Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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In this study the author documents the epidemiology of spine and spinal cord injuries (SCIs) over 2 decades at the largest Level I adult trauma center in Canada. He describes the current state of spine injuries (SIs), their changing patterns over the years, and the relative distribution of different demographic factors in a defined group of trauma patients. ⋯ Data in this analysis will provide useful information to guide future studies on changing SI patterns, possible etiologies, and efficient resource allocation for the management of these diseases.
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So far, the morphological features of the vascular system supplying the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) have been inferred only from microangiograms. However, in the past most of these studies lacked 3D observations. This study presents the details of the microvasculature of the lumbar DRG visualized by scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts. ⋯ The results of this study suggest a causal relationship between the metabolic demands of local neuronal activity and both the density of the capillary network and the placement of the blood flow control structures.
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The authors assessed the effectiveness of percutaneous pulsed radiofrequency treatment for providing pain relief in patients with chronic low-back pain with or without lower-limb pain. ⋯ The results of this prospective analysis showed that treatment with pulsed radiofrequency applied at the L-2 DRG is safe and effective for treating for chronic low-back pain. Satisfactory pain relief was obtained in the majority of patients in Group A with the effect persisting for at least 3 months. The results indicate that pulsed radiofrequency provided intermediate-term relief of low-back pain. Further studies with long-term follow-up are necessary.
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The most common spinal procedure performed in the US is lumbar discectomy for disc herniation. Longterm disc degeneration and height loss occur in many patients after lumbar discectomy. The incidence of mechanical back pain following discectomy varies widely in the literature, and its associated health care costs are unknown. The authors set out to determine the incidence of and the health care costs associated with mechanical back pain attributed to segmental degeneration or instability at the level of a prior discectomy performed at their institution. ⋯ Postoperative mechanical back pain associated with same-level degeneration is not uncommon in patients undergoing single-level lumbar discectomy and is associated with substantial health care costs.
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Symptomatic thoracic disc herniations (TDHs) are relatively uncommon and are typically treated with an anterior approach. Various posterior surgical approaches have been developed to treat TDH, but the gold standard remains transthoracic decompression. Certain patients have comorbidities and herniation aspects that are not optimally treated with an anterior approach. A transfacet pedicle-sparing approach was first described in 1995, but outcomes and complications have not been well described. The objective of this study was to assess outcomes and complications in a consecutive series of patients with TDH undergoing posterior transfacet decompression and discectomy with posterior instrumentation and fusion. ⋯ A modified transfacetal pedicle-sparing approach combined with short segmental fusion offers a safe means of achieving concurrent decompression and segmental stabilization and is an option for certain subtypes of TDH. Although 6 patients required additional surgery for postoperative complications, all patients experienced improvement relative to their preoperative status.