The midsagittal and interpedicular diameters and the trefoil shape of lumbar vertebrae of known age at death were measured in skeletons from a population aged between 1 and 70 years. All the trefoil configurations were at L5 with the exception of one at L4. The overall prevalence was 25%, but this shape was not generally apparent until adulthood. The midsagittal diameter in the trefoil canals w...

A method is described of measuring the lumbar spinal canal by pulsed echo ultrasound. It is simple, safe and has a high degree of accuracy. The lumbar canal has been measured in over 800 subjects including 100 mining recruits and fifty nurses between the ages of fifteen and eighteen years. Ultrasound can demonstrate the degree and extent of bony stenosis. It may have value in preventive medicin...

The treatment of external auditory canal (EAC) stenoses often requires the prolonged use of a stent or splint. Traditional stents often occlude the EAC, resulting in a temporary conductive hearing loss. This case report describes a custom canal earmold with a large bore used as a stent in a patient with EAC stenosis. The customized earmold stent successfully prevented restenosis, while the larg...

Response: A central canal is defined in the opening of the discussion section (lines 196 – 199) as ‘The central canal is an ependymal lined structure in the spinal cord that extends inferiorly from the fourth ventricle to the conus medullaris. Anatomical studies suggest the central canal is only seen in fetal and new born spinal cords and undergoes age related stenosis such that it is obliterat...

Background: The syndrome of degenerative lumbar canal stenosis accounts for a large percentage causes low back pain in the elderly worldwide. Surgical management has demonstrated better clinical and radiological results than conservative treatment. It allows adequate decompression thecal sac compressed nerve roots. However, aggressive laminectomy with facetectomy been linked many postoperative ...

Microsurgery techniques are useful innovations towards minimizing the insult of canal stenosis. Here, we describe the trumpet laminectomy microdecompression (TLM) technique, advantages and disadvantages. Sixty-two TLM patients with lumbar disc herniation, facet hypertrophy or yellow ligament or intracanal granulation tissue. The symptoms are low back pain, dysesthesia and severe pain on both le...

BACKGROUND Management approaches for adult scoliosis are primarily based on adults with idiopathic scoliosis and extrapolated to adults with degenerative scoliosis. However, the often substantially, but poorly defined, greater degenerative changes present in degenerative scoliosis impact the management of these patients. OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence, severity, and impact of canal and fo...

Two patients reported that on walking they developed tingling and weakness of the legs and penile erections. The symptoms proved to be due to stenosis of the lumbar were canal, and were relieved by operative decompression.

INTRODUCTION We identified three patients who developed anorectal stenosis after successful treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) agents. CASE PRESENTATION Two patients, a 24-year-old Irish Caucasian man and a 64-year-old Irish Caucasian woman, developed symptoms attributable to anorectal stenosis four to six weeks after treatment. A further patient, a 25-year-old I...