Severe Preoperative Neurological Deficits Research Articles

Factors affecting the prognosis of recovery of motor power and ambulatory function after surgery for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression.

Metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) causes neurological deficits that may hinder ambulation. Understanding the prognostic factors associated with increased neurological recovery and regaining ambulatory functions is important for surgical planning in MESCC patients with neurological deficits. The present study was conducted to elucidate prognostic factors of neurological recovery in MESCC patients. A total of 192 patients who had surgery for MESCC due to preoperative neurological deficits were reviewed. A motor recovery rate ≥ 50% and ambulatory function restoration were defined as the primary favorable endpoints. Factors associated with a motor recovery rate ≥ 50%, regaining ambulatory function, and patient survival were analyzed. About one-half (48.4%) of the patients had a motor recovery rate ≥ 50%, and 24.4% of patients who were not able to walk due to MESCC before the surgery were able to walk after the operation. The factors "involvement of the thoracic spine" (p = 0.015) and "delayed operation" (p = 0.041) were associated with poor neurological recovery. Low preoperative muscle function grade was associated with a low likelihood of regaining ambulatory functions (p = 0.002). Furthermore, performing the operation ≥ 72 hours after the onset of the neurological deficit significantly decreased the likelihood of regaining ambulatory functions (p = 0.020). Postoperative ambulatory function significantly improved patient survival (p = 0.048). Delayed operation and the involvement of the thoracic spine were poor prognostic factors for neurological recovery after MESCC surgery. Furthermore, a more severe preoperative neurological deficit was associated with a lesser likelihood of regaining ambulatory functions postoperatively. Earlier detection of motor weaknesses and expeditious surgical interventions are necessary, not only to improve patient functional status and quality of life but also to enhance survival.

Surgical Treatment of Spinal Meningiomas in the Elderly (≥75 Years): Which Factors Affect the Neurological Outcome? An International Multicentric Study of 72 Cases.

Simple SummarySpinal meningiomas (SMs) are slow growing lesions, often occurring in middle- and old-aged patients. Few data about age-related prognostic factors are available in the literature to date. We analyzed a series of elderly patients undergoing surgery for a SM in the last twenty years in four different European tertiary referral centers. This work aimed to assess the surgical outcome and to identify possible outcome predictors. In this international multicentric retrospective study involving 72 patients older than ≥75 years, we highlight that functional preoperative score (according to modified McCormick scale) and age at surgery correlate with functional outcome.(1) Background: With the increasing life expectancy in the Western world, an increasing number of old patients presents with spinal meningioma. Considering the benign nature of these tumors, the functional outcome remains of great importance, since more people reach old age in general conditions of well-being and satisfactory autonomy. (2) Methods: We conducted an international multicenter retrospective study to investigate demographic, clinical and radiological data in a population of elderly patients (≥75 years of age) undergoing surgery for SM from January 2000 to December 2020 in four European referral centers. The aim was to identify prognostic and predictive factors for a good postoperative functional outcome. (3) Results: 72 patients were included in the study. Complete tumor resection (Simpson I or II) was achieved in 67 (95.7%) cases. Intraoperative complications were reported in 7 (9.9%) patients while postoperative complications were found in 12 (16.7%). An excellent general postoperative status (McCormick I and II) was achieved in 65.3%. Overall, surgical resection had a good impact on patients’ functional outcome (86.1% either showing an improvement or maintaining a good preoperative status). Uni- and multivariate analyses found that both age and preoperative modified McCormick independently correlated with relative outcome (coeff = −0.058, p = 0.0251; coeff = 0.597, p < 0.0001) and with postoperative status (coeff = 0.058, p = 0.02507; coeff = 0.402, p = 0.00027), respectively. (4) Conclusions: Age and preoperative modified McCormick were found to be independent prognostic factors. Nevertheless, advanced age (≥75), per se, did not seem to contraindicate surgery, even in those with severe preoperative neurological deficits. The functional results sustain the need for surgical resection of SM in the elderly.

Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma: A rare cause of quadriparesis in a young person

Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is a rare condition with an incidence of 0.1 in 100,000 population. These are usually seen in the lumbar region in patients above 40 years and in the cervical and dorsal spine in younger patients. Posterior or dorsal epidural hematomas are more common than ventral hematomas. Patients present with sharp pain in the neck or back with or without neurological deficit. We present a case of a 20-year-old male who presented with quadriparesis and bowel and bladder incontinence for 5 days. No history of trauma or other aggravating factors were present. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a posterior epidural hematoma with cord compression and edema. Patient underwent surgery and hematoma was evacuated. Patient symptoms improved gradually. Because of the severe preoperative neurological deficit and delay in surgery, patient had mild residual neurological deficit in the early post op period, which resolved over a period of two months

Factors Affecting the Severity of Neurological Disorders in Thoracic Idiopathic Spinal Cord Herniation.

Retrospective multicenter case-controlled study. The objective of this study was to quantitatively examine imaging findings of idiopathic spinal cord herniation (ISCH) and determine the relationship between the image findings and the severity of pre- and postoperative neurological symptoms. Many radiographic types of ISCH have been identified with regard to the location of the hernial opening or amount of herniated spinal cord. However, few previous studies have investigated the relationship between radiographic findings and the severity of neurological symptoms. Of 30,469 patients who underwent spinal surgery at 7 hospitals, 18 patients who underwent surgery for ISCH were identified. Their preoperative neurological severity, disease duration, magnetic resonance imaging findings, computed tomography myelography findings, surgical findings, and postoperative improvements were retrospectively examined. The spinal cord kink angle and minimum cord occupancy rate within the dural tube were measured. In addition, herniation was classified according to the location of the hiatus as either central (type C) or lateral (type L) type. A negative correlation was found between the spinal cord kink angle and the minimum cord occupancy rate. Patient age was significantly higher in the severe paralysis group than in the mild paralysis group. In addition, the number of patients with type C herniation and the kink angle were significantly higher in the severe paralysis group. The number of patients with type L herniation was higher in the significant recovery group than in the mild recovery group; however, the difference was not significant. Patients with a large spinal cord kink angle had a smaller spinal cord occupancy rate within the dural tube, and this resulted in severe preoperative conditions. Type C ISCH cases had a severe preoperative neurological deficit and poor postoperative neurological recovery, and the spinal cord in such cases might be damaged irreversibly. 4.

Clinical and Radiographical Differences Between Thoracic Idiopathic Spinal Cord Herniation and Spinal Arachnoid Cyst.

A retrospective, multicenter, case-controlled study. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiographical differences between thoracic idiopathic spinal cord herniation (ISCH) and spinal arachnoid cyst (SAC). ISCH and SAC are relatively rare diseases. Preoperative misdiagnose was frequently reported in both; however, these clinical and radiographical differences remain unclear. Of 30,469 patients who underwent spinal surgery, 18 (0.059%) and 22 (0.072%) patients were diagnosed as ISCH or SAC at nine hospitals, respectively, and their clinical and radiographical data were retrospectively evaluated. The spinal cord kink angle was measured on magnetic resonance or computed tomography myelography sagittal images; the kink angle was the exterior angle formed between the two tangents to the dorsal-side inflection points at the maximally affected level. There were no significant differences in age, gender, and duration of symptoms. Preoperative motor deficit was significantly higher (94.4%) and severer (manual muscle testing: 3.1 ± 1.1) in ISCH. Brown-Séquard syndrome was observed in 38.9% of ISCH, while no patients in SAC. In addition, leg sensory disorder and bladder rectal disorder were significantly more common in ISCH, while back pain was significantly frequent in SAC. With respect to radiographical findings, the length of disease (5.1 ± 2.7 levels) and altered cerebrospinal flow (CSF) (81.8%) in the lesion was significantly longer and more common in SAC. On the contrary, the kink angle was significantly greater in ISCH (54.0 ± 23.1°) than in SAC (14.1 ± 12.0°) (P < 0.001). The cut-off value of the kink angle to distinguish ISCH and SAC was 32.8°. Patients with ISCH commonly had severe preoperative neurological deficit, Brown-Séquard syndrome, and higher kink angle, while patients with SAC had back pain, longer length of disease, and altered CSF in the lesion. 4.

