title: Water-soluble contrast medium for intraoperative evaluation of anterior cervical discectomy. Technical note.
abstract: When anterior cervical discectomy is performed for either "hard" or "soft" cervical disc herniation using either the Cloward approach or simple discectomy, it is often difficult to confirm intraoperatively the adequacy of the lateral, superior, and inferior margins of the dissection. Placement of a nonionic contrast material, iohexol, into the disc space before obtaining anteroposterior and lateral x-ray spine films can indicate the adequacy of the margins of dissection of the soft disc or bone ridge to prevent a poor operative result.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurological Surgery and Neurology, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Reno, Nevada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dawson
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008722:Methods; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media