The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients may gain minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in one or more of the health-related quality-of-life instruments without surgical intervention. The present study identifies the baseline characteristics of this subset of nonoperative patients and proposes predictors of those most likely to benefit. ⋯ Nonoperative ASD patients who achieved MCID in SRS activity or pain had a lower baseline SRS pain score and less coronal deformity in the TL region. Greater baseline pain offers significant room for potential improvement, which may be important in identifying ASD patients who have the potential to reach MCID nonoperatively. Coronal deformities in the TL region and associated vertebral obliquity may negatively impact potential for improvement in nonoperative care.
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Case Reports
Left ventricle thrombus after tranexamic acid for spine surgery in an HIV-positive patient.
Our case highlights the underappreciated thrombotic risks of tranexamic acid (TXA) use in non-cardiac surgery and emphasizes the need to elucidate these risks with appropriate clinical trials. ⋯ The thrombotic risks of TXA use in non-cardiac surgery have yet to be adequately studied in clinical trials. Hence, TXA use in this context is still an area of uncertainty, and its thrombogenic risks have yet to be studied as a primary outcome in any large prospective trial to date. Patients with any hypercoagulable risk factors, including HIV infection or any prior thrombotic history in which TXA use is being considered, should prompt a discussion among the perioperative physicians involved.
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Laminoplasty is a major surgical method used to treat patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). Sometimes, patients with cervical OPLL demonstrate postoperative kyphosis despite sufficient preoperative lordosis. Recently, the impact of T1 slope has emerged as a predictor of kyphotic alignment change after laminoplasty. However, the relationship between T1 slope and postoperative cervical alignment change is not yet fully established. ⋯ Patients with higher T1 slope had more lordotic curvature before surgery and demonstrated more LCL at 2-year follow-up. Cervical alignment was compromised after laminoplasty, and the degree of LCL was correlated with preoperative T1 slope. After laminoplasty for cervical OPLL, patients with higher T1 slope tended to exhibit a greater LCL yet did not drift into frank postoperative kyphosis.
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Live mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) allograft-containing allogeneic bone grafts have recently gained popularity and currently account for greater than 17% of all bone grafts and bone graft substitutes used in spinal surgery. Although the claim of cellular bone matrices containing osteogenic cells with osteoinductive properties is attractive, little is known about their clinical success when used in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). ⋯ This is the first non-industry sponsored study to analyze a matched cohort assessing the 1-year arthrodesis rates associated with a nonstructural MSC allograft in one- and two-level ACDF procedures. Although not statistically significant, patients treated with MSC allografts demonstrated lower fusion rates compared with a matched non-MSC cohort.
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Lumbar epidural steroid injections (LESIs) are often performed as a treatment option for lumbar stenosis and radiculopathy before lumbar decompression surgery. Several case series have reported spinal infections after LESIs. There is lack of literature on the rate of postoperative infections after lumbar decompression in patients who had prior LESIs. ⋯ Overall, the rate of postoperative infection after single-level lumbar decompression after LESI remained relatively low, ranging between 0.8% and 1.7%. The incidence of 90-day postoperative infection after lumbar decompression was significantly higher than matched controls in groups with LESI within 1 month (OR=3.2, p<.0001) and 1-3 months before surgery (OR=1.8, p<.0001). The incidence of 90-day postoperative infection was not significantly different from matched controls in groups with LESI between 3-6 months (OR=1.3, p=.15) and 6-12 months before decompression surgery (OR=1.3, p=.18) CONCLUSIONS: Single-level lumbar decompression within 3 months after LESI may be associated with an increased rate of postoperative infection. Increasing the time interval between LESI and single-level lumbar decompression surgery to at least 3 months may decrease postoperative infection rates.