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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Review Meta Analysis
Full-endoscopic discectomy for thoracic disc herniations: a single-arm meta-analysis of safety and efficacy outcomes.
Surgical intervention is the treatment of choice in patients with thoracic disc herniation with refractory symptoms and progressive myelopathy. Due to high occurrence of complications from open surgery, minimally invasive approaches are desirable. Nowadays, endoscopic techniques have become increasingly popular and full-endoscopic surgery can be performed in the thoracic spine with low complication rates. ⋯ Full-endoscopic discectomy has a low incidence of adverse outcomes in patients with thoracic disc herniations. Controlled studies, ideally randomized, are warranted to establish the comparative efficacy and safety of the endoscopic approach relative to open surgery.
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Review Meta Analysis
Management strategies for the painless foot drop: a systematic review of the literature.
Foot drop can uncommonly be a painless presenting symptom of degenerative spinal disorders. This systematic review aimed to summarise the literature on the management and outcomes of patients with a painless foot drop. ⋯ This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates a role for surgery in facilitating the neurological recovery of patients with a painless foot drop. Large randomised controlled studies are required to characterise the role of operative intervention in these patients and compare outcomes between patients with painless and painful foot drop.
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Review Meta Analysis
Is fatty infiltration in paraspinal muscles reversible with exercise in people with low back pain? A systematic review.
Increased fatty infiltration in paraspinal muscles has been recognized as a feature of muscle quality loss in people with Low Back Pain (LBP) and is highly associated with the severity of LBP and dysfunction. Reducing fatty infiltration has been recognized as a rehabilitation aim. An earlier systematic review published in 2014 revealed conflicting evidence for the reversibility of paraspinal muscle quality by means of exercise and no updates have been published since. A new systematic literature search is warranted. ⋯ Moderate quality evidence is available that paraspinal fatty infiltration is not reversible with exercise in people with LBP. More larger RCT's are needed to draw firmer conclusions.