Spine
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Retrospective radiographic analysis of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) status after instrumentation removal. ⋯ Instrumentation removal in AIS is not always a benign process because the long-term follow-up of this cohort of patients shows a "settling" effect in the coronal plane of the main thoracic and TL/L curves after instrumentation removal. Interestingly, there was no change in the sagittal plane with time. Parents and patients should be counseled for this result when instrumentation removal is contemplated, and limited removal of focally symptomatic implants should be considered.
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Test-retest design to examine interrater reliability. ⋯ Reliability of the classification algorithm was good. Further research is needed to identify sources of disagreements and improve reproducibility.
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An experimental study using cadaveric vertebrae. ⋯ The new cannula may improve vertebroplasty by significantly easing cement injection. It is cost effective and can be easily integrated into the existing procedure.
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Prospective case series with historical controls (normative data). ⋯ CLBP patients, especially men, seem to have a reduced aerobic fitness level compared with the normative population. No explanatory factor for that loss could be identified.
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Micro-computed tomography (CT) scanning to investigate three-dimensional microstructural properties of L4 vertebral bodies. ⋯ The anterior column in the high-SMI group is more susceptible to vertebral body wedge fracture; and in the low-SMI group, off-axis bone damage is most harmful to the central column of vertebral trabeculae. The data obtained may help to identify the most critical locations of fracture risks at an early stage and provide a microstructural basis for the repair and clinical treatment of vertebral fractures.