Introduction: Cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) methods have gained popularity to assess growth and development status for orthodontic patients. Although craniofacial and craniocervical structures are known to be associated, there is no evidence in the literature if this relation might negatively affect the accuracy of CVM assessments. Therefore, this study aimed to comparatively investigate the sizes of the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th cervical vertebrae in adult females (radius union stage of skeletal maturity) who have different sagittal skeletal patterns. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 151 lateral cephalometric radiographs of adult female patients were assessed in the study. Patients were assigned to three groups according to ANB angle. Parameters including concavity depth at the lower border of the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th cervical vertebrae and base length, upper border length, body length, posterior height, anterior height, and body height of the 3^rd and 4^th cervical vertebrae bodies were measured. One-way analysis of variance was used for between-group comparisons. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between groups in terms of concavity depth at the lower borders of the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th cervical vertebrae (P > 0.05). Base length, upper border length, body length, posterior height, anterior height, and body height of the 3^rd and 4^th cervical vertebrae were also similar between groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study supports that sagittal craniofacial pattern has no effect on the accuracy of using the methods assessing CVM and calculating cervical vertebral age.

Context: Approaches suggested for treatment of neglected dislocations in the subaxial cervical spine (SACS) include only anterior approach (a), only posterior approach (b), posterior-anterior approach, posterior-anterior-posterior approach, and anterior-posterior-anterior-posterior approach. No protocol is suggested in literature to guide surgeons treating neglected dislocations. Aim: To describe a protocol for the treatment of neglected dislocation in the SACS. Settings and Designs: Retrospective case series and review of literature. Materials and Methods: Six consecutive patients of neglected dislocation (presenting to us more than 3 weeks following trauma) of the SACS were operated as per the protocol suggested in this paper. A retrospective review of the occupational therapy reports, patient records, and radiographs was performed. Only cases with time lapse of more than 3 weeks between the time of injury and initial management have been included in the review. Results: Closed reduction (CR) was achieved in three patients following cervical traction and these were managed by anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Open reduction via posterior approach and soft tissue release was required to achieve reduction in two patients. Following reduction posterior instrumented fusion was done in them. One patient with preoperative neurological deficit needed a facetectomy to achieve reduction. Following short-segment fixation, ACDF was also performed in this patient. None of the patients deteriorated neurologically following surgery. Fusion was achieved in all patients. Conclusions: Preoperative and intraoperative traction have a role in the management of neglected dislocations in the cervical spine. If CR is achieved the patient may be managed by ACDF. If CR is not achieved, posterior soft tissue release may be done to achieve reduction and partial facetectomy must be reserved for cases in which reduction is not achieved after soft tissue release. A treatment protocol for management of neglected dislocation in the SACS has been suggested in this paper.

Objectives: Various types of minimally invasive techniques have been developed for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. The original laminectomy was refined into microdiscectomy (MD). MD is the gold standard in management of lumbar disc herniation and is used as a yardstick for comparison with newer procedures such as tubular discectomy. So far, no studies have been reported in Indian population comparing tubular discectomy and microdiscectomy. The aim of this study was to compare immediate postoperative and 1-year outcome of patients undergoing tubular discectomy with those undergoing MD and to evaluate the learning curve as well as complication rates of tubular discectomy. Materials and Methods: Forty-six patients of MD and 102 (48 early and 54 late) patients of tubular discectomy (TD) were operated at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, which is a tertiary level center between July 2009 and January 2012. They were studied for the following data: Baseline characteristics, visual analog scale (VAS) for leg pain and back pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, length of hospital stay, time taken to return to work, duration of surgery, intra- and post-operative complications, and reoperation rates. Results: The VAS score for leg pain, back pain, and ODI scores showed improvement in both groups during the 1^st year after surgery. Time taken to return to work and mean hospital stay was shorter in case of TD as compared to MD group. The mean duration of surgery was 34 min shorter for conventional MD. The incidence of dural tear was 6.5% in MD group and 10.4% in early TD and decreased to 7.4% in late TD group. Conclusion: This study revealed that rate of recovery is significantly faster for TD as compared to conventional MD. In contrast, we encountered fewer complications in MD approach as compared to TD which although were not statistically significant and which also decreased as we gained experience.