Craniovertebral junction lesions: our experience with the transoral surgical approach

The aim of this study is to review our experience with the transoral surgical management of anterior craniovertebral junction (CVJ) lesions with particular attention to the decision making and to the indication for a consecutive stabilization. During 10 years (1998-2007), 52 consecutive patients presenting exclusively fixed anterior compression at the cervicomedullary junction underwent transoral surgery. Mean age was 55.85 years (range 17-75 years). Encountered lesions were: malformation (32 cases), rheumatoid arthritis (11 cases), tumor (5 cases) or trauma (4 cases). A total of 79% of patients presented with chronic/recurrent headache (cranial and/or high-cervical pain), 73% with varying degrees of quadrip aresis, and 29% with lower cranial nerve deficits. All of the patients but two, with posterior stabilization performed elsewhere, underwent synchronous anterior decompression and posterior occipitocervical fixation. Adjuncts to the transoral approach (Le Fort I with or without splitting of the palate), tailored to the local anatomy and to the extension of the lesions, were performed in seven cases. Follow-up ranged between 4 and 96 months. Of 35 patients with severe preoperative neurological deficits, 33 improved. The remaining 15 patients who presented with mild symptoms, healed throughout the follow-up. Perioperative mortality occurred in two cases and surgical morbidity in eight cases (dural laceration, cerebrospinal fluid leak with meningitis, malocclusion, oral wound dehiscence and occipital wound infection). Delayed instability occurred in one patient because of cranial settling of C2 vertebral body. A successful surgery achieving a stable decompression at the CVJ is an expertise demanding procedure. It requires accurate preoperative evaluation and, appropriate choice of decompression technique and stabilization instruments. Enlarged transoral approaches (despite higher morbidity) are a supportive means in cases of severe basilar invagination, cranial extension of the lesion or limited jaw mobility.

SPINAL MENINGIOMA SURGERY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH PARAPLEGIA OR SEVERE PARAPARESIS

In a multicenter study, 102 patients aged 70 years or older with paraplegia or severe paraparesis, and who underwent operation for spinal meningiomas, are presented to correlate surgery and outcome and to determine the most influential factors that affected this outcome. Five French neurosurgical centers participated in this retrospective study between 1990 and 2007. Pre- and postoperative neurological status were assessed using a grading system. All patients underwent operation, and neurological evaluations were conducted 3 months and 1 year after surgery. The median follow-up period was 49.5 months (range, 12-169 months). Data were analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model. Twenty-six patients were paraplegic (Grade 4). Complete tumor removal was obtained in 93 patients. There was no surgical mortality, and morbidity was 9%. Three months after surgery, 7 of the patients were unchanged, 87 patients had improved, and 8 were not evaluated. One year after surgery, 7 of the 100 surviving patients were clinically unchanged and 93 had improved. Of those who had improved, 49 patients experienced complete recovery. Advanced age did not seem to contraindicate surgery, even in patients with severe preoperative neurological deficits and/or an American Society of Anesthesiologists class of III. Quality of life can be improved in most cases.

