title: [Prognostic factors related to gunshot wounds to the spine in patients submitted to laminectomy].
abstract: The spinal trauma related to civilian gunshot missile still remains a serious neurological event that carries a dismal prognosis almost in all cases. Its surgical indication also is a matter of discussion. Our goal is to identify the aspects that could influence the prognosis after surgery to this kind of lesions. We conducted a retrospective study of 45 consecutive patients submitted to laminectomy at Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal (Brasília, Brazil), testing the following aspects: initial neurological status, level of the deficit, surgical timing, use of methilprednisolone and presence of dural tearing. Among those, the initial clinical presentation and the level of the lesion (60% of the patients with cauda equina syndrome and 53% of that with lesions in the lombar region improved their neurological status after laminectomy) were the most important factors affecting the outcome. Seventy percent of the patients experienced a pain relief after the surgical procedure.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Neurocirurgia do Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Brasília, DF. ifneiva@nutecnet.com.br
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: J de S
authors.initials: Jde S
authors.lastname: Nascimento Filho
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pereira Neto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000601:surgery*