Spine
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Laboratory experiment. ⋯ Somewhat improved fixation of the head to the fracture board can be achieved by placing wedges under the head; however, the benefits of any fixation method, in terms of cervical spine immobilization, are likely to be limited unless the motion of the trunk is also controlled effectively. Future research and development should address techniques to better control head and trunk motion.
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Comparative Study
Vertebral centroid measurement of lumbar lordosis compared with the Cobb technique.
An observational study in which vertebral centroid measurement of lumbar lordosis, developed in this study, was used to examine lumbar curvature. The intra- and interobserver reliability of the vertebral centroid measurement of lumbar lordosis and the Cobb technique were compared. ⋯ The findings from this study indicate that the vertebral centroid measurement of lumbar lordosis is more reliable than the Cobb method for assessing lumbar lordosis. The vertebral centroid measurement of lumbar lordosis also can be used to evaluate the actual lumbar curvature in outline at various angles of trunk flexion.
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The prevalence of low back pain in the older population (> = or 65 years) was reviewed in an analysis of the literature from 1966 to the present. ⋯ There is an under-representation of the older population in the back pain literature. The data in the current study suggest that the prevalence of low back pain in this population is not known with certainty and is not comparable with that in the younger population. The authors stress the need for future studies to improve the reporting of age information to make prevalence studies more informative and applicable.
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En bloc resection of a chordoma in the midcervical vertebral spine was performed. ⋯ Although the surgical margin was intralesional in a small area, the technique used in this case study indicates that en bloc excision of such tumors can be used with a safety margin even in the cervical spine.
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Case Reports
Brown-Sequard syndrome after management of vertebral hemangioma with intralesional alcohol. A case report.
This report describes Brown-Sequard syndrome after intralesional injection of absolute alcohol into vertebral hemangioma. ⋯ This case shows that intralesional alcohol injection cannot be considered a safe technique for management of vertebral hemangiomas with spinal cord compression.