Spine
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Prospective analysis of computed tomographic images of 376 normal pediatric cervical pedicles. ⋯ With growth, there was a gradual increase in PW, PH, and PAL but was mainly before the age of 10 years. Majority of C3 pedicles were thin making screw fixation unsafe. However, at all other levels, the pedicle morphometrics per se were adequate and do not restrict safe application of 3-mm cervical pedicle screw.
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A cross-sectional study. ⋯ Greater fat, but not lean tissue mass, was associated with high levels of low back pain intensity and disability. Longitudinal investigation is needed to determine whether fat mass is predictive of low back pain and disability, as this may have important implications for further prevention strategies. Understanding the mechanism for these relationships may provide novel approaches to managing low back pain.
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The anatomy of a new ligament in the human spine the ATA is described. ⋯ In this preliminary study, we have described a new ligament, the ATA, between the dural sac and the ligamentum flavum at the L5 level. The ATA is an important structure that creates a potential risk for inadvertent dural lacerations during flavectomy. Dissecting the ATA before the flavectomy may be an important step in reducing postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks, which may result in significant benefits for patients and health care organizations.
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Retrospective analysis of patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treated with growing rod (GR) instrumentation for scoliosis. ⋯ GRs improve trunk height and the space-available-for-lung ratio while controlling curve and pelvic obliquity in young patients with SMA with severe scoliosis, but they do not halt rib collapse. For patients with SMA, hospital stays were longer than those for patients with IIS/JIS, whereas the rate of major complications was lower.
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STUDY DESIGN. A qualitative and semiquantitative study of the morphology of the human thoracolumbar transversospinal (TSP) muscles. OBJECTIVE. ⋯ The complex morphology of the TSP muscles indicates that they would be better classified as spinotransverse muscles. They are multipennate, highly aerobic, with fibers organized in parallel, an arrangement lending itself to "fine-tuning" of vertebral movements. Understanding their morphology has implications for investigation, treatment, motor control, and biomechanics.