Background and Context: Minimally invasive percutaneous vertebral augmentation techniques; vertebroplasty, and kyphoplasty have been treatment choices for vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of the patients who underwent vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty regarding complications, correction of vertebral body height, kyphosis angle and pain relief assessment using visual analog score (VAS) for pain. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the hospital records for 100 consecutive patients treated with kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty in our department database. Patients with osteoporotic compression fractures, traumatic compressions, and osteolytic vertebral lesions, including metastases, hemangiomas, and multiple myeloma, were included in the study. Preoperative and postoperative VAS pain scores, percentages of vertebral compression and kyphotic angles were measured and compared as well as demographic characteristics and postoperative complications. Mobilization and length of stay (LOS) were recorded. Results: One hundred patients were treated by 110 procedures. 64 patients were operated on due to osteoporosis (72 procedures). Twelve patients were operated on because of metastasis (13 procedures), 8 patients were operated on because of multiple myeloma (9 procedures). Five patients had two surgeries, 1 patient had 3 surgeries, and 1 patient had 5 surgeries. The mean preoperative VAS was 74.05 ± 9.8. In total, 175 levels were treated, 46 levels by kyphoplasty and 129 by vertebroplasty. The mean postoperative VAS was 20.94 ± 11.8. Most of the patients were mobilized in the same day they of surgery. Mean LOS was 1.83 days. Six patients had nonsymptomatic leakage of polymethlymethacrylate, and patient had epidural hematoma, which was operated on performing hemi-laminectomy. Conclusions: Percutaneous vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty are both effective and safe minimally invasive procedures for the stabilization of VCFs. However, complications should be kept in mind during decision making.

Introduction: Numerical classification systems for the internal carotid artery (ICA) are available, but modifications have added confusion to the numerical systems. Furthermore, previous classifications may not be applicable uniformly to microsurgical and endoscopic procedures. The purpose of this study was to develop a clinically useful classification system. Materials and Methods: We performed cadaver dissections of the ICA in 5 heads (10 sides) and evaluated 648 internal carotid arteries with computed tomography angiography. We identified specific anatomic landmarks to define the beginning and end of each ICA segment. Results: The ICA was classified into eight segments based on the cadaver and imaging findings: (1) Cervical segment; (2) cochlear segment (ascending segment of the ICA in the temporal bone) (relation of the start of this segment to the base of the styloid process: Above, 425 sides [80%]; below, 2 sides [0.4%]; at same level, 107 sides [20%];P< 0.0001) (relation of cochlea to ICA: Posterior, 501 sides [85%]; posteromedial, 84 sides [14%];P< 0.0001); (3) petrous segment (horizontal segment of ICA in the temporal bone) starting at the crossing of the eustachian tube superolateral to the ICA turn in all 10 samples; (4) Gasserian-Clival segment (ascending segment of ICA in the cavernous sinus) starting at the petrolingual ligament (PLL) (relation to vidian canal on imaging: At same level, 360 sides [63%]; below, 154 sides [27%]; above, 53 sides [9%];P< 0.0001); in this segment, the ICA projected medially toward the clivus in 275 sides (52%) or parallel to the clivus with no deviation in 256 sides (48%;P< 0.0001); (5) sellar segment (medial loop of ICA in the cavernous sinus) starting at the takeoff of the meningeal hypophyseal trunk (ICA was medial into the sella in 271 cases [46%], lateral without touching the sella in 127 cases [23%], and abutting the sella in 182 cases [31%];P< 0.0001); (6) sphenoid segment (lateral loop of ICA within the cavernous sinus) starting at the crossing of the fourth cranial nerve on the lateral aspect of the cavernous ICA and located directly lateral to the sphenoid sinus; (7) ring segment (ICA between the 2 dural rings) starting at the crossing of the third cranial nerve on the lateral aspect of the ICA; (8) cisternal segment starting at the distal dural ring. Conclusions: The classification may be applied uniformly to all skull base surgical approaches including lateral microsurgical and ventral endoscopic approaches, obviating the need for 2 separate classification systems. The classification allows extrapolation of relevant clinical information because each named segment may indicate potential surgical risk to specific structures.

