Journal of spinal disorders
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Comparative Study
Segmental roentgenographic analysis of vertebral inclination on sagittal plane in asymptomatic versus chronic low back pain patients.
Two homogenous groups of 120 volunteers and 120 low back pain (LBP) patients, age range 20-79 years, underwent a prospective roentgenographic segmental vertebral analysis of the thoracic and lumbar spine to compare several roentgenographic parameters useful for planning spine surgery. The following roentgenographic parameters were measured: thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral inclination, distal lordosis (L4-S1), inclination of each vertebra from T4-S1, and relative vertebral inclination between adjacent vertebrae. Thoracic kyphosis increased (p < 0.0001) and sacral inclination decreased (p < 0.05) with age in the control group. ⋯ Sacral inclination was significantly more in the female than in male volunteers (p < 0.05). Distal lordosis (L4-S1) represents 55% and 49% of total lumbar lordosis in controls and low back patients, respectively. Spine surgeons frequently deal with sagittal spinal deformities and the deviations of sagittal spinal curvatures and vertebral inclination in the sagittal plane, both in normal subjects and LBP patients should be clinically helpful.
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Thoracic spine stabilization after trauma or in tumor reconstruction cases frequently is performed with hook and rod internal fixation systems, the use of which is not always possible. Pelvic reconstruction plates with pedicle screw fixation offer an alternative to hooks and rods. ⋯ We further determined that the addition of pars interarticularis screws to the plate construct provided increased resistance to all loading modes. Our study indicates that plate constructs can effectively stabilize the thoracic spine.