Spine
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The effect of postural change on degenerative lumbar discs was quantified using novel kinematic magnetic resonance imaging (kMRI). ⋯ Disc bulging increases with the severity of disc degeneration. Grade I discs demonstrate the expected sagittal migration in response to postural load. However, more degenerative discs behave less predictably, and spine extension may result in significant posterior disc bulging. Degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc significantly affect the kinematic patterns under postural load in vivo. kMRI is a useful tool to quantify the kinematic behavior of degenerative intervertertebral discs.
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Experimental study of corticospinal axonal sprouting in an organotypic slice culture model. ⋯ Our data suggest that the absence of repellent factors such as white matter and the presence of neurotrophic factors promote axonal sprouting. Cocultures of sensorimotor cortex and spinal cord slices combined with anterograde axonal labeling could provide a valuable in vitro model for the simplified screening of factors influencing corticospinal tract regeneration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Segmental contribution toward total lumbar range of motion in disc replacement and fusions: a comparison of operative and adjacent levels.
Radiographic results from a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial assessing patients who underwent lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) or circumferential arthrodesis for 1-level degenerative disc disease. ⋯ In conclusion, patients with TDR lost slight relative contribution to total lumbar motion from the operative level which was mostly compensated for by the caudal adjacent level (if operated at L4/5). In contrast, the significant loss of relative range of motion contribution from the operative level in fusions was redistributed among multiple cranial adjacent levels, most notably at the first cranial adjacent level.
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A three-dimensional analysis of spino-pelvic alignment in 60 asymptomatic young adult males and females. ⋯ These results indicate that the female spine is definitely different from the male spine. The spine as whole and individual vertebrae in certain regions of the normal spine is more backwardly inclined in females than in males. Based on our previous research this signifies that these spinal regions are subjected to different biomechanical loading conditions. These vertebral segments are possibly less rotationally stable in females than in males.
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Prospective diagnostic imaging study. ⋯ The sensitivity and specificity of MRI for diagnosing injury of the PLC are lower than previously reported in the literature. The integrity of the PLC as determined by MRI should not be used in isolation to determine treatment.