Spine
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Clinical Trial
Sacroiliac joint: pain referral maps upon applying a new injection/arthrography technique. Part I: Asymptomatic volunteers.
Pain pattern mapping of the sacroiliac joint in asymptomatic volunteers was investigated. Prospective evaluation of 10 volunteers who received sacroiliac joint injections was performed. The injections consisted of contrast material followed by Xylocaine. ⋯ A pain referral map was successfully generated using provocative injections into the right sacroiliac joint in asymptomatic volunteers.
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Sensory- and motor-evoked potentials were recorded after high thoracic (T2) epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord. Under general anesthesia, 22 cats underwent single or repetitive spinal cord stimulation. ⋯ These findings indicate that spinal cord stimulation activates sensory and motor tracts that can be recorded at various sites along the central or the peripheral nervous system.
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Comparative Study
Interbody lumbar fusion using a carbon fiber cage implant versus allograft bone. An investigational study in the Spanish goat.
A carbon fiber-reinforced polymer implant, designed to aid interbody lumbar fusion, was tested biologically in an experimental surgical model. Twenty-seven Spanish goats had interbody lumbar fusion surgery in a randomized protocol. Seventeen goats were implanted with the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer cage packed with autologous bone, and 10 goats were implanted with ethylene oxide-sterilized allograft bone. ⋯ Interbody fusion using a carbon cage implant packed with autologous bone achieved a quicker and more reliable fusion compared with ethylene oxide-sterilized allograft bone. There were no adverse effects from the implant material.
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A cohort study was undertaken using medical claims of Medicare beneficiaries. ⋯ Reoperation rates are affected not only by technical factors, but also by demographic and clinical characteristics that are often omitted from reports of surgical case series.
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The structure-function relationship of anulus fibrosus of nondegenerate lumbar intervertebral discs was investigated. ⋯ The regional differences in tensile properties may result predominantly from structural rather than compositional variations and may contribute to the clinical frequency of anulus failure in the posterolateral region.