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
-
Observational Study
Health-care costs of conservative management of spine fractures in trauma patients.
There is a lack of evidence on the broad health-care costs of treating spine trauma patients without neurological deficits conservatively. The aim of the present study was to estimate the primary and secondary health-care sector costs associated with conservative treatment of spine fractures as well as their determinants. ⋯ Spinal fractures, even mild ones, appear to incur substantial health-care utilization and costs. Health-care costs in conjunction with cervical fractures are more than two-fold of those affiliated with thoracic and lumbar fractures. Among the concomitant injuries, lower limb injuries exert a substantial influence over health-care costs.
-
Lumbar spinal stenosis is most often a degenerate condition observed in the older population. We describe the case of a lady with typical claudicant symptoms with an unusual cause of stenosis identified at the time of her decompressive surgery. On review of the literature this is only the second case of osteochondral loose body as a cause for lumbar spinal stenosis and thus remains a rare phenomenon.
-
Review Case Reports
Congenital double-level cervical spondylolysis: a case report and review of the literature.
We report a rare Japanese female who was affected with three genetic-linked diseases: double-level cervical bilateral spondylolysis in association with spina bifida occulta, cleft lip and monostotic fibrous dysplasia of the right proximal femur. The case was considered to be congenital in origin. We also review the pertinent literature of cervical spondylolysis, with a focus on the pathogenesis of multiple-level cervical spondylolysis. ⋯ This case is a rare presentation of bilateral cervical spondylolysis involving C4 and C5, presumably congenital, accompanied by combined dysplastic changes of the cervical spine, cleft lip, and fibrous dysplasia, possibly through an error involving an ossification center during the embryonic stage.
-
To use imaging, histology and electrophysiological assessment to compare the Wiltse approach to pedicle fixation with the conventional posterior open approach for thoracolumbar fractures. ⋯ The Wiltse approach showed a lower incidence of multifidus atrophy and denervation, and less fatty infiltration. It is an effective and minimally invasive approach for thoracolumbar fractures.
-
Our objective was to use an open weight-bearing MRI to identify the effects of different loading conditions on the inter-vertebral anatomy of the lumbar spine in a post-discectomy recurrent lumbar disc herniation patient. ⋯ We observed that with weight-bearing, measurements indicative of spinal canal narrowing could be detected. These findings suggest that further research is warranted to determine the potential utility of weight-bearing MRI in clinical decision-making.