BACKGROUND Demineralised bone matrix (DBM) has shown to be effective in enhancing posterior fusion of the spine. Several animal studies and clinical investigations in humans showed its successful remodelling. The use of allogenic matrix may decrease the need of autologous bone graft and therefore helps prevent corresponding donor site morbidity. Since DBM products are very expensive, the questi...

Introduction: Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) is gaining increasing favour as a treatment of choice for cancers of the spine that are resistant to radiological and chemotherapeautic intervention such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Until recently, RCC of the lumbar spine has presented a surgical challenge due to anatomical and vascular constraints. The development of the combined posterior-ant...

Background: Tuberculosis of the spine is common in Nigeria. It commonly causes neurological deficit especially when the lesions are higher up in the spine. Objective: To report a case of a young man who had C4 quadriplegia from tuberculous destruction of C3 to C5 vertebral bodies and their intervening discs, aretropharyngeal prevertebral abscess and associated segmental kyphosis. He had receive...

STUDY DESIGN Case report of 3 thoracic spine fracture-dislocations with complete spinal cord section treated by total vertebrectomy--spine shortening through a posterior approach. OBJECTIVES To assess the usefulness and safety of this surgical technique in the treatment of acute thoracic spine fracture-dislocation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND Total vertebrectomy can be used in different nontrauma...

The advantages of anterior surgery for severe ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament in the cervical spine have been reported. However, it is more technically demanding and associated with a high risk of surgery-related complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of longitudinal decompression techniques in anterior surgery for severe ossification of the...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical features and to evaluate the efficacy of anterior partial corpectomy and titanium mesh fusion and internal fixation of old fracture dislocation of the lower cervical spine. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 52 patients with old lower cervical fracture and dislocation treated with anterior partial co...

We reviewed 161 patients, from four centres in Switzerland, who had undergone posterior fusion of the upper cervical spine with transarticular screw fixation of the atlanto-axial joints. They were followed up for a mean 24.6 months. The vertebral artery and the medulla escaped injury and only 5.9% of the complications were directly related to the screws. The rate of pseudarthrosis was 0.6%.