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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Comparative Study
Comparison of inpatient treatment costs after balloon kyphoplasty and non-surgical treatment of vertebral body compression fractures.
We performed an analysis of following costs after primary conservative or operative treatment with balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) in osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Patients with primary osteoporotic vertebral fractures treated with BKP or conservatively from discharge year 2002-2005 were retrospectively assessed regarding the following hospital treatment in any hospital in Austria from 2002 to 2006. A statistical record linkage between the hospital data and the mortality registry of Statistic Austria was performed. ⋯ The number of readmissions was 1.62 times higher (P = 0.039), the length of stay 1.09 times higher (P = 0.046) in the conservative group. No difference in the DRG scores were found (P = 0.11). In conclusion, patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures showed in the following years after BKP fewer hospital readmissions and shorter hospital stays but no difference in DRG scores in comparison to conservatively treated patients.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A kinematic analysis of relative stability of the lower extremities between subjects with and without chronic low back pain.
Even though a number of studies have evaluated postural adjustments based on kinematic changes in subjects with low back pain (LBP), kinematic stability has not been examined for abnormal postural responses during the one leg standing test. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative kinematic stability of the lower extremities and standing duration in subjects with and without chronic LBP. In total, 54 subjects enrolled in the study, including 28 subjects without LBP and 26 subjects with LBP. ⋯ There was a group interaction between side and lower extremities (F = 11.79, p = 0.001) as well as an interaction between age and dominance side (F = 7.91, p = 0.007). The relative kinematic stability had a moderate negative relationship with age (r = -0.60, p = 0.007) in subjects without LBP. Clinicians need to understand the effects of age and relative stability, which decreased significantly in the single leg holding test, in subjects with LBP in order to develop effective rehabilitation strategies.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Adjacent-level degeneration after cervical disc arthroplasty versus fusion.
The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD) in patients who underwent cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) as compared with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). ⋯ Preservation of motion in the CDA patients was not associated with a reduction of the incidence of symptomatic adjacent-segment disease and there may be other factors that influence ASD.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Validity of the 10-s step test: prospective study comparing it with the 10-s grip and release test and the 30-m walking test.
Cervical compressive myelopathy (CCM) is one of the common neurological disorders seen in the geriatric population. The 10-s Grip and Release ("G and R") Test and the 30-m Walking ("Walking") Test are widely known as quantifiable physical assessments for the severity of cervical myelopathy. We developed the 10-s Step ("Step") Test as another easily performable quantifiable measure for this. ⋯ Linear regression analyses showed that the results of the Step Test correlated with JOA scores to the same degree as the Walking Test results did, and to a greater degree than the G and R Test results did. Moreover, the results of the Step Test showed a significant degree of correlation with JOACMEQ-L. In view of these findings, our conclusion was that the easily performed Step Test is an useful test for assessing the severity of cervical myelopathy, especially for the lower limb dysfunction secondary to CCM.
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Clinical Trial
Impact of magnetic resonance imaging on decision making for thoracolumbar traumatic fracture diagnosis and treatment.
The role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently been enhanced in the diagnosis of thoracolumbar fractures due to its ability to examine soft tissue injury. ⋯ MRI seems to be a useful tool in the evaluation of thoracolumbar acute fractures, as it allows a better visualization of the posterior complex integrity and of the levels involved, offering additional information compared to traditional diagnostic tools.