The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A prospective, international, randomized, noninferiority study comparing an implantable titanium vertebral augmentation device versus balloon kyphoplasty in the reduction of vertebral compression fractures (SAKOS study).
Balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) is a commonly performed vertebral augmentation procedure for painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). ⋯ Study results demonstrated non-inferiority of the TIVAD to the predicate BKP with an excellent risk/benefit profile for results up to 12 months.
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Multicenter Study
The discrepancy between functional outcome and self-reported health status after surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy.
Surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy has shown not only to halt neurologic deterioration, but also to improve functional impairments. Despite these improvements, some patients may be dissatisfied with their outcomes. This study aims to (1) investigate discrepancies between postoperative clinical measures and self-reported health status, and (2) identify important predictors of such discrepancies. ⋯ There was a discrepancy between changes in mJOA and self-reports of health status in patients undergoing surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy. Increased bodily pain at 1-year, smaller improvements in postoperative upper extremity score and increased age were associated with worsened or unchanged general health status, despite clinically significant improvements in overall postoperative function.
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Gait impairment is a hallmark of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). It has been shown to affect quality of life but has not been well defined. Further electromyographic (EMG) characterization of the gait cycle may help elucidate the true neuromuscular pathology with implications on prognosis and rehabilitation techniques. ⋯ The onset of muscle activity is not delayed in CSM patients, but many key muscles take longer to fully contract. This produces a situation in which patients with CSM are unable to fully fire their muscles with sufficient speed to maintain a normal gait. The core and lower extremity muscles do not contract with increased peak amplitude in response, but the deltoid and hamstring muscles are more active, suggesting compensatory activity as patients attempt to maintain balance. The end result is less efficient ambulation. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of gait in individuals suffering from CSM and may have implications on rehabilitation protocols.
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Sagittal plane alignment is of crucial importance for the treatment of spinal deformities. When planning corrective strategies, spine surgeons need to refer to normative parameters' ranges which characterize the alignment in the asymptomatic population. Changes are known to occur with age. For the Caucasian population, the reference ranges are extensively documented for the young and middle-aged adults. In contrast, only a few studies have evaluated individuals in advanced age (>60 years) and in groups of limited numbers of subjects (less than 50). ⋯ The ranges of values pointed out differences compared to younger adults and represent an important resource for spine surgeons in planning the surgical correction of spinal deformities. The characteristic changes occurring with age, as well as the observed presence of mild or moderate asymptomatic scoliosis, should be carefully taken into account. The classification of the lumbopelvic profile based on the Roussouly scheme revealed some limitations, although similar frequencies were identified compared to younger adults.
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Effective postoperative pain management in patients undergoing elective spinal fusion surgery has been associated with shorter hospital stays, reduced rates of hospital readmissions due to pain, and decreased cost of care. Furthermore, preoperative multimodal analgesia regimens have been shown to decrease postoperative subjective pain measurements and narcotic consumption in patients undergoing spinal fusion and total arthroplasty surgeries. ⋯ This study demonstrates that administering a selective COX-2 inhibitor and GABA-analogue preoperatively can significantly decrease 24-hour postoperative opioid consumption, VAS pain scores, and elapsed time to postoperative mobility in patients undergoing elective spine fusion surgery of ≤5 levels. Optimal standardized dosing and drug combination for preoperative multimodal analgesia remains to be elucidated.