Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Incidental durotomy (dural tear) is a common complication of lumbar spine surgery. The purpose of this study was to clarify the anatomical location of and the specific causative factors for incidental durotomy during primary lumbar spine surgery. ⋯ Risk factors for unintended durotomy were female sex, older age, degenerative spondylolisthesis, and juxtafacet cysts. In this study, the authors identified 4 high-risk anatomical zones that spine surgeons should be aware of to avoid dural tears.
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Despite advances in technology and understanding in spinal physiology, reoperation for symptomatic adjacent-segment disease (ASD), same-level recurrent stenosis, and pseudarthrosis in elderly patients continues to occur. While revision lumbar surgery is effective, attention has turned to questions on the utility and value of the revision decompression and fusion procedure. To date, an analysis of the cost and health state gain associated with revision lumbar surgery in elderly patients with symptomatic pseudarthrosis, ASD, or same-level recurrent lumbar stenosis has yet to be performed. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness of revision surgery in elderly patients with recurrent or persistent back and leg pain. ⋯ Revision decompression and fusion provided a significant gain in health state utility for elderly patients with symptomatic pseudarthrosis, same-level recurrent stenosis, or ASD, with a mean 2-year cost of $80,594 per QALY gained. When indicated, revision surgery for symptomatic ASD, same-level recurrent stenosis, and pseudarthrosis is a valuable treatment option for elderly patients experiencing persistent back and leg pain. Findings in this study provided a value measure of surgery that can be compared with future cost-per-QALY-gained studies of medical management or alternative surgical approaches.
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The goal of this study was to compare the urological complications in patients after anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) with and without the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). ⋯ In this study, the use of rhBMP-2 with ALIF surgery was not associated with an increased incidence of urological complications and retrograde ejaculation when compared with control ALIF without rhBMP-2. Further prospective analyses that specifically look at these complications are warranted.
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Biography Historical Article
The lasting legacy of Paul Randall Harrington to pediatric spine surgery: historical vignette.
Spinal arthrodesis was the first successful treatment for scoliosis, performed by Dr. Russell A. Hibbs in 1911 and later by Dr. ⋯ Harrington's achievement influenced the technology and art of spine surgery for his contemporaries and the coming generations of spine surgeons. The purpose of this article is to review the life of Dr. Harrington, and how he has arguably come to be known as "Father of the Modern Treatment of Scoliosis."
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Case Reports
Craniocervical arachnoid cyst in a patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome: a unique case: case report.
Klippel-Feil syndrome, or brevicollis, is a complex congenital disorder caused by the improper segmentation of the cervical vertebrae. The authors present the very rare case of a patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome who presented with an intradural arachnoid cyst at the craniocervical junction. They also examine possible factors contributing to this association. A 46-year-old woman presented with complaints of progressively worsening headaches and dizziness of 18 months' duration. ⋯ Postoperatively, the patient has remained symptom free for more than 2 years with evidence of good radiological decompression. The authors report a unique association between craniocervical arachnoid cyst and Klippel-Feil syndrome. To their knowledge, no other cases of this association have been reported in the literature. Arachnoid cysts should be part of the differential diagnosis in the presence of worsening myelopathic symptoms or pain in patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome.