Spine
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An immunohistological study of surgical specimens of human intervertebral disc. ⋯ Pleiotrophin is present in pathologic human intervertebral discs, and its prevalence and distribution suggest that it may play a role in neovascularization of diseased or damaged disc tissue.
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Clinical Trial
Superiority of multilevel cervical arthroplasty outcomes versus single-level outcomes: 229 consecutive PCM prostheses.
Class 2 level of evidence: This is a prospective, consecutive series of 229 prosthetic implantations that were concurrently enrolled between single-level versus multilevel cervical arthroplasty comprising an FDA Pilot Study. ⋯ This prospective study of cervical arthroplasty is the first report to date showing significantly improved clinical outcomes for multilevel cervical arthroplasty compared with single-level cervical disc replacement using an FDA validated outcome instrument.
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Narrative review. ⋯ Transparency in research methods and clear communication can avoid many of the described pitfalls in outcomes assessment, allowing researchers to advocate appropriately for improvement in patient care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Erector spinae muscle changes on magnetic resonance imaging following lumbar surgery through a posterior approach.
Prospective randomized study of patients undergoing lumbar arthrodesis. ⋯ Erector spinae muscle alterations mainly occur distal to posterior lumbar surgical procedures.
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Comparative Study
SF-36 PCS benefit-cost ratio of lumbar fusion comparison to other surgical interventions: a thought experiment.
A retrospective review of prospectively collected data. ⋯ While the exact numbers may vary for each treatment based on the population studied and the cost estimates used, lumbar fusion cost per benefit achieved was very comparable to other well-accepted medical interventions (total hip replacement, total knee replacement, and coronary artery bypass surgery).