The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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The phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNfH) is an axon fiber structural protein that is released into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after nerve damage. Although the previous studies have reported elevated CSF levels of pNfH in various neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, these levels have not been examined in patients with spinal stenosis. ⋯ This study detected elevated pNfH levels in the CSF of patients with LSS. Patients with severe clinical symptoms were more likely to exhibit high levels of pNfH. Our results indicate the potential usefulness of pNfH as a biomarker for compressive spinal disorders.
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Primary care clinicians need to identify candidates for early interventions to prevent patients with acute pain from developing chronic pain. ⋯ A CDR was developed that may help primary care clinicians classify patients with strictly defined acute LBP into low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups for developing chronic pain and performed acceptably in 1,000 bootstrapped replications. Validation in a separate sample is needed.
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The favorable outcome of surgical treatment for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DS) is widely recognized, but some patients require reoperation because of complications, such as pseudoarthrosis, persistent pain, infection, and progressive degenerative changes. Among these changes, adjacent segmental disease (ASD) and same segmental disease (SSD) are common reasons for reoperation. However, the relative risks of the various factors and their interactions are unclear. ⋯ The incidence of reoperation in patients surgically treated for DS was 23.2% at a mean time of 5.9 years. A significantly higher incidence of reoperation was observed in patients treated with decompression alone compared with those treated with decompression and fusion. Body mass index and disc height were identified as independent risk factors for SSD, whereas male gender and facet degeneration were identified as independent risk factors for ASD. The results of this comprehensive review will guide spine surgeons in their preoperative planning and in the surgical management of patients with DS, thereby reducing the reoperation rate.
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Although direct repair (DR) with screw fixation at the pars defect is a common surgical treatment for lumbar spondylolysis, it is unknown whether DR leads to better outcomes for young patients with spondylolysis than traditional nonsurgical treatment. ⋯ Conservative treatment for young patients with spondylolysis may produce similar clinical outcomes and fewer complications over 12-month follow-up than surgical treatment with DR.
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The correlation of negative outcomes with aggressiveness of malpractice liability has been questioned in the literature. ⋯ In the present national study, aggressive malpractice environment was not correlated with mortality but was associated with higher hospitalization charges after spine surgery. Further research is needed to identify ways to regulate the malpractice system to address these disparities.