Spine
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Retrospective review of the medical, radiographic, surgical, and postoperative records of patients who underwent resection of multilevel intradural extramedullary spinal cord tumors of the ventral cervical and cervicothoracic spine via a modified paramedian transpedicular approach at the University of California, San Francisco, between 2003 and 2005. ⋯ The modified paramedian transpedicular approach with partial dorsal corpectomy we describe here is a variation of traditional thoracic posterolateral transpedicular extracavitary approaches and offers direct access to lesions of the ventral cervicothoracic spinal canal. This approach avoids the morbidity of anterior transcervical, transoral, or transthoracic procedures, while providing a view of the entire ventral cervicothoracic canal, and can be performed safely and effectively in select patients.
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Retrospective clinical and radiologic evaluation of posterior C1-C2 fusion by transarticular screw (TAS) with morselized autograft and without additional internal fixation. ⋯ Bilateral transarticular screws alone and morselized grafts have high fusion rate in atlantoaxial arthrodesis without instrument failure. TAS fixation could provide stability that is clinically equivalent to the standard screws plus tension band construct as described by Magerl. With anatomic reduction and ideal screw position, additional internal fixation and postoperative collar are not necessary.
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Retrospective review of radiographic data. ⋯ Neuromuscular scoliosis radiographs can be reliably analyzed with the use of Cobb angle. Other forms of analysis, such as Ferguson angle, are not as reliable. Pelvic obliquity should be measured from the horizontal, as other methods are not as reliable. Kyphosis is best evaluated with the use of the kyphotic Cobb angle. Finally, it is felt that a separate anteroposterior pelvis radiograph should be used to assess skeletal maturity, as scoliosis films often truncate the vital anatomy necessary to determine skeletal maturity.
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In vitro studies of the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on the production of nerve growth factor (NGF) by human intervertebral disc (IVD) cells. ⋯ Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that human AF and NP cells constitutively express NGF protein and mRNA, and that the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha stimulate the production of NGF. The precise role of NGF produced by IVD cells in the generation of discogenic pain or on the metabolism of IVD cells, especially under certain physiologic conditions in which cytokines are up-regulated, needs to be clarified in future experimentation.
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A prospective, cohort clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of patients with low back pain. ⋯ Early DD in adolescent patients with low back pain predicted the evolution of enhanced DD and herniation in adulthood, but it was not associated with severe low back pain or increased frequency of spinal surgery.