Spine
-
Case Reports
Epidural hematoma and intraoperative hemorrhage in a spine trauma patient on Pradaxa (dabigatran).
The authors present a case report of a 72-year-old man who presented with back pain and lower extremity weakness after a fall from his roof. ⋯ As dabigatran (Pradaxa) has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, many spine specialists are not familiar with this agent. Many of the reversal agents (e.g., vitamin K and protamine), useful for other classes of anticoagulants, have no impact on Pradaxa. Similarly, prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin times have limited utility in estimating the patient's true clotting status. The purpose of this case report is to alert spine specialists to this drug and its implications on spine care. The drug's pharmacokinetics, clinical assessment of clotting status, and reversal options are discussed.
-
A retrospective case series. ⋯ With the evolution of newer lower profile segmental implant systems that provide more rigid fixation and with the advancements in techniques for deformity correction, the repeat surgical intervention rate for idiopathic scoliosis has decreased.
-
A retrospective review. ⋯ The use of wider intervertebral cages leads to a significantly lower rate of subsidence, but a longer cage does not necessarily offer a similar advantage. Wide cages are protective against subsidence, and the widest cages should be used whenever feasible for interbody fusion in the lumbar spine to protect indirect compression and promote arthrodesis.
-
Intermittent Cyclic Mechanical Tension (ICMT) was applied to end plate chondrocytes by using an FX-4000T Flexercell Tension Plus unit (Flexcell International Corporation, Hillsborough, NC). Changes of end plate chondrocytes were observed after ICMT stimulation. ⋯ Our results directly showed that ICMT induced the calcification and downregulation of ankh gene expression of end plate chondrocytes, which may be caused by the endogenous TGF-β1.
-
Psychometric testing of the Persian Functional Rating Index (PFRI). ⋯ The PFRI is valid and reliable for use in a Persian-speaking population with NP.