Spine
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Population-based cross-sectional study of clinically assessed low back syndromes. ⋯ The increased risk of low back disorders related to professional car driving is more likely due to strenuous work tasks rather than to driving itself.
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Analysis of lymphatic vessels in childhood and adult normal and pathological vertebral bone and intervertebral disc tissue. ⋯ Lymphatics are not found in intact normal spinal vertebrae or the intervertebral discs of children or adults. Lymphatics in vertebral bone are found in pathological lesions of the spine when these have extended beyond the normal anatomical confines of the vertebra or intervertebral disc; this most likely occurs by ingrowth of lymphatics from surrounding connective tissues. These findings strongly suggest that metastatic tumor spread to the spine does not occur by lymphatics and that lymph node involvement of primary malignant spinal tumors occurs only after extraosseous spread.
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Prospective observational cohort study. ⋯ Lower score on performance status, the existence of organ metastases, and primary cancer of the lung and the kidney were significantly associated with poor survival. The revised Tokuhashi score was found to be very useful to predict survival regardless of the treatment pathway. In most patients, actual survival matched their predicted survival.
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Retrospective cohort study. ⋯ In a cohort of elderly patients, Type II odontoid fractures were associated with a high rate of mortality, regardless of intervention.
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This retrospective study assessed the total hospital charges for performing 102 single-level anterior cervical discectomy/fusion (1-ADF) procedures performed during a single year at one institution. All cases were in a single diagnosis-related group (DRG) category (473: cervical spine fusion), and used a single Principle Procedure Code (81.02). ⋯ Both the surgeon's choice of instrumentation and the choice of surgeons contributed to large- variations in total hospital charges for 102 patients undergoing 1-ADF.