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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Previous studies have shown gender differences in preoperative status and outcome of spine surgery. This study explores whether gender differences in preoperative demographics exist in patients scheduled for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) surgery. ⋯ Women scheduled for LDH surgery report inferior clinical status than men scheduled for the same operation. We have in the literature found no evidence-based data that support such a difference, and the reason for the discrepancy is unclear.
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The aim of this study was to analyse the epidemiological patterns (mortality, incidence of non-fatal cases and overall incidence), of traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) in 2002-2012 in Austria. ⋯ The population >65 years has been at the highest risk of TSCI in Austria for the analysed period and therefore preventive activities should be focused on this group. The increasing overall incidence of TSCI was driven by the increasing mortality rates that were highest in the age group >65 years. We advocate harmonization of epidemiological reporting especially regarding aetiology of TSCI in order to better inform policy makers and prevention.
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To evaluate the effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the management of neck pain and associated disorders (NAD), whiplash-associated disorders, and non-specific low back pain (LBP) with or without radiculopathy. ⋯ For NAD, oral NSAIDs may be more effective than placebo. Oral NSAIDs are more effective than placebo for persistent LBP, but not for recent-onset LBP. Different oral NSAIDs lead to similar outcomes for neck pain and LBP.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
A meta-analysis of endoscopic discectomy versus open discectomy for symptomatic lumbar disk herniation.
The purpose of this study was to systematically compare the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic discectomy (ED) with open discectomy (OD) for the treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (LDH). ⋯ From the existing outcomes, ED surgery could be viewed as a sufficient and safe supplementation and alternative to standard open discectomy. The cost-effectiveness analyses still remain unproved from the existing data. More independent high-quality RCTs using sufficiently large sample sizes with cost-effectiveness analyses are needed.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Core Outcome Measure Index for low back patients: do we miss anxiety and depression?
The Core Outcome Measure Index (COMI) is a multidimensional questionnaire that investigates five dimensions in low back pain (LBP) patients, but does not address the psychological dimension. As the biopsychosocial perspective is recognized as important to capture the entire clinical picture of these patients, this multicenter prospective cohort study was designed to investigate the psychometric properties of a modified version of the COMI (COMIAD) which included 2 additional items, exploring anxiety and depression, respectively. ⋯ The questions exploring anxiety and depression have good intrinsic and psychometric capacities (i.e., no floor or ceiling effects and high correlations with full-length scales) and did not significantly modify the psychometrics of the original COMI questionnaire. The COMIAD offers the possibility to include the psychological dimension in the multidimensional evaluation without significantly affecting questionnaire length.