Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Radiation therapy is known to impair wound healing. Higher dose per fraction is believed to increase this risk. This study sought to quantify rates of wound complication in patients receiving preoperative conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (XRT) or high-dose hypofractionated image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) for spinal metastasis, and to identify predictors of wound complication. ⋯ Patients who underwent XRT or IGRT did not have significantly different rates of postoperative wound complications. This finding may be explained by the treatment of fewer vertebral bodies in IGRT patients, or by the low overall number of total events. With a wound complication rate of 6%, preoperative IGRT, a highly conformal treatment, resulted in a very low rate of surgical wound complication.
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Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) combined with brachytherapy using the interstitial implantation of (125)I seeds has previously yielded encouraging clinical results in the treatment of metastatic vertebral tumors. However, the bone cement injection volume is very small due to the osteolytic damage to the metastatic vertebrae, and the ideal spatial distribution of the (125)I seeds is difficult to achieve. In the current study, the authors present a clinical method for puncture needle insertion to achieve a greater bone cement injection volume and a more ideal spatial distribution of the (125)I seeds. ⋯ The outcomes of PVP combined with multineedle interstitial implantation of (125)I seeds in patients with osteolytic metastatic vertebral tumors appeared to be better than the outcomes of PVP combined with single-needle interstitial implantation of (125)I seeds. These better outcomes may be the result of the greater bone cement injection volume and the more ideal spatial distribution of the (125)I seeds.
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Comparative Study
Adjacent-segment disease in 511 cases of posterolateral instrumented lumbar arthrodesis: floating fusion versus distal construct including the sacrum.
The aim of this study was to study the long-term outcomes of patients undergoing instrumented posterior fusion of the lumbar spine. ⋯ In this paper, the authors present one of the largest cohorts in the Western literature of patients undergoing instrumented fusion for degenerative lumbar spine disease. Patients who had floating lumbar fusions were statistically more likely to develop ASD over time than those who had lumbosacral fusions incorporating the S-1 spinal segment, but were less likely to experience postoperative radicular symptoms. Additional prospective studies may more clearly delineate the long-term risks of instrumented posterolateral fusions of the lumbar spine.
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Extraforaminal compression of the L-5 nerve encompasses multiple pathological entities and may result from disc herniations as well as bony (osteophytes or sacral ala) or ligamentous (sacroiliac ligament and lumbosacral band) compression. Several other factors, such as disc space collapse or coronal wedging, can also contribute to narrowing of the extraforaminal space. The extraforaminal space at L5-S1 has unique anatomical features compared with the upper lumbar levels, which makes surgical access to this region difficult. Minimally invasive techniques offer easier access to the region. The purpose of this study was to analyze the contributing factors for extraforaminal compression of the L-5 nerve and assess clinical outcome following surgical decompression. ⋯ A minimally invasive far-lateral approach to L5-S1 requires a good understanding of the regional anatomy and can provide good to excellent clinical results in properly selected cases. This approach is effective in decompressing the far-lateral and foraminal zones. Adequate preoperative diagnosis and tailoring the surgical procedure to address the relevant compressive element in each case is essential to achieving good clinical results.
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Low-back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent among older adults, and the cost to treat the US Medicare population is substantial. Recent US health care reform legislation focuses on improving quality of care and reducing costs. The sacroiliac (SI) joint is a recognized generator of LBP, but treatments traditionally have included either nonoperative medical management or open SI joint fusion, which has a high rate of complications. New minimally invasive technologies have been developed to treat SI joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis, so it is important to understand the current cost impact of nonoperative care to the Medicare program. The objective of this study was to evaluate the medical resource use and associated Medicare reimbursement for patients managed with nonoperative care for degenerative sacroiliitis/SI joint disruption. ⋯ In patients who suffer from LBP due to SI joint disruption or degenerative sacroiliitis, this retrospective Medicare claims data analysis demonstrates that nonoperative care is associated with substantial costs and medical resource utilization. The economic burden of SI joint disruption and degenerative sacroiliitis among Medicare beneficiaries in the US is substantial and highlights the need for more cost-effective therapies to treat this condition and reduce health care expenditures.