Spine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Functional restoration for chronic low back pain. Two-year follow-up of two randomized clinical trials.
Two randomized, prospective clinical trials involving 238 chronic low back disability patients were carried out. Results at 2-year follow-up are presented. ⋯ The functional restoration program seems effective in various parameters compared with the less intensive programs, but the differences in outcome in the two parallel studies indicate the necessity of testing a treatment program in different settings, in that the statistical variation may be a major factor in results of different studies.
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Comparative Study
Metallic artifacts in magnetic resonance imaging of patients with spinal fusion. A comparison of implant materials and imaging sequences.
Devices for spinal fusion were compared with respect to their influence on magnetic resonance images. In addition, different magnetic resonance pulse sequences were evaluated to elicit their susceptibility to imaging artifacts. ⋯ By choosing appropriate spinal fusion devices as well as pulse sequences, postoperative magnetic resonance imaging examinations can give acceptable results, in spite of the presence of metallic implants.
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Dissection and observation of the dorsal root ganglion of the second cervical spinal nerve bilaterally. ⋯ The C2 dorsal dorsal root ganglia are all proximally placed and occupy most of the foramen height, which may render the C2 ganglion vulnerable to entrapment.
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The study group consisted of 53 patients who underwent 75 operations for spine metastases. Patient and tumor demographic factors, preoperative nutritional status, and perioperative adjunctive therapy were retrospectively reviewed. ⋯ The results indicate that preoperative protein depletion and perioperative administration of corticosteroids are risk factors for wound infection in patients undergoing surgery for spine metastases. Perioperative correction of nutritional depletion and cessation of steroid therapy may reduce wound complications.
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A longitudinal observational study of primary care patients with low back pain. ⋯ Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, often augmented by muscle relaxants, are a standard medical treatment for back pain in primary care. In this observational study, patients prescribed medications, particularly muscle relaxants, reported less severe symptoms after 1 week than those receiving no medications. However, randomized trials are needed to determine which medication or combinations of medications are most effective.