Arthroplasty using the Bryan disc appears to be safe and provided a favorable preliminary clinical and radiological outcome. Postoperative kyphosis can be prevented by understanding the biomechanical properties of the Bryan disc. Future studies will need to address the association between postoperative kyphosis, clinical outcome and adjacent segment disease.

The cystic component of spinal cord haemangioblastomas is responsible for symptom generation and is helpful for dissecting tumours. Post-operative functional status is determined by pre-operative functional status. Total removal is feasible by using the correct surgical technique and is recommended to prevent recurrence.

SummaryThis is the first published report of a patient with KlippelFeil syndrome treated with cervical arthroplasty. A 36-year-old man presented with posterior neck pain and myelopathic symptoms. A radiograph demonstrated congenital fusion of the vertebral bodies at C2-3, C4-5 and C5-6. On MRI, the spinal cord was compressed by a protruding cervical disc and bony spurs at C6-7. After anterior discectomy and decompression of the spinal cord at the C6-7 level, the disc was replaced with the Bryan cervical disc system (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN, USA) to restore normal motion. The absence of adjacent segment degeneration and the preservation of cervical motion were noted 2 years after surgery. Arthroplasty may be performed in selected patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome in order to restore motion and to prevent degeneration of the adjacent segment by reducing hypermobility.

SummaryBackground. This report presents general information on herniated thoracic discs, their clinical manifestations as well as surgical treatment, and examines the differences in the surgical outcome based on disc characteristics.Methods. This study includes 33 thoracic discectomies in 29 patients with a ventrally situated herniated thoracic disc reaching to the thoracic cord. Using preoperative computed tomography scanning and magnetic resonance imaging, the direction of the disc was classified as either central or lateral, and disc consistency classified as either soft or hard. Clinical outcome was assessed according to the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) Score for thoracic myelopathy. The score was obtained by analysing motor, sensory and bladder function. Recovery rate was assessed, comparing preoperative and postoperative status based on disc characteristics. The correlations between outcome, symptom duration and recovery rate were also investigated.Findings. Clinical outcome according to the JOA Score showed significant postoperative improvement, increasing from 7.0 AE 3.1 points to 8.2 AE 2.7 points postoperatively (p < 0.01). The mean recovery rate was 12.4 AE 56.9%, and 16 patients (55.2%) showed improvement. In the soft disc group, there was improvement in all categories, but the hard disc group showed no improvement. The central disc group showed improvement

Patients with PD had significantly increased risk of osteoporosis and OVCF. Surgical treatment for OVCF in PD patients was associated with a better prognosis than conservative treatment.