Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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In this prospective study, the authors offered protocol-selected patients a combination of parenteral steroids, decompression surgery, and localized cooling to preserve viable spinal cord tissue and enhance functional recovery. ⋯ The authors present here results of 20 patients with neurologically complete spinal cord injury treated with a combination of surgical decompression, glucocorticoid administration, and regional hypothermia. These patients experienced a better recovery than might have been expected had traditional forms of treatment been used. The benefit of steroid treatment for cord injury has been debated in the last decade, but the authors feel that research into the effects of cord cooling should be expanded. Given that the optimal neuroprotective temperature after acute trauma has not yet been defined, and may well be below that which is considered safely approachable through systemic cooling, methods that allow for the early attainment of such a temperature locally should be further explored. The results are encouraging enough to suggest the undertaking of controlled clinical trials of treatment using localized spinal cord cooling, where such treatment can be instituted within hours following injury.
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Multicenter Study
High-grade spondylolisthesis treated using a modified Bohlman technique: results among multiple surgeons.
The ideal surgical management of high-grade spondylolisthesis remains unclear. Concerns regarding the original Bohlman transsacral interbody fusion technique with stand-alone autologous fibular strut include late graft fracture and incomplete reduction of lumbosacral kyphosis. The authors' goal was to evaluate the radiographic and surgical outcomes of patients treated for high-grade spondylolisthesis with either transsacral S-1 screws or standard pedicle screw fixation augmenting the Bohlman posterior transsacral interbody fusion technique. ⋯ The modified Bohlman technique for treatment of high-grade spondylolisthesis has reproducible outcomes among multiple surgeons and results in significant improvements in slip percent and slip angle. Fusion rates were high (14 of 16; 88%), especially with spanning instrumentation augmenting the oblique interbody fusion. Rates of L-5 motor deficit were low in comparison with techniques involving reduction of the anterolisthesis.
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Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of medical interventions has become increasingly relevant to the discussion of optimization of care. The use of utility scales in CEA permits a quantitative assessment of effectiveness of a given intervention. There are no published utility values for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), or cervical disc replacement (CDR). The purpose of this study was to define health utility values for those health states. ⋯ This study represents the first calculated HSU value for a patient with single-level cervical DDD. Additionally, 2 common treatment interventions for this disease state were assessed. Both treatments were found to have significant impact on the HSU values. These values are integral to future CEA of ACDF and CDR.
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The Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score (TLICS) was developed to improve injury classification and guide surgical decision making, yet validation remains necessary. This study evaluates the neurological outcome of patients with thoracolumbar spine trauma (TLST) treated according to the TLICS. ⋯ The TLICS can be used to guide treatment that is safe with regard to the neurological status of patients treated for TLST.
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Minimally invasive (MI) fusion and instrumentation techniques are playing a new role in the treatment of adult spinal deformity. The open pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) and Smith-Petersen osteotomy (SPO) are proven segmental methods for improving regional lordosis and global sagittal parameters. Recently the MI anterior column release (ACR) was introduced as a segmental method for treating sagittal imbalance. There is a paucity of data in the literature evaluating the alternatives to PSO and SPO for sagittal balance correction. Thus, the authors conducted a preliminary retrospective radiographic review of prospectively collected data from 2009 to 2012 at a single institution. The objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate the radiographic effect of MI-ACR on spinopelvic parameters, 2) compare the radiographic effect of MI-ACR with PSO and SPO for treatment of adult spinal deformity, and 3) investigate the radiographic effect of percutaneous posterior spinal instrumentation on spinopelvic parameters when combined with MI transpsoas lateral interbody fusion (LIF) for adult spinal deformity. ⋯ The lateral MI-LIF with ACR has the ability to powerfully restore lumbar lordosis and correct sagittal imbalance. This segmental MI surgical technique boasts equivalence to SPO correction of these global radiographic parameters while simultaneously creating additional disc height and correcting coronal imbalance. Addition of posterior percutaneous instrumentation without in situ manipulation or overcorrection does not alter radiographic parameters when combined with the lateral MI-LIF.