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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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Comparison of unilateral versus bilateral pedicle screw fixation with cage fusion in degenerative lumbar diseases: a meta-analysis.
To compare the results between unilateral and bilateral pedicle screw (PS) fixation for the patients with degenerative lumbar diseases. ⋯ As compared to bilateral PS fixation with cage fusion, unilateral PS fixation with cage fusion achieves a similar VAS, ODI and SF-36 scores, fusion rate, complications and smaller surgical trauma. However, it is still uncertain whether unilateral pedicle screw fixation with cage fusion is as effective and safe as bilateral pedicle screw fixation with cage fusion.
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Review Case Reports
Post-traumatic Collet-Sicard syndrome: personal observation and review of the pertinent literature with clinical, radiologic and anatomic considerations.
The lesion of the lower four cranial nerves, commonly called Collet-Sicard syndrome, can be caused by a blunt head and neck trauma. It may be associated to an isolated fracture of the occipital condyle or of the atlas. ⋯ The p-CSS is caused by force directed through the top of the head. We suppose that the nerve injuries are due to their laceration caused by a displacement of a condyle fragment or to their compression and stretching when they pass between the lateral mass of the atlas and the styloid process. These modalities of trauma explain the better clinical results in patients affected by C1 fractures. Conservative treatment is the option of choice. Surgical option, when choosed, is not considered to fix nerve damages.
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Patients with signs and/or symptoms of cervical spondylotic myelopathy are frequently encountered in spinal practice. Exact numbers of prevalence or incidence are not known. ⋯ Surprisingly, an extensive search of the literature did not reveal exact data about the incidence or prevalence of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. The prevalence of surgically treated cervical spondylotic myelopathy was estimated as 1.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. Although the population adherence to the surgical practice is reasonably fixed and referral patterns are known, this estimate will still be too low for various reasons. At best, this estimate is the minimal prevalence of cervical spondylotic myelopathy that has been operated upon. To address the exact incidence or prevalence of cervical spondylotic myelopathy in general or needing surgical treatment, other investigations are warranted.
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Review
MIS lateral spine surgery: a systematic literature review of complications, outcomes, and economics.
Over the past decade, the minimally disruptive lateral transpsoas approach for lumbar interbody fusion (MI-LIF) is increasingly being used as an alternative to conventional surgical approaches. The purpose of this review was to evaluate four primary questions as they relate to MI-LIF: (1) Is there an anatomical justification for MI-LIF at L4-5? (2) What are the complication and outcome profiles of MI-LIF and are they acceptable with respect to conventional approaches? (3) Given technical and neuromonitoring differences between various MI-LIF procedures, are there any published clinical differences? And, (4) are modern minimally disruptive procedures (e.g., MI-LIF) economically viable? ⋯ There is considerable published evidence to support MI-LIF in spinal fusion and advanced applications, though the results of some reports, especially concerning complications, vary greatly depending on technique and instrumentation used. Additional cost-effectiveness analyses would assist in fully understanding the long-term implications of MI-LIF.
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Minimal-invasive cement augmentation techniques gained popularity recently. Long-term studies, however, are still not available focusing on the effect of possible acceleration of intervertebral disc degeneration. ⋯ Despite several limitations regarding patients' age and lack of performed perfusion MRI scans, this study suggests that vertebral cement augmentation through kyphoplasty has no significant influence on disc degeneration even after a long period. The absence of severe disc degeneration after vertebral augmentation supports further clinical trials, which should incorporate endplate perfusion studies for detailed information regarding disc perfusion.