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Background A spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is a relatively uncommon event that occurs in children following cervical trauma primarily due to sports-related injuries or physical abuse. Case description This case report describes an 11-year-old wrestler that developed signs and symptoms consistent with a SCIWORA following neck trauma during competition. Despite all diagnostic tests being inconclusive, the patient demonstrated increased cervical, thoracic, and lumbar paraspinal tone along with pain, loss of sensation, loss of mobility, and weakness of the lower extremities. As a result, the patient was confined to a wheelchair and required maximum assistance to transfer and ambulate with a walker. The patient was referred to physical therapy nine days after the traumatic event, where he received interferential current with moist heat, myofascial release of paraspinal muscles, functional exercise, gait training, and spinal manipulative therapy targeting the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae. Outcome After 13 physical therapy treatments over 5-weeks, the patient was able to ambulate independently and perform all activities of daily living without pain or functional limitation. The following case report outlines this patient's successful journey toward recovery. Conclusion This case report suggests that spinal manipulative therapy may be a safe and effective intervention when used within a multi-modal treatment strategy for patients with signs and symptoms consistent with SCIWORA. Moreover, spinal manipulative therapy may be considered a beneficial treatment in some pediatric patients. However, this report describes a single patient, and further research is required on the use of spinal manipulation in this patient population.

Alveolo-pleural fistula remains a serious post-operative complication in lung cancer patients after surgery, which is associated with prolonged hospital stay and higher healthcare costs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a polyglycol acid (PGA)-sheet known as Neoveil in preventing post-operative air-leak in cases of detected intra-operative air-leak after lung resection. Between 11/2021 and 7/2022, a total of 329 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were surgically treated in two institutions. Major lung resections were performed in 251 cases. Among them, 44 patients with significant intra-operative air-leak at surgery were treated by reinforcing staple lines with Neoveil (study group). On the other hand, a historical group (selected by propensity score matched analysis) consisting of 44 lung cancer patients with significant intra-operative air leak treated by methods other than the application of sealant patches were considered as the control group. The presence of prolonged air-leak (primary endpoint), pleural drainage duration, hospital stay, and post-operative complication rates were evaluated. The results showed that prolonged air-leak (>5 days after surgery) was not observed in study group, while this event occurred in four patients (9.1%) in the control group. Additionally, a substantial reduction (despite not statistically significant) in the chest tube removal was noted in the study group with respect to the control group (3.5 vs. 4.5, p = 0.189). In addition, a significant decrease in hospital stay (4 vs. 6 days, p = 0.045) and a reduction in post-operative complications (2 vs. 10, p = 0.015) were observed in the study group when compared with the control group. Therefore, in cases associated with intra-operative air-leak after major lung resection, Neoveil was considered a safer and more effective aerostatic tool and represents a viable option during surgical procedures.