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Biomedical subjects

M H Savitz

Publications and source records attributed to M H Savitz.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Percutaneous radiofrequency rhizotomy of the lumbar facets: ten years' experience.

Over a 10-year period, 142 percutaneous radiofrequency facet rhizotomies were performed at a suburban community hospital on patients with incapacitating low back pain after various modalities of conservative treatment had failed. Neuroradiologic studies were negative or failed to reveal a herniated disk in all patients. The initial series reported in 1986 included 56 patients who had undergone previous spinal surgery and 59 patients who had lumbosacral radiculitis. An additional 27 patients with lumbosacral radiculitis have been treated. The combined use of fine thermocouple electrodes, image intensifier, nerve stimulator, and radiofrequency lesion generator provided a simple and safe technique for the relief of pain. Improvement, assessed by reduced medication requirement and increased employment, occurred in 60% of the patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Synovial cysts of the lumbar facet joint.

A study of 42 synovial cysts arising from the lumbar facet joint is presented. Intraspinal cysts caused radicular pain and cauda equina syndrome in 11 patients. In a series of 1,400 lumbar laminotomies for a herniated disk, 31 incidental nodules arising from the exposed facet as paraarticular masses were found and excised. The limited number of reports in the orthopedic and neurosurgical literature has not dealt adequately with the etiology or incidence of these benign lesions. The neuroradiologic appearance and histopathologic findings are briefly discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Preoperative and postoperative neuroradiologic evaluation of lumbar disk herniation.

Three hundred and forty patients with signs and symptoms of lumbar disk disease were evaluated preoperatively by conventional X-rays, computed tomography, and 2.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). High-resolution T2 weighted MRI provided a truly noninvasive myelogram. The operative findings were predicted by and correlated with the neuroradiologic studies. High-resolution MRI with intravenous gadolinium-DTPA (Magnevist, Berlex) has been particularly useful in evaluating patients with a history of prior disk surgery and patients who were not relieved of pain by lumbar diskectomy.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Minilaminotomy as an alternative to laminectomy or microdiskectomy: ten years' experience.

Minilaminotomy as an alternative to microdiskectomy or standard laminectomy has been performed at two community hospitals on 1000 patients over a period of 10 years. The operative technique, employing simple prone positioning, a 4-cm incision, standard instruments, X-ray guidance, a fiberoptic head light, and 4.5 x binocular loupes, has not changed since 1986, when the initial series of 200 cases was published. The overall results in 800 additional patients continued to compare favorably to all reported series of microdiskectomy: minimal blood loss, less narcotic requirement, fewer days in the hospital, earlier return to normal activity, no wound infection, and low rate of second surgery.

Adolescent↗