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Lumbar facet cyst resolution following anterior interbody fusion.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Massey, GM; Caputo, AM; Michael, KW; Isaacs, RE; Brown, CR
Published in: Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
December 1, 2013

Facet cysts are a relatively common source of neural compression in the lumbar spine. Open decompression and fusion are frequently used to treat the stenosis and instability associated with this pathology. Recently, anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has increased in popularity for the treatment of lumbar degenerative conditions. ALIF may achieve indirect decompression of the neural elements with less surgical morbidity than conventional open approaches. To date, there are no published reports describing the use of indirect decompression or interbody fusion for the treatment of facet cysts. We report a patient who developed an L4-L5 facet cyst secondary to degenerative changes and spondylolisthesis. ALIF with posterior instrumentation was used to address his condition. Six months after surgery, the patient had complete resolution of his symptoms. MRI revealed complete resolution of the facet cyst. This patient provides previously unreported evidence that interbody fusion alone may result in facet cyst resolution. Clinical studies are needed to evaluate if interbody fusion can consistently relieve the symptoms associated with facet cysts without the use of direct decompression. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia

EISSN

1532-2653

Publication Date

December 1, 2013

Volume

20

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1771 / 1773

Related Subject Headings

  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • 1109 Neurosciences
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Massey, G. M., Caputo, A. M., Michael, K. W., Isaacs, R. E., & Brown, C. R. (2013). Lumbar facet cyst resolution following anterior interbody fusion. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience : Official Journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 20(12), 1771–1773.
Massey, G. M., A. M. Caputo, K. W. Michael, R. E. Isaacs, and C. R. Brown. “Lumbar facet cyst resolution following anterior interbody fusion.Journal of Clinical Neuroscience : Official Journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia 20, no. 12 (December 1, 2013): 1771–73.
Massey GM, Caputo AM, Michael KW, Isaacs RE, Brown CR. Lumbar facet cyst resolution following anterior interbody fusion. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2013 Dec 1;20(12):1771–3.
Massey, G. M., et al. “Lumbar facet cyst resolution following anterior interbody fusion.Journal of Clinical Neuroscience : Official Journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, vol. 20, no. 12, Dec. 2013, pp. 1771–73.
Massey GM, Caputo AM, Michael KW, Isaacs RE, Brown CR. Lumbar facet cyst resolution following anterior interbody fusion. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2013 Dec 1;20(12):1771–1773.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia

EISSN

1532-2653

Publication Date

December 1, 2013

Volume

20

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1771 / 1773

Related Subject Headings

  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • 1109 Neurosciences
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences