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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Self-rated activity limitations in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (cLBP) do not correlate well with performance in traditional tests of impairment (e.g. back strength, ROM, etc.). Tests using more "functional activities" have therefore been recommended as alternative "objective" outcome measures. We examined the relationship between a battery of such tests and self-reported activity limitations, before and in response to physiotherapy, and the influence of psychological factors on the relationship. ⋯ Moderately high correlations (for both absolute and change scores) were observed between the subjective and observed measures of activity limitation. This indicates that to some extent they are assessing the same underlying construct, but it also suggests that each is delivering a certain amount of unique information. Psychological factors explained some of the discrepancy between the two types of measure. Both were responsive to therapy, and their change scores reflected well the patients' global outcome ratings. The two methods of assessing activity limitations should serve to complement one another in the assessment of treatment outcome.
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Comparative Study
Improving successful rate of transcranial electrical motor-evoked potentials monitoring during spinal surgery in young children.
This prospective study was to investigate the successful rate of intraoperative motor evoked potentials (MEP) monitoring for children (<12 years old) with congenital scoliosis. ⋯ Low dose anesthesia by either TIVA with propofol or sevoflurane-based mixture anesthesia protocol can help the intraoperative spinal cord monitoring to successfully elicit MEP and perform reliable monitoring for patients below 12 years of age.
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Previous studies have shown the existence of either cellular or humoral MBP-reactive elements up to 5 years after spinal cord injury (SCI), but not the presence of both after 10 years. ⋯ This work demonstrates, for the first time, the existence of both cellular and humoral responses against MBP in the chronic stages (>10 years) of injury.
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Comparative Study
Spinous process morphology: the effect of ageing through adulthood on spinous process size and relationship to sagittal alignment.
Blinded radiographic analysis of CT scans reformatted for precise lumbar spinous process (LSP) measurement. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the dimensions of the LSP change with age. Increases in LSP height and even more impressive increases in LSP width occur with advancing age. There is an inverse relationship between lumbar lordosis and LSP height.
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Comparative Study
Diffusion-weighted MR imaging in differentiation between osteoporotic and neoplastic vertebral fractures.
To assess the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with spin-echo echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (SE-EPI-DWI) in differentiation between vertebral osteoporotic fractures and pathological neoplastic fractures. ⋯ DWI provides reliable information to support MRI diagnosis of neoplastic versus osteoporotic fractures. ADC value appears as a useful adjunctive parameter.