Spine
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Retrospective cohort analysis. ⋯ Obese patients undergoing lumbar fusion achieve similar benefits to nonobese patients. Wound-related complications are more common in obese patients. Obese patients with otherwise good indications for lumbar fusion should not be denied this procedure because of their weight.
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Comparative Study
Quantifying the effects of degeneration and other patient factors on lumbar segmental range of motion using multivariate analysis.
Retrospective review and multivariate analysis. ⋯ The results of this study provide the clinician with insight into factors that influence segmental lumbar ROM. Age was the strongest statistical predictor of ROM and was associated with declining ROM, amounting to an approximate 3 degrees decrease in total sagittal lumbar ROM in the superior 4 segments every 10 years. BMI was another factor associated with lumbar ROM. Degeneration was a significant predictor of ROM only at L5-S1.
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Comparative Study
Frequency-dependent behavior of the intervertebral disc in response to each of six degree of freedom dynamic loading: solid phase and fluid phase contributions.
Nondestructive displacement-controlled dynamic testing of cadaver material, with repeated measures design and randomized sequence of tests. ⋯ The stiffness increase and phase angle decrease with frequency were greater for deformation modes in which fluid flow effects are thought to be greater.
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Comparative Study
Significance of laminar screw fixation in the subaxial cervical spine.
We retrospectively reviewed 11 patients who underwent laminar screw fixation in the subaxial cervical spine. In 4 patients, laminar screws were inserted for posterior cervical arthrodesis, and in 7 patients it was used for fixation of the open laminae during laminoplasty. ⋯ The translaminar screw method avoided damaging vascular structures, especially when the vertebral artery courses in the C7 transverse foramen, and it maintains solid stabilization of the subaxial cervical spine. This technique has 2 important advantages to currently used techniques: it is simpler and is not limited by the position of vascular structures. Therefore, it may be applicable to a wider number of patients, especially as it may be used in the subaxial cervical spine.
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Case Reports Comparative Study
Consciously postural sway and cervical vertigo after whiplash injury.
Cross-sectional study of whiplash injury patients with vertigo and healthy volunteers consciously pretending to have postural sway as in malingering. ⋯ Our results suggest that compared with normal subjects and WAD patients, malingerers are more likely to exhibit a wide EAREA, a long sway length per second, and a low Romberg rate. Malingering must be diagnosed carefully and posturography could be a helpful supplementary tool for differentiating whiplash-associated vertigo from malingering.