Spine
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A retrospective case study was performed on the single-stage posterior transvertebral closing-wedge osteotomy for treatment of adult thoracolumbar kyphosis. ⋯ This technically demanding high-risk procedure provides an effective and mechanically superior correction for acute angle thoracolumbar kyphosis in selected adult patients, with high subjective satisfaction.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between postoperative computed tomography findings and patients' pain patterns, walking capacity, and subjective disability after laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis. ⋯ Postoperative computed tomography has only limited value because asymptomatic and symptomatic patients yield similar findings after surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis.
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Comparative Study
Outcome of lumbar fusion in Washington State workers' compensation.
This study covered a large, population-based cohort of workers in the Washington State workers' compensation system who received lumbar fusion between August 1, 1986 and July 31, 1987 to determine work disability status, reoperation rate, and patient satisfaction. ⋯ Outcome of lumbar fusion performed on injured workers was worse than reported in published case series. Prospective studies should be conducted to determine the biologic indications that might lead to improved outcomes in this disabled population.
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Comparative Study
Experimental lumbar radiculopathy. Immunohistochemical and quantitative demonstrations of pain induced by lumbar nerve root irritation of the rat.
A series of experiments were designed to develop and validate an animal model of lumbar radiculopathy. More specifically, these investigations introduced a model of chronic neuropathic pain in the rat associated with clinically relevant lumbar nerve root trauma and evaluated the ability of the model to effect symptoms and begin to understand the underlying neurochemical and neurophysiologic factors associated with these neurologic abnormalities. ⋯ When the same apparent conditions can be demonstrated in some situations to be causing pain and in other situations to be independent of pain, some additional factor or factors not considered in the original investigations may be mediating the outcome. Neurochemical consequences of nerve root irritation provide a theoretical framework for hypothesizing about various types of mediating events that might explain how similar apparent pathology might reasonably lead to different predictions about behavior consequences of the pathology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)