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Surgical Management of Complex Spinal Cord Lipomas: How, Why, and When to Operate

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Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery

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Abstract

Partial resection of complex spinal cord lipomas is associated with a high rate of symptomatic recurrence due to retethering (Pang et al. 2010). The author and his colleagues have amply documented this in previous publications (Pang et al. 2009, 2010, 2013). Since 1991, we have performed over 360 total/near-total resections of complex lipomas with radical reconstruction of the neural placodes, designed to minimize the preconditions of retethering. Twenty-five years of follow-up have proven the long-term benefits of this technique (Pang et al. 2009, 2010; Pang 2015). I now strongly advocate for total resection of spinal cord lipomas and radical reconstruction of the neural placode over partial resection because aggressive surgery, contrary to traditional teaching, is safe and gives far better long-term progression-free survival (Pang et al. 2010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Centre of Paediatric Neurosurgery, Kaiser Permanente Medical Centre, Oakland, CA, USA

    Dachling Pang

  2. Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Dachling Pang

  3. Department of Paediatric aneurosurgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

    Dachling Pang

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  1. Dachling Pang
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Correspondence to Dachling Pang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, Germany

    Concezio Di Rocco

  2. Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, California, USA

    Dachling Pang

  3. University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    James T. Rutka

Section Editor information

  1. Davis; and Kaiser Permanente Hospitals of Northern California, University of California, Oakland, United States of America

    Dachling Pang

  2. Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Kyu-Chang Wang

  3. Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK

    Dominic Thompson

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Pang, D. (2017). Surgical Management of Complex Spinal Cord Lipomas: How, Why, and When to Operate. In: Di Rocco, C., Pang, D., Rutka, J. (eds) Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_114-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_114-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

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