La chirurgie des méningiomes rachidiens après 75 ans

Spinal meningioma surgery is usually not difficult and is commonly associated with good outcome. However, advanced age and severe neurological deficit have been considered to be predictors of poor surgical outcome. Therefore, we attempted to assess the surgical outcome of spinal meningiomas in the elderly and to analyze the role of outcome predictors. From 1990 to 2006, 32 patients 76 years or older with spinal meningiomas were operated on in our Neurosurgery Departments. All patients had MRI. Neurological status was assessed using the Solero score. Neurological evaluations were conducted three months and one year after surgery. The mean follow-up was 36 months. A multiple logistic regression was applied to establish the relationship between the risk factors and outcome. The median age was 79.3 years. The mean duration of symptoms until surgery was 12.7 months. One patient was rated Solero grade I, 11 grade II, 17 grade III and three patients were rated grade IV. Radical tumor removal was performed in 30 patients (94%). All meningiomas were benign. There was no recurrence, morbidity was 9%, and 1-year mortality was 0%. One year after surgery, all patients had improved, 56 % had recovered completely. Among 20 patients with severe paraparesis or paraplegia, 30 % had recovered completely. There was no statistical correlation between outcome and various risk factors: age, gender, ASA, tumor size, quality of tumor removal, and location. Only preoperative Solero score and duration of symptoms before surgery were statistically significant. Surgery is the only treatment of symptomatic spinal meningioma. Advanced age did not seem to contraindicate surgery, even in those with severe preoperative neurological deficits, because quality of life can be improved in the vast majority of cases. There was a correlation between duration and severity of deficit and outcome.

Resection of intramedullary spinal cord tumors in children: assessment of long-term motor and sensory deficits

With modern surgical advances, radical resection of pediatric intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) can be expected to preserve long-term neurological function. Nevertheless, postoperative neurological decline is not uncommon after surgery, and many patients continue to experience long-term dysesthetic symptoms. Preoperative predictors of postoperative neurological decline and sensory syndromes have not been investigated and may serve as a guide for surgical risk stratification. Neurological function (as determined using the modified McCormick Scale [mMS]) preoperatively, postoperatively, and 3 months after surgery was retrospectively recorded from patient charts in 164 consecutive patients undergoing resection of IMSCTs. A median 4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1-8 years) after surgery, long-term motor and sensory symptoms were assessed by telephone interviews and corroborated by subsequent medical visits in 120 available patients. This long-term assessment was retrospectively reviewed for the purposes of this study. The authors reviewed this series to assess long-term motor, sensory, and urinary outcomes and to determine independent risk factors of postoperative neurological decline and long-term sensory dysfunction. Patients were 8.6 +/- 5.7 years old and presented with a median mMS of 2 (IQR 2-4). Three months after surgery, 38 patients (23%) continued to experience decreased neurological function (1 mMS point) incurred perioperatively. Increasing age (p = 0.028), unilateral symptoms (p = 0.046), and urinary dysfunction at presentation (p = 0.004) independently predicted persistent 3-month perioperative decline. At long-term follow-up (median 4 years), 39 (33%) exhibited improvements in their mMS scores, 13 (30%) had improvement in their urinary dysfunction, and 27 (30%) had resolution of their dysesthesias. Seventy-eight patients (65%) experienced long-term dysesthetic symptoms. Increasing age (p = 0.024), preoperative symptom duration > 12 months (p = 0.027), and worsened postoperative mMS score at hospital discharge (p = 0.013) independently increased the risk of long-term dysesthesias. In the authors' experience, nearly one third of patients may experience improvement in motor, sensory, and urinary dysfunction years after IMSCT resection, whereas the majority will continue to experience long-term dysesthetic symptoms. Improvement in motor deficits preceded improvement in sensory syndromes, and urinary dysfunction typically resolved much longer after surgery. The risk of persistent perioperative motor decline was increased with older age, unilateral symptoms, preoperative urinary symptoms, and less severe preoperative neurological deficit. The risk of long-term dysesthesias was increased with older age, increased duration of symptoms prior to resection, and greater postoperative neurological deficit.

Results of spinal meningioma surgery in patients with severe preoperative neurological deficits

Spinal meningiomas are usually benign, slow-growing tumours and are commonly associated with good patient outcome following surgery. However, the existence of a severe preoperative neurological deficit has been considered to be a possible predictor of poor functional outcome after surgery. We retrospectively reviewed data from 33 patients with 35 spinal meningiomas treated in our institution over the past 17 years and exhibiting severe preoperative deficits before surgery. Among them, 20 suffered from paraparesis and 13 were paraplegic. The mean follow-up duration was 70.7 months (range 12-183 months). By the 1-year follow-up, all patients had improved in comparison with their preoperative neurological status, and 60% of them had totally recovered. It can be concluded from this study, that, in the vast majority of cases, patients harbouring spinal meningioma with severe preoperative deficits can expect a good outcome.

