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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Disc injection to create intervertebral (IVD) disc degeneration (IVDD) has been reported in ovine models, but the techniques have not been thoroughly described. The current ex vivo study aimed to evaluate a computed tomography (CT)-guided injection technique into IVDs in the ovine lumbar spine. ⋯ The current study provides useful clinical information that will help surgeons working with an ovine model for research on IVDD. This model could also be useful to train less experienced surgeons or radiologists to disc injection. This CT-guided injection seems to offer several advantages such as ease of use, good success rate and safety to important nervous and vascular structures.
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Iatrogenic spondylolisthesis is a challenging condition for spinal surgeons. Posterior surgery in these cases is complicated by poor anatomical landmarks, scar tissue adhesion of muscle and dural structures and difficult access to the intervertebral disc. Anterior interbody fusion provides an alternative treatment method, allowing indirect foraminal decompression, reliable disc clearance and implantation of large surface area implants. ⋯ Anterior interbody fusion offers good stabilisation and restoration of lordosis in iatrogenic spondylolisthesis and avoids the well-known problems associated with reentering the spinal canal for revision fusions. In this group, ODI and VAS scores were improved.
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The goal of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of patient-specific CT-based rapid prototype drill templates for C2 translaminar screw insertion. ⋯ The small deviations seen are likely due to human error in the form of small variations in the surgical technique and use of software to design the prototype. This technology improves the safety profile of this fixation technique and should be further studied in clinical applications.
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Vertebral body defects represent one of the most common orthopedic challenges. In order to advance the transfer of stem cell therapies into orthopedic clinical practice, we performed this study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a composite bioartificial graft based on a hydroxyapatite bone scaffold (CEM-OSTETIC(®)) combined with human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in a rat model of vertebral body defects. ⋯ MSCs in combination with a hydroxyapatite scaffold improved the repair of a model bone defect and might represent a safe and effective alternative in the treatment of vertebral bone defects.