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 Multicenter Study
Primary spinal cord tumors: review of 678 surgically treated patients in Japan. A multicenter study.
To clarify the relative frequency of various histopathological primary spinal cord tumors and their features in Japanese people and to compare this data with other reports. ⋯ This is the first published research in English on the epidemiology of primary spinal cord tumors in Japanese people. Similar to other reports from Asian countries, our data indicates a higher male/female ratio overall for spinal cord tumors, a higher proportion of nerve sheath cell tumors, and a lower proportion of meningiomas and neuroepithelial tumors compared to reports from non-Asian countries. Data in the current study represent the characteristics of primary spinal cord tumors in Asian countries.
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To define the role of Enneking staging system and of the consequent different treatment options on the outcome of osteoblastoma (OBL) of the spine. ⋯ Intralesional excision proved to be effective in st.2 lesions and en bloc resection in st.3. Radiotherapy seems to be an effective adjuvant treatment when en bloc resection is not feasible or requires unacceptable functional sacrifices. The first treatment significantly affects the prognosis as previously treated patients have worse prognosis.
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Idiopathic scoliosis is a complex developmental syndrome defined by an abnormal structural curvature of the spine. High treatment costs, chronic pain/discomfort, and the need for monitoring at-risk individuals contribute to the global healthcare burden of this musculoskeletal disease. Although many studies have endeavored to identify underlying genes, little progress has been made in understanding the etiopathogenesis. The objective of this comprehensive review was to summarize genetic associations/linkages with idiopathic scoliosis, as well as explore the strengths and weaknesses of each study, such that it may serve as a guide for the design and interpretation of future genetic studies in scoliosis. ⋯ The major difficulty in idiopathic scoliosis research is phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Genetic research was overrepresented by underpowered studies. The use of biological endophenotypes, as well as restricted clinical definitions, may help to partition variation and increase the power of studies to detect or confirm an effect.
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Metastatic involvement of the sacrum is rare and there is a paucity of studies which deal with the management of these tumours since most papers refer to primary sacral tumours. This study aims to review the available literature in the management of sacral metastatic tumours as reflected in the current literature. ⋯ The mainstay of management for sacral metastatic tumours is palliation. Preoperative angioembolisation is shown to be of value in cases of highly vascularised tumours. Radiotherapy is used as the primary treatment in cases of inoperable tumours without spinal instability where pain relief and neurological improvement are attainable. Minimal invasive procedures such as sacroplasties were shown to offer immediate pain relief and improvement with ambulation, whereas more aggressive surgery, involving decompression and sacral reconstruction, is utilised mainly for the treatment of local advanced tumours which compromise the stability of the spine or threaten neurological status. Adjuvant cryosurgery and radiosurgery have demonstrated promising results (if no neurological compromise or instability) with local disease control.
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Spine-related research has evolved dramatically during the last century. Significant contributions have been made by thousands of authors. A citation rank list has historically been used within a particular field to measure the importance of an article. The purpose of this article is to report on the 100 most cited articles in the field of spine. ⋯ Identification of the most cited articles within the field of spine recognizes some of the most important contributions in the peer-reviewed literature. Current investigators may utilize the aspects of their work to guide and direct future spine-related research.