Comparison of Radiological and Clinical Outcomes between Expandable and Non-expandable Cages Following Cervical Corpectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion is considered the mainstay of surgical treatment in cervical pathology. Expandable and nonexpandable cages are preferred over autogenous bone graft because of donor-related morbidity. However, the choice of the cage type remains a debatable topic as studies report conflicting results. Thus, we evaluated the outcomes of expandable and non-expandable cages following cervical corpectomy. Studies were searched in various electronic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane) between 2011 and 2021. Forest plot was made to compare the radiological and clinical outcomes between expandable and non-expandable cages following cervical corpectomy. Altogether, 26 studies (1,170 patients) were included in the metaanalysis. The mean change in segmental angle was significantly greater in the expandable cage group than in the non-expandable cage group (6.7° vs. 3.0°, p 0.05). The improvement in segmental angle is better with expandable cages. Higher subsidence is a major problem with non-expandable cages, but it seems to be beneficial as evidenced by the high fusion rate and minimal effect on clinical outcome in patients with this cage.

Management of Patients with Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis May Need to Be Individualized: A Multidisciplinary Call for Action / 대한뇌졸중학회지

The optimal management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) is the subject of extensive debate. According to the 2017 European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines, carotid endarterectomy should (Class IIa; Level of Evidence: B) or carotid artery stenting may be considered (Class IIb; Level of Evidence: B) in the presence of one or more clinical/imaging characteristics that may be associated with an increased risk of late ipsilateral stroke (e.g., silent embolic infarcts on brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, progression in the severity of ACS, a history of contralateral transient ischemic attack/stroke, microemboli detection on transcranial Doppler, etc.), provided documented perioperative stroke/death rates are 5 years. Besides these clinical/imaging characteristics, there are additional individual, ethnic/racial or social factors that should probably be evaluated in the decision process regarding the optimal management of these patients, such as individual patient needs/patient choice, patient compliance with best medical treatment, patient sex, culture, race/ethnicity, age and comorbidities, as well as improvements in imaging/operative techniques/outcomes. The present multispecialty position paper will present the rationale why the management of patients with ACS may need to be individualized.

Management of Patients with Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis May Need to Be Individualized: A Multidisciplinary Call for Action / 대한뇌졸중학회지

The optimal management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) is the subject of extensive debate. According to the 2017 European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines, carotid endarterectomy should (Class IIa; Level of Evidence: B) or carotid artery stenting may be considered (Class IIb; Level of Evidence: B) in the presence of one or more clinical/imaging characteristics that may be associated with an increased risk of late ipsilateral stroke (e.g., silent embolic infarcts on brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, progression in the severity of ACS, a history of contralateral transient ischemic attack/stroke, microemboli detection on transcranial Doppler, etc.), provided documented perioperative stroke/death rates are 5 years. Besides these clinical/imaging characteristics, there are additional individual, ethnic/racial or social factors that should probably be evaluated in the decision process regarding the optimal management of these patients, such as individual patient needs/patient choice, patient compliance with best medical treatment, patient sex, culture, race/ethnicity, age and comorbidities, as well as improvements in imaging/operative techniques/outcomes. The present multispecialty position paper will present the rationale why the management of patients with ACS may need to be individualized.

Pneumothorax after Colonoscopy – A Review of Literature

The purpose of this study was to determine the anatomical aspects, mechanisms, risk factors and appropriate management of development of pneumothorax during a routine colonoscopy. A systematic search of the literature (MEDLINE, Embase and Google Scholar) revealed 21 individually documented patients of pneumothorax following a colonoscopy, published till December 2015. One additional patient treated at our center was added. A pooled analysis of these 22 patients was performed including patient characteristics, indication of colonoscopy, any added procedure, presenting symptoms,risk factors and treatment given. The review suggested that various risk factors may be female gender, therapeutic interventions, difficult colonoscopy and underlying bowel pathology. Diagnosis of this condition requires a high index of suspicion and treatment should be tailored to individual needs.

Tuberculosis of Wrist Presenting as Scaphoid Fracture: A Case Report

The scaphoid is an uncommon site for tuberculous infection. Clinical features and radiographic findings are not necessarily helpful and may lead to a delay in diagnosis and therefore poor treatment results. We report here a case of scaphoid tuberculosis, which presented as a scaphoid fracture, but then progressed to wrist arthritis. The patient was treated conservatively and had good functional outcome. To the best of our knowledge, such presentation has not been documented.

Unusual presentation of a common disease: Disseminated tuberculosis presenting as osteomyelitis

Tubercular osteomyelitis is an uncommon form of with disseminated tuberculosis and treated with an] skeletal tuberculosis. We report one such case associated tubercular medication.