Background: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and kyphoplasty (PKP) are established methods in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). In our manuscript, the target was to evaluate the efficacy of PVPs/PKPs and to determine the implications of potential periprocedural complications. Methods: 280 patients, specifically 194 women (69.3%) and 86 men (30.7%), were enrolled. We used the AO spine fractures classification and the Yeom classification to determine the subtype of cement leakage. Only single-level VCFs of the thoracic or lumbar spine were included. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was assessed preoperatively and regularly after the surgery. Vertebral compression ratio (VBCR) was used to determine postoperative vertebral body collapse. Results: We recorded 54 cases (19.3%) of cement leakage. There was a significant decrease in mean VAS scores (6.82–0.76 in PVPs, 7.15–0.81 in PKPs). The decrease in VBCR was greater in the VP group (4.39%; 84.21–79.82) compared to the KP group (1.95%; 74.36–72.41). Conclusions: No significant difference in the risk of cement leakage when comparing KPs and VPs was found. VPs and KPs provide rapid and significant pain relief in patients with VCFs. Clinically relevant complications of VPs and KPs are rare. Kyphoplasties prevent further vertebral body collapse more effectively compared to vertebroplasties.

Human toxocariasis is a helminthozoonosis caused by the migration of Toxocara species larvae through an organism. The infection in humans is transmitted either by direct ingestion of the eggs of the parasite, or by consuming undercooked meat infested with Toxocara larvae. This parasitosis can be found worldwide, but there are significant differences in seroprevalence in different areas, depending mainly on hot climate conditions and on low social status. However, the literature estimates of seroprevalence are inconsistent. Infected patients commonly present a range of symptoms, e.g., abdominal pain, decreased appetite, restlessness, fever, and coughing. This manuscript presents a case report of a polytraumatic patient who underwent a two-phase spinal procedure for a thoracolumbar fracture. After the second procedure, which was a vertebral body replacement via thoracotomy, the patient developed a pathologic pleural effusion. A microscopic cytology examination of this effusion revealed the presence of Toxocara species larvae. Although the patient presented no specific clinical symptoms, and the serological exams (Enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot) were negative, the microscopic evaluation enabled a timely diagnosis. The patient was successfully treated with albendazole, with no permanent sequelae of the infection.

Osteoid osteoma is a benign bone tumor typically affecting the long bones of the lower limbs in young male patients. The lesion can be asymptomatic but, in most cases, patients present with characteristic nocturnal pain that is very responsive to the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Although osteoid osteomas can regress spontaneously over time, surgical therapy is often indicated in cases of long-lasting resistant pain. Apart from a traditional open resection, the modalities of minimally invasive surgery, such as radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation, have gradually become the option of choice in most cases. The first part of this manuscript is a minireview of the contemporary literature on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and current trends in the treatment of osteoid osteoma. The second part is a case report of our own experience with a conventional C-arm-guided radiofrequency ablation of an osteoid osteoma located in the femoral neck in an adolescent patient. The aim was to prove that, even when more sophisticated guiding devices (CT, O-arm, etc.) are not available, the safe and reliable ablation of the lesion using a C-arm is still possible even in hard-to-reach areas. The case was a success, with no perioperative or postoperative complications.

Background: The objective was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of direct fragment impaction, indirect reduction through ligamentotaxis, and the combination of both techniques in burst fractures of the thoracolumbar (TL) spine. Methods: The fractures were categorized using the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) classification and assessed via standard computed tomography (CT) scans for spinal canal area (SCA) and mid-sagittal diameter (MSD). The Frankel classification was used to assess neurological deficits. Only single vertebrae AO types A3 and A4 thoracic or lumbar fractures were included. All patients received bisegmental posterior stabilization, one of the reduction techniques, and, if neurological deficits were present, a spinal decompression. Mean preoperative (µSCApre/µMSDpre), postoperative (µSCApost/µMSDpost) and difference (∆SCA/∆MSD) in radiographic values were obtained and analyzed using the Mumford formula. The significance of the reduction from preoperative stenosis was assessed using a t-test, while the effectiveness of the reduction techniques was compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test and Dunn’s post hoc test. The manuscript was focused primarily on radiographic outcomes; therefore, aside from the neurostatus, no other clinical parameters were statistically analyzed. Results: Thirteen patients (38.2%) received stand-alone indirect reduction, 13 patients (38.2%) underwent direct reduction, and a combined reduction was used in eight patients (23.6%). All methods resulted in a statistically significant reduction in spinal canal stenosis (p < 0.05), with a minimal mean ∆SCA of 19%. Patients in the direct reduction group had significantly higher µSCApre values compared to those in the indirect reduction group (p = 0.02). Conclusions: All of the tested reduction techniques provided a significant reduction in spinal canal stenosis. Patients who underwent mere direct reduction had significantly higher preoperative spinal canal stenosis compared to the indirect reduction group.