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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The treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis is either conservative or surgical decompression. Recently, an interspinous decompression device (X-Stop) has been developed as an alternative. Patients treated with an X-Stop between 2003 and 2006 are subject of this study. ⋯ The X-Stop does improve the clinical situation. However, a good outcome is achieved less often than previously reported. Probable explanations are discussed.
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The purpose of our prospective study is to evaluate the surgical outcome among patients aged 80 years and above, who underwent surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis. We assessed patients' clinical and demographic data, procedures, perioperative complications, preoperative and postoperative pain intensity, basic activities of daily living (BADL), patients' satisfaction, the need for repeated surgery, and overall mortality. Thirty-nine patients more than 80 years of age were operated in our institution in the last decade. ⋯ No operative or perioperative mortality was noticed and the overall hospital stay for these elderly patients was 3.6 days on average. Surgery in very old elderly patients is safe and effective in the treatment of spinal stenosis, who did not respond well to the conservative treatment. The surgery did not increase the associated morbidity and mortality and most of the patients benefited from the surgery in terms of reduction in pain, increase in ADL and walking ability and overall increase in the satisfaction rate.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The positive effect of posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion is preserved at long-term follow-up: a RCT with 11-13 year follow-up.
Few studies have investigated the long-term effect of posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion on functional outcome. ⋯ Improvement in functional outcome is preserved for 10 or more years after posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion. No difference between instrumented fusion and non-instrumented fusion was observed. Patients who have to retired due to low back pain have the smallest improvement.
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To study the effect of the degree of scoliosis, degree of hypokyphosis/lordosis and rotation of apical vertebra on individual lung volume (measured with CT scan) in asymptomatic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. Individual (right and left) lung volume, angle of kyphosis and rotation of apical vertebra, were measured in 77 asymptomatic AIS patients having right thoracic curve, using modern computed tomography (CT) scan. To compare, lung volumes were measured in 22 normal persons (control group). ⋯ A significant inverse correlation was found between the angle of kyphosis and right to left lung volume ratio, i.e., as the angle of kyphosis decreased the convex to concave lung volume ratio increased (P = 0.0109, r = -0.255). In asymptomatic, AIS patients, with increase in degree of curvature, and rotation of apical vertebra, the ratio of convex to concave side lung volume increases; indicating concave side lung volume is comparatively more affected (decreased) than convex side lung volume. On the other hand with decrease in the angle of kyphosis the convex to concave lung volume ratio increases indicating kyphotic angle has an inverse relation to convex to concave lung volume ratio.
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The orthobiom non-fusion scoliosis correction system consists of two longitudinal rods, polyaxial pedicle screws, mobile and fixed connectors and a cross-connector. The mobile connectors can move along and around the rod, thus allowing length adaptation during growth. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different features of this novel implant on intervertebral rotations, to calculate the movement of the mobile connectors along the rods for different loading cases and to compare the results with those of a rigid implant construct. ⋯ This study, conducted under a load-controlled loading protocol, showed that intervertebral rotation was reduced much less by the non-fusion orthobiom system than by a rigid implant. The mobile connectors moved considerably along the rod when the spine was bent. It can be expected that the connectors also move along the rod as the adolescent grows, possibly leaving the discs intact until the patient is fully grown.