1/521. Cavernous angioma of the conus medullaris as a cause of paraplegia.Cavernous angiomas of the conus medullaris are unusual lesions, representing about 3% of all intramedullary cavernomas. Most are asymptomatic. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best diagnostic tool for the detection. We report a case of a 74-year-old man who initially developed low back pain and numbness of the right leg and subsequently paraplegia, asia impairment scale 'c'. MRI revealed a cavernous angioma of the conus medullaris with perilesional oedema and signs of acute bleeding. Clinical improvement was associated with changes in the MRI.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = back pain, pain, back (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/521. A case of chordoma in association with rectal carcinoma.A 74-year-old male patient presented with anal and sacral pain 18 months after abdomino-perineal resection for rectal cancer. Computerized tomography (CT) of the pelvis demonstrated a well defined mass anterior to the lower sacrum, posteriorly infiltrating and destroying the fourth and fifth sacral nerves and invading the right gluteal fossa. A 7.5 x 15 x 2 cm encapsulated mass was demonstrated during the operation using a posterior approach and the lower sacral segments together with the tumour were removed by amputation at S3 level. Histopathology revealed chordoma. This case is unique because of the rarity of chordoma in association with rectal tumour at the sacrococcygeal region.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.073100315237975keywords = pain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/521. Ewing's sarcoma presenting as a posterior mediastinal mass: a lesson learned.Thoracic vertebral body hemicorpectomy and chest wall resection was performed in a 17-year-old male patient with a posterior mediastinal tumor thought to be neurogenic in origin. No preoperative tissue diagnostic endeavor was made. Final pathologic diagnosis showed this tumor to be Ewing's sarcoma. This communication alerts the thoracic surgeon to the need for definitive diagnosis of posterior mediastinal masses with vertebral body involvement, particularly in children. induction chemotherapy is the accepted standard of management of these sarcomas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0015710144693237keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/521. Occipital pain in osteoid osteoma of the atlas. A report of two cases.STUDY DESIGN: Two cases of occipital pain caused by an osteoid osteoma of the atlas are presented. OBJECTIVES: To describe the management of occipital pain in two young patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Osteoid osteoma is a benign lesion mostly affecting the long bones. A spinal location is uncommon. To the authors' knowledge, there are only five other reports of an osteoid osteoma located in the atlas. methods: Occipital headache, which was relieved by salicylates, was the major symptom reported by the two adolescents. In the first patient, a lesion of C1 was seen on plain radiographs. In the second patient, the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma was suggested by scintigraphic imaging and subsequently by computed tomography. RESULTS: Pain disappeared in both cases after surgical excision of the lesion. Histologic examination disclosed characteristic features of osteoid osteoma. CONCLUSIONS: Occipital pain in adolescents, which is relieved by aspirin, should raise suspicion about the possibility of an osteoid osteoma of the atlas. If standard cervical spine radiographs are negative, isotope scanning and computed tomography can help to establish the diagnosis. Complete excision eliminates the lesion and produces immediate relief for the patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.51222677753175keywords = pain, headache (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/521. A staff dialogue on caring for a cancer patient who commits suicide: psychosocial issues faced by patients, their families, and caregivers.Shortly before his death in 1995, Kenneth B. Schwartz, a cancer patient at massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), founded The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center at MGH. The Schwartz Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing compassionate health care delivery which provides hope to the patient, support to caregivers, and encourages the healing process. The Center sponsors the Schwartz Center Rounds, a monthly multidisciplinary forum during which caregivers discuss a specific cancer patient, reflect on the important psychosocial issues faced by patients, their families, and their caregivers, and gain insight and support from their fellow staff members. The case presented was of a 31-year-old man who developed adenocarcinoma of the lung with painful bone metastases. His tumor was unresponsive to treatment and he subsequently committed suicide by shooting himself. The verbatim and subsequent discussion raised a number of issues. Staff were devastated by the violent way that he ended his life. They questioned whether more could have been done to prevent this outcome, yet acknowledged that it mirrored the way he had lived, and were able to discuss the values by which we live and die. Some, but not all, felt that the patient had the right to choose how and when to end his life.