Postmyelotomy Closure of Spinal Cord-"Zip Lock Technique": An Initial Experience.

Abstract

Proper closure of the pia matter is necessary to restore normal anatomy and prevent postoperative painful dysesthesia after excision of intramedullary spinal cord tumor. Two methods of closure of the pia have been described: welding technique and conventional suturing. Here, we report our initial experience with a new "pial press" or "zip lock" technique for pial closure, where pial layers are simply held together and plunged into each other with small microtooth forceps. Advantages of the technique over other techniques are it has less chance of suture-related complications or trauma to the posterior column and the simplicity of the technique.