Journal of neurosurgery. Spine
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Advocates of minimally invasive discectomy (MID) have promoted this operation as an alternative to open discectomy (OD), arguing that there may be less injury to the paraspinal muscles, decreased postoperative pain, and a faster recovery time. However, a recently published large randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing these approaches reported inferior relief of leg pain in patients undergoing MID. The authors conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate complications and improvement in leg pain in patients with radiculopathy enrolled in RCTs comparing OD to MID. ⋯ The current evidence suggests that both OD and MID lead to a substantial and equivalent long-term improvement in leg pain. Adequate decompression, regardless of the operative approach used, may be the primary determinant of pain relief-the major complaint of many patients with radiculopathy. Incidental durotomies occurred significantly more frequently during MID, but total complications did not differ between the techniques.
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Rates of complications associated with the surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) are not clear. Appreciating these risks is important for patient counseling and quality improvement. The authors sought to assess the rates of and risk factors associated with perioperative and delayed complications associated with the surgical treatment of CSM. ⋯ For the surgical treatment of CSM, the vast majority of complications were treatable and without long-term impact. Multivariate factors associated with an increased risk of complications include greater age, increased operative time, and use of combined anterior-posterior procedures.
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The proper prehospital and inpatient management of patients with unstable spinal injuries is critical for prevention of secondary neurological compromise. The authors sought to analyze the amount of motion generated in the unstable thoracolumbar spine during various maneuvers and transfers that a trauma patient would typically be subjected to prior to definitive fixation. ⋯ Although it is unknown how much motion in the unstable spine is necessary to cause secondary neurological injury, the accepted tenet is to minimize motion as much as possible. This study has demonstrated the angular motion incurred by the unstable thoracolumbar spine as experienced by the typical trauma patient from the field to positioning in the operating room using the best and most commonly used techniques. As previously reported, using the log-roll technique consistently results in unwanted motion at the injured spinal segment.
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The aim of this study was to describe the pelvic parameters in a sample of healthy Mexican volunteers and to compare them with previously reported data for Caucasian and Asian populations. ⋯ A comparison of the values for pelvic parameters and lumbar lordosis across the different population samples revealed statistically significant differences, which can be attributed to the ethnic origin of the individuals.
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Case Reports
Minimally invasive lateral extracavitary corpectomy: cadaveric evaluation model and report of 3 clinical cases.
In this paper, the authors' goal was to demonstrate the clinical and technical nuances of a minimally invasive lateral extracavitary approach (MI-LECA) for thoracic corpectomy and anterior column reconstruction. ⋯ A minimally invasive lateral extracavitary thoracic corpectomy has the ability to provided excellent spinal cord decompression and VB resection. The procedure can be completed safely and successfully with minimal blood loss and little associated morbidity. This approach has the potential to improve upon established traditional open corridors for posterolateral thoracic corpectomy.