The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Patient satisfaction is becoming an increasing common proxy for surgical quality; however, the correlation between patient satisfaction and surgical outcomes 2 and 5 years after anterior cervical surgery has not been evaluated. ⋯ In patients undergoing one- and two-level anterior cervical spine surgery, between 2 and 5 years postoperatively, patient satisfaction is significantly predicted by PROs, including the VAS neck score and the NDI.
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Spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) refers to an excessive accumulation of fat within the epidural space. It can be idiopathic or secondary, resulting in significant morbidity. The prevalence of SEL, including idiopathic and secondary SEL, and its respective risk factors are poorly defined. ⋯ We found that about 1 in 40 patients undergoing a spine MRI had SEL; 23% of whom with no symptoms, 72% with spine-related symptoms, and 5% with symptoms specific for SEL. Our data help identify patients who might warrant an increased index of suspicion for SEL.
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Assessing quality of life, functional outcome, and pain has become important in assessing the effectiveness of treatment for metastatic spine disease. Many questionnaires are able to measure these outcomes; few are validated in patients with metastatic spine disease. As a result, there is no consensus on the ideal questionnaire to use in these patients. ⋯ In patients with metastatic spine disease, we recommend the SOSG-OQ for measuring quality of life, the PROMIS Physical Function for measuring physical function, and the PROMIS Pain Intensity for measuring pain.
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Little is known about the effect of rod stiffness as a risk factor of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) after adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. ⋯ Increasing the rod stiffness by the use of cobalt chrome rod and can prevent rod breakage but adversely affects the occurrence and the time of PJK.
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Injuries to the lumbar plexus during lateral approaches to the spine are not uncommon and may result in permanent deficits. However, the literature contains few studies that provide landmarks for avoiding the branches of the lumbar plexus. ⋯ The findings of our cadaveric study provide surgeons who approach the lateral lumbar spine with data that could decrease injuries to the branches of the lumbar plexus, thus lessening patient morbidity.