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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The study design was to decrease the damage of spinal cord on the experimentally induced acute spinal cord injury in rats. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rHu-EPO) and methylprednisolone (MPSS) improve neurological function and histopathological changes if systemically administered after traumatic spinal cord injury. This study included 48 rats that underwent experimental SCI. ⋯ A significant decrease in ischemic damage was detected in MPSS + rHu-EPO 3,000 U group (P<0.001). The most significant neurological functional and histopathological improvements were observed after systemical administration of MPSS + rHu-EPO 3,000 U and rHu-EPO 3,000 U. Furthermore, the MPSS + rHu-EPO 3,000 U group provides the most improved neurological functional and histopathological recovery.
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Clinical Trial
Clinical predictors of lumbar provocation discography: a study of clinical predictors of lumbar provocation discography.
Discography is the only available method of directly challenging the discs for pain sensitivity. However, it is invasive, expensive and there is a debate about its clinical value. There is a need to identify clinical signs that may indicate the need for a discography examination. ⋯ History of persistent pain between acute episodes, a significant loss of extension and a subjective report of 'vulnerability' in what is termed as the 'neutral zone' had specificities of 83-92% and likelihood ratios between 2.0 and 4.1. Two combinations of variables were highly specific to positive discography, but no suitable screening test useful for ruling out positive discography was established. Three clinical variables have modest predictive power in relation to lumbar discography results and two combinations of variables were highly specific to positive discography.
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Case Reports
Dorsal root ganglionectomy for pseudotumor of the L3 dorsal root ganglion: a rare case and a rare treatment.
Dorsal root ganglia are oval enlargements on the dorsal nerve roots and contain the cell bodies of sensory neurons. Asymmetry of dorsal root ganglia may occur naturally, yet natural occurrence of gigantic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is rare. The patient was 61-year-old woman who presented with atypical symptoms like neuropathic pain and urinary distention. ⋯ Dural sheath opening in neurosurgery is not a routine practice. The sheath may need to be opened when surgeon suspects of a tumor, a free disc fragment and any inflammation within the ganglion. Operative morphology of a severely edematous but non-tumoral (pseudotumor) ganglion has not previously been documented.
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We did not find any in vivo study of spinal segment kinematics after disc replacement, especially over the long term. In vitro studies did show that it restores almost normal kinematics except for axial rotation. The goal of this study is to develop a new technique in order to analyse axial rotation of a spinal segment, in vivo, after total disc replacement. ⋯ The implementation of only one discal prosthesis SB Charité seems to restore kinematics close to that of the healthy volunteers and comparable to the literature. The implementation of two adjacent prostheses does not restore normal kinematics in 50% of the cases. It is probable that the existence of active stabilizing elements explains the difference with the in vitro studies carried out beforehand.
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The results of lumbar fusion in chronic low back pain (LBP) patients vary considerably, and there is a need for proper patient selection. Lumbosacral orthoses have been widely used to predict outcome, however, with little scientific support. The aim of the present study was to determine the value of a pantaloon cast test in selecting chronic LBP patients for lumbar fusion or conservative management. ⋯ In patients with previous spine operations the outcomes were poor and the test was of no value. From the literature and the present patient cohort, it was concluded that only in chronic LBP patients without prior spine surgery, a pantaloon cast test with substantial pain relief suggests a favorable outcome of lumbar fusion compared to conservative management. The test has no value in patients who have had previous spine surgery.