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
Experimental in vivo acute and chronic biomechanical and histomorphometrical comparison of self-drilling and self-tapping anterior cervical screws.
Self-drilling screws (SDS) and self-tapping screws (STS) allow for quicker bone insertion and are associated with increased anchorage. This is an experimental in vivo comparison of anterior cervical SDS and STS in the post-insertion acute and chronic phases. ⋯ SDS had higher insertion torque and better anchorage than STS in both phases. SDS percent bone-screw contact and inside area bone density were higher in both phases.
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A retrospective review of a case series. ⋯ Anterior decompression using a mini-transthoracic approach provides sufficient exposure for microsurgical decompression of giant thoracic disc herniations without disrupting the stability of the spine. Microsurgical decompression without instrumentation does not appear to lead to vertebral collapse or spinal malalignment.
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To assess if the evaluation of the spino-pelvic balance can be effective in the surgical decision making of the high-grade high dysplastic developmental spondylolisthesis (HDDS). ⋯ The analysis of the spino-pelvic sagittal balance allows to identify two types of HDDS: the balanced deformities, which do not need reduction, and the unbalanced deformities, in which correction is needed.
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To identify potential prognostic factors predicting functional outcome and survival after surgery followed by radiotherapy for metastatic spinal cord compression due to solid tumors. ⋯ The key element for successful treatment of MESCC is multidisciplinary care of the patient, which includes all of those prognostic factors that have been, until now, analyzed and compared. In our set of patients treated for vertebral metastases, PS, time to development of symptoms, and the presence of visceral metastases affected functional outcome and survival.
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Case Reports
Intra-operative localisation of thoracic spine level: a simple "'K'-wire in pedicle" technique.
To describe a simple and reliable method of intra-operative localisation of thoracic spine in a single surgical setting. Intra-operative localisation of thoracic spine levels can be difficult due to anatomical constraints, such as scapular shadow, patient's size and poor bone quality. This is particularly true in cases of thoracic discectomies in which the vertebral bodies appear normal. There are several methods described in recent literature to address this. Many of them require a separate procedure which was performed often the previous day. We report a technique which addresses the issue of localising thoracic level intra-operatively. ⋯ We routinely used this technique in all our thoracic discectomies (four cases in 2 years). There were no intra-operative complications. This method is simple, avoids the patient undergoing two procedures and requires no more ability than placing an implant in the pedicle under fluoroscopy. Placing the 'K' wire into a fixed point like the pedicle facilitates rapid intra-operative viewing of the level of interest and is removed easily at the conclusion of surgery.