Mohamed Amin Roshdy Soliman

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>There is a lack of evidence of whether degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is best treated through cervical laminoplasty (CLP) or cervical laminectomy with lateral mass fusion due to the lack of prospective randomized studies that are well designed. We conducted the largest prospective randomized trial to date to determine the comparative effectiveness and safety of both approaches.</p><p><strong>METHODS: </strong>In this prospective, randomized trial, we randomly assigned patients who had symptoms or signs of DCM to undergo either cervical laminectomy and lateral mass fixation (CLF) or CLP. The primary outcome measures were the change in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), neck disability index, modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score, and Nurick’s myelopathy grading 1 year after surgery. The secondary outcome measures were the intraoperative, post-operative complications, hospital stay, C2-7 Cobb’s angle, and Odom’s criteria. The follow-up period was at least 1 year.</p><p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A total of 30 patients (mean age, 54.5 ± 5.5 years, 70% of men) underwent prospective randomization. There was a significantly greater improvement in neck pain (VAS) in the CLF group at 1 year (p &lt; 0.05). The improvement in the mJOA and Nurick’s myelopathy grading showed insignificant improvement between both groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the patient’s post-operative satisfaction (Odom’s criteria). The mean operative time was significantly longer in the CLF group (p &lt; 0.001), with no significant difference in the post-operative complications, however, there was a higher rate of C5 palsy, dural tear and infection in the CLF, and a higher rate of instrumentation failure in the CLP. The mean hospital stay was significantly longer in the posterior group (p &lt; 0.05). Finally, there was a significant better improvement in the C2-7 Cobb’s angle at 1 year in the CLF group (p &lt; 0.05).</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>Among patients with multilevel DCM, the CLF approach was significantly better regarding the post-operative pain and Cobb’s angle while the CLP was significantly better in terms of shorter hospital stay and operative time.</p>

BACKGROUND: Although primarily a respiratory disorder, the coronavirus pandemic has paralyzed almost all aspects of health-care delivery. Emergency procedures are likely continuing in most countries, however, some of them raises certain concerns to the surgeons such as the endoscopic endonasal skull base surgeries. The aim of this study is to present the current situation from a developing country perspective in dealing with such cases at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical survey was distributed among neurosurgeons who performed emergency surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cairo, Egypt, between May 8, 2020, and June 7, 2020. The survey entailed patients' information (demographics, preoperative screening, and postoperative COVID-19 symptoms), surgical team information (demographics and postoperative COVID-19 symptoms), and operative information (personal protective equipment [PPE] utilization and basal craniectomy). RESULTS: Our survey was completed on June 7, 2020 (16 completed, 100% response rate). The patients were screened for COVID-19 preoperatively through complete blood cell (CBC) (100%), computed tomography (CT) chest (68.8%), chest examination (50%), C-reactive protein (CRP) (50%), and serological testing (6.3%). Only 18.8% of the surgical team utilized N95 mask and goggles, 12.5% utilized face shield, and none used PAPRs. Regarding the basal craniectomy, 81.3% used Kerrison Rongeur and chisel, 25% used a high-speed drill, and 6.3% used a mucosal shaver. None of the patients developed any COVID-19 symptoms during the first 3 weeks postsurgery and one of the surgeons developed high fever with negative nasopharyngeal swabs. CONCLUSION: In developing countries with limited resources, preoperative screening using chest examination, CBC, and CT chest might be sufficient to replace Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Developing countries require adequate support with screening tests, PPE, and critical care equipment such as ventilators.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) for the management of sellar, suprasellar, and anterior skull base lesions is gaining popularity. Our aim was to analyze and present the clinical outcomes of EES for the management of these lesions in a community hospital setting. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 56 patients with sellar, suprasellar, and anterior skull base lesions who underwent EES between 2010 and 2018. RESULTS: There was male predominance (53.6%) with a mean age of 54.9 ± 13.7 years. Lesions were 45 pituitary adenomas, 5 meningiomas, 3 metastatic, 1 craniopharyngioma, 1 Rathke cyst, and 1 mucocele. Gross total excision was achieved in 57.1%, subtotal excision occurred in 37.5%, and decompression and biopsy were achieved in 5.4% patients. Postoperative vision normalized or improved in 27 patients (86.1%) and was stable in 4 patients (13.9%). Recovery of a preexisting hormonal deficit occurred in 13 (23.2%) patients, and a new hormonal deficit occurred in 9 patients (16.1%). The mean hospital stay was 6.1 ± 4.9 days. Postoperative complications included cerebrospinal fluid leak in 8 patients (14.3%). Four patients (7.1%) had meningitis. Diabetes insipidus was present in 19 patients (33.9%), and postoperative intracranial hematoma requiring evacuation was necessary in 2 patients (3.6%). The mean follow-up duration was 47.5 ± 25.8 months. Lesion progression or recurrence requiring redo surgery occurred in 5 patients (8.9%). Regarding the learning curve, the postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, new hormonal deficits, and diabetes insipidus decreased in the second half of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: EES provides an effective and safe surgical option with low morbidity and mortality for the treatment of sellar, suprasellar, and anterior skull base lesions in a community hospital setting.

