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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As a powerful bone-inducing cytokine, rhBMP-2 has been used as a bone graft substitute in combination with animal-derived collagen to achieve interbody or posterolateral spinal fusion. Successful interspinous process fusion using rhBMP-2 in combination with synthetic carrier materials would offer a safe, minimally invasive spinal fusion option for the treatment of spinal disorders. The aims of the present study were to achieve interspinous process fusion by implanting rhBMP-2-retaining degradable material instead of bone grafting and to evaluate efficacy for vertebral stabilization. ⋯ Solid interspinous process fusion was achieved in rabbit models by 8 weeks after implanting the biodegradable bone-inducing material. These results suggest a potential new less-invasive option without bone grafting for the treatment of lumbar disorders.
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Gout is a common metabolic disease characterized by the development of arthritis and nephropathy related to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals within the joints, periarticular tissues, skin and kidneys. Tophus formation seen around the spinal column is very rare, while occurrences of spinal gout tophus without systemic gout disease are much more unique. In our study, we report a spinal gout case that presented with right sciatica without previous history of systemic gout disease.
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Case Reports
The use of intra-operative blood gas analysis in the investigation of suspected iatrogenic vascular injury.
Iatrogenic injury to the vertebral artery during posterior cervical fusion is a rare and potentially disastrous complication. Differentiating arterial from brisk venous bleeding would be ideal to assist in the intra-operative management. Definitive angiography is typically not feasible during most routine spine surgery. ⋯ Blood gas analysis can be a useful adjunct in determining the nature of hemorrhage from vascular structures in spine surgery when visual inspection is indeterminate.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of lumbar artificial disc design on intervertebral mobility: in vivo comparison between mobile-core and fixed-core.
Although in theory, the differences in design between fixed-core and mobile-core prostheses should influence motion restoration, in vivo kinematic differences linked with prosthesis design remained unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the rationale that the mobile-core design seems more likely to restore physiological motion since the translation of the core could help to mimic the kinematic effects of the natural nucleus. In vivo intervertebral motion characteristics of levels implanted with the mobile-core prosthesis were compared with untreated levels of the same population, levels treated by a fixed-core prosthesis, and normal levels (data from literature). ⋯ Furthermore, some physiologic mechanical behaviors seemed to be maintained: the VT was higher at implanted the L4L5 level than at the implanted L5S1 level, and the CT appeared lower at the L4L5 level than at the L5S1 level. ROM and motion distribution were not different between the mobile-core prosthesis and the fixed-core prosthesis implanted levels. This study validated in vivo the concept that a mobile-core helps to restore some physiological mechanical characteristics of the VT at the implanted L4L5 level, but also showed that the minimizing effect of core mobility on the VT was not sufficient at the L5S1 level.