Surgical management of idiopathic spinal cord herniation: a review of nine cases treated by the enlargement of the dural defect.

Spinal cord herniation is a rare cause of progressive myelopathy and can be corrected surgically. In most previous reports, closure of the dural defect was the recommended procedure. The object of this paper is to describe a new procedure in which spinal cord constriction is released by enlarging the hiatus; additionally the postoperative results will be discussed. In nine patients with spinal cord herniation, enlargement of the dural defect was performed. In eight patients, neurological deficits resolved immediately after surgery. In one patient with a severe preoperative neurological deficit whose spinal cord herniated massively, deterioration occurred postoperatively. To date, no recurrence of herniation has been observed. The goals of surgery are to reduce the herniation, return the spinal cord to the normal position, and prevent the recurrence of herniation. The use of sutures to close the dural defect has been the method of choice to date. The surgical space in front of the spinal cord, however, is insufficient to accommodate this procedure safely. Because symptoms are caused by the constriction of the spinal cord at the hiatus, surgical expansion of the hiatus allows the goals of surgery to be achieved. This procedure, which is technically easier and less invasive with regard to the vulnerable spinal cord than the closure of the dural defect, could be a viable alternative for the treatment of this rare disease.

Complications of brain stem surgery: Prevention and treatment

With experienced neurosurgical, neuroanesthetic, and intensive care teams, postoperative recovery after brain stem surgery may be uneventful in patients without severe preoperative neurological deficits. The primary goal of postoperative intensive care is to ensure adequate monitoring and maintenance of homeostasis in an effort to prevent systemic and cerebral complications. Nevertheless, systemic complications and postoperative neurological deterioration are common. Respiratory failure, dysphagia, and pulmonary aspiration are possible life-threatening postoperative complications that may occur days or weeks after surgery. Impaired respiratory drive may result in progressive carbon dioxide retention and hypoxia, leading to respiratory arrest. Glossopharyngeal and vagal nerve dysfunction may be associated with high rates of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Damage to these nerves impairs swallowing and protective and coughing reflexes and may result in dysphagia, vocal cord paralysis, and gastric stasis. A comprehensive assessment (qualitative and quantitative) of possible swallowing deficits is important before and after extubation, particularly at early extubation trials, in an effort to prevent major postoperative complications. If a swallowing deficit is underestimated, dramatic episodes of aspiration may occur with acute respiratory failure or pulmonary edema. Continuous subclinical pulmonary inhalation predisposes the patient to sepsis and multiple organ failure. Treatment of dysphagia is complex and requires a multidisciplinary team to evaluate the most feasible therapeutic option for the patient to ensure adequate and safe separation of airways and food passages. Expert medical and nursing care consists of experienced, dedicated, and professional personnel who are aware of the strict relationship among intensive care treatment, prevention of complications, and the possibility of recovery.

Cerebral revascularization using omental transplantation for childhood moyamoya disease

Between January, 1986, and October, 1990, 30 children with moyamoya disease, aged from 2 to 17 years, underwent omental transplantation to either the anterior or the posterior cerebral artery territory. The mean follow-up period was 3.8 years, ranging from 1.6 to 6.4 years. Seventeen patients had symptoms of monoparesis, paraparesis, and/or urinary incontinence and were treated using unilateral or bilateral omental transplantation to the anterior cerebral artery territory. Eleven patients had visual symptoms and were treated with unilateral or bilateral omental transplantation to the posterior cerebral artery territory. Two patients had symptoms associated with both the anterior and the posterior cerebral arteries, and were treated with dual omental transplantations. All 19 patients treated with omental transplantation to the anterior cerebral artery and 11 (84.6%) of the 13 treated with omental transplantation to the posterior cerebral artery showed improvement in their neurological state. Patients with more collateral vessels via the omentum had more rapid and complete improvement in their neurological state. Patients with severe preoperative neurological deficits associated with the posterior cerebral artery had persistence of their symptoms.