Spinal dural closure without suture: Minimizing the risk of CSF leakage with a flat non-penetrating titanium U-clip

The Use of Cranial Aneurysm Clips for Repair of Incidental Lumbar Durotomy: Operative Technique and Case Series

BACKGROUND

Incidental durotomy is a common complication of posterior lumbar spine surgery; however, effective and durable methods for primary repair remain elusive. Multiple existing techniques have previously been reported and extensively described, including sutured repair and the use of nonpenetrating titanium clips. The use of cranial aneurysm clips for primary repair of lumbar durotomy serves as a safe and effective alternative to obtain watertight closure of a dural tear.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of patients at a single institution who underwent primary repair of an incidental lumbar durotomy with the use of an aneurysm clip during open posterior lumbar surgery between 2012 and 2023. Patient demographics, operative details, and postoperative metrics were collected and examined to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel technique.

RESULTS

A total of 51 patients were included for analysis. Four patients underwent durotomy repair with an aneurysm clip alone, 27 patients were repaired with an aneurysm clip and fibrin glue, and 20 patients underwent repair with an aneurysm clip, fibrin glue, and a collagen dural substitute. Three patients (5.9%) reported headaches: 2 (3.9%) with pseudomeningocele and 1 (2%) with wound leakage. Two patients (3.9%) had treatment failure with a return to the operating room for repair of a cerebrospinal fluid leak.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, we report the largest series of patients undergoing primary repair of incidental durotomy with the use of an aneurysm clip. Use of an aneurysm clip is noted to be a safe, quick, and effective method of primary repair compared with existing repair techniques such as sutured repair or nonpenetrating titanium clips.

Clinical management of dural defects: A review

Dural defects are common in spinal and cranial neurosurgery. A series of complications, such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage, occur after rupture of the dura. Therefore, treatment strategies are necessary to reduce or avoid complications. This review comprehensively summarizes the common causes, risk factors, clinical complications, and repair methods of dural defects. The latest research progress on dural repair methods and materials is summarized, including direct sutures, grafts, biomaterials, non-biomaterial materials, and composites formed by different materials. The characteristics and efficacy of these dural substitutes are reviewed, and these materials and methods are systematically evaluated. Finally, the best methods for dural repair and the challenges and future prospects of new dural repair materials are discussed.

Late presentation of dural tears: Two case reports and review of literature

BACKGROUND

The late presentation of dural tears (LPDT) has a low incidence rate and hidden symptoms and is easily ignored in clinical practice. If the disease is not treated in time, a series of complications may occur, including low intracranial pressure headache, infection, pseudodural cyst formation, and sinus formation. Here, we describe two cases of LPDT.

CASE SUMMARY

Two patients had sudden fever 1 wk after lumbar surgery. Physical examination showed obvious tenderness in the operation area. The patients were confirmed as having LPDT by lumbar magnetic resonance imaging and surgical exploration. One case was caused by continuous negative pressure suction and malnutrition, and the other was caused by decreased dural ductility and low postoperative nutritional status. The first symptom of both patients was fever, with occasional headache. Both patients underwent secondary surgery to treat the LPDT. Dural defects were observed and dural sealants were used to seal the dural defects, then drainage tubes were retained for drainage. After the operation, the patients were treated with antibiotics and the patients’ surgical incisions healed well, without fever or incision tenderness. Both recovered and were discharged 1 wk after the operation.

CONCLUSION

LPDT is a rare complication of spinal surgery or neurosurgery that has hidden symptoms and can easily be overlooked. Since it may cause a series of complications, LPDT needs to be actively addressed in clinical practice.

Factors Influencing Surgical Outcomes for Intradural Spinal Tumours: A Single-Centre Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction

Intradural spinal tumours are relatively uncommon tumours of the central nervous system. In this study, we sought to assess our current practice and determine the factors which affect the surgical outcomes of intradural spinal tumour resection.

Methods

All consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection of intradural spinal tumours from December 2011 to November 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The Modified McCormick Scale (MMS) was used to grade patients’ neurological status both pre-operatively and at the latest follow-up. The associations between changes in MMS and variables such as patient demographics, tumour location, number and experience of consultants involved in the procedure, use of intraoperative neuro-monitoring, bony spinal exposure and dural closure methods were assessed. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was performed to identify independent predictors of improvements in MMS. All analyses were performed using IBM SPSS 22 (IBM Corp. Armonk, NY), with p<0.05 deemed to be indicative of statistical significance throughout.

Results

A total of 145 patients met the inclusion criteria, with a median age of 56.5 years; of whom 119 had extramedullary tumours and 26 had intramedullary tumours. Methods of dural closure were variable, and there was an increasing trend over time towards using the laminoplasty approach for bony exposure. Neither the experience of consultants (p=0.991) nor the number of consultants involved (p=0.084) was found to be significantly associated with the change in MMS, with the strongest predictor being the baseline MMS (p<0.001). Patients who had adjuvant therapy were also significantly more likely to have a poorer neurological outcome (p=0.001).

Conclusion

A good neurological baseline is a significant positive predictor of an improved functional outcome. The number and seniority of consultant surgeons involved in intradural spinal tumour resections did not significantly alter the postoperative outcomes of patients in our single-unit retrospective study.

Scar quality examination comparing titanium-coated suture material and non-coated suture material on flap donor sites in reconstructive surgery

Background

Wound healing and scar quality after trauma are subject to impairment through excessive wound healing, chronic wound or even surgical site infections. Optimizing the process of scar formation and skin healing is crucial in virtually all fields of medicine. In this regard, we tested the possible usage and advantages of titanium coated suture material.

Methods

We performed a prospective observational cohort study including 30 patients who underwent soft tissue reconstruction. One half of the donor flap site was sutured with titanium coated suture material, while the other half was closed with non-coated sutures. Scar quality of the donor flap site was assessed by photographs and POSAS scores on days 2–5, 14, 42, 72 and 180 postoperatively.

Results

No difference between the titanium coated sutures and non-coated sutures was seen in the POSAS assessment, neither for the patient scale at 14, 42, 72 and 180 days, nor for the observer scale on the same dates. Comorbidities like diabetes, chronic renal failure and smoking as well as the BMI of each patient affected the wound healing process to an equal degree on both sides of the suture.

Conclusions

No difference between the titanium coated and non-titanium-coated suture material was seen in the POSAS assessment in regard to scar quality and wound healing. The titanium-coated suture material can be considered to be equally as effective and safe in all qualities as the non-titanium-coated suture material, even in patients with comorbidities.

Clinical trial register This study is registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) under the registration number DRKS00021767. (https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00021767)