The ability to compare various results that measure clinical deficits and outcome is a necessity for successful worldwide discussion about cervical spondylogenic myelopathy (CSM) and its treatment. There is hardly any information in literature how to value and compare outcome assessed by different scores. In a retrospective study we objectively evaluated the Nurick-score, Japanese-orthopaedic-association-score (JOA-Score), Cooper-myelopathyscale (CMS), Prolo-score and European-myelopathy-score (EMS) using the data of 43 patients, all of whom showed clinical and morphological signs of CSM and underwent operative decompression. The scores were assessed pre-and postoperatively. The correlation between the scoreresults, anamnesis, clinical and diagnostic data was investigated. All the scores show a statistically significant correlation and measure postoperative improvement. With exception of the Prolo-score all scores reflect clinical deficits of CSM. The Prolo-score rates the severity of CSM on the state of the economic situation above clinical symptoms. The main differences of the scores are shown in the number of patients showing postoperative improvement, varying between 33% (Nurick-score) and 81% (JOA-score). The recovery-rates, as a measure of the cumulative improvement of all the symptoms, show less variation (23-37%). The differences of the recovery-rate were only statistically significant between JOA-score, Nurick-score and EMS (P \ 0.05), whereas all the other scores showed no significant differences. To assess the postoperative successes, the evaluation of the recovery-rate is essential. There is no significant difference in the recovery-rate amongst the majority of the scores, which allows a good comparison of the results from different studies. Nevertheless, it is always important to differentiate the therapy results of CSM published worldwide.

This study investigated electromyographic (EMG) activity as a marker of nerve root irritation during two different surgical procedures for lumbar disc herniation. Mechanically elicited EMG activity was recorded during the dynamic stages of surgery in muscle groups innervated by lumbar nerve roots. Confirmation of surgical activity was correlated with the activity of the electromyogram. Fifteen patients with lumbar disc herniations were treated via an endoscopic medial approach, and 15 patients via the open microscopic surgical technique. Results indicated that the endoscopic technique was superior to the open surgical technique and produced less irritation of the nerve root. Significantly less mechanically elicited activity was recorded during both the approach and the root mobilization. The study showed that microendoscopic discectomy allows a smaller incision and less tissue trauma with comparable visualization of the nerve structures than does open surgery.

Laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive neurosurgical approach to the stereotactic treatment of brain tumors in poorly accessible regions. Its clinical applicability has been shown in several experimental and clinical studies under on-line monitoring by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This review characterizes LITT as an alternative neurosurgical approach with specific focus on the typical histological alterations and ultrastructural cellular changes following laser irradiation in the central nervous system. The spatial and temporal pattern of these changes is discussed in their relevance to the neurosurgical treatment of neoplastic lesions using LITT.

Intra-operative MRI is helpful for navigation as well as determining of tumour margins to achieve a complete and safe resection of intracranial lesions. Complications related to the surgical procedure are reduced and the risk of neurological deterioration due to tumour removal and postoperative complications is minimized. It can be concluded that the intra-operative application of interventional MRI technology may represent a major step forward in the field of neurosurgery.

There is no genuinely safe permissible occlusion time. Despite complete recovery of SEPs after a loss of potential, the patient may develop new deficits.