European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Bony metastases are a frequent problem in elderly patients affected by cancer, and those with bony metastases involve the spine in approx. 50%. The most frequent spinal metastases (60%) are from breast, lung, or prostate cancer. The chance that an elderly patient (60-79 years old) is affected by bony metastases is four times higher in men and three times higher in women than a middle-aged patient (40-59 years old). ⋯ Surgical management shows the greatest improvement in pain reduction, but also in other domains of quality of life. Since prospective randomized studies comparing different treatment modalities for spinal metastases including surgery are not available and are ethically difficult to achieve, each case remains an interdisciplinary, shared decision making process for what is considered best for a patient or elderly patient. However, whenever surgery is an option, it should be planned before irradiation since surgery after irradiation has a significant higher complication rate.
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There is a relatively high prevalence of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) in the elderly population, especially in women aged 50 or older. The result of these VCFs is increased morbidity and mortality in the short and long term. Medical treatment of these fractures includes bed rest, orthotics, analgesic medication and time. ⋯ Research continues into the development of injectable biomaterials that are resorbable and allow for new bone formation. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are safe and effective in the treatment of osteoporotic VCFs. They may allow for a faster return to function, and thus avoid the morbidity associated with medical treatment.
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Case Reports Clinical Trial
Preoperative radiological and electrophysiological evaluation in 100 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.
This is a prospective study of spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electrophysiological recordings, and neurological examinations of 100 patients admitted for surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), which was conducted to assess the prevalence of structural and functional abnormalities within the spinal cord in patients with clinically normal neurologic condition. In all patients the clinical diagnosis and intact neurological condition was ascertained by a spinal orthopedic surgeon. Full-length spinal axis MRI studies (T1/T2 sequences) and somato-sensory evoked potentials of the tibial nerves (tSSEPs) were preoperatively assessed by independent evaluators blinded to the patients' medical histories. ⋯ It is especially important to detect structural pathologies like syringomyelia and Chiari malformation before proceeding with scoliosis surgery, as these conditions are associated with a higher neurological risk during scoliosis surgery. The electrophysiological recordings made in the present study, with the high number of pathological tSSEPs, are indicative of functional abnormalities with a subclinical involvement of the recorded neuronal pathways. The relevance of the latter findings is not yet clear, but pre-operative tSSEP examinations offer the possibility of assessing alterations in spinal cord function that are undetectable by clinical examination.
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Traditionally, spinal fusion has been denied to patients with scoliosis secondary to Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) when their forced vital capacity (FVC) is less than 30-40% of predicted values (PFVC). The reasons for this decision are a theoretically increased risk of adverse events from a prolonged anaesthetic and extensive surgery. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of 30 patients with DMD scoliosis who underwent posterior spinal fusion at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. ⋯ One patient in each group required a temporary tracheotomy and there were nine complications in total. The post-operative stay for patients in each group was similar (24 days in the >30% group, 20 days in the <30% group) and the complication rate was comparable with other published series. We conclude that spinal fusion can be offered to patients with DMD even in the presence of a low FVC.
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Insertion of pedicle screws in the thoracic spine is technically difficult and may lead to major complications. Although many computer-assisted systems have been developed to optimize pedicle screw insertion, these systems are expensive, not user-friendly and involve significant radiation from pre-operative computed tomographic (CT) scan imaging. This study describes and evaluates a transpedicular drill guide (TDG) designed to assist in the proper placement of pedicle screws in the thoracic spine. ⋯ No screw penetrated the superior or inferior pedicle wall. The TDG is easy to use and can decrease the incidence of misplaced thoracic pedicle screws. The TDG could be used as a complement to fluoroscopy in certain applications, especially for training surgeons.