Spine
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A prospective study of 25 patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery. ⋯ We suggest that a medial retraction blade does not transmit direct pressure on P/E wall due to minimal wall exposure and intervening thyroid cartilage. Our result should be considered when measuring retraction pressure during anterior cervical surgery or designing novel retractor systems.
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Agreement study. ⋯ This classification allows adequate agreement among different observers and by the same observer on separate occasions. Future prospective studies should evaluate whether this classification improves clinical decision making.
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Comparative Study
Characteristics of low back pain in adolescent patients with early-stage spondylolysis evaluated using a detailed visual analogue scale.
Retrospective comparative cohort study. ⋯ This study revealed that LBP characteristics may provide important information for distinguishing ESS from other low back disorders. Because early diagnosis is essential for the treatment of ESS, MRI examination is recommended for patients showing severe pain in motion, but less pain when standing or sitting.
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This is an ambispective analysis of a prospectively followed cohort of patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). ⋯ Global sagittal alignment and SVA interactively associate with quantitative MRI spinal cord signal abnormalities and worse CSM-related disability. The reciprocal relationships of SVA effect in patients with kyphosis and those with lordosis may reflect an optimal spinal alignment to achieve during surgical management.
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Retrospective case series. ⋯ CSC visualized on MRI correlates poorly with the upper extremity reflex examination in patients with cervical myelopathy. Of the pathological reflexes, Hoffman sign has the strongest association with CSC, but still was only positive in 67% of cases. More sensitive clinical measures need to be developed to more accurately associate CSC detected on MRI to the clinical severity of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.