Spine
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Case Reports
Severe erosion of lumbar vertebral body because of abdominal aortic false aneurysm: report of two cases.
Two cases of lumbar vertebral erosion resulting from abdominal aortic false aneurysm are reported. ⋯ In patients with endovascular prostheses, false aneurysm should be considered when lytic lesions of vertebral bodies are differentially diagnosed because these patients can present with only spinal symptoms.
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An electrophysiologic study to examine effects of exogenous application of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha ) activities and nociresponses of dorsal horn neurons in the spinal cord at L5. ⋯ These results suggest the possibility that TNF-alpha produced in the vicinity of nerve roots due to disc herniation might cause ectopic discharges in primary afferent fibers and thereby induce the prolonged excitation in pain-processing neurons responsible for radicular pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The association between cervical rib and sacralization.
After determining the normal reference values for the length of the transverse processes of the seventh cervical vertebra, the association between the presence of cervical rib and sacralization was investigated. ⋯ Presence of cervical rib might be a clue to the existence of sacralization or vice versa. In patients with cervical or lumbar pain, this association may be helpful for differential diagnosis before applying sophisticated diagnostic techniques.
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Clinical Trial
Low fusion rate after L5-S1 laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion using twin stand-alone carbon fiber cages.
Prospective study of a cohort of patients who underwent L5-S1 laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion. ⋯ Two years after endoscopic L5-S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion using twin stand-alone laparoscopic carbon-fiber cages, the fusion rate was unacceptably low. However, the clinical outcomes of these patients were significantly improved compared with their preoperative status.
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Comparative Study
Biomechanical analysis of biodegradable interbody fusion cages augmented With poly(propylene glycol-co-fumaric acid).
Three different types of biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide) cages with and without augmentation of a biodegradable poly(propylene glycol-cofumaric acid) scaffold were compared with autograft and metallic cages of the same design and size by determining the stiffness and failure load of the L4-L5 motion segment of cadaveric human spines. ⋯ By comparison, the in vitro lumbar spinal motion segment stiffness and failure load produced by implantation of a biodegradable interbody fusion cage augmented with an expandable PPF scaffold is similar to that of the titanium BAK cage. This suggests that biodegradable anterior interbody fusion systems could be further developed for clinical applications.