No abstract

The tested ASDs were able to control the siphoning effect within a simulated shunt system to differing degrees. Future comparative trials are needed to determine the type of device that is superior for clinical application.

Odontoidectomy is very effective for the decompression of the ventral craniovertebral junction (CVJ). Various approaches are available for the direct ventral decompression of the CVJ. Because there are many disadvantages of open transoral approach, endoscopic odontoidectomy was developed. There are 3 approaches in endoscopic odontoidectomy. We report transcervical retropharyngeal endoscopic approach for the ventral CVJ in this paper. Three patients with different pathologies received operations using this approach. The decompression was enough and surgical invasion was less in all patients. Each endoscopic approach has some advantages and different working regions due to their approach trajectories, but transcervical retropharyngeal approach is very familiar for our neurospinal surgeons and has a relatively large working area. This approach might have the chance to take the place of open transoral approach for endoscopic spinal surgeons.

In the cases of child patients with metopic-sagittal synostosis who had clinical symptoms, surgical intervention improved such symptoms, suggesting its potential utility for metopic-sagittal synostosis with clinical symptoms. A surgical procedure focusing on the skull base was important for our successes. Based on the fact that metopic-sagittal synostosis was diagnosed in 35 patients at one institution over a relatively short period of time, this pathological condition may not be as rare as is currently believed.