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.073100315237975keywords = pain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/521. osteoblastoma in lumbar vertebral body.We report a young man with low back pain suspected to have a disc protrusion. Imaging suggested a tumour of the dorsal portion of the fifth lumbar vertebral body. Operation suggested a giant-cell tumour and subsequent histology showed an osteoblastoma. All typical imaging features of osteoblastoma are demonstrated in this rather uncommon location. Contrast-enhancing bone-marrow oedema on MRI, with mild enhancement of the tumour, together with the CT appearances were the clues to the diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = back pain, pain, back (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/521. Metastatic cardiac angiosarcoma of the cervical spine. Case report.STUDY DESIGN: A case report of metastatic cardiac angiosarcoma of the cervical spine. OBJECTIVES: To show that this rare spine tumor behaves in the same manner as an arteriovenous malformation and embolization, which can allow for successful spine surgery, and to discuss the natural history and rarity of this tumor. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Primary angiosarcoma of the heart is a very rare tumor, with fewer than 200 reports in the English literature and nothing reported in the spine literature. RESULTS: The patient in this study initially sought treatment for neck pain, left arm pain, and weakness 17 months after cardiac surgery and subsequent chemotherapy. A cervical computed tomography scan demonstrated a C5 lytic vertebral body tumor with intracannilicular extension and cord compression. An anterior cervical approach was made, but the tumor was too vascular to resect, and surgery was aborted. The C5 vascular vertebral body metastasis subsequently was embolized successfully by an interventional neuroradiologist. reoperation via an anterior approach with corpectomy, cadaveric fibula, and anterior locking plate internal fixation was successful, producing marked improvement in the patients' symptoms. CONCLUSION: Spinal involvement by primary cardiac angiosarcoma is very rare, and this is only the second operative case ever reported. The vascular nature of this tumor makes it behave in a manner similar to that of a high-flow arteriovenous malformation. Surgery should not be undertaken before preoperative angiography and embolization. The dismal prognosis for this rare malignancy is discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14620063047595keywords = pain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/521. Metastatic spine disease in renal cell carcinoma--indication and results of surgery.Metastatic spine disease is frequent in renal cell carcinoma and 50% of osseous metastases are already found at the time of primary diagnosis. Therefore patient mobility and quality of life are threatened early in the course of disease. Surgery is able to relieve pain and to regain or to preserve mobility. Indication and technique of surgery (anterior decompression, vertebral replacement and transpedicular fixation) are explained and treatment results of eleven cases are reported. All patients with paraparesis or cord compression preoperatively were mobile when leaving our hospital after surgery. There were no severe complications, especially no neurological deteriorations or deaths. Postoperative survival time was ten months approximately in cases with multiple osseous lesions and it was several years in cases with solitary metastases. Mobility was preserved for most of the survival time. In conclusion, restabilisation of the spine proved to be a worthwhile treatment option in well-selected cases suffering from malignant spinal involvement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.073100315237975keywords = pain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/521. Atypical presentation of vertebral bone metastasis from lung cancer.The authors describe a case of lung cancer in a 55-year-old man who complained of back pain. Initial isotopic bone scanning showed no abnormality, however, magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging revealed bone metastasis in thoracic vertebral bone. Even when there is no typical findings of metastasis in bone scintigraphy, MRI imaging would be useful if vertebral bone metastasis is suspected. MRI imaging is an important modality to evaluate extraosseous extension and marrow invasion of metastatic tumors.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = back pain, pain, back (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/521. Acute spinal cord compression due to intraspinal bleeding from a vertebral hemangioma: two case-reports.Vertebral hemangiomas can cause acute spinal cord compression either after a minor trauma or during the last 3 months of pregnancy. Failure to recognize the lesion can lead to potentially serious treatment delays. An emergency MRI scan usually establishes the diagnosis of vertebral hemangioma responsible for spinal cord compression requiring laminectomy. We report two cases showing that posterior fixation should be considered: in our experience it prevents vertebral collapse during the interval preceding secondary vertebroplasty, which, if performed, provides highly significant pain relief.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.073100315237975keywords = pain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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