Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Markus Wenger.
Experience indicates that stand-alone cages may lack the necessary stability to secure highly unstable motion segments at the lumbosacral junction. The authors have designed a special carbon fiber composite interbody cage that allows additional screw placement in anterior lumbar interbody fusion procedures performed at the lumbosacral junction.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
BACKGROUND: Cerebral germinomas and their occasional recurrences can usually be cured by irradiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of the two treatment modalities. Late recurrences, as in our case, are distinctly rare. CASE DESCRIPTION: This patient presented at age 24 with a calcified tumor in the pineal area. The radiological diagnosis was germinoma. No tissue diagnosis was obtained. Radiation therapy was given, and there was a complete response. The patient's symptoms reappeared 13 years later. Imaging studies revealed a lesion in the anterior corpus callosum. A germinoma was diagnosed by stereotactic biopsy. Because of complications attributed to the initial course of radiation therapy, no further radiation was given. Five courses of chemotherapy resulted in a partial remission lasting six months. The patient later died because of massive tumor progression with intracerebral, intraventricular, cerebellar, and meningeal dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: As this case illustrates, exceptional recurrences of cerebral germinomas may appear even many years after adequate initial treatment with radiation and chemotherapy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Monosegmental, degenerative, cervical discopathy may become symptomatic because of spinal instability or neurocompression and may present as cervicalgia, radiculopathy and myelopathy. Conservative therapy of these conditions is indicated only in case of minor symptoms. In patients with radiculopathy, this treatment may be used for a longer period of time than in individuals with myelopathy. However, the disorder may progress and lead to irreversible complaints, especially in case of myelopathy. Therefore, the surgical treatment is preferred: if conservative therapy does not improve symptoms within a short period of time and if the patient continues to suffer, surgery is clearly indicated. Only recently, novel surgical methods such as microtechniques and cage surgery were introduced. The results of these types of surgery in this indications are very favourable with respect to recovery from pain, paresis and sensory deficits, rates of fusion of the motion segment, morbidity and mortality.
Only recently, vertebroplasty (VP) and kyphoplasty (KP) were introduced in the treatment of lesions of the vertebral body (VB). Most frequently, osteoporotic fractures (VP, KP) and metastases (VP) are treated in highly selected patients. These methods consist of polymethylmethacrylat (PMMA) injection into the VB usually through transpedicular canulas. In KP a coaxial balloon creates a cavity within the vertebral body, thus restoring some of the original VB height before cement injection. Consistently, these methods result in favourable outcomes. However, because of possible cement leakage and subsequent neurocompression with permanent damage, we advocate our surgical approach with prophylactic interlaminar fenestration prior to VP.