Intradural lumbar disc herniation (ILDH) is a rare pathology. The pathogenesis of ILDH is not known with certainty. Adhesions between the ventral wall of the dura and the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) could act as a preconditioning factor. Diagnosis of ILDH is difficult and seldom suspected preoperatively. Prompt surgery is necessary because the neurologic prognosis appears to be closely linked to preoperative duration of neurologic symptoms. Despite preoperatively significant neurological deficits, the prognosis following surgery is good. We report on two new cases of ILDH of high lumbar locations L1-2 and L2-3 with difficult differential diagnoses, and the possible pathogenic factors are discussed.

A series of 75 children with traumatic extradural haematomas operated on at our Department between 1982 and 1988 were analysed in detail. The overall mortality rate was 17%. CT scan constituted a valuable tool for an early and correct diagnosis, and the mortality rate declined to 9% in the post-CT era. The outcome was found to be predominantly affected by the preoperative neurological status, by the duration of the time interval between onset of coma and surgical intervention, and mainly by the presence of associated brain lesions.

An unusual case of traumatic C6 - 7 total spondyloptosis with neurologically intactness at the time of injury is reported in a 35-year-old man. The patient was treated with a single-stage combined anterior-posterior and anterior operation to restore the cervical spondyloptosis, and creation of a three-column stabilization of the spine without neurological deficits. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no case report of traumatic spondyloptosis of cervical spine, presenting without neurological deficits in the pre- and postoperative periods. A brief summary of the clinical presentation, the surgical technique, and a review of the relevant literature are presented.

Patients with traumatic acute subdural hematoma were studied to determine the factors influencing outcome. Between January 1986 and August 1995, we collected 113 patients who underwent craniotomy for traumatic acute subdural hematoma. The relationship between initial clinical signs and the outcome 3 months after admission was studied retrospectively. Functional recovery was achieved in 38% of patients and the mortality was 60%. 91% of patients with a high Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (9-15) and 23% of patients with a low GCS score (3-8) achieved functional recovery. All of 14 patients with a GCS score of 3 died. The mortality of patients with GCS scores of 4 and 5 was 95% to 75%, respectively. Patients over 61 years old had a mortality of 73% compared to 64% mortality for those aged 21-40 years. 97% of patients with bilateral unreactive pupil and 81% of patients with unilateral unreactive pupil died. The mortality rates of associated intracranial lesions were 91% in intracerebral hematoma, 87% in subarachnoid hemorrhage, 75% in contusion. Time from injury to surgical evacuation and type of surgical intervention did not affect mortality. Age and associated intracranial lesions were related to outcome. Severity of injury and pupillary response were the most important factors for predicting outcome.

Objective: We evaluated 20 patients with spinal lesions with respect to the value of unilateral hemilaminectomy at the Department of Neurosurgery, Erciyes University, Medical Faculty, Kayseri, Turkey. The operative technique of the limited approach for spinal lesions is described. Methods: The study is based on 20 prospective consecutive patients with spinal lesions who had unilateral hemilaminectomy. There were 12 women and eight men. Age ranged from 17 to 63 years mean (42 years) with a slight preponderance of women patients (60%). Spinal lesions were cervical in three cases, lumbar in ®ve cases, and thoracic in 12 cases. Hemilaminectomy was performed by using a high speed drill. Results: Postoperative neurological status was unchanged in six cases, improved in 11 cases, and worsened in three cases. We only observed two cases of wound infections that were not related to our surgical approach. At the follow-up evaluation, which occurred approximately 25 months after surgery none of the patients showed spinal deformity or spinal instability. Conclusion: The rationale of attempting unilateral approach is to avoid damage to the dorsal static structures of the vertebral column. With the precise preoperative de®nition of the relationship of tumor to the surface of the spinal cord by contrast enhanced MRI, unilateral approaches might be more applicable to spinal lesions except invasive extradural lesions. Spinal Cord (2000) 38, 92 ± 96