Spine
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Comparative Study
Cervical spine injuries associated with the incorrect use of airbags in motor vehicle collisions.
Retrospective database review and analysis. ⋯ Airbag use without the concomitant use of a seatbelt is associated with a higher incidence of cervical spine fractures with or without spinal cord injuries. Airbag misuse is also associated with higher Injury Severity Score, lower Glasgow coma scale, and longer intensive care unit and total hospital stays, indicating that these patients suffer worse injury than those who use the airbag properly.
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Comparative Study
Repeat vertebroplasty for unrelieved pain at previously treated vertebral levels with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.
A retrospective study was performed in patients with a repeat percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) at the vertebral levels previously undergoing vertebroplasty. ⋯ The outcomes of this series suggest that repeat PV is effective at the same vertebral levels in patients without pain-relief who underwent previous PV. Absent or inadequate filling of cement in the unstable fractured areas of the vertebral body may be responsible for the unrelieved pain after the initial PV.
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Thromboembolic disease (TED) after anterior/posterior spinal reconstructions was prospectively evaluated in 66 consecutive patients. ⋯ We report a high rate of TED after extensive anterior/posterior spinal reconstructions, for which a right-sided thoracoabdominal approach is an independent risk factor and screening ineffective at preventing PE. These patients should be considered at high risk for postoperative TED.
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Comparative Study
The incidence of intravascular penetration in medial branch blocks: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spines.
Clinical observational study. ⋯ The false-negative rate for medial branch blocks is likely to be lower than previously reported. The rate of inadvertent intravascular injection for thoracic medial branch blocks is 0.7%. Cervical and lumbar medial branch blocks are associated with an overall rate of 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively. Although these rates are lower than previously reported, the incidence of false-negative blocks still justifies the use of contrast to confirm nonvascular injection.
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A prospective cohort study. ⋯ The significant association between medium level back extension endurance and increased LBP intensity supports the finding of other studies that particularly back extension endurance is an important physical fitness component in preventing LBP and that the subcomponents of physical fitness are related in different ways to LBP.