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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To investigate the cervical spinal canal diameters variance under positional MRI, and also the relationship between cervical canal diameter variance rate and grade of degeneration. ⋯ C5/6 and C4/5 is of higher risk of suffering SCI than other levels, C4/5 level predispose SCI at earlier stage than C5/6, patients presenting with intermediate signal and slight decreased disc height on T2 weighted MRI at C4/5 level should be paid attention.
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To update findings of the 2000-2010 Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and its Associated Disorders and evaluate the effectiveness of non-invasive and non-pharmacological interventions for the management of patients with headaches associated with neck pain (i.e., tension-type, cervicogenic, or whiplash-related headaches). ⋯ The management of headaches associated with neck pain should include exercise. Patients who suffer from chronic tension-type headaches may also benefit from relaxation training with stress coping therapy or multimodal care. Patients with cervicogenic headache may also benefit from a course of manual therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Heterotopic ossification and clinical outcome in nonconstrained cervical arthroplasty 2 years after surgery: the Norwegian Cervical Arthroplasty Trial (NORCAT).
Heterotopic ossification is a phenomenon in cervical arthroplasty. Previous reports have mainly focused on various semiconstrained devices and only a few publications have focused on ossification around devices that are nonconstrained. The purpose of this study was to assess the occurrence of heterotopic ossification around a nonconstrained cervical device and how it affects clinical outcome 2 years after surgery. ⋯ High-grade heterotopic ossification and spontaneous fusion 2 years after surgery were seen in a significant number of patients. However, the degree of ossification did not influence the clinical outcome.
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To investigate whether the posterior cranial fossa (PCF) morphology in Chiari I malformation without syringomyelia (also called syrinx) (CMI-only) is different from that in Chiari I malformation with syrinx (CMI-S). ⋯ Small size of the posterior fossa was detected both in CMI cases with and without syrinx. The clivus gradient served as the only morphologic difference in the PCF between CMI-S and CMI-only patients and was correlated with the severity of the syrinx, may support the theory that the restricted circulation of cerebrospinal fluid at the anterior paramedial subarachnoid space contributes to the formation of a syrinx.
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Purpose The neck disability index (NDI) as a 10-item patient reported outcome (PRO) measure is the most commonly used whiplash associated disorders (WAD) assessment tool. However, statistical rigor and factor structure are not definitive. To date, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has not examined whether the factor structure generalizes across different groups (e.g., WAD versus non-WAD). This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the NDI in these population groups. ⋯ The NDI remains a valid PRO in WAD populations that provides acceptable measurement of neck status that is appropriate for basic functional assessment across genders. However, it is recommended that both clinicians and researchers initiate the transition toward more rigorous and less ambiguous PRO measurement tools for WAD patients and research. This future graduated movement toward other PROs should consider both regional PROs and computerized decision support systems, initially measured concurrently with the NDI to establish ways to convert existing scored data prior to their singular use.