Spine
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Prospective cohort study. ⋯ This study found that being older, having lower fitness scores, wearing armor longer, and wearing heavier loads increased the risk of LBP in deployed soldiers. Units more likely to wear loads such as the Infantry and Cavalry and tasks commonly involving wearing loads such as patrolling all increased the risk of LBP as well.
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Descriptive register study. ⋯ Back pain is generally experienced to a high extent by patients scheduled for spinal stenosis surgery. HRQoL and function are low preoperatively irrespective of whether back or leg pain is predominant. In this large patient material patients who grade their back and leg pain as likeworthy have significantly lower values for HRQoL and function compared to patients reporting predominant leg or back pain but the difference is not clinically relevant.
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Anonymous patient survey. ⋯ Patients think that orthopedic spine surgeons should be compensated over 10 to 20 times more than current Medicare reimbursement rates. Patients overestimate the actual amount that Medicare reimburses by a factor of approximately 7 to 10. Less than 10% of patients think that the current Medicare payment is about right, and less than 2% think that surgeons are overpaid.
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A retrospective analysis using prospectively collected data from 3-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA). ⋯ The VAs and PPCW vary considerably. Preoperative 3D-CTA provides important information for preventing tragic vascular complications caused by iatrogenic VA injury. Taking the risk of radiation into consideration, we recommend this method for patients at the highest risk for iatrogenic VA injury.
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A retrospective review of a consecutive population of patients treated with radiofrequency-targeted vertebral augmentation (RF-TVA) for malignant vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). ⋯ We report optimum safety and efficacy results in the treatment of malignant VCFs with a novel RF-TVA technique in which controlled delivery of an ultrahigh viscosity PMMA is used for fracture stabilization. The deposition of PMMA with RF-TVA is predictable and uniform, and can be performed without the PMMA handling constraints that may be encountered with vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty. The safety and efficacy we report with RF-TVA achieved equivalency with other methods of treatment for VCF stabilization.