Use of a tubular retractor for transoral odontoidectomy of upper cervical epidural phlegmon extraction and abscess drainage
Name:
1-s2.0-S2214751917301639.pdf
Size:
922.3Kb
Format:
PDF
Description:
Final Published version
Publisher
ElsevierCitation
Zaninovich, O. A., Martirosyan, N. L., Ramey, W. L., & Dumont, T. M. (2017). Use of a tubular retractor for transoral odontoidectomy of upper cervical epidural phlegmon extraction and abscess drainage. Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery, 10, 96-100.Rights
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Anterior epidural abscess of the superior cervical cord with odontoid osteomyelitis is a rare but potentially devastating condition due to the potential for severe and irreversible neurological injury. Early and aggressive neurosurgical intervention and medical management is usually indicated in cases with symptomatic spinal cord compression and may be associated with superior clinical outcomes. Access to the craniovertebral junction for decompression of the upper cervical cord is complicated by the proximity of critical anatomical structures. The transoral approach is considered to be the standard for treating lesions of the odontoid and anterior epidural space of the superior cervical spine. The use of a tubular retractor for procedures of the craniovertebral junction has been described for several approaches to this region but its use has yet to be described for the transoral approach in a live patient. This report describes the novel use of a tubular retractor for cervicomedullary decompression via transoral odontoidectomy for abscess drainage and phlegmon resection in a patient with progressive cervical myelopathy. The tubular retractor serves to retract the pharyngeal wall flaps and expose the anterior arch of C1, odontoid, and inferior clivus. This variation of the transoral approach eliminates the need for stay sutures for these purposes and may be used for lesions of the odontoid and anterior epidural space of the superior cervical spine.Note
Open Access Article. UA Open Access Publishing Fund.ISSN
22147519Version
Final published versionAdditional Links
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2214751917301639ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.inat.2017.07.016
Scopus Count
Collections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.