The unstable lumbar spine can be partially stabilized using fixation. Interbody bone provides additional stability. The immediate stability provided by pedicle screws is greater in lumbar vertebrae with higher bone density.

An identical abnormal chromosome, i(12p), and a marker chromosome of unknown origin were seen in 2 tumors of different histology (seminoma and embryonal carcinoma) in the same testis. A younger brother of the patient also had undergone orchiectomy for 2 seminomas in the left testis 2 years previously. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible cellular background of testicular tumors and their genetic parameters.

An unusual case of a double testicular tumor, with different histology and the same marker chromosome, led to a search of the literature for cases of testicular tumors that were double, bilateral, or familial. The literature on abnormal chromosomes in tumors of the testis is also reviewed. After a discussion of the facts, it is suggested that most of the histological variants of germ cell tumors of the testicle are so closely related that they could be grouped together under the title of ‘orchidomata’.

No abstract