Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Mar 2011
Sagittal segmental alignment as predictor of adjacent-level degeneration after a cloward procedure.
The Cloward anterior interbody fusion is commonly performed for cervical disc herniation or spondylosis. In followup studies, various authors have noted clinically relevant adjacent-level degeneration. However, factors associated with adjacent-level degeneration are not well known. ⋯ Level II, prognostic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Mar 2011
Percutaneous vertebroplasty relieves pain in metastatic cervical fractures.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty is currently an alternative for treating vertebral fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine, providing both pain control and vertebral stabilization. In the cervical spine, however, percutaneous vertebroplasty is technically challenging because of the complex anatomy of this region. ⋯ Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Mar 2011
Does smoking influence fusion rates in posterior cervical arthrodesis with lateral mass instrumentation?
Smoking is associated with reduced fusion rates after anterior cervical decompression and arthrodesis procedures. Posterior cervical arthrodesis procedures are believed to have a higher fusion rate than anterior procedures. ⋯ Level III, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Mar 2011
Case ReportsThe development and evaluation of the subaxial injury classification scoring system for cervical spine trauma.
Fractures and dislocations of the subaxial cervical spine may give rise to devastating consequences. Previous algorithms for describing cervical trauma largely depend on retrospective reconstructions of injury mechanism and utilize nonspecific terminology which thus diminish their clinical relevance add to the difficulty of educating doctors and performing prospective research. ⋯ This scheme will hopefully facilitate the development of evidence-based guidelines that may influence other aspects of the therapeutic decision-making process (eg, which operative approach is most appropriate for a particular injury). We anticipate its accuracy and reproducibility will increase over time as surgeons become more familiar with the protocol.