most essential tools for screening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The authors report a rare case of iatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak from the anterior skull base after repeated nasal swab tests for COVID-19, which was treated with endoscopic endonasal repair. OBSERVATIONS A 41-year-old man presented with clear continuous rhinorrhea through his left nostril for 5 days after repeated nasal swabbing for COVID-19. There were no obvious risk factors for spontaneous CSF leak. Computed tomography cisternography showed contrast accumulation in the left olfactory fossa and along the left nasal cavity. Such findings aligned with a preliminary diagnosis of CSF leakage through the left cribriform plate. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the presence of a CSF fistula between his left cribriform plate and superior nasal concha. The patient underwent endoscopic endonasal repair. CSF rhinorrhea ceased after the surgery, and no recurrence was noted during the 12-week postoperative follow-up period. LESSONS Although rare, iatrogenic CSF leakage can be a serious complication following COVID-19 nasal swab tests, especially when infection may cause significant neurological sequelae. Healthcare providers should become familiar with nasal cavity anatomy and be well trained in performing nasal swab tests.
Although osteoporosis has negative impacts on lumbar fusion, its effects on screw loosening in dynamic stabilization remain elusive. We aimed to correlate bone mineral density (BMD) with screw loosening in Dynesys dynamic stabilization (DDS). Consecutive patients who underwent 2- or 3-level DDS for spondylosis, recurrent disc herniations, or low-grade spondylolisthesis at L3-5 were retrospectively reviewed. BMD was assessed by the Hounsfield Unit (HU) in vertebral bodies (VB) and pedicles with and without cortical bone (CB) on pre-operative computed tomography (CT). Screw loosening was assessed by radiographs and confirmed by CT. HU values were compared between the loosened and intact screws. 176 patients and 918 screws were analyzed with 78 loosened screws found in 36 patients (mean follow-up: 43.4 months). The HU values of VB were similar in loosened and intact screws (p = 0.14). The HU values of pedicles were insignificantly less in loosened than intact screws (including CB: 286.70 ± 118.97 vs. 297.31 ± 110.99, p = 0.45; excluding CB: 238.48 ± 114.90 vs. 240.51 ± 108.91, p = 0.88). All patients had clinical improvements. In conclusion, the HU values, as a surrogate for BMD, were unrelated to screw loosening in DDS. Therefore, patients with compromised BMD might be potential candidates for dynamic stabilization rather than fusion.
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OBJECTIVE Good bone quality is the key to avoiding osteoporotic fragility fractures and poor outcomes after lumbar instrumentation and fusion surgery. Although dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) screening is the current standard for evaluating osteoporosis, many patients lack DEXA measurements before undergoing lumbar spine surgery. The present study aimed to investigate the utility of using simple quantitative parameters generated with novel synthetic MRI to evaluate bone quality, as well as the correlations of these parameters with DEXA measurements. METHODS This prospective study enrolled patients with symptomatic lumbar degenerative disease who underwent DEXA and conventional and synthetic MRI. The quantitative parameters generated with synthetic MRI were T1 map, T2 map, T1 intensity, proton density (PD), and vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score, and these parameters were correlated with T-score of the lumbar spine. RESULTS There were 62 patients and 238 lumbar segments eligible for analysis. PD and VBQ score moderately correlated with T-score of the lumbar spine (r = −0.565 and −0.651, respectively; both p < 0.001). T1 intensity correlated fairly well with T-score (r = −0.411, p < 0.001). T1 and T2 correlated poorly with T-score. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated area under the curve values of 0.808 and 0.794 for detecting osteopenia/osteoporosis (T-score ≤ −1.0) and osteoporosis (T-score ≤ −2.5) with PD (both p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS PD and T1 intensity values generated with synthetic MRI demonstrated significant correlation with T-score. PD has excellent ability for predicting osteoporosis and osteopenia.
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