IntroductionWe report the first case of cervical spine chondrosarcoma in a Wilms tumor survivor.
Case Description
A 52-year-old female patient presented with myelopathic symptoms including poor balance, difficulty walking, and numbness of both feet. A magnetic resonance imaging of the spine showed a mass at the right C7-T1 foramen causing significant cord compression. The patient's symptoms improved after posterior decompression and fusion with excision of the tumor.
Conclusion
Through our experience with this case, we would like to suggest a possible unknown genetic syndrome predisposing patients with Wilms tumor to chondrosarcoma as secondary neoplasms. We would also like to re-emphasize the need for vigilance when assessing patients with a history of Wilms tumor.

BackgroundNo data are available on incidence, surgical approaches, complications, and survival for patients with infratentorial meningiomas in developing countries. Predictors for surgical resection, recurrence, and complications were analyzed based on the surgical outcomes of patients with infratentorial meningiomas.
Methods
A total of 101 consecutive cases of infratentorial meningiomas operated on between April 2012 and April 2017 at our institute were reviewed retrospectively. The patients had a mean age of 55.1 ± 5 years, a female predominance of 62.3%, and the mean duration of follow-up duration was 44.2 ± 15.5 months.
Results
The most common surgical approach was retrosigmoid (n = 51) followed by suboccipital (n = 36), subtemporal (n = 8), and far lateral (n = 6). The preoperative presentation showed that affected cranial nerve was the most common presenting symptom (47.5%) followed by weakness (24.8%) and affected vision (16.8%) followed by headache (8.9%) and gait disturbance (6.9%). The extent of resection was grade I (n = 63), grade II (n = 15)and grade III (n = 23) according to the Simpson grading. The complication rate was 56 cases (55.4%); the most common complication was cranial nerve palsy (42.6%), followed by weakness (31.7%), hydrocephalus (16.8%), chest infection (8.9%), ataxia (4%), deep venous thrombosis (4%), cerebrospinal fluid leak (3%) and meningitis and pulmonary embolism (both 1%).
Conclusions
The location, surgical approach, preoperative Karnofsky Performance Status, and peritumor edema were significantly associated with complications. Compared with developed countries, we had a higher complication rate (P < 0.001), lower recurrence rate (P = 0.15), and slightly lower total resection rate (P = 0.29). These findings might be attributed to the patient's late presentation to the tertiary center and poor technical resources.

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to compare the radiological and clinical results of bilateral interlaminar canal decompression and classic laminectomy in lumbar canal stenosis (LCS).METHODSTwo hundred eighteen patients with LCS were randomized to surgical treatment with classic laminectomy (group 1) or bilateral interlaminar canal decompression (group 2). Low-back and leg pain were evaluated according to the visual analog scale (VAS) both preoperatively and postoperatively. Disability was evaluated according to the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) preoperatively and at 1 month, 1 year, and 3 years postoperatively. Neurogenic claudication was evaluated using the Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. The two treatment groups were compared in terms of neurogenic claudication, estimated blood loss (EBL), and intra- and postoperative complications.RESULTSPostoperative low-back and leg pain declined as compared to the preoperative pain. Both groups had significant improvement in VAS, ODI, and ZCQ scores, and the improvements in ODI and back pain VAS scores were significantly better in group 2. The average EBL was 140 ml in group 2 compared to 260 ml in group 1. Nine patients in the laminectomy group developed postoperative instability requiring fusion compared to only 4 cases in the interlaminar group (p = 0.15). Complications frequency did not show any statistical significance between the two groups.CONCLUSIONSBilateral interlaminar decompression is an effective method that provides sufficient canal decompression with decreased instability in cases of LCS and increases patient comfort in the postoperative period.