title: Acute thoracic myelopathy after a traumatic episode in a patient with neurofibromatosis associated with sharply angular scoliosis: a case report.
abstract: We treated a 16-year-old boy with acute thoracic myelopathy due to sharply angular scoliosis. The patient underwent posterior decompression and posterior spinal fusion using Luque spinal segmental instrumentation. Postoperatively, spasticity increased, and voluntary movement of the lower extremities disappeared. The patient could walk without assistive devices 5 months postoperatively. As pseudarthrosis at the posterior fusion site was suspected, anterior spinal fusion was performed using a fibular bone strut. His neurologic deficits were completely alleviated, and bony union was obtained. In our case, paraparesis followed relatively mild trauma because the spinal cord was predisposed to injury by continuous mechanical compression, although the cause of the severe temporary deficits following the first operation was not identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa 359-8513, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asazuma
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuoka
authors.forename: Kyosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujikawa
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017253:Neurofibromatoses / Q000150:complications*; D020335:Paraparesis / Q000209:etiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011859:Radiography; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D013123:Spinal Fusion