Spine
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Comparative Study
Biomechanical and clinical evaluation of a novel technique for surgical repair of spondylolysis in adolescents.
A biomechanical comparison of a novel spondylolysis repair technique method to established spondylolysis repair constructs accompanied by a case series of 5 adolescent patients with spondylolysis treated with this technique. ⋯ Biomechanical evaluation of the intralaminar link construct showed excellent stability of a spondylolytic defect in comparison to established methods. Clinical follow-up of this method reflects the results of biomechanical testing with excellent clinical results.
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Comparative Study
The comparative study of magnetic resonance angiography diagnosis and pathology of blunt vertebral artery injury.
Observational and comparative study of the vertebral artery injury detected by 2-dimensional (2-D) time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for admitting patients. Construct a strike-induced flexion injury model of cervical spine with blunt vertebral artery injury in dogs. ⋯ The 2-D time-of-flight MRA is an effective diagnostic method for blunt vertebral artery injury. It may have difficulties differentiating spasm, small disruption of the intima from others under certain conditions.
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Cross-sectional study. Between 1995 and 1997, all inhabitants aged 20 years and older in the Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway were invited to fill in 2 different questionnaires at different times concerning musculoskeletal complaints. ⋯ In this, to our knowledge, first large-scale population-based study evaluating the incidence of musculoskeletal complaints, nearly 1 in 12 individuals reported musculoskeletal complaints lasting at least 15 days during the past month.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Healos and bone marrow aspirate used for lumbar spine fusion: a case controlled study comparing healos with autograft.
A prospective case controlled study to compare the clinical and radiographic performance of Healos soaked in bone marrow aspirate (BMA) to iliac crest autograft when used in lumbar spinal fusion. ⋯ The null hypothesis is only partially correct. Healos and BMA are not inferior to autologous iliac crest bone as a graft material in posterolateral lumbar spine fusions but are radiographically ineffective in lumbar interbody fusions.
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Review and reinterpretation of existing literature. ⋯ Structural defects such as endplate fracture, radial fissures, and herniation are easily detected, unambiguous markers of impaired disc function. They are not inevitable with age and are more closely related to pain than any other feature of aging discs. Structural failure is irreversible because adult discs have limited healing potential. It also progresses by physical and biologic mechanisms, and, therefore, is a suitable marker for a degenerative process. Biologic progression occurs because structural failure uncouples the local mechanical environment of disc cells from the overall loading of the disc, so that disc cell responses can be inappropriate or "aberrant." Animal models confirm that cell-mediated changes always follow structural failure caused by trauma. This definition of disc degeneration simplifies the issue of causality: excessive mechanical loading disrupts a disc's structure and precipitates a cascade of cell-mediated responses, leading to further disruption. Underlying causes of disc degeneration include genetic inheritance, age, inadequate metabolite transport, and loading history, all of which can weaken discs to such an extent that structural failure occurs during the activities of daily living. The other closely related definitions help to distinguish between degenerate and injured discs, and between discs that are and are not painful.