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
-
Systematic review. ⋯ There is some evidence to suggest that MED performed by surgeons skilled in the technique in tertiary referral centres is as effective as OD.
-
Review
Measuring procedures to determine the Cobb angle in idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review.
Scoliosis of the vertebral column can be assessed with the Cobb angle (Cobb 1948). This examination is performed manually by measuring the angle on radiographs and is considered the gold standard. However, studies evaluating the reproducibility of this procedure have shown high variability in intra- and inter-observer agreement. Because of technical advancements, interests in new procedures to determine the Cobb angle has been renewed. This review aims to systematically investigate the reproducibility of various new techniques to determine the Cobb angle in idiopathic scoliosis and to assess whether new technical procedures are reasonable alternatives when compared to manual measurement of the Cobb angle. ⋯ All investigated measuring procedures showed high degrees of reliability. In general, digital procedures tend to be slightly better than manual ones. For all other measurement procedures (automatic or smartphone), results varied. Studies implementing vertebral pre-selection and observer training achieved better agreement.
-
Aging spine is characterized by facet joints arthritis, degenerative disc disease, bone remodeling and atrophy of extensor muscles resulting in a progressive kyphosis of the lumbar spine. ⋯ Finally, we propose a three-step algorithm to analyze the global balance status and take into consideration the presence of the compensatory mechanisms in the spinal, pelvic and lower limb areas.
-
Comparative Study
Disc prosthesis replacement and interbody fusion in the treatment of degenerative cervical disc disease: comparative analysis of 176 consecutive cases.
The purpose of this retrospective analysis is to determine whether disc prosthesis replacement can be equivalent or superior compared with the disc interbody fusion. ⋯ Our experience demonstrates that the use of disc prosthesis is a safe and effective alternative to interbody fusion.