Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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As minimally invasive approaches gain popularity in spine surgery, clinical outcomes and effectiveness of mini-open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) compared with traditional open TLIF have yet to be established. The authors retrospectively compared the outcomes of patients who underwent mini-open TLIF with those who underwent open TLIF. ⋯ Mini-open TLIF is a viable alternative to traditional open TLIF with significantly reduced estimated blood loss and LOS. However, the authors found a higher incidence of hardware-associated complications with the mini-open TLIF.
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The goal of this study was to compare cortical sensorimotor adaptations associated with neurological deterioration and then recovery following surgical decompression for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). ⋯ Serial fMR imaging studies in CSM can capture the adaptations in specific sensorimotor cortices that accompany clinical deterioration and postsurgical improvement in sensorimotor function associated with damage and partial recovery of conduction in corticospinal pathways. These adaptive regions can be monitored by serial fMR imaging to detect a critical loss of supraspinal reserve in compensatory plasticity, which might augment clinical information about the need for surgical decompression.
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Surgical outcome and radiographic changes after microsurgical bilateral decompression via a unilateral approach (MBDU) for lumbar spinal canal stenosis during midterm follow-up periods (> 2 years) have not been reported. The authors retrospectively investigated surgical outcomes after MBDU in patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis in comparison with patients with degenerative stenosis during a minimum follow-up period of 2 years. Radiographic changes at the affected intervertebral level were analyzed during that follow-up period. ⋯ A satisfactory outcome of MBDU persisted for a period longer than 2 years for patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis as well as for those with degenerative stenosis. Radiographically in both groups this less invasive procedure was not likely to result in postoperative dynamic instability at the affected level, although the slippage progressed in the spondylolisthesis group.
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Resection of sacral tumors has been shown to improve survival, since the oncological prognosis is commonly correlated with the extent of local tumor control. However, extensive soft-tissue resection in close proximity to the rectum may predispose patients to wound complications and infection. To identify potential risk factors, a review of clinical outcomes for sacral tumor resections over the past 5 years at a single institution was completed, paying special attention to procedure-related complications. ⋯ Patients undergoing sacral tumor surgery may be at greater risk for developing wound complications due to the extensive soft-tissue resections often required, especially with the increased potential for contamination from the neighboring rectum. In this study, it appears that previous lumbosacral surgery, number of surgeons scrubbed in, patient age, bowel and bladder dysfunction, and complex tissue reconstruction may predict those patients more prone to developing postoperative SSIs.
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The authors previously reported that Schwann cells (SCs) could be derived from bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in vitro and that they promoted axonal regeneration of completely transected rat spinal cords in vivo. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of transplanted BMSC-derived SCs (BMSC-SCs) in a rat model of spinal cord contusion, which is relevant to clinical spinal cord injury. ⋯ Based on their findings, the authors concluded that BMSC-SC transplantation reduces the size of the cystic cavity, promotes axonal regeneration and sparing, results in hindlimb functional recovery, and can be a useful tool for spinal cord injury as a substitute for SCs.