STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE Lumbar segmental instability is a key factor determining whether decompression alone or decompression and fusion surgery is required to treat lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Some recent reports have suggested that facet joint effusion is correlated with spinal segmental instability. The aim of this study is to report the effect of facet effusio...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study is to determine the clinical and surgical outcomes following lumbar laminectomy. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed medical records of neurosurgical patients who underwent first-time, bilateral, 1-3 level laminectomies for degenerative lumbar disease. Patients with discectomy, complete facetectomy, and fusion were excluded. RESULTS Five hundred patien...

Background: The technique of transforaminal endoscopic spine surgery is being widely used for lumbar degenerative diseases. But the interlaminar endoscopic surgery, which is more familiar and easier to be operated for spine surgeons, is more easily applied by traditionally trained surgeons. Objective: We propose the technique of percutaneous endoscopic medial foraminal decompression through int...

More than 1.2 million people are undergoing treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) in the United States. Yet, therapeutic options for these patients are limited to either conservative treatments or highly invasive surgeries. A new image-guided interlaminar decompression procedure, mild(®), offers significant relief for many of these patients by debulking dorsal element hypertrophy while pre...

Eleven patients with intractable trigeminal neuralgia were treated by posterior fossa microvascular decompression. Complete pain relief was achieved in 7 patients (63.3%). Partial relief of symptoms was noted in 3 patients (27%). There was no operative mortality. Two patients developed transient lower cranial nerve palsies whereas one patient developed a CSF leak, requiring treatment by lumbar ...

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective study. PURPOSE To examine the efficacy and safety for a posterior-approach circumferential decompression and shortening reconstruction with a titanium mesh cage for lumbar burst fractures. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE Surgical decompression and reconstruction for severely unstable lumbar burst fractures requires an anterior or combined anteroposterior approach. Furthe...

BACKGROUND Lumbar interbody fusion has become a well established method to diminish axial back pain as well as radiculopathy in patients with degenerative disc disease, stenosis, and instability. The concept of indirect decompression of the neural foramen and spinal canal while performing fusion became popular in the mid 1990's with description of ALIF techniques. Morphometric analysis confirme...