European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Open-door laminoplasty is a commonly performed procedure for the treatment of multiple level cervical spinal stenosis. One complication of this procedure is closure of the hinge and subsequent restenosis. Twinfix suture anchor was used in laminoplasty to stabilize cervical canal expansion. 53 patients with multiple level cervical spinal stenosis underwent laminoplasty. ⋯ There were four short-term complications: two were small dural-tears which were repaired intraoperatively without further sequelae, and the other 2 were both epidural hematomas that required emergent return to the operating room for evacuation. There were no Twinfix suture anchor-related complications. This Twinfix suture anchor can provide a firm and secure anchor for elevated open laminae in laminoplasty.
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Nationally 62% of individuals in Ireland have internet access. Previous published work has suggested that internet use is higher among those with low back pain. We aimed to determine the levels of internet access and use amongst an elective spinal outpatient population and determine what characteristics influence these. ⋯ In our practice, internet access is consistent with national statistics and use is comparable to previous reports. Approximately, one quarter of outpatients will use the internet to research their spinal condition. Should we use this medium to disseminate information we need to be aware some groups may not have access.
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Pathomechanisms of injured-nerve pain have not been fully elucidated. Radicular pain and chronic constriction injury models have been established; however, producing these models is complicated. A sciatic nerve-pinch injury is easy to produce but the reliability of this model for evaluating pain behavior has not been examined. ⋯ Our results indicate that a simple sciatic nerve pinch produced pain-related behavior. Upregulation of the pain-marker expression in the nerve-injury model suggested it could be used as a model of pain. However, it was not considered as suitable for long-term studies.
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The instrumentation of the osteoporotic spine may sometimes result in failure due to the loosening or pullout of the conventional pedicle screw. Moreover, augmentation of screws with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) has risks of complications. We developed a new and original pedicle nail system with PMMA for osteoporotic vertebral fractures. ⋯ A pedicle nail system stabilizes the spinal column with osteoporosis and reduces the instrumentation failure. The technique for the insertion of the pedicle nail reduces complication from cement augmentation. The authors speculate that the strategy using the pedicle nail system for osteoporotic spine may be effective and safe when the surgery is performed through a posterior approach.