Spine
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Comparative Study
A biomechanical investigation of vertebroplasty in osteoporotic compression fractures and in prophylactic vertebral reinforcement.
Cadaveric single vertebrae were used to evaluate vertebroplasty as a prophylactic treatment and as an intervention for vertebral compression fractures. ⋯ Results suggest that augmentation of the vertebrae postfracture significantly increases failure load, while stiffness is not restored. Prophylactic augmentation was seen to increase failure strength in comparison to the predicted failure load. Stiffness appears to be maintained suggesting that prophylactic vertebroplasty maintains stiffness better than vertebroplasty postfracture.
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Technical note. ⋯ We present a technique for controlled extension osteotomy correction of chin-on-chest deformity in a prone position. Use of the operating table mechanism in conjunction with a closing-wedge osteotomy diminishes the risk of translation, decreases risk of air embolus associated with a sitting position, and promotes greater opportunity for fusion through the osteotomy, and the stability allows for placement of modern instrumentation.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Construct validity of the physical function scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the measurement of walking capacity.
Measurement (validity) study using data from a prospective longitudinal study of lumbar spinal stenosis. ⋯ Results support construct validity of the Physical Function Scale for the measurement of walking in an lumbar spinal stenosis population. However, it cannot be ascertained from the current study that the construct being measured is, indeed, walking capacity. Further research is warranted to investigate criterion validity evidence for the use of the Physical Function Scale in the measurement of walking capacity in lumbar spinal stenosis, by examining the relationships between self-report and observational measures of walking.
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Systematic review. ⋯ There is insufficient evidence to support (or refute) a recommendation for routine screening for DVT in adults with acute traumatic SCI under thromboprophylaxis. However, there is level II-2 evidence that screening could detect asymptomatic DVT in 22.7% of those individuals. Although additional investigation is needed, we hypothesize that weekly screening for DVT during the first 13 weeks post-SCI could detect most of the asymptomatic DVT events in this patient population. D-Dimer, ultrasound, and MR venography could be considered as potentially useful screening tests for DVT in the SCI population in future research studies.
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A cross-sectional survey of households selected using multistage stratified sampling. ⋯ Chronic spinal pain is a common problem in the Nigerian community, and persons 60 years of age and older may be at particularly elevated risk. Chronic spinal pain is associated with increased probability of comorbid physical and mental disorders. These comorbid conditions partly but do not fully explain the disability associated with chronic spinal pain, which therefore constitutes a substantial health burden on the society.