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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U-shaped sacral fractures usually result from axial loading of the spine with simultaneous sacral pivoting due to a horizontal fracture which leads to a highly unstable spino-pelvic dissociation. Due to the rarity of these fractures, there is lack of an agreed treatment strategy. ⋯ From the current available data, an evidence based treatment strategy regarding outcome, neurological recovery or fracture healing could not be identified. Limited access and minimal-invasive surgery focussing on sacral reduction and restoration seems to offer comparable results to large spino-pelvic constructs with fewer complications and should be considered as the method of choice. If the fracture is highly unstable and displaced, spino-pelvic fixation might offer better stability.
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Comparative Study
Transdiscal L5-S1 screws for the treatment of adult spondylolisthesis.
The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and radiographic outcome of patients treated with a modified Grob technique analysing the advantages related to increased mechanical stability. ⋯ The advantages of this technique are lower incidence of neurologic complications, speed of execution and faster return to normal life.
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Review Case Reports
Less invasive approaches for the treatment of cervical schwannomas: our experience.
The purpose of our paper is to illustrate our experience with minimally invasive approaches for the treatment of cervical schwannomas. Moreover, a brief review of the literature was conducted. ⋯ Minimal access procedures are increasingly gaining popularity but their use is poorly described in the treatment of cervical tumors. Less invasive approaches may effectively be used instead of traditional laminectomy in the treatment of cervical tumors, especially schwannomas, providing less iatrogenic traumatism and preventing postsurgical spinal instability. Modern neuroimaging allows adequate preoperative planning and microsurgical techniques provide adequate execution of the surgical act. The procedure has to be tailored case by case considering the specific lesional features and the individual anatomical situation.
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Comparative Study
A pilot investigation into the effects of different office chairs on spinal angles.
To investigate the effects of four office chairs on the postural angles of the lumbopelvic and cervical regions. ⋯ In this study, the most appropriate posture for the lumbopelvic region was produced by the Saddle chair and for the cervical region by both the Saddle and Swopper chairs. No chair consistently produced an ideal posture across all regions, although the Saddle chair created the best posture of those chairs studied. Chair selection should be based on individual need.
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The sagittal profile of lumbar endplates is discrepant from current simplified disc replacement and fusion device design. Endplate concavity is symmetrical in the coronal plane but shows considerable variability in the sagittal plane, which may lead to implant-endplate mismatch. ⋯ The majority of lumbar endplates are concave, while the majority of sacral endplates are flat. An oblong and an ex-centric endplate shape can be distinguished, whereby the latter is more common at the lower lumbar levels. The apex of the concavity of ex-centric discs is located in the posterior half of the endplate and the concavity of the inferior endplate is deeper than that of the superior endplate. Based on the above, the current TDR and ALIF implant design does not sufficiently match the morphology of lumbar endplates in the sagittal plane.