Introduction: A rigid construct that employs an occipital plate and upper cervical screws and rods is the current standard treatment for craniovertebral junction (CVJ) instability. A rod is contoured to accommodate the occipitocervical angle. Fatigue failure has been associated these acute bends. Hinged rod systems have been developed to obviate intraoperative rod contouring. Object: The aim of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of the hinged rod system in occipitocervical fusion. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated 39 patients who underwent occipitocervical arthrodesis. Twenty patients were treated with hinged rods versus 19 with contoured rods. Clinical and radiographic data were compared and analyzed. Results: Preoperative and postoperative Nurick and Frankel scores were similar between both groups. The use of allograft, autograft or bone morphogenetic protein was similar in both groups. The average number of levels fused was 4.1 (±2.4) and 3.4 (±2) for hinged and contoured rods, respectively. The operative time, estimated blood loss, and length of stay were similar between both groups. The occiput to C2 angle was similarly maintained in both groups and all patients demonstrated no movement across the CVJ on flexion-extension X-rays during their last follow-up. The average follow-up for the hinged and contoured rod groups was 12.2 months and 15.9 months, respectively. Conclusion: Hinged rods provide a safe and effective alternative to contoured rods during occipitocervical arthrodesis.

Introduction: Pure spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas (PSECHs) are rare vascular lesions with about 100 cases reported. Herein, we present a case series of 7 PSECHs discussing their clinical presentation, radiological characteristics, surgical technique and intraoperative findings, pathological features, and functional outcome. Materials and Methods: We retrieved from the retrolective databases of the senior authors, patients with pathologically confirmed PSECH operated between January 2002 and November 2015. From their medical records, the patients' sociodemographic, clinical, radiological, surgical, and histopathological data were retrieved and analyzed. Results: The mean age of the seven cases was 50.3 years. Four were females. All the five cases (71.4%) in the thoracic spine had myelopathy and the 2 (28.6%) lumbar cases had sciatica. Local pain was present in all the cases. All the lesions were isointense on T1-weighted images, hyperintense on T2-weighted images, and in five cases there was strong homogeneous enhancement. In six cases (85.7%), classical laminectomy was done; lesions resected in one piece in five cases. Total excision was achieved in all the cases. Lesions were thin-walled dilated blood vessels, lined with endothelium, and engorged with blood and with scanty loose fibrous stroma. The median follow-up was 12 months (range: 1–144 months). All patients gradually improved neurologically and achieved a good outcome with no recurrence at the last follow-up. Conclusion: PSECH although rare is increasing reported and ought to be included in the differential diagnosis of spinal epidural lesions. Early surgical treatment with total resection is recommended as would result in a good prognosis.

Atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) is a rare condition and delayed diagnosis. We report a case of chronic neglected atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation in adolescence child that was treated by serial skull traction followed by posterior fusing by method pioneered by Goel et al. A 15-year-old male presented with signs of high cervical myelopathy 2 years after trauma to neck childhood. There was upper cervical kyphosis, direct tenderness over C2 spinous process, atrophy of both hand muscles with weakness in grip strength. Reflexes in upper and lower extremities were exaggerated. Imaging showed Type 3 (Fielding and Hawkins) rotatory atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD). Treatment options available were 1. Staged anterior Transoral release & reduction followed by posterior fusion described by Govender and Kumar et al, 2. Posterior open reduction of joint and fusion, 3. Occipitocervical fusion with decompression. Our case was AARF presented to us with almost 2-year post injury. Considering complications associated with anterior surgery and posterior open reduction, we have opted for closed reduction by serially applying weight to skull traction under closed neurological monitoring. We have serially increased weight up to 15 kg over a period of 1 week before. We have achieved some reduction which was confirmed by traction lateral radiographs and computerized axial tomography scan. Residual subluxation corrected intra-operatively indirectly by using reduction screws in Goel et al. procedure. Finally performed for C1-C2 fusion to take care of Instability. We like to emphasis here role of closed reduction even in delayed and neglected cases.