Spine
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Comparative Study
Reduction of vertebral blood flow by segmental vessel occlusion: an intraoperative study using laser Doppler flowmetry.
During anterior spinal surgery, vertebral perfusion was assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry. Blood flow changes were assessed after unilateral ligation and contralateral compression of the segmental vessels. ⋯ Unilateral ligation of segmental vessels led only to a slight decrease of the vertebral blood flow. Future studies may show whether sparing the segmental vessels during anterior fusion enhances bone graft incorporation, thus decreasing the rate of pseudarthrosis. According to clinical data, the risk of neurologic injury through unilateral ligation is negligible. Bilateral segmental vessel occlusion markedly reduced vertebral bloodflow. Therefore, when treating patients with a higher neurologic risk or in revision cases, the surgeon should always consider sparing the segmental vessels.
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This study was designed to investigate the difference of rib length of idiopathic scoliosis using experimentally induced scoliosis by pinealectomy in chickens. ⋯ Our results indicated that rib length was not related to the experimental scoliosis examined in this study. Further study is encouraged to investigate if the asymmetric rib length plays a role in causing or promoting other types of scoliosis, especially in primate or human idiopathic scoliosis.