Spine
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This study examines the correlations between pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and radiographical measures of spinal deformities in patients with scoliosis. ⋯ Patients with increasing coronal and sagittal plane deformities with a high thoracic scoliosis apex are at the highest risk for reduced FVC%. The models developed provided improved estimations of actual PF based on the magnitude of the radiographical deformity.
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A retrospective study of 1162 consecutive patients who underwent spinal deformity surgical procedures at our spine center from January 2010 to December 2013. ⋯ Our study indicates that the appropriate use of MEP monitoring based on our protocol is able to obtain satisfying sensitivity and specificity and thus provide important information for intraoperative decision making.
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Biomechanical analysis of locomotion after total sacrectomy in a single patient case. ⋯ Excellent locomotor outcomes are possible after total sacrectomy.
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Cross-sectional study. ⋯ This study uses preoperative anemia to demonstrate the potential inaccuracies of ICD-9 coding. These results have implications for publications using databases that are compiled from ICD-9 coding data. Furthermore, the findings of the current investigation raise concerns regarding the accuracy of additional comorbidities. Although administrative databases are powerful resources that provide large sample sizes, it is crucial that we further consider the quality of the data source relative to its intended purpose.