Spine
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Retrospective study of seven cases of ossification of ligamentum flavum from two urban hospitals in a Chinese population. ⋯ Ossification of ligamentum flavum is an uncommon cause of myelopathy in the Chinese population. It can present acutely after minor trauma. Posterior decompression, especially with en bloc dissection of laminae, gives satisfactory results.
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Clinical Trial
Activation of back muscles during voluntary abduction of the contralateral arm in humans.
Motor-evoked responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex were recorded from erector spinae and deltoid muscles while the arm was abducted voluntarily in 10 normal subjects. ⋯ Facilitation of erector spinae with arm abduction remains evident in the lying posture when spinal postural stabilization mechanisms are presumably reduced. Similar facilitation profiles have been seen previously with changing voluntary activation of erector spinae in a trunk extension task, supporting the notion that during arm abduction the drive to the contralateral erector spinae has a corticospinal origin.
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The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) was designed to assess the relative efficacy and cost-effectiveness of surgical and nonsurgical approaches to the treatment of common conditions associated with low back and leg pain. ⋯ The results of this study will provide high-quality scientific evidence to aid clinical decision-making and improve treatment outcomes for these common, costly, and, in some instances, debilitating conditions.
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A new way to study pain in experimental animals without handling of the animals and based on registration of spontaneous behavior using video recordings. ⋯ The study demonstrates that it is possible to detect changes in spontaneous behavior after experimental disc herniation. However, such changes may only be seen if disc incision and slight mechanical deformation are combined. This is in agreement with previous clinical and experimental observations. The present model allows for convenient assessment of pain in a way that focuses on spontaneous behavior rather than changes in pain thresholds and that reduces the interference of the researcher and environment on the outcome of the assessment.
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This report describes a case of successful surgical excision of an intrathoracic paraspinal desmoid tumor with an intraspinous extension causing scoliosis and paralysis in a 12-year-old girl. ⋯ This case report should help expand the understanding of the spectrum of this uncommon tumor.