Spine
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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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Comment Review
Counterpoint: physician-industry relationships can be ethically established, and conflicts of interest can be ethically managed.
Review of the nature of conflicts of interest in physician-industry relationships, with a focus on the efforts to ethically manage physician-industry relationships. ⋯ Careful consideration of conflicts of interest in physician-industry relationships has provided an opportunity to review our goals as physicians in society, and to continue collaborative advancement of our field for the benefit of our patients.
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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).
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Comparative Study
rhBMP-2 (ACS and CRM formulations) overcomes pseudarthrosis in a New Zealand white rabbit posterolateral fusion model.
The study design consisted of a New Zealand white rabbit model of pseudarthrosis repair. Study groups consisting of no graft, autograft, or recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) with absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) or compression resistant matrix (CRM) were evaluated. ⋯ The 2 rhBMP-2 formulations led to significantly higher fusion rates and histologic bone formation than no graft and autograft controls in this pseudarthrosis repair model.